Garden State

Right now the garden is mostly asleep. Garlic is really the only thing growing right now. Although we do have brussel sprouts that overwintered, and still have a few very sweet sprouts on them. 

 

Brussel Sprouts



Here ‘s what the garlic beds looked like just after planting in early November:

Here they are today:

They will be harvested approximately mid July, cured for two weeks, then off to market or set aside in a cool dark place for planting time in November.

Seedlings

Two weeks ago, we started all our vegetable seedlings indoors that can’t be direct seeded in late spring/early summer.

Right now we have five varieties of tomatoes, purple and green broccoli, rainbow cauliflower, red and green cabbage, leeks, two kinds of peppers, flat leaf parsley, cilantro, rosemary, lavender, butterfly bush and lobelia in flats. The majority of them have sprouted. Seeds must be first planted in a sterile starter mix to prevent disease.  We start ours on a seedling warmer pad. This Seedling Warmer from West Coast Seeds is awesome. They also have one that fits window sills. The warmth from this pad encourages quick germination for planted seeds. Plastic lids are put on seedling trays to keep the environment moist.  The soil must be kept constantly moist until seeds have germinated. Then you have to be very careful to keep them watered, but not too wet as something called damping off disease can occur. Damping off is a disease that attacks small seedlings which are too wet.  Your best bet is, as soon as all seeds have sprouted in a flat, remove the lid and put it in a bright place.

On April 1^st we’ll be starting basil indoors, and on June 1^st, brussel sprouts and more broccoli for fall and winter harvest.

For now, though, we just need to nurture these little guys along.  Soon it will be time to transfer each plant to its own small pot after the first set of true leaves appear (the first two leaves you see on a plant are not true leaves, but are called seed leaves or cotyledons.  After these appear, the first set of true leaves develops above these seed leaves) and before you know it we’ll be transplanting them to the great outdoors.



First Pepper Seed Leaves



First Broccoli Seed Leaves



First Tomato Seed Leaves

I will post more as we move along through each step of transplanting, hardening off and finally moving them out to the garden.

Next steps are a garden plan and tilling the soil. We're hoping that the last frost is very soon so we can finally plant our peas.  This morning, March 20^th, we woke up to quite a significant frost. Very unusual for this time of year, and I really hope it’s the last.

 



The Great Pumpkin

We had about ten sugar pumpkin plants in our vegetable garden this past summer, and together they produced about sixty pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins are fairly uniform in size and weigh about five pounds each. They’re also super sweet and tasty. We still have about eight of them left, but by this point they’re slowly starting to mold. About once a week for the past month, I’ve had to throw one out. But they were harvested in September and it’s March, so they’ve stored really well in our cool basement.

So far I’ve made pumpkin soup, loaf, muffins and pie. I’ve put chunks of it into stews, pasta, risotto, roasted it and even mashed it! Last night it was freezing cold here, and craving comfort food as well as needing to use up the pumpkins we have left, I decided to try something new.

Last year, I was in a restaurant and they had pumpkin gnocchi on the menu. I didn’t order it, but have been thinking about it ever since. I decided to make it. I used the ingredients of a typical potato gnocchi, but substituted potato with pumpkin and added a few things. I made a garlic herb butter sauce, because winter squash, sage and thyme are beautiful together.  Harry was a little alarmed by the pumpkin dumplings on his plate, but by the time he’d finished them he said, “Different … but pretty darn good!” 

I believe in being creative when it comes to cooking. I never follow a recipe completely (unless it’s baking), and when remaking a dish I’ve created, I often change the ingredients based on whatever I have on hand.  Also, not everyone likes the same flavours. So I encourage you to use whatever types of flour, cheese, squash and herbs you like. Play with it, and let me know what you come up with!

This recipe will serve 4 people as a side.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

1.5 cups pumpkin puree (I roast my own – see note – or you can use a 14 oz can.  Make sure you don’t get pumpkin pie filling, just pure pumpkin)

1 egg

1.5 cups cups flour

1/8  tsp cinnamon

½  tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

First make the dough:

Mix the pumpkin puree and egg together. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon and pepper. The dough will be fairly sticky. Refrigerate for about an hour before using.  You can use saran wrap or a lightly greased bowl.

When ready to cook your gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to boil. Also, preheat your oven to the lowest temperature so you can keep the cooked gnocchi warm. 

There are two ways to form the gnocchi.  You can either remove the dough from the fridge and put on a floured surface and knead for a few minutes.  Roll out the dough to about ½ inch thickness, and then cut into 2” by 1” pieces.  Or don’t roll it out, and using a tablespoon scoop up about the same size of dough. Drop the pieces into the boiling water. You can fill the pot fairly full, but use your judgment. You want the gnocchi to have room to move around.  When the dumplings float to the top, they’re done. Remove and place in a dish in your warmed oven until you’re finished.

While your gnocchi are waiting in the oven, make the herb butter sauce:

Herb Butter Sauce

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp olive oil

5 fresh sage leaves chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme chopped fine

2 medium sized garlic cloves (use one clove if you don’t like strong garlic flavor)

Salt and pepper

Parmigiano Reggiano

Heat the butter and oil together on medium low heat. Add the sage and thyme, along with the salt and pepper. Sauté the herbs for a couple of minutes. Then add the garlic. Cook a few minutes longer and remove from heat.

Now remove your gnocchi from the oven and add to the pan with your sauce. Toss until all the gnocchi are coated. Plate your dumplings, and grate some fresh parmigiano cheese over top.  Yum!

Beer / Wine Pairings:  We had a Red Racer IPA from Central City Brewing with this dish. A Belgian witbier would be good, as would pumpkin ale if you can find one.  Central City Brewing does a great seasonal pumpkin ale in the fall.

If you’re more into wine, Riesling is a wonderful wine with pumpkin and roast chicken. Local wineries producing Rieslings:  Mt. Lehmann Winery and Lotusland Vineyards, both from Abbotsford. There are also many lovely Rieslings being produced in the Okanagan.

Whatever you end up drinking, try to find a local craft brewer or vineyard and support drinking locally!

Creative Suggestions:

·         For a more classic combination, instead of using sage and thyme, use just 10 sage leaves. Or just use 1.5 tsp fresh thyme

·         Try finely chopped fresh rosemary instead of sage and thyme, or do a combination of the three

·         Instead of Parmigiano Reggiano, use Pecorino Romano or another sharp cheese

·         After boiling them, pan fry the gnocchi before adding to the sage butter sauce

·         Add a splash of the beer or wine to your sauce

·         Instead of all-purpose flour, you could use a combination of one cup all-purpose and half a cup semolina or; use rice flour if you don’t eat gluten or; try spelt flour for a nuttier taste

·         Add a bit of lemon zest to the sauce

·         Use a different winter squash such as butternut, buttercup or acorn

Roasting pumpkin:

Roast your pumpkin at 375^oF for about an hour. Before baking, put a few slices in the top of the pumpkin with a sharp knife to allow for run-off.

Have a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch drips. At about the 45 minute mark, test with a knife. If the knife goes through easily, your pumpkin is ready to remove from the oven. If not, give 10 – 15 more minutes and check again.

Let the pumpkin cool. Then remove the skin (it should practically fall off). Cut in half and remove all seeds and stringy bits.

Put into a food processor and blend until the consistency of baby food. Pureed pumpkin freezes really well.