May 9: Stress Relief

I've been working a lot of OT... which means a lot of staring at a computer, going to meetings, back to my desk to stare at a monitor, a note pad or a layout drawing. It's very sedentary work.

Walking the dogs is gets me out and gets the blood circulating to prevent traveller's thrombosis (aka deep vein thrombosis)... blood clots from sitting too long. :)

With all a lot of pent-up energy and some good weather, I finally tackled a 12-foot tree that died from the cold winter.

The poor Yucca just couldn't take the cold weather.

I was able to cut half the tree down. I was sure thinking of buying a chain saw as I was going at it with a hand saw.

This is going to be a long term project - a couple weeks as I fill the green bin with the remnants of the tree. Also, trying to decide if I will undercut the root ball to pull out the stump.

At least I was able to use of that pent up energy. :-)

Jul 28: Eggplant Parmigiana

A couple things today...

First, I finally pulled some carrots from my container garden to see what they looked like. Decent size. The seed directions recommended eating the carrots when they're the diameter of a nickel, 0.85" D. Some are slightly larger, quarter shown, but they tasted fine... like a carrot. Maybe slightly sweeter. I do like the funky ball/bell shape.


Second, S loves M's Eggplant Parmigiana and I've been trying to do a decent version. I believe M received the recipe from a Greek neighbor so it's seems to be a combo eggplant parm and moussaka recipe since this recipe contains potatoes.

The Fixins'
1 eggplant cut into round about 3/8" thick (See note about the eggplant)
1 russet potato, large, cut into 1/4"thick rounds
Spaghetti sauce - I made one with canned tomatoes, ground beef and Italian sausage
Shredded whole milk mozzarella

The Doin'
Fry the eggplant rounds with olive oil until browned on both sides. I used a pastry brush to brush the eggplants with olive oil. Also, after they're browned, season with salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

Fry the potato rounds until browned on both sides. Remove from pan season with salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

The layering: used an 8" x 8" Pyrex dish.
Bottom - a light coating sauce.
A layer of potatoes
A layer of eggplant
Sauce and cheese on top.
I had enough for another partial layer...
Top with sauce

Bake 350 for about 30 - 45 minutes.
Add final cheese topping at the last minute to melt and slightly brown the cheese.

Right out of the oven...


On the plate, eggplant parm, a salad with a simple oil/vinegar dressing, garden fresh carrots glazed with butter and a little brown sugar and bread slathered with garlic butter.


Today's version was much better than my previous attempts. I asked M how it was made and during her explanation I realized I was probably using too much sauce which water downed the flavor of the eggplant and potatoes.

Note - I used a male eggplant since they contain less seeds and less bitter than a female eggplant. Male eggplants have a flat blossom end while a female eggplant's blossom end looks like an innie (bellybutton).

Also, there's no need to salt the eggplant. I believe the salting (to remove the bittern juices) is a food myth.

Jun 29: Vegetable Garden Status

Hot! Hot! Hot! These past few days: 80's and low 90's.
I was curious how the veggies were progressing in my garden.

April 12th: planted beets and carrots.

Today, I pulled a beet and a carrot to see how they're progressing. The package suggest 60 days to maturity, but during the Spring, we had only a couple days of sun per month so the plants were really growing slowly due to a low heat index.

Carrot is developing the desired spherical shape. The beet still more carrot looking than spherical looking. I'm guessing both are at least 2 to 3 week from maturity.


May 15th: started sunflowers, Thai Basil and Brussels sprouts.

The Thai Basil - flopped. A couple seed sprouted and died back. These seem very hard to grow and very slow to germinate.

Brussels sprouts are in the ground and growing very slowly. 5 out of 10 were eaten by slugs.


Sunflowers are in the ground, but 7 of 10 were hit by slugs and snails.
One of the few


Sunflower #7 bites the dust. Slug ate well this morning before he met Mr. Heel.


I have a little fig tree... actually more like a fig twig I purchased late in the season last year on the clearance desk.

Lone Peter's Honey Fig.

May 25: Sunday Miscellaneous

I should have finished up the gardening today - planting the Brussels sprouts and the sunflowers, but it was too hot to till and work the soil. Anything over 65F is too hot... lol. I think it was 75F outside before my outdoor remote sensor conked out.

Instead I went to the local Asian market to look at the weird foodstuff.

One thing did catch my eye... it was a bright yellow melon that looked like someone drew on with yellow highlighter. The melon was the size of a large mango.

The tag identified it as a "Korean Melon".

Being a curious eater, I purchased one.
Not knowing how to choose one... I gave a couple a light squeeze. They all felt the same - firm. The sniff test didn't yield much. I did smell a very faint sweet fragrant aroma. I just picked one that looked the "yellowest".

Brought it home and put it in the fridge. Cool fruit on a hot day sounded good.


After a few hours, I cut it in half. Small seeds with a central mass and some weird gelatinous material... like other melons.


The first bite.
The melon was crispy and firm like a cucumber. Also, juicy.
It was surprisingly sweet. It's not as sweet as an apple, but sweeter than I expected. I guess I imagined something this bright would be kind of bland.
The flavor reminded me of a honeydew melon.
The skin was a little tough to chew.

The second bite
Peeled the melon. The melon is thin skinned and peeled quite easily with a potato peeler. Although thin-skinned, the skin is a little tough.

Cold, crispy, sweet and juicy. A nice little treat on a hot day.

More info: This online seed website has a description of the Korean melon, Hybrid Golden Liner.


The container garden

The carrots with its real leaves - the feathery ones.


The beet leaves are growing. Hopefully, the beet roots are getting plump and sweet.


The beets with their real leaves.
When to harvest? I don't know.

May 19: Thai Red Curry Beef

I have the leftover roast beef from last night. I figure the way to tenderize the beef is to cook it in some liquid.

My craving for the day is Thai Red Curry.

The Fixins'
1 Can (13.5 fl oz) Coconut Milk
1.5 T (30 g) Red Curry Paste
1/2 Jalapeno, sliced
1 T Shallots, sliced
1/2 t Lemon zest, light chopped
2 or 3 small pieces, Rock Candy
2 Cloves Garlic, coarse chop
1/4 C Lemon Juice
1 T Fish Sauce
1.5 C Japanese Eggplant, large cuts

The coconut milk and red curry.


Going clockwise: Jalapeno, shallots, lemon zest, rock candy and garlic (in the center)


Open the can of coconut milk (don't shake). The top layer is usually the coconut oils.
Spoon the top layer into the pot and fry the red curry paste (to release the flavors).
After a minute, add the shallots, jalapeno, lemon zest, garlic and eggplant.
Cook another 5 minutes before adding the rest of the coconut.


Add the rock candy and beef... simmer about 10 minutes.


The Final Dish
Thai Red Curry Beef with Eggplant over rice.


I'm accustomed to red curry that's a little more brighter red. However, the flavor was nice and had a nice little zing. The instructions on the red curry paste calls for 50 g (estimated 2 T) per 2 C of coconut milk. I used 1.5 T per can of coconut milk. Next time, 2 T per 1 can of coconut milk would be just the right heat for me.

Overall, the red curry had nice flavor, aromatic and slightly spicy. The Japanese eggplant is sweeter than a regular purple eggplant. The beef was flavorful and did soften in the curry.

Also, the dish was quick to prepare... about 30 minutes.


Bonus:
The sunflower seeds are sprouting. That's four days from sowing into the flat. Nothing from the Thai Basil (not shown)

May 15: The Container Garden

We're supposed to have a few dry days through the weekend. Today, without getting soaked, I was able to look at the beets and carrots I planted.

The geek word for today is "cotyledon." Cotyledon is the fancy botanical name for a sprouted seeds first leaves, usually two.

The carrots. Only the first leaves, no "real" carrot leaves.


The beets have all sprouted and are growing. Since each beet I planted contained more than one seed. I had to thin out the beets - remove the extra plants.


The beets after thinning.


I read that the seedlings are edible so I washed and towel dried the microgreens.
Note - the rootlets (?) are dying the towel pink like an itty-bitty little beet.
Also, the beets are starting to grow it's real leaves.

I popped one in my mouth and chewed. The first taste tasted like a radish. The next one I tried the root only. The taste was bland with a very faint hint of sweetness. Next, the leaves which tasted like raw spinach.

Adding to the garden. Other vegetables I'm adding to the garden.

Little miniature cabbages.


Big Flowers


A fragrant herb


Planted and watered. We'll see if the seeds will sprout in about two weeks.


Not quite self-sufficient farming, yet. lol :-)

Apr 12 - Gardening: Spring Planting

The weather is getting better and we actually had some sun today. A 70 degree heat wave... lol

The neighbors were out in force these past two days mowing their lawn. Of course, I'm the last one to do it. I wonder what my rep in the 'hood is like.

The dandelions dotting my lawn have pretty yellow flowers. Also, the tulips are adding some color to the neighborhood.


I can't resist looking into the flower.


What's all this have to do with food and eating?

Well... this seasons project is to plant beets and carrots. I can't use the backyard because the dogs will trample the garden. Also, the sunlight is better in the front of the house. Container gardening to the rescue! :-)

Beets seeds. Apparently, beet seeds are actually cut up pieces of pod that contain more than one seed.


Carrots seeds. These seeds are tiny. One sneeze and I'm growing carrots in my lawn. lol. Of course, I can't stick with normal looking carrots. I picked these ball looking carrots. I'm such a rebel. lol.


My container and the el-cheapo potting soil. See the dandelion flower sneaking in the photo. :-)


I added some perlite to the potting soil in an effort to lighten it up and help with drainage. The potting soil contains perlite so I'm not sure if this is pointless step.


For the beets the package recommends 4" spacing. The top of a drinking cup was used as a guide. Again, probably overkill again, but I'm a geek and measure things out. Of course, this assumes all the seeds will germinate. Typically, people just sow the seeds and thin to 4". Not me, I have faith.


After the beets seeds were positioned. I covered them with a 1" layer of potting soil. For the top layer, I mixed in a handful of lime to "sweeten" the soil... push the pH level to the alkaline side. Beets apparently like alkaline soil. We'll see how it works.

For the carrot seeds, since they are so small I just scattered them onto the soil and covered with a light layer of potting soil. For the carrots, I'll eventually thin to 2" spacing... according to the package.

Red Container for beets... White container for carrots.
Hopefully, my cat will keep the squirrels away.


Beets
GERMINATION: 2 to 3 weeks in warm weather.
Approximately 59 days to maturity.

Carrots
GERMINATION: Approximately 2 weeks in temperatures of 60 degrees.
50 to 60 days to maturity.

Home Grown Bean Sprouts

We must be getting close to Spring. I think the gray and wet winter is causing me to get a little restless. I'm wanting to grow my own food or at least make an attempt to grow my own food. I'm eager to get outside and enjoy a little sunshine.

Presently, it's raining and the forecast is for rain and cloudy weather for the next few days.

Here's a project I can do indoors and supposedly it only takes four days, growing bean sprouts.

Refs:
Walton Feed - Sprout Information

Oregon State University - Bean Sprout Info

Bean sprouts, the whitish sprouts often found in the supermarket and used in Chinese food, are sprouted mung beans. Mung beans are little green beans about the size of a bb.

March 14, 2008 - Evening
I don't know if these will work since it isn't seed stock. It's just a bag of beans I bought at the store. I figure they should work since they are dried beans.


I sorted out the beans that were broken and looked too dry or wrinkly.
I measured out 1/4 cup which weighed 1.7 ounces (50 grams).


The next step is to soak the beans overnight.


March 15, 2008:
Morning - After a night of soaking, the mung beans were placed in a strainer and rinsed.
Morning Photo - Soaked overnight


I water filled ziploc bag, 2.33 cups of water, on top of the beans. Supposedly, the weight helps the sprouts grow bigger and thicker. According to the OSU website the pressure should be 0.5 ounce per sq in.

Doing the math!
The strainer I'm using is about 7" diameter at the base so that works out to 38.5 sq. inches at 0.5 ounce per sq. inch gives a total weight of 19.4 ounces. 1 cup of water is about 8 ounces in weight so it works out to 2.4 cups (2.33 is close enough).



Evening - I've rinsed twice today since placing the soaked beans in a strainer. Once in the afternoon and once this evening.

Much to my surprise, the beans are sprouting! This is just a little over 24 hours since I started this project.

Evening Photo - Sprouting!


March 16, 2008:
Continued the soak and rinse regimen - morning, early evening and evening.

Evening - Sprouts getting longer (1/4" to 3/8" long)


March 17, 2008:
Same watering schedule

Evening - Roots are about 3/4" to 1" long. Also the greenish hulls are falling off.


March 18, 2008:
Morning - Allowing the sprouts to soak about 5 to 10 minutes. Also, picked out the empty mung bean hulls.

Evening - Roots are about 1.5" to 2" long.
I may be over watering. I've been soaking the sprouts a little longer in the morning instead of just rinsing. The roots seem to be browning.



March 19, 2008:

Twice a day watering. Morning and Evening. Also, added a paper towel between the sprouts and the water bag.

Evening - Roots are about 2" long.


March 20, 2008:

Morning: Light soak to float out the hulls.

Evening: Washed the bean sprouts and aired out to dry a little. I don't have a salad spinner. Afterwards, the sprouts were refrigerated.

Sprouts are long, maybe 3", but the thick, meaty portion of the roots are about 1" to 1.5". I let the sprouts go 6 days to see if they would plump up a little more, but felt that this was long enough. Any longer I was concerned the roots would damp out.


The Numbers:
Initial: Dry Seeds used was 1/4 cup which weighed 1.7 ounces or 50 grams.
Final: Washed and drained spouts weighed 7.9 ounces or 223 grams.

Rereading the reference websites, I'll eventually give it another try to see if I can increase the plumpness. However, the first batch is sitting in the fridge until I figure out what to do with them.

Fig Tree Cuttings

I've always had a fascination with gardening and fruit trees. Maybe it's something that reminds me of my childhood where we had apple, lemon, pear, loquat and cherry trees.

Of course, me trying to be different, I have been fascinated with unique fruits. Figs being one of them. I always thought they needed really warm temperatures for them to fruit, but found that there are a few varieties that will grow in cooler climates.

I received some cuttings from the Germplasm Repository.
This will be my first attempt to grow a tree from these "twigs".
Rooting Information from Encanto Farms

Fig Cuttings: Osbourne Prolific


Cut end


Cuttings bagged with a slightly damp paper towel.


Hopefully, in a few weeks there will be roots sprouting from the cuttings.