Showing posts with label beets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beets. Show all posts

Friday, July 20, 2012

Lima beans

Last evening as we were preparing a truly delicious-- and simple-- meal, I looked in the pantry and asked Mr. Big Food, "Do you know we still have dried lima beans from last year's garden?"

Mr Big Food responded, "Yes. Good thing, too."
~~
CHANGE: Corn and soybeans hit record highs, stir food crisis fear. “Corn prices crossed into uncharted territory above $8 per bushel — about three-and-a-half times the average price 10 years ago of $2.28. Soybeans punched past $17 for the first time — also three-and-a-half times the 2002 average. Analysts said that while forecasts for continued dry weather are expected to sustain the rally, corn prices could be vulnerable to any move by the government to lower the amount of corn-based ethanol blenders are required to mix with gasoline. Even as chatter about a possible revision of the ethanol mandate has escalated, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the former governor of top farm state Iowa, has ruled out such a move.”

Related: World Braced for New Food Crisis.

The drought in the US, which supplies nearly half the world’s exports of corn and much of its soyabeans and wheat, will reverberate well beyond its borders, affecting consumers from Egypt to China.

“I’ve been in the business more than 30 years and this is by far and away the most serious weather issue and supply and demand problem that I have seen by a mile,” said a senior executive at a trading house. “It’s not even comparable to 2007-08.”

David Nelson, global strategist at Rabobank, added: “Today the [US crop] disaster is real, whereas to some degree the big run-up in prices in 2008 was speculatively driven.”

Oh, goody.
 It's not too late to think about putting in a fall garden. More here, and here.
~~

HOLY COW! IT'S RAINING!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Beet thinnings

'Burpees Golden' and "Cylindra'
(Seed from Victory Seed, which I recommend.)

Those with the red stems are 'Cylindra.' The seed packet tells me 'Cylindra' will produce 6-8" long roots ideal for slicing.  'Burpee's Golden' will produce sweet dark golden/deep yellow beets. (How you can claim a beet is "sweet" is beyond me.) 

Immature beet tops are great in salads. Indeed, most micro-green seed mixes contain a gracious number of beet seeds. Beet thinnings-- like micro-greens-- can also be used to garnish soups and sandwiches, cracker spreads... think of micro-greens/thinnings as edible decoration! Tastey, nutritious decoration.

Mature beet tops can be sauteed or cooked as greens (like collards, mustard, and so forth). Don't forget: Swiss Chard = Beet Tops. They are the same plant, one has been bred to produce tasty roots, the other, tasty leaves!  One cautionary note, some varieties' tops are stronger than others.

I have one 20' row of beets, now thinned to about 3" apart. [(12 x 20)/3] That's a lot of beets. I don't care for beets but Mr. Big Food does.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Today's harvest (UPDATED: We did it!)

No photos. Sorry. Maybe I'll update after we have supper. It's some chicken casserole dish that's already baking.

We had a very busy week. I wasn't able to spend nearly as much time in the garden as I usually do, especially since I knew we wouldn't be around much late in the week and so I spent one day cleaning the house. And Mr. Big Food wasn't able to do his chores, either. So we were outside today. Nice day. Also, Daughter C is here today to take care of Rocky. (I spend too much time with Rocky.)

Today I picked 

  • two three watermelons (one is rotten so we're going to shoot it)
  • a few beets and 
  • baby lima beans 
(I don't know what he's going to do with the beats, but the limas are going in a crock pot Tuesday morning. Limas are not called for, but we have too few to freeze so we might as well eat them.)
  • a little French melon (not sure it's going to make the cut; we'll look at it tonight
  • jalapeno peppers
That's right. We are pickling tonight. Pickling jalapeno peppers.
  • and a nice batch of cherry tomatoes.
And I almost forgot the white winter radishes. I pulled a handful of white carrots on Thursday.  We actually have a lot of radishes on hand right now. I should announce this.

That was satisfying. And now, while supper is in the oven, we will clean the kitchen. This will be satisfying in it's own sort of drudgery way.

I cannot put it off any longer. 

UPDATE

Preparing to freeze some French melon
We did it! We got just about everything done. The only thing that remains for this evening is stewing the tomatoes. But the melons (there were two, not one, aas I reported earlier) and tomatillos-- which I think I forgot to mention yesterday-- are in the freezer. The jalapeno are pickled, as are the two quarts of green cherry tomatoes that I picked just as it was getting dark. 

The melon are 

Melon Charentais Heirloom Seed

Cucumis melo (Reticulatus group)

90 days. Charentais melons aren’t found in your grocery store — they’re too fragile to ship. A true cantaloupe, the fruits have smooth skin with light green stripes, maturing to creamy yellow. The delightfully scented, creamy orange flesh is filled with unsurpassed flavor. One of the sweetest rewards of home gardening!
 from Botanical Interests and they going to taste sooo good in January!


Good day. Big life.