Feb13

Savory Sauteed Mustard Greens

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I think mustard greens are beautiful. I love the looks of their frilly, vibrant green leaves.

I like to eat them too.

David from Florida Survival Gardening recommended them as  his favorite greens. I found some seeds for a great price, and so planted about 25′ of them. Good thing I ended up liking them!

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They do have  a peppery, mustardy taste when raw, but they become sweeter when cooked. They are much more tender then collards and kale, and cook faster than either of them.

However, they still hold up well in cooking.

Here’s what I like to use to prepare them: 1/2 cup homemade chicken or turkey stock(I make mine in the Crock Pot), diced onion, a bunch of greens, and a bit of salt.

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First, saute the onions in the stock until they are translucent.

Add the torn greens a little at a time, wilting each batch down as you go.

I don’t believe in cooking these vibrant greens until they are a dull grayish olive green- yuck.  Just wilt them until soft and cooked through.

Salt to taste, then garnish with bolted pak choi. 🙂

Savory Sauteed Mustard Greens

If you really want some delicious flavor, add some of the vinegar from pickled jalepeno peppers- so good!!!

I could eat a whole bowl of them prepared in this simple way. The flavor is so rich, especially with the homemade stock.

I love to eat nutritious greens in our Florida winter, when fresh tomatoes and buttery squash are a distant memory.

Eating seasonally is so delicious! I save so much money by growing much of my family’s vegetables. Maybe one day I will have a mini orchard and provide much of our fruit too, but for now vegetables are a good start.

Mustard greens are quite easy to grow, even in North Florida’s poor soil. Maybe you’ll try them too?

Feb10

Colorful Roasted Turnips, Radishes, and Carrots

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Sometimes simplest is best. If you have never tried turnips, I recommend this easy preparation.

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I planted my ‘White Egg’ turnips a bit too closely last fall, but have been able to harvest them at various times without succession planting them. I harvested some as greens, and others have made large roots as their neighbors have been cleared.

I have found them to be sweeter than the purple top turnips that I planted last year.

My husband doesn’t care much for them mashed, so I decided to try roasting them with some carrots from a friend’s garden, as well as with the last of the radishes.

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I tossed the chunks with some olive oil, and roasted them at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning them halfway through.

They  were seasoned with just a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and a smidgen of fresh thyme.

I love the pretty pink of the radishes. 🙂

Also, my husband liked the roasted turnips!

I love eating fresh food from the garden. It is nice that I seldom have to buy the vegetable side dish for our dinners; I just harvest what is ready to eat and prepare it. That’s convenience. 🙂

Gardening saves me money and is good for us too!

Have you ever roasted radishes? I planted another row that I hope will be ready by the beginning of March. I’ll pull them, then plant some green beans!

I have another seasonal recipe for you coming soon- Sauteed Mustard Greens! They are quickly becoming one of my favorite greens, and when sauteed do not have a harsh mustardy flavor like their name may suggest.

 

Feb6

What I Found at 3 A.M.

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Ever gotten up and just couldn’t sleep?

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It’s February in Florida, which means that I am getting spring fever and thinking about starting seeds.

So when I was up one night and just couldn’t stop thinking about the bulk seeds I was going to buy the next day, I decided to pop over to the University of Florida’s great spreadsheet to be sure I didn’t miss out on anything that I could be growing.

For the first time, I noticed a little note at the bottom about another article on “minor vegetables” and decided to take a look.

What fun! I found so much information on various crops that will survive the terrible soil and hormonal weather patterns of North Florida.

Then I was really too excited to sleep. 😀

By the way, my mug says, “I listed Starbucks as my emergency contact at work.” One of my former students got it for me and it is one of my favorite mugs.

Enjoy the link!

Feb3

Fresh Salad from the Backyard Garden

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Some are concerned with food miles. Not me. This salad was harvested mere yards from my kitchen.

salad from North Florida garden

Crunchy Bibb lettuce, colorful Swiss chard, sweet pac choi, and crisp radishes were fresh additions to a winter salad.

It is great fun to wander through the gardens, picking and pulling food from the ground, then enjoying its intense flavors soon afterward.

Have you started dreaming about your spring garden yet? If you are in North Florida, check out my February To-Do List for some ideas to get you started.

If your view of the garden is obscured by snow drifts, check out my post on how to get free seeds and start your collection.

If you are new to gardening, you can get some ideas from my posts on the basics of starting seeds, how to start composting, and why I mulch.

Gardening is soooo much fun!

Feb3

February To-Do List

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Will spring be early this year? I sure hope so.

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Until then, I am enjoying delicious greens from the garden. The collards pictured above have survived our light frosts pretty well.

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Turnip harvest have been good, and the mustard greens and kale have kept us supplied with veggies.

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I have been pleased with the ‘White Egg’ turnips this year. Despite being planted too closely, they have still produced many turnips. We ate the thinnings as greens, and now they are bulbing up nicely, no succession planting needed.

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The shed bed has been producing mustard greens, and the garlic is progressing nicely.

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Broccoli has been a bust. Again. Last year I blamed myself, the weather, and the soil and decided to try it again.

This year, I blame it on the variety. I’m going to spend a little extra and get a named variety or hybrid for next time. Do you have a favorite variety that you recommend?

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The pac choi is bolting, and I welcome the cheery yellow flowers. I plan to let my mustard bolt too, I’m hoping for an impressive display from them.

My to-do list:

1. Start tomatoes and flowers on Valentine’s Day. Last year I had spring fever so bad…do you remember the strange place that I sprouted seeds?

2. Make marmalade!! I love it so much on homemade bread, with hot tea to accompany it. That combination makes me feel cultured and British. 🙂

3. Sketch out a garden plan. I hope to have most of my crops and seeds planted by mid-March, and then to just let them do their thing.

4. Get more green bean seeds. I’m going to buy some in bulk to save money. Maybe this year I will save some seeds from them. Saving your own seeds is a great way to save money in the garden. You can also get seeds for free; check out my popular post on How I Get Free Seeds.

5. Plant out sugar snap starts. Last year I figured out too late that the squirrels were digging up my peas. I found a few peas that I had managed to save from last year, soaked them, and planted them in flats. Hopefully it’s not too late.

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Are you ready for spring? I have to admit, I’m not quite as stir crazy as I was last year; maybe it’s because I have so many crops actively growing and maturing.

We are supposedly in for some cold weather this week. If you have raised bed gardens, look for a post soon on how to cover your raised bed.

Are you going to try any new techniques or varieties this year? It’s never too early to plan!

Jan30

Chicken Owners, is this normal?

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I don’t own chickens. Yet.

One day I hope to own some, but for now I can buy yard eggs for $2 per dozen from a neighbor.

I have the benefits of healthier and tastier eggs without the work and expense (small as that could be) of keeping them.

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However, I am a bit concerned by how dirty these eggs are. I realize, of course, that grocery eggs have been washed; but it was my understanding that if the laying box was kept clean, eggs this dirty would be pretty rare.

Also, eggs that I have received from kind friends have not been this dirty.

So, is this pretty normal, or should I be concerned?

Thanks for your help!

Jan23

How to Make Easy Biscuits using a KitchenAid

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For years, I have ruined biscuits in every way imaginable. Too hard. Too thin. Thick with doughy middles.

They have been called flatbreads, pancakes, and hockey pucks.

I even had a certified executive chef show me how to make them.

Twice.

They turned out great-when he was helping me.

For a while, I just decided that I would just buy biscuits and save myself the frustration of wasted time and ingredients.

I was so irritated, though.  I live in the South and really should know how to make a decent biscuit.

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How was it that I could make tiered wedding cakes and not manage a simple biscuit???

One night, I really wanted biscuits with dinner. I decided that I would not spend much time on them, since they were probably going to be disasters anyway.

I had all the ingredients: self-rising flour, milk, and butter.

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I decided to cut the butter in the lazy way, using the KitchenAid. Why not? Cutting it in carefully using knives and pastry cutters certainly hadn’t helped me.

I used the recipe from the back of the King Arthur flour bag: 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup cold butter, and 2/3 cup cold milk or buttermilk( I make my own buttermilk by splashing about a tablespoon of  vinegar into a measuring cup, then adding milk).

I put the butter (still pretty firm) into the bowl with the flour and turned it on low until the butter had mostly been chunked into the flour.

Then I added the milk and let it stir around a couple of times.

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I scooped the dough out and gently kneaded it together, then rolled it out to about 1/2 inch thickness.

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After I cut them out, I arrange them closely on an ungreased cookie sheet or close together in a 9″ round cake pan.

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I bake them  at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes.

If I can make them, so can you!! Easiest from scratch biscuits! Few dishes to wash too.

What would you put on your biscuit? Peach jam, blueberry jam, strawberry jam, or apple butter? If you are intimidated by canning, don’t worry; all those jam recipes have the no-canning option.

Maybe I’m the only person in the universe who has had trouble making biscuits, but if you have had trouble with them too, try this easy method!

Jan19

Florida Raised Bed Gardening Update

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Florida Raised Bed Gardening Update

Gardening is addictive. Last spring, this retired couple started out with a single raised bed. They harvested squash, tomatoes, peppers, and green beans.

The bed was planted for the fall with collards, kale, carrots, turnips, and radishes.

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The North Florida raised bed now has a neighbor.

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See? Once you get started gardening, it’s hard to stop with just one bed.

The gardener used my cheap DIY plant label idea, and planted another garden.

The raised bed idea is great for planting carrots, who need soft soil in order to grow straight roots.

We have gotten some frosts recently here in North Florida, but they have a neat way to cover their beds for the night. I’ll have to show you some pictures of that soon.

I hope your gardens are growing well. You can start planning for the spring and getting your seeds together. I have a post on how to get free seeds and  how to make your own compost. Gardening can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want.

Winter is a time for yummy greens (especially in my favorite kale recipe!) and fresh hot biscuits. I have a super easy way to make biscuits that I will share with you later this week.

Fresh, hot, homemade biscuits with some easy peach jam? Yes, please!!!

 

Jan5

Freeze Overripe Bananas for Smoothies

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Do your New Year’s Resolutions involve losing weight or cutting back on added sugar?  Typically, when one thinks of overripe bananas, they think of banana bread. However, though banana bread is soo good, it does add quite a few calories to an otherwise healthy fruit.

what to do with overripe bananas

I have found that frozen bananas are great for making smoothies creamy. I also love how they sweeten the smoothie without me having to add refined sugar.

how to freeze bananas

Peel, slice, freeze separately on a cookie sheet, then put into freezer bags for a healthy, quick, and delicious addition to smoothies.

I like to make my smoothies with frozen fruit, yogurt, and a splash of milk. Do you like smoothies? What do you put in yours?
For another healthy snack, you could make kale chips. Hope your resolutions are going well!

Jan2

January To-Do List

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Happy New Year! I hope that you had a great holiday season.

It’s time for those glossy seed catalogs to arrive. Let the dreaming begin!

Here’s what my gardens look like now.

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The shed bed has daikon radishes, garlic, mustard greens, spinach, and a volunteer from the collards that I planted last year. A row of turnips planted right after Christmas are sprouting.

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The large garden is coming along nicely; it has loved the recent showers. The second picture is a closer view of the greens. They are doing so well!

I just planted some Danvers half-long carrots, red-cored Chantenay carrots, and radishes in the wide rows pictured.

I love taking a colander out there in the evening and harvesting greens for dinner. So nutritious and yummy!

growing turnips in Floridabolting pak choi

Turnips planted in the fall are growing well, and we ate our first harvest of them on Christmas Day.

The weather has been warm lately. That, combined with the showers has helped much of the garden, but the pak choi has started to bolt.

January and February seem to be the coldest months in North Florida, so maybe that will slow them down a bit. I did snip off the flowers, buds, and harvested some leaves to go with supper tonight, maybe that will help too.

My to-do list:

1. Plant sugar snap peas.

2. Sketch out plan for spring garden.

3. Organize seeds.

4. Enjoy lots of greens!!

Are you snowed in or are you gardening? Either way, it’s always a great time to peruse seed catalogs and dream. Look for a Florida raised bed garden update soon, as well as a tip for saving money and eating healthy too!

Happy gardening!