A Break from the Heat

Finally! The way-too-early-in-the-season heatwave has broke and Dave and I are able to enjoy a nice evening outside on our expanded patio with a fire. Dave put the gazebo cover on over the weekend. I must say, the patio looks totally awesome and inviting now - hence the reason why we're enjoying a little break outside this evening. Too bad my goofy dogs hate to be outside. The pix above are the before-and-after shots of our patio. The before is from 2007 - yuck! But look at it now! We expanded the patio last year and this year added the planters for the hops. Sweet!

Yesterday I did a little work in the garden. I planted some petunias in the garden beds that had the early Spring plantings in order to spice them up a bit. Dave and I worked to cage the Roma tomato plant with some faux bamboo poles and some twine. We'll see how that works. I also trained the pickling cucumbers up faux bamboo poles (today they have blossoms!). Knock on wood, so far so good with the cucumbers this year. I guess they just need to be in a lot of soil. I also planted the regular cukes and I have pumpkin seeds soaking so I can give those a go. I hope I can attract enough pollinators to get some cukes & Jack-o-lanterns this year. Dave has discovered the frustrations of the Japanese beetle. Now that we have hops, we have them all over the place and they are eating the hop leaves. He picks them off and smushes them. I think it's weird that they eat the hops because the leaves are fuzzy and the vines are really "grabby." The vines will grab onto your clothing and stick!

Ahhhh...the Corinthian Bells windchimes are hung...we have a slight breeze...a fire and citronella candles going...now all I need is a Tequila Sunrise or Long Island Iced Tea and I'm set!

In Memoriam: MJ and FF

I know he was a weirdo and stuff, but how odd is it that Michael Jackson is dead? No matter what you thought about him since his Thriller days, you can't deny that Thriller, and MJ himself, had an incredible impact on pop culture. I mean, how many Thriller references do you still see in these days in times, nearly 30 years - yes 30 years! - since its release? Prison inmates in the Philippines recreated the Thriller dance as a form of entertainment and recreation!! When I heard he was going to be touring I thought to myself "I'm buying tickets if he comes to St. Louis because I want to see MJ live." Man, it's really weird that he's dead. I know this is going to sound strange, but this may be one of those events I will always remember where I was when I heard (had just turned the car on for my commute home and NPR announced it at the 1/2 hr news mark). Other events I remember: Challenger disaster, announcement about Kurt Cobain's death, and 9-11.

Another sad note today - Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer. Again, another icon that I grew up with...Charlie's Angels and everyone wanting their hair feathered like Farrah's...I remember wearing giant rollers in my hair while I slept to try to straighten it enough so I could feather it. I was always so jealous of my sisters with their straight hair! :)

Sigh...

Add to all of this we are in our 6th or 7th day of near 100-degree weather with 105+ heat indices. Calgon, take me away!

The Last of the Peas and Carrots

I harvested the last of the peas and carrots today. Sad event but the good news is: I get to make another awesome Indian recipe using fresh veggies from my garden! Tonight's dinner is an angus beef burger, some potatoes and the peas & carrots. Mmmmmmm...

The peas & carrots recipe is another courtesy Madhur Jaffrey. This is from her "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" cookbook.

Carrots & Peas with Ginger and Chinese Parsley

Ingredients

A fresh piece of ginger, 2 inches by 1 inch, peeled and coarsely chopped
1.5 pounds young, slim carrots
6 tablespoons vegetable oil [Missy's note: I use canola and I used about 1/2 that amount]
1/4 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
5 whole fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 packed cup coarsely chopped Chinese parsley (aka cilantro)
1 fresh hot green chili, washed and finely sliced [Missy's note: I substituted about 1/8 teaspoon red pepper]
1 pound fresh peas, shelled
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt [Missy's note: I usually withhold the salt]

Put the ginger in blender with 3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth (about 1 minute). Peel the carrots and slice them into rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Heat the oil in a 10-12 inch skillet over medium heat. When very hot, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop (10-20 seconds), put in the ginger paste and turmeric, keeping your face averted [Missy's note: That safety point is VERY important! The ginger paste will sizzle something fierce when you add it to that heat. I use a splatter guard, raising it the end opposite my face to add the ginger paste.] Fry for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chopped parsley and green chili or cayenne, and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes [Missy's note: I'll add about 1/4 cup water if things seem a bit dry]. Add carrots and peas and cook 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.

Now put in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt and 3 tablespoons warm water. Stir for a minute, cover, lower heat, and cook slowly 30 minutes [Missy's note: I have found 15 minutes works just fine]. Stir gently every 10 minutes or so.

Serves 4-6.

Madhur recommends this: "To serve: Lift gently out of skillet and place on serving dish. Serve with hot pooris or parathas. This dish goes well with any sauced meat dish - Lamb with Onions and Mushrooms, Kheema, etc. It is also good with Shrimp with Dill and Ginger, plain Moong Dal, and Rice with Potatoes and Cumin Seed.

Well, At Least I Have Some Onions

The friendly people on the forums of Organic Gardening magazine have informed me that the large, hollow stalks on my onions means that they have bolted. :( That's part of the bad news. The other part is that I won't be able to dry & store these onions as "keepers" (the gardening term for being able to store them for months) because I didn't let the leaves dry on them in the garden. So, I have to eat them all RIGHT AWAY! My friends and family are going to l-o-v-e me! There is no way I'll get through them all in a timely manner so I've already given some away and will give more away over the next few days. I've also been told that I can either dehydrate them or I can slice or chop them up and freeze them (no blanching required - woohoo!) for use later. I haven't tried one yet. I need to get some lettuce so I can make a nice salad. :) Tonight the rest of them are drying on the hood of my car, sans leaves, with a fan blowing on them.

Oh - my Organic Gardening friends also shared with me some tips for next year: 1) buy sets from a catalog, not from a local vegetable stand (like what I've been doing); 2) plant with enough space in between to allow air flow; 3) fold the leaves over at the base of the leaf, where the leaf meets the bulb; 4) the bulb should be partially above ground; 5) wet weather is bad for onions which is why lots of sun and no/minimal mulch is a must. I probably also need to fold the leaves over earlier in the season. Everything says when they first start to droop. I know I waited too long this year.