we took in all of the garlic last week and it really is a beautiful thing! we got about 12 full, beautiful bulbs and a handful(5-6) of partial bulbs that had a few cloves that had to go...
lemon cucumbers are doing amazingly well. we've noticed 1 blighted tomato and have hundreds of potential healthy ones on the way. *crosses fingers*
took in about 1/4 of a row of potatoes and about half were blighted...
looked up whether the potato blight would hurt a person, if eaten, and found nothing saying that it would. apparently it just makes them kind of woodier but i cut around the actual blighted spots (it seems to mostly be nearest the surface on the potatoes...the tomatoes are the real fatalities. either way, i made a batch of samosas and still have 10-12 potatoes left.
4 mystery squash plants.
already done are the purple mustard greens that replanted itself all over the place. and snap peas and collards.
first time i've ever grown brussels sprouts and they grow like such aliens! but they are doing well, i think.
we bought some hot pepper starts but despite the fact that they all seem to be producing peppers, they remain short, so can't really-physically deal w/more than 1 or 2 peppers.
peppermint seems to have taken over and despite the fact that horseradish is "unkill-able", ours seems to be the most apathetic, sad looking horseradish-possibly ever.
catnip is still alive. Fat Tony and Deimos have both found it and tried to thwart it but were quickly ejected from the garden.
the dahlias seem to be doing ok, but have no blossoms yet. my tiger lilies are all done for the year. my lily of the valley has just gone into full effect. a mysterious red lily popped up that i did not plant-but am pretty excited to have, even though it is also done for the year...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
"bad to the scone."
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
with 1/2 cup brown sugar
Add 6 tablespoons of chilled unsalted soy margarine chopped into small pieces. Gently work the flour-butter mixture with a pastry blender until the dough looks like coarse meal.
Tip: Overworking the dough makes scones tough or heavy.
In a separate bowl, mix together
3/4 cup soy milk, or 1/2 soy milk and 1/2 tofu cream.
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sesame seeds
For variations, you may add an additional 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Add to flour mixture and stir just until blended.
On a floured board, pat the dough into a circle and cut into 8 wedges.
If you are making small scones using this cranberry scone recipe, divide the dough in half and pat into two rounds, then cut into wedges.
Place on the baking sheet, bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.
so i found this online b/c i have no recipe for cranberry scones and i had lots of cranberries. it was a lot different than the other recipe that i've been working with, i.e. the ONLY recipe i've ever used.
as usual, i used w. wheat flour.
i also cooked them about double the time since i forgot to pay attention to the recipe, but i think they needed a little extra time from the original recipe and about 5 minutes less than i cooked them. either way, i think they're good.
oh, and i also forgot to "sweeten" the cranberries, besides the fact that "honey" was suggested and i'm not that kind of dirty vegan.
Friday, June 25, 2010
The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome. -Author Unknown
last week we made a pesto out of our garlic scapes. we were gifted w/the garlic scapes from my mom's garden as they thought they were too creepy to eat. (they are creepy looking, but once they're cut up it's easy to forget since they're filled w/garlic-y goodness.)
i, of course misplaced the recipe that we used but it really doesn't matter since we altered it so much, anyway.
this time the recipe went:
1 C scapes
1/3 C nuts
about 1/2 C oil
a little sprinkling of "cheese" type something or other
salt & pepper to taste.
i also made garlic scape "scallion pancakes" last week, too, which will be revisited as well, as soon as i can get the jar of sesame oil open...
greens of all sorts from both our garden and my mom's. salad it up.
there's some sort of motorbike event at the end of our road again this weekend and for the past few days RVs and pick-ups have been going by in caravans. much-less maddening than the constant rumble of said-bikes on the trail that is directly adjacent to our property.
i think i'm going to make some muffins, later. maybe cranberry. possibly w/walnuts. maybe raisins, idk. feeling indecisive. i just know that i have all of these things! possibly do nothing but go out to the garden as it's supposed to be a pretty rainy weekend.
tomatoes are looking more promising than last year! come on, tomatoes!
i, of course misplaced the recipe that we used but it really doesn't matter since we altered it so much, anyway.
this time the recipe went:
1 C scapes
1/3 C nuts
about 1/2 C oil
a little sprinkling of "cheese" type something or other
salt & pepper to taste.
i also made garlic scape "scallion pancakes" last week, too, which will be revisited as well, as soon as i can get the jar of sesame oil open...
greens of all sorts from both our garden and my mom's. salad it up.
there's some sort of motorbike event at the end of our road again this weekend and for the past few days RVs and pick-ups have been going by in caravans. much-less maddening than the constant rumble of said-bikes on the trail that is directly adjacent to our property.
i think i'm going to make some muffins, later. maybe cranberry. possibly w/walnuts. maybe raisins, idk. feeling indecisive. i just know that i have all of these things! possibly do nothing but go out to the garden as it's supposed to be a pretty rainy weekend.
tomatoes are looking more promising than last year! come on, tomatoes!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
"In order to live off a garden, you practically have to live in it." -Frank McKinney Hubbard
after what was possibly an entire week (the first week that posed no threat of frost, so-the week to put in starts) w/out rain-it began raining last night and is scheduled to return to a more "normal" pattern of no rain for a couple of days and then a day of rain/thunderstorms for (about) the next few weeks, which i am mostly fine w/though it's scheduled to just be pretty rainy here, for the next week.
really hoping that the tomato blight that hit the NE last year doesn't reoccur. a super-rainy season is what brings it out from dormancy and allows it to ravage the tomatoes/potatoes.
so far, our garlic is being good as well as a set of Brussels sprouts starts that we got from a farmer at the Ithaca farmers' market that i don't remember the name of.
we also had to buy a bunch of tomato starts from another farmer at the market as our one window that faces South and is able to be closed off from cat-activity is just not cutting it as far as getting starts properly started.
also got some Hungarian wax peppers. a couple of our own pepper starts might survive. a bunch of Japanese Giant Mustard reseeded itself from last year so is sporadically strewn throughout the garden(as we tilled it up-twice before planting.) Stan gifted us w/some OG lemon-cucumber seeds that none of us have any first-hand experience with. * shrug*
as far as herbs go, basil is this years' winner. yay! have about 12 little plants that are looking promising. also have chive, our always-faithful rosemary, horseradish and the wild mint that planted itself and continues to spread.
got some strawberry plants that we have yet to decide on a home for.
kale and spinach are doing well, the former more-so than the latter.
snap peas, also.
weeds are the bane of my existence. no, that's a lie. rocks are. no. bugs. all team together. team horrible!
we went over to my mom's for Memorial Day and i made an apple pie. it was my first attempt at making a pie crust from the whole wheat flour that we've taken to dominantly using, as it's local and bought in bulk at the Greenstar Co-op in Ithaca. it's incredibly hard to work with. it acted like it was a really dry dough even though it wasn't dry at all. basically, it fell apart a lot. but really, i thought it tasted fine despite the fact that my mom wasn't too keen on it.
tonight is the season premiere of Hell's Kitchen and that usually means pizza, but we've decided to go the calzone direction, instead. Gordon Ramsey, pizza-type-food and wine. yes!
later this week we are going out to dinner w/dad to this place:
http://www.moghulcuisine.com/
hope it has good samosas. actually, i hope it's all good as Central NY is severely lacking in the "other cultures" department.
really hoping that the tomato blight that hit the NE last year doesn't reoccur. a super-rainy season is what brings it out from dormancy and allows it to ravage the tomatoes/potatoes.
so far, our garlic is being good as well as a set of Brussels sprouts starts that we got from a farmer at the Ithaca farmers' market that i don't remember the name of.
we also had to buy a bunch of tomato starts from another farmer at the market as our one window that faces South and is able to be closed off from cat-activity is just not cutting it as far as getting starts properly started.
also got some Hungarian wax peppers. a couple of our own pepper starts might survive. a bunch of Japanese Giant Mustard reseeded itself from last year so is sporadically strewn throughout the garden(as we tilled it up-twice before planting.) Stan gifted us w/some OG lemon-cucumber seeds that none of us have any first-hand experience with. * shrug*
as far as herbs go, basil is this years' winner. yay! have about 12 little plants that are looking promising. also have chive, our always-faithful rosemary, horseradish and the wild mint that planted itself and continues to spread.
got some strawberry plants that we have yet to decide on a home for.
kale and spinach are doing well, the former more-so than the latter.
snap peas, also.
weeds are the bane of my existence. no, that's a lie. rocks are. no. bugs. all team together. team horrible!
we went over to my mom's for Memorial Day and i made an apple pie. it was my first attempt at making a pie crust from the whole wheat flour that we've taken to dominantly using, as it's local and bought in bulk at the Greenstar Co-op in Ithaca. it's incredibly hard to work with. it acted like it was a really dry dough even though it wasn't dry at all. basically, it fell apart a lot. but really, i thought it tasted fine despite the fact that my mom wasn't too keen on it.
tonight is the season premiere of Hell's Kitchen and that usually means pizza, but we've decided to go the calzone direction, instead. Gordon Ramsey, pizza-type-food and wine. yes!
later this week we are going out to dinner w/dad to this place:
http://www.moghulcuisine.com/
hope it has good samosas. actually, i hope it's all good as Central NY is severely lacking in the "other cultures" department.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold. -Judith Olney
a scone. essentially, a sweet biscuit. never had a non-vegan one.
never tried my hand at making them...until today!
muahahahah!
i think that they turned out exceptionally well.
i used the "Classic Currant Scone" recipe from the Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, which is the best for everything that is vegan baking. <3
1 egg(egg replacer euivalent)
2T water
2.5 C flour
1/3 C sugar
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 C non-dairy butter, cold
1C currants or raisins
1/2 C non-dairy milk
2-3 T non-dairy milk for brushing the tops
cinnamon/sugar for sprinkling on top.
good. having warm cinnamon-sugar biscuits w/a cup of coffee is next to perfection on a brisk Spring morning....or probably any other kind of morning.
mmmmm, sweet biscuits.
never tried my hand at making them...until today!
muahahahah!
i think that they turned out exceptionally well.
i used the "Classic Currant Scone" recipe from the Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, which is the best for everything that is vegan baking. <3
1 egg(egg replacer euivalent)
2T water
2.5 C flour
1/3 C sugar
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 C non-dairy butter, cold
1C currants or raisins
1/2 C non-dairy milk
2-3 T non-dairy milk for brushing the tops
cinnamon/sugar for sprinkling on top.
good. having warm cinnamon-sugar biscuits w/a cup of coffee is next to perfection on a brisk Spring morning....or probably any other kind of morning.
mmmmm, sweet biscuits.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
"Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned." -Mark Twain
i'm a fan of muffins or cupcakes versus breads or cakes. this is b/c of a few things-ease of storage, which includes being able to store for freshness(sometimes in a refrigerator-even though "i hate cold bread!") or away from cats who love to eat bread and steal frosting...which we have multiple of and the simplicity that is eating a cupcake, which can involve nothing more than your hands while a slice of cake very often involves things like plates and forks...who needs those things?
anyway, i've been dreaming about making raisin bread muffins for awhile but always forget. this morning when Jake was making his breakfast oatmeal before work, it smelled raisin-y and oat-y so it was on my mind all morning.
i couldn't find anywhere that "raisin bread muffins" were mentioned so i just found an adequate-sounding vegan raisin bread recipe and just figured i'd bake it a shorter time and make sure it was a wet enough mixture, which it was.
2 C flour
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 salt
2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t baking powder
1t baking soda
1 C (sour) soymilk(+1T vinegar)
1/2 C maple syrup
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C pecans
bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes
i think they turned out pretty well. i wouldn't add the pecans again as they weren't necessary and i guess i don't appreciate that much "work" in my muffin. also, perhaps a little more spice, like more cinnamon? or clove? idk. i suppose a small amount of flax could be added if you want it to be that kind of day. as far as the sweetener being maple syrup, i like the way it works in this(as opposed to usually just using sugar that tastes like...sugar.) . it gives it a breakfast-y type flavor.
anyway, i've been dreaming about making raisin bread muffins for awhile but always forget. this morning when Jake was making his breakfast oatmeal before work, it smelled raisin-y and oat-y so it was on my mind all morning.
i couldn't find anywhere that "raisin bread muffins" were mentioned so i just found an adequate-sounding vegan raisin bread recipe and just figured i'd bake it a shorter time and make sure it was a wet enough mixture, which it was.
2 C flour
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 salt
2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t baking powder
1t baking soda
1 C (sour) soymilk(+1T vinegar)
1/2 C maple syrup
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C pecans
bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes
i think they turned out pretty well. i wouldn't add the pecans again as they weren't necessary and i guess i don't appreciate that much "work" in my muffin. also, perhaps a little more spice, like more cinnamon? or clove? idk. i suppose a small amount of flax could be added if you want it to be that kind of day. as far as the sweetener being maple syrup, i like the way it works in this(as opposed to usually just using sugar that tastes like...sugar.) . it gives it a breakfast-y type flavor.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours. -Mark Twain
i guess one could say that i've been pretty dormant, like the weather, since i haven't updated this in months and months.
days ago we made (pineapple) chutney. were inspired by the samosas i made that i used the Moosewood cookbook recipe, for. the recipe for the samosa dough is SO GOOD. i've tried it before w/out the yogurt and the last few times i've made them w/the Silk plain(unsweetened) soy yogurt and it is so much better that way, go figure that using what the recipe actually calls for is a lot better than not...
we kind of just made up the chutney recipe...
samosas:
there's still a few feet of snow...argh.
i'm finding conflicting information about the appropriate time of year to prune fruit trees. we have 3 fruit trees that didn't die and are more than a year old at this point. so, i think that the beginning of April is when it should happen...?
this year we plan to purchase a tiller b/c we did not borrow one last year and the results of trying to hand-till our land is frustrating and tiring. plus, time consuming.
also, we have so many seeds leftover from last year and we've tried to keep them stored pretty well, so i hope they work out even though it's highly predicted that "old seeds" don't work as well. if not, we'll just pick up some starts of the basics at a local garden store...
we'll also get to put to the test my ability to not kill dahlia bulbs over a winter...i hope i stored them okay b/c they really are gorgeous.
we have ONE catnip plant that is alive and well, despite getting knocked out of a window and chomped on no less than a dozen times. preventative measures have now been taken...this may or my not involve Jake bringing it w/him to work for his office...everyone has an office plant,right? and it's usually catnip,yes?
sage, dill and cilantro are the extent of my winter herb gardening...better than nothing?
there.
days ago we made (pineapple) chutney. were inspired by the samosas i made that i used the Moosewood cookbook recipe, for. the recipe for the samosa dough is SO GOOD. i've tried it before w/out the yogurt and the last few times i've made them w/the Silk plain(unsweetened) soy yogurt and it is so much better that way, go figure that using what the recipe actually calls for is a lot better than not...
we kind of just made up the chutney recipe...
samosas:
Filling
- 2 large potatoes, cooked and mashed
- 1 cup finely minced onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (I use dry mustard)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 cup diced carrot, cooked till just tender
- 1/2 cup cooked green peas
- cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
Pastry
there's still a few feet of snow...argh.
i'm finding conflicting information about the appropriate time of year to prune fruit trees. we have 3 fruit trees that didn't die and are more than a year old at this point. so, i think that the beginning of April is when it should happen...?
this year we plan to purchase a tiller b/c we did not borrow one last year and the results of trying to hand-till our land is frustrating and tiring. plus, time consuming.
also, we have so many seeds leftover from last year and we've tried to keep them stored pretty well, so i hope they work out even though it's highly predicted that "old seeds" don't work as well. if not, we'll just pick up some starts of the basics at a local garden store...
we'll also get to put to the test my ability to not kill dahlia bulbs over a winter...i hope i stored them okay b/c they really are gorgeous.
we have ONE catnip plant that is alive and well, despite getting knocked out of a window and chomped on no less than a dozen times. preventative measures have now been taken...this may or my not involve Jake bringing it w/him to work for his office...everyone has an office plant,right? and it's usually catnip,yes?
sage, dill and cilantro are the extent of my winter herb gardening...better than nothing?
there.
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