Oi there, and Happy Friday!!! It’s time once again for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions. So, what’s on your mind this week? Lay it on me! What are YOU interested in?

We’re working on building a community here, so make your own voice heard! Every weekend the Feedback Forum remains at the top of the page, so you can have your say whenever you feel like it. If you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, come back here to do it!

And don’t forget, this Monday is another round of this month’s MMM, so try to plan ahead for your alternate dining style.

I’m heading out and away this weekend, deep into the mountains around Mt. Shasta, for my brother’s restaurant opening. I’m so proud of him! Yay Travis!!! So anyway, I’ll be out of internet contact for all of the weekend. This means if you’ve left a comment on any post recently, it’s going to be next week before I respond. My apologies!

All right my dear, it’s time for me to hit the road. Have a great weekend – get out there and PLAY!

Maybe you missed the precious planting window this spring, and you’ve been kicking yourself in the arse all summer as your friends and neighbors harvest their beautiful bounty. Well don’t despair, my dear! Now it’s your turn to shine, ’cause it’s not too late to get those fall crops into the ground. But hurry – most areas consider mid-late August to be the cutoff. Make this weekend count!

Here’s just some of the AWESOME veggies you can still sow from seed:

arugula
beets
bok choy
broccoli
brussels sprouts
cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
chard
collards
kale
kohlrabi
mustard greens
onions
pak choi
red leaf lettuce
romaine
spinach
turnips (for bashed neeps and tatties)
and more, depending on your region . . .


Setting an autumn crop is actually often easier than the summer stuff, because pests are fewer and far between. Here’s how it goes:

1. Prepare the plot as you would in spring, with plenty of quality soil, compost, and/or fertilizer.
2. Root veggies (beets and turnips), cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc) and hardy greens (collards, kale, etc) all do well seeded directly into the ground. For the tender veggies, like lettuce, you may want to buy a transplant or start them yourself indoors.
3. Plant seeds twice the depth you would in spring, to help protect them from high soil surface temperatures. That means 2-3 times the thickness of the seed.
4. August is still deep summer and the heat will let you know it. Fragile seedlings require lots of moisture, so make sure your beds are well watered.
5. Water in the early morning or late afternoon – NOT midday (you’ll lose the majority to evaporation) and NOT at night (this leaves the plants damp for too long and fosters molds and mildews).
6. Fertilize fertilize fertilize!
7. When your seedlings begin to take off, thin them out with a heavier hand than had in spring. I know it’s sad (I still say “I’m so sorry!” in my head every single time I pull up a seedling), but they’ll need that increased airflow and nutrient availability.
8. Many of your veggies won’t survive the first hard frost. Tragic, but it’s part of the cycle. However, you can prolong their lives by tenting the beds with row covers (old sheets work great for this). Depending on your location, you may even be able to get your veggies to overwinter. Last year my neighbor had a kale plant that made it all the way through Arctic Blast 2008, with weeks of snow!

This season I tried a different approach than I did in spring. I’ve cleared out my planting bed (you may recognize it from where the snow peas used to reside) and divided it up into four quadrants. I’m planting out each quadrant, one at a time, for four weekends straight. All the quadrants have one row each of cauliflower, kale, beets, red lettuce, cabbage, and broccoli. This way my crops will be staggered as they mature, and hopefully I’ll be able to eat them as fast as they’re ready.

So, are you guys planning a fall garden? Already got one up and going? What are you growing?

You know, it’s really hard to attractively photograph homemade muffins. Without that perfect little muffin-top overhang, it’s just a sort of shapeless blob. My apologies for the pictures here. I’m a big ‘ol fan of muffins though, so I’ll work on it, I promise!

Now, you may think I’m crazy for baking in August, but I believe muffins are a perfect summer breakfast. Unlike oatmeal they’re great served room temp, but unlike fruit they’ll keep you going strong right up until lunch. Totally hearty, and – when they’re my recipes – very healthy.

I like to bake a tray on Sunday nights, for worry-free breakfasts to last all week. These are delicious all on their own, but you can also dress them up! They’re great with a smear of jam or peanut butter, or even a drizzle of agave. They’re also nice when heated up with a pat of ‘butter’, although that’s more ‘autumn’ and less healthy. I like my banana with walnuts, but feel free to leave those out, or play around with other dried fruits and nuts. You know what I say – have fun with it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup bran (for this recipe oat is best)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flax seed

6 tablespoons water

2 medium bananas, mashed

1 tablespoon molasses

1/4 cup alternative milk

1/4 cup agave syrup

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4-1/2 cup walnut pieces (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400º F.

In a small bowl, cover the cup raisins with plenty of water. Set aside to soak (this will keep them from burning while cooking).

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and bran.

In another bowl, mash the bananas and then add the molasses, milk, agave syrup, and canola oil.

In a separate small bowl, place the 2 tablespoons of flax meal. In the bowl the raisins are soaking in, give a good stir. Then take 6 tablespoons of the raisin water and mix it in with the flax meal. Add this to the wet mixture and combine.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until it just comes together (don’t overmix!). Fold in the raisins and optional walnuts. Spoon batter into a large 6-cup or standard 12-cup muffin tin.

Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, or until tops are golden and a knife comes out clean.

You’ll want to store these out of the fridge, but in an airtight place, like under a pastry display or in a tupperware container. They’ll be good for 4-6 days, depending on location.

Enjoy!

Ah, summer, how quickly you seem to slip away. Oh well, at least it means more treasured gifts from the garden! We’re well into midsummer crops by now, and that means some of my favorite veggies. Love it!

In my last harvest post, I introduced some early wee carrots. Now a month later I’ve dug up my largest carrot tops, only to find . . . MUTANTS below the surface!

Seriously, crazy right? What’s going on with these disfigured carrots? Well whatever it is, they sure were tasty!

*sigh* You know how I write love songs about baking soda? Well, I’m thinking of penning an ode to tomatoes next. Seriously. I’m working on it.

My cherries were first to ripen and I still get a handful every day or two.

The goldens came next in all their sweetness, and still are steadily ripening,

The red slicers just began ripening. I ate the first of them today!!

Look at this little cutie! I rescued a few half-dead pepper plants from the free pile at the nursery, and to my surprise they sprang back to health! I’ve already gotten a couple of these mini hot peppers, with many more budding on the bush.

The last of the brocollini crop. It was a pretty low yield this season, due to some unexpected heat. But I loved what I got, and apparently so did this little green caterpillar. Ha!

And finally, the plums are here! Our tree is simply covered in fruit this year, who knows why? All I know is I’ve got enough pluots for plum pudding, plum chutney, and plenty of prunes. Time to get to preserving!

And that’s that (for now!). I’m still picking parsley, basil, and blueberries, along with a few other patio garden herbs. Coming soon: cucumbers, corn, and cross your fingers for my onions!

And what about you my dears? How do your gardens grow?

Oi there! First things first, I’d like to give a big shout out and a huge thanks to Evelyn, who was kind enough to leave a little something in my tip jar. Thanks for the support! =)

And on to everyone, Happy Weekend!!! It’s time once again for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions. So, what’s on your mind? What do you like, and what’s just ‘meh’? What are YOU interested in?

We’re building a real community here, so speak up and take part! Every weekend the Feedback Forum remains at the top of the page, so check back in to say your piece whenever you feel like it. If you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, come back here to do it!

And don’t forget, this Monday is another round of this month’s MMM, so try to plan ahead for your alternate dining style.

And as always, please have the most wonderfullest weekend!