Harvest Eating

Four Seasons One Lifestyle

My Garden Is On Fire-What About Yours?

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We are enjoying a great start to the spring/summer gardening season. I sure hope that all of you reading this are at least growing some herbs in containers. This is a great time of year to be outside and gardens have a way of giving you plenty of tasks to make outdoor time a necessity. This is why gardening is America’s favorite pastime.

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Given the financial crisis, the instability of our food supply and other reasons I will not mention here…more and more people are seeing the benefits of gardening at home, even if it means in containers. This year we have all the usual suspects growing, squash (zucchini and summer squash) plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beef steak tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, Datil peppers, bell peppers, banana peppers, poblano peppers, habanero peppers, cantaloupe, dill, rosemary, parsley, oregano, chives, cilantro, basil, thyme.

I am heavy on peppers as you can see….the good thing is peppers are easy to grow, free from most pests and disease and they are prolific producers. Now I am sure some of you are thinking “what the heck is Keith going to do with all these peppers?” good question…the answer is freezing, drying, and brining. These methods are great for long term storage and perfect to help make your homestead well stocked.

My favorite method is the brining….so simple….I start with a pot of boiling water, I rinse the peppers off well, then drop them in boiling water, stir for 30 seconds, remove and run under cold water to stop the cooking…then I place them in my blender whole (stems removed) I add about 1/2 cup kosher salt and 2 cups cider vinegar or white vinegar. Make sure the vinegar has an acidity of at least 5%. This mixture is whizzed up until a mash or soupy liquid is formed. Then I place it in sterilized canning jars and leave it in the spare fridge until I need a few teaspoons for a salsa, guacamole, pot of chili etc. It lasts for years, even without refrigeration due to the miserable environment of salt and high acidity… nothing can live in there.

I plan on making a bunch of this mash then using it to make some hot sauce and salsas in 8 weeks or so that will be available for sale at Thoughtful Harvest.com Peppers can be used in loads of other dishes like pasta, pizza, soup, chili, relishes etc. making them some of the most versatile crops you can grow. The same is true for tomatoes and herbs…applications galore!

One common and frustrating problem we have are squash bugs. These little bastards (sorry I hate them that much) attack all types of squash from pumpkins, to butternut squash to summer squash and zucchini. These pests are insipid and highly destructive making them not only a problem for home gardeners but also commercial gardeners. I cannot tell you how much valuable produce has been lost here on our farm to the afore mentioned little bastards.

Controlling them is not easy, especially when you garden organically. In commercial applications they use a powdered glass product, essentially recycled glass bottles that are ground to a powder then applied as a liquid spray that coats the vegetables with a white coating. Then when bugs eat the plants they ingest the glass and it tears up their insides. A human can touch the powder because it is so finely ground it will nut hurt us..but for bugs it’s devastating. Often times when you buy organic collard greens they will have this white residue on it. It takes several washes to remove it. I have not seen this for home use but if it were available I would use it as it is approved for organic gardening..although I freely admit it does not sound very organic.

This year’s tomatoes are looking really great with the exception of a few in hanging planters…they just do not seem to enjoy hanging upside down. My bucket planters are doing a great job and my San Marzano tomato plants are really healthy so I expect a good crop which will be canned for use later in the winter.

Also this year I have about 15 Datil pepper plants that are doing very well. I started them from seed and realized that they take many weeks to establish from seed and need a constant warm (75degrees) and moist environment (I use a yogurt maker) to thrive. The last two years I thought the seeds were bad because after 10 days I had no seedlings..this year I waited and every last seed emerged healthy. If any of you would like some seeds I will mail seeds to anybody who asks me (at my expense :) so you too can enjoy growing this unique hot pepper. (keith@harvesteating dot com )

Also of note, my lawn and landscaping are doing nicely and looking much better then in previous years making the farm an enjoyable place to call home.

With that I wish you happy gardening and a bumper crop. Be sue to email me with any questions at keith@ harvesteating dot com.

Keith

Grilled Vegetable Napoleon

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Created By: Chef Keith Snow

Grilled Vegetable Napoleon
 
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Great way to use abundant summertime vegetables.
Author:
Recipe type: entree
Cuisine: Seasonal -Summer
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • 2 sliced whole bell peppers
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 1 eggplant, sliced
  • 1 summer squash, sliced
  • ¾ cups olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons harvest eating house seasoning
  • 1 handful fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 3 pieces portobello mushroom
Method
  1. Place all veggies in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper and seasoning mix.
  2. Grill veggies on grill pan or on gas or charcoal grill until nice grill marks appear.
  3. Layer grilled veggies with cheese in a stack and stick a toothpick in it. Place in 350 degree oven to roast for 3 minutes.

This simple dish is a great way to use up abundant summertime vegetables. This detailed video, hosted by Chef Keith Snow, demonstrates how-to make this great summertime dish of bell peppers, zucchini and eggplant….

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Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

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Created by: Chef Keith Snow

Description:

Chef Keith Snow creates a vegetarian sandwich with roasted zucchini, squash, red peppers and fresh mozzarella. See video for grilling instructions.

1-3 slices grilled eggplant

good extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

1-2 slices grilled zucchini

1-2 slices grilled bell pepper

2 slices grilled red onion

1 grilled portobello mushroom cap

2 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

2 slices good whole grain bread

Method:

1-On good whole grain bread or foccacia,  layer the vegetables and the cheese, season each layer with salt and pepper to taste.

2-Add basil ribbons and drizzle with olive oil.

3-Slice sandwich and serve with a side salad and glass of crisp white wine.

Chef’s Note: To grill vegetables; slice vegetables into thin slices roughly 1/4 inch thick, leave skins on. Brush with olive oil and season with your favorite dry seasonings or just salt and pepper. Grill over hardwood charcoal until good grill marks appear. Only flip once.

Turkey Shepards Pie

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[private]Created by: Chef Keith Snow
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6-8
Recommended Beverage: California Chardonnay

Description:

Try this dish which is an interesting take on classic Shepards pie which has lamb or beef. This one uses lean ground turkey.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs all white meat ground turkey
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp Harvest Eating Seasoning optional
1 lb kale chopped and steamed
1 cup butternut squash diced
2 cups grits cooked in milk
1 cup sharp cheddar shredded

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat cook the turkey in the olive oil for about ten minutes drain and set aside.
2. In a two quart casserole pan place the cooked turkey in an even layer and season with Harvest Eating seasoning then place the chopped cooked kale on top of the turkey.
3. Then sprinkle the butternut squash on top. then with the back of a spoon spread the cooked grits to cover the turkey and vegetables sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until cheese is browned slightly.

Chef’s Notes: This dish is totally different than shepards pie but I think you will like it, especially if you are looking for a lower fat dish.[/private]