In the Garden with Celeste

Peonies & Fuchsias

Celeste Longacre — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:32:12 +0000

The peony that we have in our yard is one of my favorite plants.

It was actually the very first thing that I planted on our property. A friend had given me some cut peonies and they lasted for a very, very long time.

I have heard that there are basically two types of peonies; one that keeps well as a cut flower and the other that is heavily scented. The one I ended up planting is of the heavily scented variety.

With peonies, they need the help of the ants. In the spring when the buds form, they will be covered by ants.

As ants are a bit creepy-crawly, the tendency may be to spray them off. However, these ants are necessary to eat the coverings of the buds.

Without the ants performing this function, the peonies would not be able to bloom. So bless the ants as they aid these gorgeous blossoms.

Fuchsias are also lovely plants. We usually see them in hanging baskets.

They will bloom all summer long with a bit of attention. For one thing, they love water. I always check my fuchsia first if the weather has been dry. These “plants” are actually a combination of many plants put together in one pot. So you have to be careful watering them—make sure that the entire surface of the soil gets wet. Also, the seeds need to be picked off.

For any plant, its purpose is to reproduce itself. So it will grow and flower hoping to attract pollinating insects. Once this has happened, it will set seeds. Then the plant thinks that its job is done. And, it will stop flowering. To keep it flowering all summer long we need to keep removing the seeds. A small price to pay for a season of loveliness seeds. A small price to pay for a season of loveliness.

Thinning & Cutworms

Celeste Longacre — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:44:06 +0000

Thinning crops is one of the most important aspects of gardening. Each and every plant needs to have plenty of room to grow.

I thin rather slowly as there is always the possibility that there will be some loss due to insects.

The cutworm is one of the worst—this particular bug lives under the soil (where you can’t see them) and comes out at night. It then takes one bite right where the plants go into the soil thereby killing the entire plant.

You can tell that a cutworm has been at work if you see something like this:

When I do see this kind of damage, I bring out my countermeasures. First, I apply diatomaceous earth and place it all around the injured plant. Cutworms generally work their way down the row so I know that this little bugger is waiting just under one of the still-standing plants for the next night’s meal.

Be careful using this particular tool, though. This stuff can hurt any insects so you don’t want to put it all over the place as it can do damage to bees and other beneficial insects. I then spread a large amount of dried and crushed eggshells on top. This generally takes care of the problem.

So, the thinning should go from this:

To this:

Or from this:

To this:

And from this:

To this:

Next time, I think we’ll be able to add the thinnings to our meal . . .

Growing Grapes in Your Backyard

Celeste Longacre — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:12:16 +0000

Have you always wanted to have grapes in your backyard? Or, do you have an old grapevine that has grown completely out of control?

There are several things to consider if this is the case—not every location is actually ideal for the growing of grapes:

First of all, grapes need to be in the Sun all day long. They will not grow well if they are in the shade for all or a good part of the day. Wet areas are also not favored by this crop. Grapes do NOT like to have wet feet; they actually can reach down quite far into the ground for their water.

Up next to a building or surrounded by trees (where the breezes don’t blow) are also not good spots. Breezes cut down on potential funguses that can invade grape vines. And a wild grape vine growing in a tree has no hope for actually producing grapes.

If you happen to have a sunny location and you inherit an overgrown tangle; here’s what you do.

First, you give the plant a blast of nitrogen to push up the leaves.
Then, you trim the vines back to the three best trunks. It’s good to wait until you can see the buds in order to be sure which vines are still alive.
A bamboo or steel post, 7 feet tall and sunk one foot into the ground is needed to support them. Wind the vines around it tying them with loose bread bag ties. There will be no grapes the first year, but they will regain their strength for the future.

If you are looking to create a patch of grape vines, get the soil analyzed. These fruits need a balanced soil.
Find a variety that grows well in your area (check out Double A Vineyard for free information).
Put in your posts then insert some kind of post wires going across.

Ideally, these are placed one at 30” and one at 36.” Those are your two “fruiting wires” where you loosely wind your four “keeper” canes around. When you chose your four “keeper” canes, try to pick four closest to the trunk, and leave 4 to 6 two to three bud “renewals” near the trunk also. Place two “catch wires” at four feet, five feet and six feet so you have a place to tuck in the new growth. These will be your “fruiting canes” next year. At first, you will be looking to spread out about 30 buds total but in later years (especially for commercial applications) 45 buds is common.

Just remember that the further the vines are from the trunk, the flavor diminishes. This is why the best person in a winery situation to be growing the grapes is the wine maker him or herself.

When the grapes get to look like green peas, it’s time to take off the leaves over the fruit. The Sun will help to keep problems away. Also keep the area under the grapes weed-whacked so that rain doesn’t splash up on the plants.

Virginia Carter from Walpole Mountain View Winery was kind enough to help me with this blog. Check out her photos at www.bhvineyard.com. She will be starting her summer wine-tastings May 24 through May 27. Beautiful views, delicious reds, whites and varietals await your presence at this exquisite spot.

(photo credit: Virginia Carter) (2012 vintage ready to bottle)

And, just because…. Some enterprising birds found the cotton ties that I use for my tomatoes and incorporated them into their nest.

Growing Broccoli

Celeste Longacre — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:15:42 +0000

Broccoli is another plant that can be put in the ground before all of the frost is done.

Garden centers sell the plants, but it is actually quite easy to grow from seed.

I prepare my soil as usual.

Then I create several “dips” or—as I call them—“water-catchers” leaving about a foot and a half free at the edges of the bed and, if it is extremely long, also in the middle.

These dips will catch the rain and irrigation water and keep it right where the plants need it.

I then plant six or eight seeds around the inside edges of the dips and cover lightly with compost or old, rotted manure. Water the bed well.

Once the plants emerge, I slowly thin them taking out the smallest individuals first. As they continue to get bigger, the smaller ones get pulled until there is only one or two plants left in the dip.

After the danger of frost is gone, I plant marigolds in the spaces that were left free at the original sowing time. Two marigolds go into the edges and two more in the middle if the bed was particularly long. This helps tremendously to keep the cabbage moth away. The cabbage moth lays its eggs on all of the brassicas (plant family). Out come little green worms that not only eat the broccoli but leave a mess behind them. With marigolds in place, remarkably few cabbage moths find the broccoli.

The broccoli is ready to be picked when the head is full and firm (see picture).

Be sure to cut it on an angle. Broccolis will continue to give you side shoots well into the fall, but water can sit in the stem and rot it if it isn’t cut on an angle. As the side shoots get smaller, I freeze them and write “quiche” on the bag. These are ready to go into eggs or stir-fries.

The little yellow flowers here are a specific kind of marigold called "Lemon Gem." They are edible and their greenery puts off a lemon scent when rubbed.

Bon appetite!

Planting Lettuce

Celeste Longacre — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:02:59 +0000

Another crop that can be planted early is lettuce. This is actually my husband, Bob’s, favorite so I plant it early and often.

Lettuce is best when it is young and tender. As it ages, it gets bitter. So I get a mix (there are many, but I especially like Johnny’s Allstar Lettuce Mix) and I plant it every ten to fourteen days.

I prepare the soil by adding my usual mix of additives (kelp meal, azomite powder and old compost or manure) then fluffing up the bed by either turning it or loosening it with a broadfork.

I generally designate an entire bed to lettuce but plant it in several stages. I prepare the whole bed, but I only plant about 1/5^th of it at a time. I take out a half-bucket of the soil, then broadcast the seeds. By this, I mean that I throw them everywhere—as opposed to in rows. I then cover them with the soil in the bucket and I mark how far I have planted so I know where to begin next time. I water them well right away. This lets the “lettuce angels” know that I am prepared to take good care of them while they grow.

Lettuce comes up fairly quickly. They often need to be thinned before they are big enough to eat, but the chickens love the tiny samples. As they get bigger, we eat the thinnings. They are so tender and sweet!

I continue to pick entire plants making room for the ones left to grow.

After ten to fourteen days, I plant another patch. I continue to plant the bed until it is fully planted. By this time, the first lettuce is either gone or bitter so I pull up what is left and plant it again in the same spot. This way, we have lettuce all summer long and into the fall. It can be covered with some row cover and it will continue to thrive into the fall.

I just recently perfected a dressing recipe which I will share here with you:

¼ cup vinegar

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon powdered yellow mustard

Few shakes garlic powder

Small tablespoon maple syrup or honey

Salt to taste

I mix this up and set it aside.

Then, I take one raw egg yolk (from our girls—only add this if you know your source is 100% healthy) and beat it in a measuring cup. To this, I add several minced anchovies (I mince them quite small). Stirring the previous mixture, I add in about 1/3 of it and mix it all well. Yum!

Growing Beets in the Backyard Garden

Celeste Longacre — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:58:33 +0000

Blog Name:

In the Garden with Celeste

Nobody is neutral about beets. You either hate them or you love them.

I happen to be one of the people who love them…. Their rich, dark red root looks like it is loaded up with nutrients and flavor (which it is). Some even say that beets have to do with longevity. They are easy to keep in the root cellar and provide us with good eating all year long. My beet kvaas (see related blog) is something that I enjoy every day.

Beets don’t mind a bit of frost so they are one of the crops that goes into the ground early. A beet seed is actually not a seed at all, but a fruit. Each “seed” will produce many seedlings so it is essential to keep an eye on them early to thin out all but the strongest babies. I generally plant them in rows about 6 to 7 inches apart and cover them with ¼ inch of soil or compost. Like carrots, this upper part of the bed needs to be kept moist until they emerge, but they will do so quicker and are more forgiving of a dry bit than carrots are. They like to have some good, organic matter to feed them so I always work old manure or compost as well as kelp meal, azomite powder and alfalfa meal into the soil before I plant them.

As they grow, their roots dig down deep into the soil so that they can go for a few days without water. When you do water them, water them well. Their bright green leaves and red stems are a joy to watch become larger and stronger.

It’s necessary to watch them in order to make sure that everybody has room to grow. The greens are delicious steamed (even when they are fairly small). I wash them, rip them into small pieces and steam them for several minutes tossing several times with tongs (until limp). Then, I put them into a bowl with butter and grated cheddar cheese and stir. While it takes a bit of effort, this is one of my all-time favorite things to eat.

If you keep them properly thinned, by the fall you will have some beautiful, big beets to eat or put into your root cellar (see former blog on proper preparation and storing tips for the root cellar). Bon appetite!

Carrots

Celeste Longacre — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:04:24 +0000

I love carrots. I put them in soups, stews and stir-fries, I cut them up for dips and I juice them for delicious drinks.

I do find, however, that carrots are one of the hardest vegetables to grow. I plant them early (they don’t mind a bit of frost). I put them into rows several inches apart and cover the seeds with a bit of dirt. Then, I babysit them. Carrots take ten to fourteen days to germinate and they live for all this time in the top ¼ inch of the soil. This MUST NOT dry out at any point during this time or the seeds will die. Since our garden is composed of raised beds, this is an arduous task. On a warm, sunny, windy day, I have been known to water the carrots four or five times in one day.

Once the carrots pop up, life becomes a bit easier.

They will send a root down deep and the watering becomes a bit less of an issue. We still can’t let them dry out, but they have a much bigger well from which to choose their liquid.

As they grow, we need to make sure that they have enough room.

I generally thin them slowly as first the chickens get to eat the tiny ones, then—by the time they are as big as my little finger—I start to put them into meals. It’s important to give them the room that they need; otherwise, at harvest there are hundreds of teensy-tiny carrots which won’t keep too well in the root cellar.

There is a weed that often grows in my garden which is one that I like. It’s called purslane and it’s a quick grower. I leave this weed where the carrots are thin until it is edible. Here’s a picture of a perfect purslane ready for harvest.

You want to get the purslane before it flowers for best taste. Also—they have a tendency to hold onto their dirt so they have to be well washed. You can steam them and eat them with butter or juice them. Yum!

Since I put many carrots into the root cellar, I have them year-round from the garden. I must say that I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really like carrots from other sources…very spoiled!

Bone Broth Soup is Magical

Celeste Longacre — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:08:29 +0000

Bone broth is magic! About twenty years ago, I made a startling discovery. I noticed that—if my husband, Bob, and I have at least two servings of my homemade bone broth soup a week—we have no problems with our joints. If we don’t, our joints get quite stiff and bothersome.

Vitamins and minerals are water-soluble. This is one reason that we lose a lot of vital nutrients when we boil our vegetables and meats and throw the water away. Soup, on the other hand, collects these items and serves them up to us in an easily digestible way. And nutrients are the building blocks of our cells; they give us the ability to renew and heal all of the parts of our bodies.

So, I make soup a lot. Using beef, chicken, turkey or lamb (or a combination), I put the bones in a crock pot. I add whatever organic vegetables that I have at hand—often beets, carrots and onions. In the summer, I include the carrot and beet greens. Because liver has so many vitamins and minerals, I always add a small piece of liver to the pot. I then add a dash of white wine or vinegar. This helps to get the gelatin from the bones into the soup. If I have any pan drippings from cooking the meat, I will also put that in. Then, I fill the pot with cold water and turn it on to simmer.

I cook my soup on low for 48 hours. The longer we cook it, the more gelatin gets into it. By the end of this amount of time, the soup is very dark and rich. Now it’s time to strain the juice from the rest. Using pot holders, I pour the mixture into a colander set into a large bowl. Once the crock is empty, I generally set the colander into a smaller bowl to let the soup begin to cool down. A few teaspoons of salt can be added at this time. Once cooled, I spoon the soup through a strainer and into several can or freeze pints, label with the date and set them into the freezer.

We often heat up a pint, pour into two mugs, and drink. In a pinch, I set the pint in a pan of hot water to defrost more quickly. However, this soup can also be made into a sauce by boiling and adding a mixture of arrowroot and water and boiling again.

My knees love me for it!

Catalogues & More on Onions

Celeste Longacre — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 18:25:31 +0000

Seed catalogue companies mostly send out their magazines in December. This is the period when most gardeners have the time to sit and look through the colorful pages.

Much information is given about varieties, how to plant and space, "keeping" properties and sizes of harvest. I have found that these helpful hints are fairly accurate and I tend to return to these catalogues when I have questions.

Seed Catalogues

I get catalogues from many sources including: Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Seeds of Change, Fedco, Territorial Seed Company, Pinetree Garden Seeds & Accessories, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, Totally Tomatoes, R.H. Schumway’s, Irish Eyes Garden Seeds, Burgess Seed & Plant Co., Maine Potato Lady, and Vermont Bean Seed Company. It’s quite nice to have so many options as many varieties can only be found in a few catalogues. Prices also vary widely. I believe that most of these sources could be found through internet searches.

Planting Onions

This year, I will be planting my onions on Feb. 2^nd or 3^rd. These two days (as well as March 1^st –after 12:33 PM EST, the 2^nd and the 3^rd –before 4:11 PM EST) are the best astrologically. The Moon is waning and in the very fertile sign of Scorpio. I love the variety, Copra, as they are very good keepers. You can refer to my former blog to see how to plant onions inside.

I always harvest my onions the second week of August. By this time, the greens are falling down and most of their energy has gone into the bulb. Here is a picture when they are almost ready...

I carefully lay them down on sheets in the Sun giving all of them space enough for the light to shine on them. They will need to be “sunned” for 7 sunny days before they are ready to hang in the pantry. These onions are just about ready.

Every night, I put them into baskets and take them into the house. This prevents the dew from getting them wet. As I put them into the baskets, I gently pull on the greens (if they still have them) until they all look like the onions in the store.

Once they are ready for storage, I sort through them, removing any damaged ones, “paper”-less ones or ones that I have dropped. These go into the kitchen for immediate use. The rest last all winter long and into the spring (they usually start to sprout sometime in May). If any sprout sooner, remove them from the bag right away. Otherwise, they can cause spoilage of the onions around them.

For southern gardeners, it will soon be time to start your plants inside or out. Check with your local extension service or garden centers for exact dates. Again, for February, the best days for planting below-ground crops are the 2^nd & 3^rd. The best days for planting above-ground crops are 11^th, 12^th, 20^th, 21^st & 22^nd (before 5:12 PM EST). Happy planting!

Beet Kvaas

Celeste Longacre — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:02:31 +0000

Canning and freezing—as methods to preserve food—are relatively new in the Grand Scheme of Evolution.

Our ancestors (who did not have the advantage of electricity) largely fermented their crops in order to eat them at a later date. Pickles, relish, ketchup, mayonnaise, sauerkraut and mustard were all originally fermented. Depending on the environment, fermented fish, eggs, miso, kefir, kombucha and yoghurt were also staples of early Man’s diet.

It’s too bad that we have lost our taste for cultured food because that is literally where culture begins. These particular edible items also contain much that is good for us; probiotics to keep our immune systems strong and digestive enzymes to help us to digest what we eat. Could the decline in our health be due to the loss of these “helpers” in our diet? It is said that the availability of vitamin C in cabbage is increased ten times when it is made into sauerkraut.

I have recently begun making—and consuming—a lot of beet kvass. It’s incredibly easy to make and it is loaded with probiotics. Dr. Joseph Mercola recently tested some fermented vegetables and found that one serving of these foods had as many probiotics as a large bottle of expensive pills. Why not have the same benefit for a lot less money?

Here’s what I do. I take three or four medium-sized organic beets and cut them into chunks (you don’t want to grate them or cut them small because they will ferment too quickly & turn into alcohol).

I fill a quart jar about 1/4 to 1/3 full with these beets. I add a teaspoon of good quality salt (like organic grey sea salt or Himalayan).

Optional: I will often add a couple of garlic gloves and 1/3 cup of home-made whey, but this is not necessary.

Fill the jar with fresh (preferably not chlorinated and not with added fluoride) water leaving an inch of air space at the top. Cover tightly with a lid. Place on your kitchen counter for two days and shake a couple of times a day.

That’s it—you now have some beet kvass for your refrigerator. And when the juice is gone, you can refill it with water and set it on the counter for another two days for an additional batch.

My husband and I now drink a shot glass’ worth of the kvass with our meals. For me, personally, it solved a heartburn problem I was having and I prefer this flu defense to any and all flu shots. I have shown these two smaller glasses with one regular one so that you can get an idea of the amount that we actually drink. To your health!

New Egg Dish Recipe

Celeste Longacre — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:15:55 +0000

Well, the garden is finally put to bed so it’s time to do some serious cooking.

I’ve started making this new egg dish that my husband and I both love. I’ve decided to call it a frittata although, technically, it isn’t. I start by stir-frying an onion and some of my frozen pepper pieces in coconut oil with a dash of salt.

I generally get this going and then turn it down low while I tend to the chickens. This gives the onions and peppers time to get nice and soft (15 to 20 minutes). After adding a bit more coconut oil to the pan, I place four eggs in a bowl and whip them up with a fork, adding this mix to the pan. I turn the heat up a bit here as well.

I let the bottom cook then begin to lift up the edges with a spatula allowing the loose egg on top to run down to the bottom of the pan. This is where I turn on the broiler in my over. Once the egg mixture is hard, I spread two different kinds of grated cheese on top.

This time, I used cheddar and gruyere, but I often use cheddar and parmesan (which I would shave instead of grate). Turning off the top burner, I place the pan under the broiler (using a potholder). In a very few short minutes, the cheese has melted and is bubbling. After taking it out of the oven, a dash of organic grey sea salt is placed on top.

I then divide it into two servings (again, be sure to use a potholder as the pan is very hot), pop them onto plates and we indulge. Yum!

Peppers

Celeste Longacre — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 16:46:43 +0000

Peppers are such a lovely fruit. They come in many different colors, sizes and hotness.

A green pepper is just an unripe one—give it time and it will turn red, orange, purple, yellow or chocolate brown.

Regular peppers are a delicious addition to a veggie dip; they have a distinctive crunch and a beautiful sweetness (if ripe). Stir-fried peppers and onions are phenomenal with hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages and steaks. They also begin my soups and are a great start for a chicken or steak stir-fry.

Peppers like it fairly hot. They actually don’t set fruit when it is extremely hot but they do like it to be warm. When planting, I place them fairly close together—an open hand’s width apart seems to be ideal. I also place several individual book matches in the hole before I plant them. This seems to help them to produce well. If the fruits get heavy, they can sometimes need support. Keep an eye out for this possibility.

If frost threatens before the entire crop has matured, pick the entire plant out of the ground and wash the roots. These can then be hung upside down in a warmer place (finished porches work well) and the fruits will ripen. They may wrinkle a bit, but they still taste spectacular.

Peppers are the easiest thing in the world to freeze. They need no blanching whatsoever—just cut them into the size of pieces that you like to use and put them in the freezer.

I tend to use a lot of peppers during the year so I try to fill quite a few quart bags in season. I make sure that they can lay flat so that they will stack nicely in the freezer.

When it is time to use them, I can break off a large or small bunch and toss them directly into the pan. Most of the time, an onion or two is already there slowly frying in coconut oil (and a dash of salt) until soft. I like to wait until the oil begins to turn the color of the peppers (about 20 to 30 minutes) before continuing with my recipe. This ensures that both the onions and the peppers are soft and delicious.

Sunflowers

Celeste Longacre — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:59:36 +0000

I love sunflowers. They are so bright, beautiful, colorful and practical.

I admire that, until the flower buds mature, most follow the Sun; looking stalwartly east in the morning and moving their gaze west in the afternoon.

They are easy to grow and they come in many different colors and patterns. Some reach for the heavens with one thick stem putting all of their energy into a single giant flower. Others spread out with many branches inviting you to pick them so that they can “come again.”

Sunflowers make excellent cut flowers. Many times, they do need to be wired in order for their heads to look straight ahead. Getting the wire from a florist, put it right through the thick neck bringing it into the middle then twist both sides down the stem. They generally like a prominent placement if you are going to put them in a mixed bouquet. They definitely have the ability to capture the audience’s attention!

Sunflower seeds contain many nutrients. These include calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. They are very fragile once they have been removed from their shells so always purchase them in the shell or from a refrigerated source. Sunflower oil is one of the few vegetable oils that is fairly stable. I use sunflower oil in my mayonnaise. The truly stable ones come in a dark bottle and are cold-pressed and unrefined. Once opened, the bottle should be refrigerated to avoid rancidity.

I grow sunflowers both for cut flowers and for the chickens. As the seeds mature, I cut the heads off of the plants and, with a gloved hand, I rub the now dry brown “fuzz” off of the seeds. I then place them where they will dry. This includes my oven that has a pilot light and my picnic table when the Sun is on it.

Once the back is truly dry, I place them in bags upstairs. These I give to the chickens when it snows. As they refuse to go outside during these storms, I give them some sunflower heads and a few pumpkins or squashes so that they will have something to peck on besides each other.

Occasionally, a sunflower will act like it’s on steroids. I guess that’s what happened to this one!

Making Garlic Powder

Celeste Longacre — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:27:53 +0000

Garlic is a wonderful and powerful savory addition. It jazzes up many recipes and also contains healing properties. Truly fresh garlic is pungent, white, hard and full of a juicy liquid. I believe that much of the garlic that is sold in stores has gone past its peak (rubbery or soft) and has lost much of its medicinal value. One way to maintain not only its flavor but also its healing powers is to dry it and make it into garlic powder.

We discussed planting garlic last fall. It should be picked when it has four green leaves left on the plant. The leaves will begin to turn brown in the summer—one at a time. I generally pick about eight garlics at a time, bundle them tightly together and tie them with string. I then hang the bundles in a shady, airy place to begin to dry.

I leave the garlic bundles hanging out for two to four weeks. When I am ready to start making the powder, I bring the bundles in and separate all of the cloves. This can be a messy job so I do it all together before I begin to cut into the garlic itself.

Next. I cut the tops and the bottoms of the cloves and try to tear a strip or two of the skin.

Placing these cloves in a dehydrator tray, they are put at a low temperature (below 115 degrees) overnight. This will help to loosen the peels and aid the next process.

Day number two consists of peeling all of the cloves then slicing them up in a food processor.

Back into the dehydrator they go for six or seven days. Again, keep the temperature below 115 degrees as this will help the garlic to maintain its healing properties.

Once the chips have cooled, they can be put in a tight jar until you have time to complete the process.

When you are ready to make the powder, put the chips in a blender (not too many at a time) and hit the “chop” button. Wait about a minute after processing before opening the blender as there will be lots of powder floating at first. I then put the powder through a strainer so that the ultimate product is fine. The larger chips just go back into the blender.

Place into jars and seal. The flavor is unbeatable—it truly tastes like garlic that has just been picked from the garden. But now it is ready to be used all year long.

Broccoli

Celeste Longacre — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:42:30 +0000

Broccoli has many followers and also abundant detractors.

For those who have only tasted the supermarket variety, I can surely understand the lack of enthusiasm expressed when this topic is raised.

However, for those of us who garden, broccoli is terrifically tasty as well as a trouper in the veggie patch.

This sturdy plant begins by giving us a large head which needs to be trimmed and eaten before it becomes a flower.

It’s important to slice the stem on an angle. This allows any subsequent rain or watering to slide harmlessly down the side. If it is trimmed flat, water can pool on top and begin to rot the center thereby ruining the future crops which broccoli is waiting to deliver. Several days later you can return to the plant to see two, slightly smaller heads peeking up at you. Slice these off (again on an angle) and in another few days, there will be four even smaller heads to harvest. This process continues—with the heads getting tinier and tinier—until well after the first few frosts.

I like to freeze my broccoli. I start by washing it well and cutting it into large pieces. These will be taken out during the dormant months and made into broccoli over toast with a cheesy sauce or added to baked chicken or pot roast. Some of it will be cut slightly smaller so that it can be added to chicken or steak stir fries. The very small heads that come later will be used in quiches.

I place the broccoli in the top of a steamer and steam them for 3 minutes. Often, I will use tongs partway through and move the large stems around so that all of them get some heat.

I use my salad spinner next. I fill the base with cold water and add a bunch of ice. Putting the basket on top of the ice, I slip the steamed broccoli into the basket to cool it down.

Next, I spin the broccoli to get off the extra water and place it carefully in bags.

Here’s a photo of two bags of large broccoli for us, one for company and one for a stir-fry.

I always plant marigolds right in the beds with all of the brassicas (broccoli’s family). This greatly helps to keep the cabbage moth away. I didn’t find a single small, green worm when I harvested this broccoli. Otherwise, these worms can make a mess of the crop and render it unappetizing.

See more about growing and harvesting broccoli.