Gotta whole lotta onions

Unlike last year's March temperatures in the 80's, spring 2013 has arrived a little later. March temperatures were mostly below average, and this year continued the seemingly new northern Illinois tradition of winter snows falling in March after an uneventful December, January and February. Not cool. Punxsatawney Phil is on "My List."

We finally found a bit of time, good weather and ambition to start the 2013 Lonesome Road garden last weekend though! After a quick rototilling we were able to plant approximately 120 onion plants, four heads of garlic, and toss around a scattering of various lettuce, kale and spinach seeds in a corner.

Half of the onions are my personal favorite, Walla Walla onions from Washington state. And the others are Red Zeppelin red onions. So, we've gotta whole lotta onions. Gotta whole lotta onions.

Also for spring, we're going to attempt to grow russet potatoes again. In the past this has never worked out particularly well, but in loosely following ideas from the Replacing The Grocery Store challenge on the Our Simple Farm blog, we're at least going to give it another try. We do eat lots of potatoes, especially in the summer when they can just be grilled along with the rest of dinner! And I usually try to prepare a few extras on the weekends so we can let them cool, refrigerate them, and slice or chop and make our own home fries for breakfast the next morning.

So, cross your fingers for our potatoes and be on the lookout for potentially lots of posts with red onion recipes. Because we've gotta a whole lotta onions.

Great Expectations - The 2013 Garden

Or, trying my best to (somewhat)

replace the grocery store.

During the last few weeks I've become interested in an idea that I discovered on the Our Simple Farm blog. The concept is simple enough - replacing the grocery store with your own home-grown, homemade items.

As prices continue to go up on food, fuel, nearly everything, the idea of saving money on groceries has become extremely appealing. And, living on a gravel road outside of a prison town certainly has its good points, but the evil necessity of driving at least 20 minutes to do even the simplest things can become such a frustrating timewaster, not to mention gas.

 

So, I've been noting some of the ideas and plans posted on Our Simple Farm - up until The Math Part (cue scary music). For a couple of reasons, I can't really compute how much of each vegetable/fruit we would need to subsist without too many trips to the supermarket. First, much of our garden contains perishable produce like lettuce - not much I can do about preserving lettuce except for eating it in abundance in fresh salads, or sharing with others (if there's a way to use dehydrated lettuce in something, please post your ideas!). Plus, I have only really had experience with freezing and my only foray into canning has been making pickled things. Also, there is a bit of a time constraint as I own my own business, Lonesome Road Studio (and Lonesome Road West), and summers can be a little hectic with shows, markets, etc. Oh, and I decided that I was going to be making our own soap in my spare time. *wink* Did I mention the guitar that I'm going to learn how to play, too?

 

So, I will work on what I think is relatively feasible for us and our garden, which is usually freezing some vegetables to use throughout the winter when a taste of the summer garden is so nice. I also put up lots of my amazing homemade pizza sauce made with fresh tomatoes, peppers and herbs from our garden, and I plan to plant some new varieties of herbs this year to dehydrate to replace expensive store-bought jars of herbs with questionable shelf life, and for use in some of those soaps I've been dreaming of creating.

 

Stay tuned as I periodically update everyone on the garden's progress, and I promise to share more recipes and ideas with everyone, as I hope you will too!

 

 

"Buried Treasure" heirloom carrots reproduction, Lonesome Road Gallery.

 



atomic carrots & super freak pumpkins - the Lonesome Road Kitchen Garden 2012!

Atomic carrots and super freak pumpkins. Sounds like some kind of mutant science fiction vegetables. In reality, heirloom Atomic Red carrots and warty Super Freak pumpkins are part of the 2012 Lonesome Road Studio kitchen garden!

Part of the New Year's Day break was spent poring over pages and pages of all the new gardening catalogs arriving daily in the mail, with their tempting photos of gigantic heads of cabbage, heaping piles of green beans, and bushels and bushels of perfectly ripe tomatoes. Eighty dollars later, we've made some progress in planning the garden. Joining the Atomic Red carrots will be Tendersweet carrots, and the Super Freak pumpkins will be neighbors with Giant Magic Hybrid pumpkins. Fresh garden salads are a favorite on the Lonesome Road, and there will be Romaine lettuce and a lettuce blend, plus two varieties of spinach, and radicchio.
The pepper family is represented by three favorites: Cubanelle (wonderful in summer bread salad), San Martin Anchos, and Del Sol Serranos. Let's hope they grow this year; 2011 was not the best year for peppers around here.
Mr. Lonesome enjoys snow peas, and I like long slender filet-style green beans and yellow wax beans, so there will be a little of all of these in the kitchen garden again this year. I am always intrigued by the beauty of deep purple beans but that fascination fades just like their purple color after cooking. Instead, finger-length Hansel eggplants will provide the purple in this year's garden.
Don't tell anyone... but I'm not a big fan of corn even though I live in the heartland. Mr. Lonesome does though, so we will have a little patch of sweet corn this year, replacing the patch of Japanese hull-less popcorn we grew last year (and are enjoying in abundance!).
Two old favorites are making a return in the garden this year, cucumbers and white kohlrabi. This year's newcomers are Borettana Cipollini onions and Stonehead cabbage. I did not forget how awesome last year's Walla Walla onion harvest was and later this spring I will be returning to the garden center where I bought last year's sets - why mess with a good thing?
The neighbors' Clydesdales assisted with this year's garden, if you know what I mean.
Did I forget anything? Oh yes, tomatoes and herbs. The tomatoes of choice are usually paste varieties like Roma or San Marzano. We haven't decided whether to start them from seed or purchase plants later in the spring. As for herbs, we've ordered a couple varieties of oregano and I'm sure we'll have more than enough volunteer dill and maybe cilantro. Past efforts to grow perennial rosemary and tarragon were not particularly successful, but gardening is much like being a Chicago sports fan, there's always next year!
Check back to see our garden's progress, and tell me a little about your garden!

garden season - finally! (?)

Well now, this certainly has been kind of a weird spring in the Chicago/northern Illinois area! Mainly below-average temperatures with no lack of rain, followed by a brief spell of highs in the '90s. Hopefully we've "weathered" (groan) most of the unpredictability of spring and can now settle in and get a decent garden planted. If nothing else, there will be a bumper crop of mesclun on the Lonesome Road; check out the little volunteer lettuce plants (above) from last year's garden... can't wait until they're big enough to make a fresh and tasty backyard salad!

Look closely - this little dude (? - I'm not really interested in determining the sex of toads, LOL) was discovered during some rototilling. Thankfully he escaped in time...

I'm sure that everyone in the state of Georgia will hate me for saying this, but I really prefer Walla Walla onions, and they are planted in the Lonesome Road garden for the first time this year! We also planted California white garlic, there is nothing like fresh garlic instead of that puckered-up, dried-up grocery store junk. I also hope to make batches of buttery slow-baked garlic, delicious when used for garlic bread, added to soups or pasta sauces, mmmmm!

Ah, a dog's life! Jane the Dog enjoying a bit of fresh air and sunshine. She enjoys the garden too - Jane loves fresh carrots.

A Lonesome Road garden tradition - Roma-style tomatoes. I always hope for a bumper crop for making pizza/pasta sauce to freeze in the fall.

These are just a few of the things you'll find in the Lonesome Road garden. This year's plans also include popcorn, green and yellow string beans, snow peas (the husband's favorite), cucumbers, pumpkins and melons (please please please, no squash bugs this year!), carrots, and probably lots and lots of volunteer dill (like every year). Hot peppers? Definitely, as well as herbs like oregano, thyme, and basil.

[while we're on the subject of salads... try this yummy Tequila-Orange salad dressing. Perfect on mixed greens, spinach + a bit of julienned jicama and avocado!]

Whisk together: 6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, 4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons tequila, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 4 teaspoons honey, 1 small garlic clove, very finely minced, sea salt to taste

my big fat Greek salad dressing

Fresh-Picked From Our Garden!

Isn't that a gorgeous plate of spring garden greens?

These fresh, delicious lettuces and spinach were picked just minutes before this photo was taken and are ready to be turned into a fabulous salad.

One of my favorite dressings is what I call "My Big Fat Greek Salad Dressing." I prefer vinaigrette style dressings made with good olive oil and lots of herbs, and this one is absolutely perfect. It's wonderful on a big traditional Greek style salad bursting with briny olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, onions, peppers and cucumbers, but it also makes a delicious marinade for just about any grilled veggies (terrific on eggplant or summer squash) or meats. Try it as a dressing for your next new potato salad as well.

Note: Be sure to look carefully at your apple cider vinegar label to be sure that it's real.

Some brands are actually "apple cider-flavored" white vinegar.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup good-quality olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and halved
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (like Colman's)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk ingredients together; for best flavor allow to sit overnight if possible.

If using dried herbs, add them right away. If using fresh herbs, you will have better results by adding them to the dressing just before serving.

Order and Profusion: The Kitchen Garden

The New Kitchen Garden by Anna Pavord

A Complete Practical Guide to Designing,

Planting, and Cultivating

a Decorative and Productive Garden

Published by DK Publishing - 1996

It's that time of year. Poring over garden catalogs, you've made your selections, now the actual planning of the garden's layout is the task at hand. This is a book you will refer to again and again in the planning stages of the garden of your dreams. "The New Kitchen Garden" by Anna Pavord truly waters the seeds of the gardener's imagination. The first part of the book is devoted to innovative and beautiful original planting designs of various kitchen garden styles including "Formal Fruit Garden," "Vegetable Patchwork," "Cottage Garden," "Salad and Herb Garden," as well as clever designs that maximize growing spaces for smaller yards and urban balconies. Here you will find inspiring designs that emphasize the unexpected beauty of each plant, like "chiseled artichokes" and "handsome leeks." The combination of vegetables and fruits with flowers both decorative and useful is amazing.

The growing section includes information on vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs and edible flowers. Each plant is illustrated by a stunning detailed photo and is accompanied by directions for its cultivation, recommendations for best cultivars, and a simple, elegant recipe plus helpful culinary notes. A gardening book and a cookbook all in one - my kind of reading!

A thorough section on planting and cultivation techniques discusses topics like types of soil, creating garden structures, crop rotation, feeding and watering, greenhouses, cold frames, training and pruning trees, harvesting and storing, and of course, pests, weeds and diseases. This section has been very helpful to us in caring for our own gardens; the photos are clear and treatments for the problems are practical and effective.

This book is as inspiring and timeless as it was when published in 1996. "The New Kitchen Garden" is easily found online through Amazon and other booksellers; treat yourself to some new yet classic ideas for your own garden. I wish you order and profusion in the months to come!

new for the kitchen garden

It's that time.... seed catalogs stacked to the ceiling... garden plans graphed neatly... tiny peat pellets sprouting new life, promising a season of bountiful richness.

The Lonesome Road gardens are a bit soggy at the moment, but the choices have been made for this year's kitchen garden. Of course we have more seeds than we could possibly ever need (how did we end up with 7 or 8 different kinds of lettuce?). Yet enthusiasm wins over practicality every year and so we will get to work in the garden once again in a couple of months. Besides, any extra produce is always welcome at local food pantries and as part of Plant A Row For The Hungry.

The newest addition to the Lonesome Road kitchen garden this year will be the herb epazote. I am a Rick Bayless fan; I have been to his fabulous Chicago restaurant Frontera, I have one of his many cookbooks, and I love to watch his cooking show "Mexico One Plate At A Time." One of the ingredients that Bayless uses often in his authentic Mexican cooking is epazote; it's not readily found in my area stores so I ordered seeds to plant my own and will give it a try this year. In my research, I discovered that epazote is often used in bean dishes because it has digestive properties, kind of a natural "Beano."

I am also treating myself to Ichiban eggplant this year. In previous years I've planted several varieties of eggplant; the little white ones that look like actual eggs, the lovely lavender and white ones, and the list goes on. I've never really liked the texture and seediness of the others but have always longed for those elegant long, dark Japanese eggplants that need no peeling. So I found what I was looking for in my trusty seed catalog, and I will hopefully have a bumper crop of Ichiban eggplant for everything from ratatouille to Chinese stir-fries and oh yes... tempura!

Of course the usual suspects will be included this year. Last year was not a good year for tomatoes on the Lonesome Road; we will try again for a good crop of Roma tomatoes for my awesome homemade pizza sauce which is made in large quantities for the freezer (yes, I will post the recipe here!). Other garden favorites to be planted this year are Cubanelle and Poblano peppers, and herbs. This year the herbs will be part of a container gardening system; with my busy schedule of juggling a job and an ever-increasing show schedule, I just don't have the time to pick weeds in an extensive herb garden. Plus, it gives me an excuse to buy some cool pottery *wink*.

Post your garden suggestions here; what's new in your garden this year, and old favorites that you can't live without.

sunday dinner redux - love on a plate with a twist 3 - pickled!

At left... my awesome kosher dill pickles and bread & butter slices!
What to do with all those cucumbers? Well, there's really only one thing you can do: make pickles (or try to pass them off on friends and family who have an overabundance of cucumbers as well).
My favorites are the kosher dills; hubby likes the sweet bread & butter variety. Fortunately I make both... and they totally rock!
I'm sharing the kosher dill recipe because it's my personal favorite... don't rely on those "easy" pre-made seasonings; it's just as easy to gather some simple ingredients and make your own from "scratch." Check it out:

Per quart of pickles:

1/2 lb. small pickling cucumbers (or trim larger cucumbers to a comparable size)
2 tablespoons dill seeds
1 clove of garlic, peeled and halved
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, if you like
2-1/4 cups water
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon pickling salt

Pickle Crisp, use as directed on package

Carefully clean and trim cucumbers; be especially sure to trim blossom ends. Pack loosely into prepared, hot canning jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Add dill seed, garlic (and pepper if you like).

Prepare the brine with the water, vinegar and salt and bring to boiling.

Slowly and carefully pour hot brine over cucumbers in jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims and adjust new lids. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). Pickles are fabulous in about a week!