Harvesting cabbages

It has turned quickly into summer, especially this week with 90 degree temperatures. We are working to harvest the last of our early crops that won't last in hot weather. Among the plants we are working to harvest English peas, carrots, beets, lettuce, bok choy and today's featured vegetable, cabbage.

I do believe our cabbages are the prettiest we have ever grown. Our cabbage plants, above, really do look like big green roses to me. I almost hate to harvest them because when you pull up the entire plant and cut off the outside leaves, the "rose" is gone.

I will store my cabbages in the refrigerator and use them for slaw and for one of my favorite dishes, sauteed cabbage. My mother made it this same way and it is easy to do. Just cut the cabbage into small strips and then cut the strips into pieces. (I like to use some of the darker leaves because I think they contain more vitamins.) Add some olive oil in the bottom of a large iron skillet, heat the oil until it sizzles when you add a drop of water, then pour the cabbage in. Turn the burner on low and stir every few minutes until the cabbage is clear and well-cooked.

There will be some browned pieces -- the browning will add flavor. Add salt to taste and this will make a very good summer dish. Add shredded carrots and onions, if you wish. I like the cabbage without anything. It is a very flavorful dish and I like things where the true flavor of the vegetable is revealed. This is one of those recipes.

In our family, we don't really want the weather to turn hot but we really do appreciate all the extra, really great vegetables from our garden.

Sometimes it's the little things that make things special

Sometimes it's the extra things we do that make a party special. My sister made this fruit basket from a melon and it was a big hit. It was poplar, not only because it was so pretty, but because it is also very healthy. I really appreciated that she took the time to make it because it was pretty and delicious.

This one was pretty elaborate, but you don't really have to go to so very much trouble to make a nice summer fruit salad/dessert. The melons can just be cut into chunks and the fruit doesn't have to be fancy to be good. Just putting it in a pretty glass bowl will dress it up. I know that just taking the lid off a nice fresh fruit salad in a plastic bowl can make my mouth water and when I see it presented well it is even better. Tastes the same but when it looks better, it just gives it something extra. That's why chefs put so much store in their presentation.

Great salad combos: assorted melons, melons with blueberries, assorted berries, peaches and berries, apples with grapes and walnuts or pecans, or just put in all your favorite fruits.

Some of the fruit may need to be soaked in 7-up to prevent it from turning brown, but this is a great way to do it. Just cut up your apples or peaches and cover with 7-up. (I have read that Sprite works just as well.) After an hour or more, your fruit will not turn brown.

I know some people like to put syrupy or mayonnaise or cream cheese-based concoctions on their fruit salads and maybe that is good for you, but to me, it takes away from the natural flavor of the fruit and just doesn't do anything for me. I like just my fruit salad "au natural." If your fruit has a tendency to turn, go ahead and sprinkle on some 7-UP, but why mess with something that God made perfectly well. It's just my opinion but I never add a dressing to my fruit. (I may add it to a Waldorf Salad but otherwise, no way.)

Cantaloupes and other melons can be hollowed out, too for small salads, or just use your imagination. You will be sure to please a crowd with your creations and who wouldn't appreciate a healthy dish that is also attractive?

Recipe redo: Gluten-free pancakes

These pancakes are so delicious that there's no need to make them from wheat! It could be the natural sweetness of oats. I don't know, but these pancakes are wonderful -- and good for you. This recipe is gluten-free, egg and milk-free but it does contain cashews.

Thanks to my daughter who developed the recipe and took a photo of her finished work.


Oat Pancakes

2 cups gluten-free oat flour (some oat flours might contain small amounts of gluten -- we used Bob Red Mill gluten-free oat flour)
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup cashews
1/4 cup flax seed
1 to 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups water

If you have a good blender that will grind the cashews and flax seed finely just put all ingredients in the blender and mix until smooth, around 1 to 2 minutes.

If your blender does not grind things smoothly, soak the cashews and flax seed in the water overnight, pour into the blender and then blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for 1 to 2 minutes or until well-mixed.

Heat a non-stick griddle or pan. Add small amount of oil. Pour batter onto griddle or pan and cook until bubbles form (it should take several minutes), turn and cook several minutes on the other side.

Serve with real maple syrup.

Using diatomaceous earth in the garden

No, this is not frost on my green beans but diatomaceous earth. I am trying to protect my beans from insects, particularly Japanese beetles. We always seem to have a problem with these beetles and according to what I have heard, diatomaceous earth is very effective as a natural insecticide. We also had a problem with bean beetles and this natural substance is suppose to help protect plants from all crawling insects.

Crawling bugs just don't like the way it feels and will go elsewhere for a meal. Apparently, it also works like boric acid to dry up slugs and other insects. Some people use it in construction to preempt bugs crawling in walls, foundations or crawl spaces. It is evidently catching on because it is safer than boric acid and other insecticides.

I heard before that it is volcanic and I have also read that it is made from some kind of crustaceans that are mined and finely ground. It is very fine and also very powdery. I use a powder sprayer to apply it and it is still a messy job.

 

Interestingly, when I was purchasing my bag of diatomaceous earth the other day, I asked if they had larger bulk bags and they said they did have it and wanted to know if I wanted the "food grade." Evidently people eat it because they feel it has health benefits and the food grade diatomaceous earth is safe for people and animals. Some use it as a safe pet-de-wormer. I was blown away when I read that. It can also be used to control ticks and fleas.

I didn't buy the food grade kind but I am a little awed that something that can kill insects in the garden can also benefit animals and humans.

So far, it has been very good and it is something that will wash off of vegetables and is not harmful to boot. I don't know if this is the best answer for organic vegetable gardening but it is nice when you find something that is safe and also helps get rid of pesky bugs that eat your food. If it is effective as I hear it is, I think it will really help in my garden this year.

More from Charlotte Nelson's garden

Straw bale gardening is one of the things Charlotte has worked to perfect but that is only one of her successes. She also grows potatoes underneath straw. Instead of covering her potatoes with dirt she tucks them under the straw -- they grow the same as normal potatoes but they just don't get dirty. They are harvested by pulling back the straw to get what you need. They can be covered again and harvested as needed. It's the clean way to grow potatoes.

As  her potatoes grow above the straw, Charlotte covers them with more loose straw on top and they grow above, and below the straw. Eventually the plants will die back. 

She has grown some very nice strawberries on top of straw bales.

Containers, like the one above hold her crop of sweet potatoes. I had never seen them grown in pots like this but Charlotte has had good success with container planting.

Above, asparagus is growing in a raised bed surrounded by railroad ties. It will take the asparagus several years to produce a crop, but this is a good way to keep them separate and protected from other plants.

Charlotte grows blueberries along her fence. I am telling you, she has everything.

I can't wait to see how her garden grows during the summer.

Charlotte Nelson's 2011 Straw Bale Garden

Each year I show you a peak of Charlotte Nelson's straw bale garden. We ran a story about Charlotte in Newnan-Coweta Magazine and there was so much interest in her garden methods. The link for how she did it is here. I know there are so many people who ran out and bought bales to make their own, easy-care garden.

I think it is really amazing, especially for a person who might have limited space or limited mobility. Charlotte said that she just adds more bales each year (plus she has so many great ideas) and everything I saw was well-cared for and looked very good. It really looks to be a bit ahead of schedule, compared to my garden. It is probably because of the heavy fertilization you do with the straw bales before the first plant is planted, or in this case, inserted into the bale. Also, they are easier to water -- and that makes a huge difference.

 I love the way Charlotte utilizes her space. She has a nice, well-cared for back yard but you can immediately see that she doesn't have the perfect space for a conventional garden. Her back yard has a pretty deep slope and I doubt she would get as much out of her garden if she used traditional methods. She certainly uses her space wisely.

I think the photo above is of her cucumbers. She has a fence along the plants so the vines can run up the fencing.

Her eggplants look marvelous.

And yes, those are green pole beans on top of those bales with the fence in the background ready for the vines to climb.

This is a new area for her that is beside her house. She said that she worried about what her neighbors would say when she put them out, but instead of being angry, they asked questions and were fascinated by what she was doing.

These big tomato plants get their own bale. In between, she often plants basil or other herbs. She told me she was always trying something new with her bales.

Her tomato plants do look good.

And I love the way she can just pour a little potting soil on the top of the bales and plant entire "rows" of okra or squash.

I will be going back, later in the summer to take some more photos. I am anxious to get a look. It is sure to be beautiful.

Tomorrow -- we will finish up with some of her other garden projects.

Charlotte Nelson's Hosta Collection

The past couple of years I have given you an online tour of Charlotte Nelson's straw bale garden. (I will get to that.) Everyone who has read about her knows that her gardening methods are amazing. To see what she can grow on some straw bales is very impressive to me. This week I am planning to show some photos I took on a recent visit to her garden. First I will share something I found out during my visit that doesn't have to do with vegetables. Besides being a great vegetable gardener, Charlotte has a passion for collecting hostas.

Each year, she collects the Hosta of the Year and plants it among the other hostas in her shade garden. It's a beautiful place and I think such a great idea to add annually to her hosta collection.

I was particularly interested because I have a mostly shady yard and I am always wondering what to plant there. Charlotte recommends hostas and I will have to agree with her that it is a perfect fit for a shady spot.

I wish I had gotten the names of her hostas but I didn't do that. I would have loved to be able to say, "This is the plant of the year," but she has so many and I am afraid I will mix up the names.

I think it is such a great idea to collect plants like this. It is so interesting to see what will come out next year. I never had a clue that there was a plant of the year. I do love hostas, too, with their deep green and sometimes variegated foliage.

Charlotte has them lining her shady spots and I am sure the area will become even more lush with the showy plants growing to their full size.

I do know that deer love hostas and consider them tasty treats. Charlotte surrounds her hostas with fences to protect from the deer.

Tomorrow, I will have photos from Charlotte's 2011 straw bale garden.