July 2011 MKG Harvest

Saturday harvest- strawberries, Sungold cherry tomato, Hungarian wax and
Padron peppers, Black Spineless, Cocozelle and Sunburst zucchini


This summer is taking its sweet time getting under way!  Zucchini have appeared on the menu around here, but we're still waiting on the tomatoes (Okay, there has been ONE teeny little Sungold cherry tomato but come on!).  Plenty of little green orbs of future yumminess, they just won't ripen!  My gardener's patience is being tested this year.  At least they have set, they will ripen eventually.

The strawberries have continued to trickle in, a few at a time, along with the first blueberries!  Not enough to make anything from, but it's still nice to pick them in my yard.  The only other times I've picked blueberries are the wild ones up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.  The raspberries and blackberries seem to want to grow a bit bigger before providing a crop.

The artichoke season has come to an end.  It finally heated up and they started turning into lovely flowers.  I'll be sure to post a picture of them for Bloom Day.  We got a great harvest out of them, though, and they were delicious.

The chard is still going strong (anyone who is hungry should plant chard... this plant won't quit!).  No wonder it's always available at the Farmer's Market.  Unfortunately, the lettuce seeds I planted earlier aren't interested in sprouting.  I'll try again in the fall.

Here is what came out of the Mighty Kitchen Garden in July 2011:

- one bunch chard
- 4 artichokes
- 11 Black Spineless zucchini
- 3 Cocozelle zucchini
- 3 Sunburst squash
- 2 Zephyr squash
- 3 Squash blossoms
- 2 Hungarian yellow wax peppers
- 1 Padron pepper
- 1 Sungold cherry tomato
- 17 strawberries
- 10 blueberries
- 13 Ruby Red Pluots
- a couple Pineapple Guava petals
- 5 lemons
- 37 heads garlic
- plus what the cat-sitters harvested (zucchini/squash, chard and onions)

And how we ate it:

- Zucchini carpaccio
- Zucchini basil flatbread
- Garlic scape pesto
- Sauteed chard with garlic and red pepper flakes
- Grilled marinated zucchini
- Roasted zucchini
- Sauteed squash blossoms stuffed with basil and feta

I hope that your gardens are going strong wherever they are, and you are avoiding the Summer of the Green Tomato that is currently gripping us here in northern California.

June 2011 MKG Harvest

Every Zinyard needs an artichoke finial

Wow.  I am way behind on my harvests relative to the last few years.  I mean, it's already July and I haven't harvested any zucchini yet!  There are two reasons- cold weather and slow planting.  Oops.  Oh well, it's been a busy spring.

The June 2011 MKG Harvest:

  - 2 bunches chard
  - 2 bunches lettuce
  - 3 artichokes
  - 2 lemons
  - 1 strawberry
  - 1 Hungarian yellow wax pepper
  - ~20 garlic scapes
  - thyme

With the exception of the strawberry, pepper and scapes, that looks like a list more appropriate to March.  Seriously, 2011 has been a very strange gardening year thus far.

What did I do with this sparse harvest, you ask?  Well, some of it I gave away, some was nibbled on, some is in the fridge awaiting the weekend (garlic scapes) and the rest became:

- Lettuce and Pear and Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad
- Potstickers with garlicky greens (chard)
- Artichokes with lemon-thyme aioli
- Sauteed chard with garlic and lemon juice
- Chicken souvlaki with Hungarian wax pepper
- Black bean and corn quesadillas with Hungarian wax pepper

That makes me feel better.  The harvest might have been small, but more importantly, it was delicious.

A Dish From the Garden

Artichoke time!

It's been a little slow-going with the chilly spring, but things are finally starting to be ready in the garden.  In honor of my artichokes being ready father's day, I made my husband (fabulous father to our dog and cats) a meal that centered around fresh garden artichokes.  The menu: grilled lamb, roast potatoes and artichokes with lemon-thyme aioli (aformentioned peach galette for dessert).  The lamb and potatoes came from the supermarket, but almost everything in the artichoke recipe that could come from the garden, did.

This is why I am a vegetable gardener.  There are few things more satisfying than looking at a recipe, then heading out into the garden to gather the ingredients.  It is amazingly gratifying.

So last Sunday, I took a look at a favorite recipe from Sunset magazine and went out to harvest.  I picked artichokes, thyme and lemons from the garden, then headed back inside.  In a few weeks I will be able to use homegrown garlic in the recipe, but the garlic heads aren't quite ready yet. 

The harvest: thyme, lemons, artichokes, pepper & strawberry

A note about artichoke eating - you know how the artichoke heart is the best part?  Well, the entire stem of the artichoke is an extension of the heart!  If you grow them yourself, cut off as much stem as you can and you'll have more tender artichoke heart to enjoy.

Without further ado, here is the recipe for artichokes with lemon-thyme aioli.

Artichokes with lemon-thyme aioli

adapted from Sunset magazine

Serves 2

for the artichokes:

2 large artichokes

1 lemon, juiced

for the aioli:

2 Tablespoons mayonaise

Juice of one half lemon (about 1/4 cup from our Meyers)

2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons thyme leaves
A couple pinches lemon zest

1. Place a large pot of water on the stove.  Add the juice of one lemon to the water; add squeezed lemon halves to the pot as well.

2. Prepare the artichokes.  Rinse the artichokes well in cold water.  Slice off the top ~1 inch of the artichoke, then trim the sharp tops off the remaining leaves.  Remove toughest leaves at the base near the stem.  Slice just the very base off the stem of the artichoke, then peel the stem with a vegetable peeler.  Slice the artichoke in half and remove the choke.  This is the hairy center of the artichoke, with purple-tinged leaves.  I scrape it out with a teaspoon under cold running water.  Now slice the halves in half again, ending with chokeless artichoke quarters.  Place these in the pot of lemon-water.  Repeat with remaining artichoke.

3. Bring the artichoke-lemon-water pot to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes until the artichokes are tender (easily pierced with a fork).

4. While the artichokes are simmering, prepare the aioli.  Put mayonnaise and remaining lemon juice in a bowl, stirring well to combine.  Mix in minced garlic, thyme, and lemon zest.  Test for salt or pepper, if desired.

5. When artichokes are tender, drain them in a colander, then drain on paper towels (I skipped the paper towel step and ended up with water running down my arm all through dinner as I tried to eat my artichokes... oops).

Serve artichokes warm or at room temperature with aioli dipping sauce.  If you have leftover aioli, it makes a great dip for pita chips or spread for a sandwich!

Delicious Sunday Dinner

Artichokes on Steroids... er... Compost

Do you recall the little artichoke plant that was keeping the strawberries company a few months ago?  Well, would you believe that this monster is the same plant?

Holy cow!  This artichoke turned into a beast!  It was planted in March and in only 3 months it seems to have taken over the world.  I attribute the amazing growth rate to the exceptionally cool, foggy and rainy spring we've just been through - that's perfect artichoke weather.  However, as I've never grown it before this crazy growth rate could just be normal arti behavior.  Regardless, it is clear that I'm going to need to come up with some awesome recipes to do this bounty justice.

Artichokes are heavy feeders and they like lots of compost dug in prior to planting.  When they start to produce fruits, you want to cut the head off the main stalk first.  This will be the biggest artichoke.  If the main artichoke opens up into a thistle-like flower, the plant will think its mission is accomplished and stop producing fruit.  However, by cutting it off before the flower stage, it encourages the plant to produce side-shoots with more artichokes.

I don't want to be a buzz-kill here as artichokes *are* delicious, but if you're going to grow them, there is something you should know.  Earwigs like them as much as we do.  It's just one of those facts of nature you need to accept if you're going to get your veggies from the ground rather than the supermarket.  After you pick your artichoke (by slicing it off the plant), you will want to hold it tight, then flick it vigorously toward the ground in an attempt to dislodge all the earwigs.  I'm not gonna lie, it's kind of gross.  Just try not to look at them and think of it as gardening exercise... and-a one!  and-a two!  Once you get the chokes inside you can also soak them in water to further clean them up, but if you were diligent in your flicking (I probably flicked over 10 times per choke) they should be earwig-free by that point.

I have yet to try to implement an Earwig Eradication Effort, but I think I just might.  Most of the little artichokes are still small and less likely to harbor the little rascals.  There are two methods I am interested in attempting - (1) beer traps and (2) rolled damp newspapers.  With method (1) you put a saucer/empty tuna can/small container of beer out in the garden at night.  In the morning you return and dispose of the dead earwigs, rinse and repeat.  With method (2), in the evening you put out rolled damp newspaper near the garden.  Again, return in the morning, wad up the newspapers and discard; repeat that night.  I'll start with the beer and will report back on the successes or failures of the method.

Stay tuned next week when I will be passing along my so-far favorite way to enjoy artichokes.  It is super delicious and not too labor intensive, promise!