Fall Is Here

It's the cozy time of the year!

This is my all- time favorite time of the year. I look forward to the chill in the air, wearing fleeces and sweatshirts, the cool rains, and the leaves changing. It also means pumpkin spice lattes, beautiful pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, and eating acorn squash with (lots of) butter and brown sugar. The last of the canning projects are well underway and the gardens are getting ready for their long rest.

Growing up on our family farm, we were very busy with the corn and soybean harvest. I would sleep with my windows open and could hear the constant hum of the combines and elevators, as the farmers were processing grain into the late hours of the night. Sometimes even a harvest moon would be out- very helpful to the farmers who welcome any and all extra light. Occasionally there was the Friday night football home game. Sometimes I miss those days. And nights.



The other day was a cold, rainy day.
It was the perfect day to get carrots and celery from the gardens for a homemade chicken noodle soup. I've never grown celery before, I had no idea what I was doing but it turned out alright. The carrots were delicious. There is a huge difference between homegrown carrots and store carrots that have to travel many, many miles before they make it in a soup.

Here's my recipe for 'Purple Ribbon Chicken Soup'.
This is actually the recipe from one of my first postings. 


4-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
4-6 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole chicken, chopped into smaller pieces
3 quarts chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
About 3 cups of egg noodles (we usually did homemade noodles)
Flat leaf parsley, chopped 
Salt and pepper to season (and you could be in trouble if you are like me today, and can barely breathe!)

Season and saute the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, until soft. Then add broth, butter, chicken, and egg noodles. Cook for at least 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Then, find a cozy place to take a break (like Luca). Maybe enjoy some hot chocolate or a pumpkin spice latte!

Heirloom Tomato Success

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the annual Seed Savers Exchange Tomato Festival in Decorah, Iowa. This is an event that I look forward to every year, especially since I've realized the importance of eating fresh and locally. The heirloom flavors are unsurpassed and the folklore of some of these variety names sure keeps things interesting.

There is really nothing like having a number of home gardeners, foodies, and chefs uniting to talk tomatoes and other heirloom vegetables. Some people may call the heirlooms a trend or fad, but I believe they are here for the long haul.

Heirlooms from my garden 

Sampling of 70+ heirloom tomatoes

We tasted over 70 varieties of tomatoes. Each variety seemed to have a slightly different flavor and a rich history. Some tomato varieties were from generations of family farmers across the country who eventually donated seeds to Seed Savers Exchange for preservation. Other seeds came from overseas in war torn areas, and were smuggled out as owners were fleeing for safety. These seeds were important enough to be saved year after year, unlike today's seeds which can be the result of laboratory experiments. These genetically modified organisms (GMO's), sometimes have their exact gene sequences patented and are resistant to any chemical under the sun. And, if you're a farmer in the next field over to a patented GMO crop, minding your own business looking after your own crops and some cross pollination happens- look out. This has happened and some farmers have lost everything because of legal action from some large seed companies, just because the patented gene shows up in the crop unintentially. Enough of my rant, but I'm am very opposed to GMO's (and in full disclosure actually married to a patent examiner, who really is interested in the gardens as much as I am).  I just want to go back to a simpler time- where you could trust where your food came from, care less about pushing the limits on yields per acre, or the latest salmonella or listeria outbreak, and actually have a healthier, flavorful meal. Maybe some of my childhood memories of gardening with my great- grandma and grandma play into this... but it is just the link I need with the heirlooms. These are all reasons I caught the heirloom bug.

Here are some other pics of the event:

Beautiful Iowa barn at Heritage Farm

Benary's Giant Zinnia 

Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean

Every garden needs a scarecrow...

 
I haven't spent as much time at the gardens lately because its been hot and my work has been picking up. We had a long heat spell and it has really taken a toll on the plants. Even the tomatoes are looking tired. Hard to believe but even they have slowed down on production. It seems as though the end is near for the pizza sauce and salsa projects.

Looking back on the garden, there was a fun project that we did this summer. We made a scarecrow to keep watch over our crops and honestly, just because. There was a couple of times that the high winds knocked him down and his hat went sailing. Eventually a storm did take him down. This week he is officially back up, complete with a new shirt and everything!

The Fall crops have been planted and soon we will be enjoying more beets, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, and peas.

This long Labor Day weekend, I am looking forward to the Seed Savers Exchange annual Tomato Tasting at their farm in Decorah, Iowa. They showcase numerous heirloom tomatoes and other vegetables. I also need to make another batch of pickles, pizza sauce, and salsa. For some reason, I think this weekend is going to fly by...

Happy Labor Day Weekend-

Melrose Peppers... A Chicago Staple

I'm not that much of a pepper person... usually I'll eat them only in salsa.

For me, green peppers have such an overpowering flavor. I am picky about my peppers.

There is one little, tiny exception... the Melrose pepper!

This is an heirloom pepper, famous in the Melrose Park area of Chicago. This is an Italian pepper, about 4'' long which is perfect for stuffing. It is sweet and full of flavor. They are green but turn red quickly. I found these seeds in my Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook and ordered them from a friendly gardener. I started a few seeds inside and then moved them to the gardens. They have done well this year!

To this day, Chicago area grocery stores proudly announce their arrival. Grandma Nancy is a big fan, and usually buys enough to freeze and make stuffed pepper dishes. We went over to the Coach house one day, and she offered us some of these. I was hooked!

Adam made a stuffed pepper dish with these. He stuffed them with fresh mozzarella, cooked pork sausage, and covered with my homemade canned red sauce (all fresh ingredients from the garden). Add a little grated mozzarella and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until the peppers are tender. Delicious!

Pickle project

We are in the dog days of Summer.

Here in Iowa, we are having one of our worst droughts since the 1950's, or so they say. I'm a young little whippersnapper so I wasn't around then but I am sure it was bad. The leaves on the corn are curling, looking like sharp daggers, meaning the corn is very dry. Now is the time for pollination, which means the yields are going to be affected big time.

I'm not sure when the last good rain was. It has been in the upper 90's for quite some time. People are going to be a little excited when it cools down to 80, and digging in their closets for some long sleeves! Aside from everyone being tired (and a little crabby), the gardens look tired. It is even too hot and dry for the weeds to grow!

Since its been so hot, I've been restless.
So...on one of the hottest days of summer, Adam and I can pickles. (I know, I make a lot of sense...)

Growing up, my family did a lot of canning and preserving foods. I remember my great grandma making the best sweet pickles that were bright green because of the food coloring. Her garden was huge and it was a crime if anything went to waste, most likely the result of growing up in the Great Depression. Some of my favorite memories from growing up was the smell of fresh dill and the apples from the nearby trees in late Summer and early Fall and me playing ("cooking") in the play house. The playing would stop when the pickles (and other goodies) were ready, and we were the first ones to come running for the all important taste test. We meant business and took our jobs seriously.

I was lucky enough to learn how to can from three generations in my family. I even exhibited some canning projects at the Plymouth County Fair. Back in the day, some of these were selected as grand champion and advanced to the Iowa State Fair- major bragging rights because our county was full of fierce competition.

This weekend, I got back to my roots and had some cucumbers that needed to be used up. These were really great pickling ones at the perfect size for making pickles. Sometimes if they are too large, they don't fit in the jars well and lack flavor, the same with most other oversized/ super sized vegetables. 

Because we cook quite a bit, I thought about going all out on the pickle project. From my favorite cooking store in downtown Ames, I bought a mandolin so the cucumbers could be cut into crinkle cut pieces. After all, that makes the pickles more authentic!

All in all, it was a good day. A little (ok a lot!) hot in the kitchen but well worth the great bread and butter pickles.

Next week is looking like part two of the pickle project, as well as some salsas because the hot temperatures have the peppers and tomatoes on overdrive. We might as well save the flavors of summer, right?! 

4th of July Celebrations!

Hope you had a nice 4th of July!
We had a fun filled Holiday, filled with Iowa sweet corn, fresh berry tarts, patriotic potatoes and good friends!

It was definitely a hot one and the end of the record temps seem to be nowhere in sight. The gardens look a little tired and could use some rainfall.

We cooled off with these homemade fruit tarts. I am usually not a pie crust kind of girl, but I couldn't resist the rich buttery flavor of these! The vanilla pastry cream was actually made with farm fresh eggs that I collected in the morning. These berries were from the store (we're out of the short lived strawberry season because the season was pushed ahead significantly), but they were delicious! Don't you love the little strawberry rose that Adam carved? I have no talent (or patience) for that...

Earlier this Spring (on Good Friday to be exact, which is an old wives tale), I planted these potatoes: Red Pontiac, Yukon Gold, and even Adirondack Blue's. The blue potatoes are actually bright purple inside and liven up any potato salad.

They are one of the many unusual varieties planted in the garden.

And, with the 4th of July... that means the beginning of the legendary Iowa sweet corn season!
The Black's Heritage Farm in Ames has 20+ acres of sweet corn that has been staggered so its ready up until Labor Day. We had some on the grill for the 4th and it was delicious, well worth the yearly wait.

Enjoy!

Green Bean Epidemic

It seems like Summer is officially here. 

The green beans are ready, and they are growing fast and furious.

I started harvesting them for the first time about a week ago. I ended up with a 5 gal bucket FULL after one row. I planted six rows total, two varieties that were supposed to mature at different times: Trofeo (gourmet French cultivar with a rich, buttery taste) and Early Contender (one of the earliest producing green beans that is a favorite among gardeners for its high yields).

I was smiling after the first bucket of green beans

A couple of weeks after planting, the great washout happened with about a row and a half.
And the replanting project... so I thought I would be alright on them not all maturing at the same time. I was wrong. Way wrong, as wrong as a person can get. The later green beans caught up with the others because the weather has been so perfect and before you knew it, everyone was blooming and setting tons of little green beans. Overnight and with a little sun and warm temperatures, the little beans became the big green beans. The panic set in and before you knew it, I was contemplating the meaning of life and doing lots of thinking while picking buckets of green beans by hand!
If they are continually harvested, they will keep producing throughout the summer.

So far, approximately 35 lbs have been harvested!

Friends don't let friends plant six rows of beans... but if that happens, you might need to make a few recipes. And hope your friends and family needs green beans. And every restaurant and farmers market you can think of!

This is one of our favorites:

Pasta Ricotta with Green Beans & Tomatoes 

Linguine
Ricotta cheese
Green beans, ends removed
Grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to season

Boil hot water and add several drops of olive oil (so the pasta doesn't all stick together- a little trick I learned). Once boiling, add the desired amount of linguine and cook approximately 8-10 minutes until done. Drain. Add the desired amount of ricotta cheese and stir in.

Saute the green beans and garlic with olive oil. Then add the tomatoes and stir briefly so they do not burn (I usually just do this to warm them up). Add to the pasta mixture and lightly stir, trying not to crush the beans or tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper.


Also if you like balsamic vinegar/ vinaigrettes, try this recipe out! 

Cold Green Bean & Tomato Salad

10 lbs green beans- ends removed but kept whole otherwise
Grape tomatoes, halved
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to season

Boil water and 2 Tbsp salt, add green beans and cooked through but still firm.
Drain water and add green beans to cold water/ ice to chill.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper (to season). Drizzle over the green beans and add the tomatoes.

Enjoy!