gardening

Strawberries!

June 15, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, gardening, health, shopping, tweens

Okay, the strawberries are here and Life Is Good! I have been lucky this year; I’ve been able to keep ahead of the varmints, birds, and creeping mold and get to most of my strawberries before the enemies did. We have 4 or more varieties, ranging from tiny, almost pin-head sized alpine strawberries to large, sweet…perfect strawberries.

I managed to hold a few back for a picture before consuming them. I even found a ripe blueberry in the strawberry patch. (Sorry, eaten!).

My daughter wants to dip some in chocolate and I can’t blame her; the only thing with the potential to rival a fresh strawberry right from the garden is one that has been dipped in (preferably) dark chocolate.

One problem though: how to keep from eating them long enough to dip in chocolate? Methinks that a trip to the farm stand for additional strawberries for dipping will be required. We’re in luck, because the Wells Rotary Strawberry Festival is this Saturday at Spiller Farm in Wells, ME.

There will not only be strawberries there (and if memory serves, the homemade strawberry shortcake available for purchase was quite a hit with my daughter at last year’s festival) but also the grill will be fired up for the usual suspects (hot dogs, hamburgers). There will also be activities for your kids.

The festival runs from 10am-4pm. It’s a nice way to spend a Saturday. I’ll be there with my daughter buying (and eating!) strawberries.

Homemade egg rolls

June 10, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, gardening, recipes, shopping, tweens

Our friends, the Douangsovaths, came over to our house to teach us how to make egg rolls.

After they arrived, we took a quick shopping trip for necessary ingredients. Lettuce I had growing in my garden, a tomato was on the counter that i picked up at the farmers market earlier that week…but bean threads? Not one of my pantry staples.

Here’s the shopping list:

Green Cabbage (not Napa)
The largest bag of carrots that I’ve ever seen
Bean threads (in the asian food aisle)
Egg Roll Wrappers (they brought these; I’m actually not sure where they came from)
Whatever meat you want to use; we used ground chicken and ground pork (for convenience sake!). We also bought some small shrimp (and cut them up even smaller).
Magic spice mix: mixed salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. I guessed for the proportions. You mix them all together until it “tastes right”. Ahem.
Canola oil for frying. Get a big one.
One beaten egg; this becomes the glue that keeps your egg roll closed.
A LARGE jar of duck sauce.

For equipment, you need a food processor, a fry daddy (which they brought with them). Kitchen tongs.

Then, you just mix all the ingredients together in roughly equal parts. Then you use about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it up in the wrapper as tightly (and as thinly) as you can.

Then fry for 6-7 minutes until golden brown, drain on a rack. We made about a hundred and fifty rolls. Here’s the thing: you will not remember how many you’ve eaten if you just start cutting them up and eating them as you are making them, as we did. I’m warning you about the egg roll fugue state that will ensue if you do this! Decide how many you will eat, put them on a plate, and then stop! (okay, you have been warned).

The lettuce was used (and full disclosure: they bought some not knowing we had it growing in the garden already!) to wrap up the egg roll after it was fried; that’s how one of our friends eats them (he also put a pile of a shredded carrot recipe he had made on it too). I tried it this way and it was excellent. Sort of helps you forget you are eating deep fried food when you disguise it by placing vegetables all around it.

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Paul Parent in Kennebunk

May 25, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, gardening

Paul Parent at Estabrooks — Paul Parent broadcasting live from Estabrooks in Kennebunk

This Sunday morning was there was a nice treat for gardeners. Paul Parent, of Paul Parent Garden Club fame, was broadcasting his show live on 5/23/10 from Estabrooks on Route One in Kennebunk. Check out his radio show on Sunday mornings from 6:00AM-10:00AM for great gardening tips. He even takes phone calls from listeners!

If you waited to put in your vegetable garden, then you should be in the market for some seedlings this week.

If you didn’t wait and took the risk of putting your little plants in the ground already, then the obsessive gardeners among you STILL may be in the market for some more this week.

Reasons to get down to the farm store or nursery buy some more vegetable seedlings:

You were smart and waited until “all danger of frost has passed” and now have a blank canvas on which to plant.
You planted already but were smart and left some room for future moments of weakness, like the Pineapple Tomato plants that you just couldn’t pass up.
You find black bell pepper seedlings and find that you just couldn’t pass them up either.
You’ve finished planting your garden and have no more room, but your friend is just starting to plant hers. You can vicariously experience the plant-purchasing thrill by watching your friend oufit her garden.
You can split seedling 6 packs with your friend. After all, if those Pineapple Tomatoes really do get to be 2 pounds each, how will you fit (never mind eat) them all?

And of course, there are all those herb plants…many herbs will thrive in the worst conditions you can think of…but beware the invasive mint plants…

So, what are you planting this year?

plant the “dirty dozen”

May 18, 2010May 21, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, gardening, health

What is the dirty dozen? they are the most pesticide-ridden foods at the grocery store, according to an article in the Portland Press Herald ‘s food section last week. if you’re a gardener, why not consider this a call to action?

if you have been contemplating planting vegetables, maybe this article will give you the nudge off the fence and into the yard for which you’ve been waiting.

for me, this is very motivating. scanning the list, i was happy to see that some of the plants are already in my garden: strawberries, spinach, cherries, grapes, apples. some i am planning to plant: potatoes, spinach, and bell peppers. some recommended vegetable varieties for maine gardens can be found on this website:

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/2190.htm

a word of warning: we live in maine~wait until after memorial day to plant your seedlings outside. remember that night last week with the frost? you know, the one that came after those 70 degree days? ‘nuf said.

have any of you gamblers put your seedlings outside already?

summer wish list Top Ten

May 15, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, fitness, gardening, health, restaurants, shopping, tweens

Remember every fall when your new teacher would ask you to write an essay on “what I did on my summer vacation”? and you could never think of a thing? Well, how about getting a jump on things this year by writing “what I am going to do on my summer vacation”!

Inspired by Laura Dolce’s column in the York County Coast Star this past thursday, who was talking about her summer wish list, I decided to put together my own. I actually do this every year, but not usually this early. see if you can notice any recurrent theme in my list.

First, the pre-to-do list (it’s short):

Read the Tourist News every week. it’s not just for tourists anymore.
Check out the local library for summer programs for your kids. they’re free, and fun!
Get online and google the dates of the annual events

Now, here’s what i want to do this summer (this is the top 10):

Big Daddy’s in Wells for a Kahlua Browie ice cream cone.
Mini-golf at Wonder Mountain in Wells…although a friend told me about Shaw’s Ridge in Sanford, which we may be checking out instead
The (annual) Strawberry Festival in South Berwick. Every year we mean to go and never make it. this year it’s on saturday 6/26, and it’s been on my calendar for 2 months already.
Scarborough Downs Family Fun Day on sunday august 8.
Congdon’s Doughnuts at least once, for blueberry donuts (me) and blueberry turnovers (my daughter) for breakfast.
Ogunquit Playhouse; there are shows for adults as well as for children all summer. note: please do not bring kids to the evening adult shows…nothing will cramp the style of the actors more than a bright-eyed 12 year old front and center when he is trying to say his risqué lines.
Kennebunkport, to walk and poke around in all the little shops.
Kennebooks…visit the bookstore near me as often as possible!
Go for a trolley ride…
Old Orchard Beach for pier fries.

This is my jumping off point. I will add to it as necessary, and hopefully not have to cross too much off from it!

Do you make a summer vacation ‘to-do’ list?

Lilacs

May 8, 2010May 11, 2010 by Karen, posted in family, gardening

my absolute favorite flowers are lilacs. i cannot pass by a lilac bush without admiring them, often audibly, to the subsequent annoyance of those around me forced to listen to my tributes over, and over, and over…in a prior residence, my husband planted a lilac garden and included one of every kind of lilac he could find: pink, blue, light purple, dark purple, white-edged purple, yellow…it was amazing. since we moved from that house, we’ve had houses with a)no lilacs or b)houses with one or two tiny ones that did not flower.

this year, for my upcoming birthday, that sad story came to an end. my husband removed the existing shrubs flanking our front door that came with our house (which involved heavy machinery) and in their place he planted the two largest lilac bushes he could find, one pink, one purple. underneath he planted a smaller garden with my other favorite flowers…hyacinths and tulips. balloons were tied to the lilacs that said “happy birthday!” now, these lilacs in the picture i bought at the farmer’s market in portland last wednesday, but i consider them a harbinger… 🙂

10 tips for a working mother’s garden

May 7, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, gardening, tweens

10 things you will need to have a vegetable garden if you are a working mother:

something to grow things in. now, it may be a patch of ground, a raised bed (if your lucky, your significant other will build it for you; i’m lucky), or even a half whiskey barrel or window box if that’s what you have time/space for.
you will need a plan. trust me. i always make one. i never follow it, but it will make you feel virtuous that you did at one time have some sense of restraint. or, just some sense.
you will need some time. this might be the hardest part of the list, especially if you leave for work before dawn and return after dark. i have no ideas here. you’re on your own.
you will want some assistance. it may come from books (The Garden Primer, Second Edition by Barbara Damrosch is a great reference), friends who know what they are doing, and maybe your kids? hint: your kids probably are not interested in your garden agenda and will not want to help you. options: pay them; beg them; exclude them completely (reverse psychology).
also, consider miracle grow, compost…take any leg up you can get. i have used this in the past with some success: Neptune’s Harvest Organic Fertilizer.
depending on what you are growing (zucchini, string beans), you will need a dedicated appetite that celebrates monotony.
you will need poisons of some sort. if you plant it, they will come: the invaders that love to search out and destroy what you have planted and (if you had time) lovingly tended. show no mercy; the invaders won’t.
you will need protection of some sort from the mosquitos, black flies, dragon flies, and other insects that are hell-bent on getting in your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. a bug headnet is worth it’s cost. Cabela’s makes one. i’ll warn you; it’s not pretty, but neither is trying to extract a bug from your nasopharynx. the choice is yours.
be prepared for surprises. the crookneck yellow squash seedling that you purchased just may surprise you and turn out to be just another ordinary green zucchini plant. these things happen.
lose with dignity. if the invaders are winning, sometimes it’s better to sacrifice one plant for the good of the whole garden. rip it out. don’t look back.

(early!) on sunday mornings, Paul Parent has a radio talk show where you can call in and ask questions. check out his website for more information.

and remember: give yourself a break. we can’t control everything.

if things turn out well, share the wealth! maybe your neighbor or friend had good luck growing tomatoes this year, and you had good luck with string beans. share; everyone benefits.

and remember, in the real world, the working mother’s garden may turn out to be a Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter and a Chia Pet herb garden!

8 tips for shopping at the farmers market

April 15, 2010April 21, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, gardening, raising chickens, shopping

the farmers market is unofficially open in portland, maine (and maybe where you are too). here are some ideas to get you started off on the right foot:

bring a bag! preferably a reusable shopping bag vs those plastic ones (although these are available from the farmers if you do forget your bag. which I typically do).
don’t be afraid to ask, “what the heck is it?” if you don’t recognize it.
don’t be afraid to ask, “how the heck do you cook that thing?” . they’ll tell you. (most likely it will involve frying it in butter, but hey, doesn’t butter improve most things?).
bring small bills and a handful of change. nothing will make you feel more uncomfortable than handing over a $20 to pay for $1 worth of parsnips (reference #3 above) and nothing takes longer than a farmer counting out your change in those precious one dollar bills that he will desperately need to make change for other ill-prepared shoppers a few hours later.
if you see a pile of something on the ground behind the vendor’s stand, ask for it! they are often happy to give you those carrot tops (or whatever) that their other customers didn’t want but that your chickens will swoon over for just the price of taking it off their hands.
show some restraint! don’t buy up all of those “early girl” tomato seedlings when they first appear. by the time the heirloom varieties (purple brandywine; amish paste, hawaiian pineapple, stupice, thesoliniki) are presented, your garden will be overfull (and your significant other will be saying, “I told you so!” with that smug look as you sob that “there is no more room in the garden! Why didn’t I wait?!”).
shop around; nothing is more annoying than to fork over $4 for that small bunch of cut daffodils and then find the much larger bunch for $3.50 two stalls down.
plan to visit the market as close to when it opens as you can; it is definitely an “early bird catches the worm” kind of shopping experience. they have what they have until it’s gone.

and remember: they hauled all that stuff over here, the least you can do is to go buy a parsnip or something (reference #4 above).

anyone else have any tips for farmers market shopping? …or any good parsnip recipes? 🙂

find a local farmer’s market: http://www.localharvest.org/

learn what to do with what you bought: http://www.farmfresh.org/learn/recipes.php

April 12, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, gardening

are you gardeners out there getting excited thinking about your vegetable gardens for this year? the rain last year left my tomatoes (and me) in misery; there was so much mold that when i finally did get a tomato or two that were edible, i had no appetite for it…and i love tomatoes. fortunately, this is still vivid in my memory so i will not be going tomato crazy when it comes to plant buying time this year (the last two years i had in excess of 18 plants…).

so, this year i will try to do get more bounty from fewer plants. that is my plan. i hope i can stick to it when i am looking at all the different varieties of tomatoes seedlings for sale at Agway…

here are some helpful links:

http://www.agway.com/

http://www.gardeners.com/KitchenGardenPlanner/kgp_home,default,pg.html

http://www.5dollardinners.com/2010/03/free-gardening-planners.html

“The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.”~Vita Sackville-West

spring ritual

April 2, 2010April 15, 2010 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, gardening, italian

my italian grandmother always said her birthday was on the first day of spring. actually, every so often she was right; her birthday was march 21st, and spring is usually on march 20th, but not always:(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox). one sure sign that spring had come when i was little was The Making of the Dandelion Salad. my grandmother would send me out into the yard to gather dandelion leaves. this wasn’t as straightforward as it sounds. there were rules that must be followed:

1. leaves must be chosen from plants that had not yet flowered, otherwise they would be too bitter. 2. you had to look for plants that were far from the road, otherwise the exhaust from passing cars would poison them 3. leaves must be washed at least 3 times, because they were pretty dirty, what with actual dirt, plus who knew what manner of animal had befouled the leaves in some manner? 4. the salad must always have olive oil and red wine vinegar, salt and pepper for dressing. that’s it.

as i’m writing this, i realize one of the implicit gifts from this practice: nana always told me why i was being asked to do something a certain way. that was as important to me when i was 10 as it is to me now.

do you have any rituals from childhood that you remember? do you still practice any of them? who was an unsung hero in your childhood?