2014 garden favorites

Almost Fall. Well, in fact, it is Fall, but here in northern California, Fall is our real Summer. So it's hot, not colorful like Fall is in other places. The summer vegetables know it's Fall, nevertheless, and they are on their way out. We still have fabulous tomatoes, and chard, and peppers, but soon...very soon...we'll be uprooting these and planting winter crops.



What were our favorite summer vegetables of 2014? Without a doubt they were the Brandywine heirloom tomatoes (OMG) and the padron peppers. The heirlooms were just plain delicious - green and dark red and not always the most beautiful classic tomatoes - but their taste told the true story. Sweet, they were really sweet. And tomato-y. Wow.




The padrons, well they are some good tasting peppers. Green, they're mild and wonderful fried up whole with a little salt. Red, they have a kick, and are best cut up in beans, or rice, or with chicken or pork, or in salsa. They have such a good taste! I still have a whole bunch that I'm drying, day by day, in the sun on the front porch. We'll enjoy them all winter long.

Weight watching

Our friend Yasmin Dinar has been staying with us for a few days. Yasmin lives in Denver and has some work in the Bay Area right now so we're lucky to have her with us. Like many attractive 30-somethings, Yasmin likes to look good and takes excellent care of herself. We were surprised to hear that she has been going to Weight Watchers, and that she has lost 10 pounds. Who knew she had 10 extra pounds to lose? Yasmin always looks fabulous.

I've never been interested in weight loss diets, although at 5'4" compared with Yasmin's 5'10", there have been times when I could've taken off a pound or two. I just love to cook and to eat, and have always preferred to exercise more, or to just accept myself as I am. Good or not so good. Diets aren't for me.

When Yasmin arrived carrying two bags of vegetables and fruits from Trader Joe's, I was glad anyway. I love vegetables and fruits. Of course, she bought so many that we could hardly fit them in the fridge.

I wanted to be supportive, and to keep the fridge functional as well, so I decided to cook three or four vegetables for every dinner, plus a small portion of meat or fish. For breakfast we feast on fruit and oatmeal. It's been great.

You know, it's fun to search out all kinds of new and different vegetable recipes. I've made zucchini with red bell pepper and tomato, served with sauteed portobello mushrooms. Normally, zucchini doesn't appeal to me, but Yasmin bought a box of it, so oh well. The next night we had steamed julienned zucchini and carrots. It was really good. Tonight we're going to have cauliflower with egg and parsley, a recipe I dug out of an old Pierre Franey cookbook, plus more of the stuffed cabbage rolls we made last night. I do love cauliflower, so it will be wonderful. This is the most un-diet diet ever - it's delicious!


I might lose a pound or two, unintentionally, from having Yasmin here. And maybe we'll just keep this veggie-mania going after she leaves on Friday. Thanks, Yasmin!

Planting a winter garden

 

All it took was a few days of sunshine and mild temperatures, and I was down at the neighborhood Ace nursery buying up baby vegetables. We're so lucky in northern California - many vegetables grow through the winter, including this year a crazy cherry tomato that's still going strong in late January (this has never happened in my garden before!).

 

 

If you look closely you will see yellow flowers even, signalling yet more tomatoes to come. Amazing! Well, that's unusual.

 

The vegetables that usually grow well in our climate in winter are of the cabbage family -cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli - as well as beets and lettuces, and other leafy things like kale and chard. All are yummy!

 

I bought beets and arugula for the back yard, which doesn't get much winter sun but is also protected from the most "extreme" cold by the house.

 

Just a comment about "extreme" cold: I'm originally from Minnesota and we don't have anything here in coastal California that even approaches Extreme Cold, so you're probably laughing if you happen to be in a climate where REAL cold happens. Believe me, I haven't forgotten.

 

Here are the sweet new little beets and arugula:

 

 














And Nero (a.k.a. Pookie-Boo) guarding an already maturing cabbage:

 

 For the front yard, where the best sun is, I got rainbow chard, cauliflowers, and broccolini, which I planted in pots...easier to water if we don't get rain, and easier to defend from hungry spring snails.

 

Baby rainbow chard

Broccolini all gathered in a pot

Snowball cauliflower YUM!

Aren't they sweet? And, mmm, are they ever going to be good to eat! I think that rhymes. Sort of.

 

The temperature has dipped back into the low 50s today, and the sky is overcast with drops of rain spitting here and there, so it looks like our few days of warmth are over for now. Every time I look at my new little vegetables, though, bravely standing up in their pretty pots, I know Spring is coming. Yay!!