Garlic Cloves

I received my garlic this weekend from Territorial Seed, and I started to prep the area where it will be planted with cow poo and compost from our compost bin. The compost is supposed to easily come out of the bin. Well, it was a little bit of a struggle because it was tightly packed. Once I started to shovel it out from the bottom things got easier. After I shoveled out what I wanted for the garlic, I mixed the bin materials very well. This will help the fresher material to turn more quickly into compost.

The bed that I prepped is like black gold. I think it will be perfect for the garlic. In our area, the garlic  should be planted in the next couple of weeks.

The other raised beds have been totally prepped for next spring. I have only one bed growing fall vegetables which is enough for us.

Garlic Cloves Have Been Shipped and Dogwood

I  received an e-mail that my Music garlic has just been shipped, and I should be receiving it in a few days. I have been preparing an area of the garden for planting garlic and  this is the first time I have ever tried growing it. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I also took out a Dogwood tree that had died and planted a Kousa Dogwood in the same area.I think the reason the original Dogwood did not make it was because it was planted in the spring and summers are rough in our area  when it comes to new trees. I am hoping that by planting this in the fall it will not stress the tree as much. I will post pictures hopefully this weekend.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Baking With Julia-Whole Wheat Bread

It has been awhile since I have posted. I have been very busy with gardening clean up which I will detail in another post.

This post is about my adventures making whole wheat bread. The hosts for this month's recipe are:

Michele of Veggie Num Nums and Teresa of The Family That Bakes Together. So visit their sites if you are interested in the recipe.

This bread was very easy to make. I used molasses instead of malt extract and the bread turned out great. I took some other liberties too. One loaf was made according to the recipe, and  the other loaf chopped walnuts and raisins were added. Both loaves came out nicely and make excellent toast. I also think the recipe could be used to for  whole wheat rolls.

This was a no fuss recipe. See my results below.

My First Charentais Melon

I just brought in my first Charentais melon and it is wonderful, plus it has a terrific fragrance. I bought my seeds from Baker Creek.

On of my favorite pasta sauces includes not only tomatoes, but I like to add eggplant from the garden. Plus, the sauce freezes great, and can be used on pizza too.

Here is a great recipe from Saveur for:

Pasta Alla Norma (Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Eggplant)

SERVES 4—6

2 medium eggplants, cut into 3/4″ cubes
7 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz. can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, undrained and crushed by hand
16 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
1 lb. bucatini or spaghetti
4 oz. ricotta salata, grated

Heat oven to 500º. Put eggplant into a bowl and drizzle with 4 tbsp. oil. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer eggplant to 2 baking sheets and bake, turning occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack; set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a 5-qt. pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add chile flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic softens, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and half the basil, season with salt, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to tomato sauce. Stir in reserved eggplant and toss to combine. Stir in remaining basil and season with salt. To serve, transfer pasta to a platter and garnish with ricotta salata.

Garden Update

Diva cucumber planting  which is round 2. I had to pull the first plating because of wilt and replanted with seed weeks ago. So far these are looking very good.

 Here are my Meyer Lemons. I have 11 lemons and they are starting to turn yellow.

Charentais melon

Asparagus fern. Isn't it pretty?

 Round 3 of basil.

My beets are starting to look more mature.

Harvest Monday

Here is a photo of my latest harvest. It is a little bit of everything.

Daphne hosts Harvest Mondays. So visit her site at Daphne's Dandelions