Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2015
How Green Does Your Garden Grow
With last weeks rain, everything is just exploding. I swear, I can sit and watch the garden grow right before my eyes. My latest morning ritual: juicing the garden! Check out that gorgeous Romaine Lettuce up top.
Spinach
Red Leaf Lettuce
Green Juice for LifeCheers!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
A Feast For The Eyes Garden Burger
Sometimes, looking is enough.
And, sometimes, you just have to give in to temptation.Friday Food Porn
Its Memorial Day weekend here in the States and that means folks across the country will be firing up their grills for a holiday cookout. Dont think for a minute, my raw vegan friends, that you have to miss out on all the festivities. In fact, why not make those carnivores GREEN with envy!
Model, actress, musician and certified chef, Judita, has just the dish. Save that pulp from all those veggies you juice – she prefers carrot, celery and red bell peppers. Season it with salt, finely chopped onions and place in your dehydrator at 105 degrees for about 4-5 hours. Smother with chipotle mayo and top it with avocado, tomato and homegrown sprouts.
Why wait for a national holiday to feed your inner voyeur? You can feast on this raw vegan garden burger and other sexy recipes by visiting Raw Judita, 365 days of the year.
Live a little. Its the weekend.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Harvesting and Curing Garlic from your Garden
Gently remove dirt from plant. DO NOT WASH.
Tie in bundles of 10 to 12.
Hang sheltered for 3 to 4 weeks until cured.
Cut off garlic roots.
Cut tops with sharp scissors.
Gently rub off top few layers of the bulb.
Cleaned garlic bulb ready to eat or store.
Store in cool, dark, well ventilated place and enjoy!
What Do I Do Now?
You have successfully grown your first crop of garlic and may now be wondering, "what do I do now"?
As the leaves start to turn brown, you may want to stop watering them for a week or more before you harvest so you are not digging up wet bulbs. According to TheGarlicStore.com, where I buy my organic garlic starts, you should harvest in early summer when the lower third to half of the leaves have browned. This will also depend on what variety you have planted and where you planted them. I dug up my Early Red Italian two weeks before the Kettle River Giant and four weeks before my Killarney Red.
If you think its time to harvest, dig up one or more plants as a test. To harvest, carefully dig deep under the plant lifting the soil, making sure not to damage the bulb. Sort through the clumps of dirt and find the garlic bulbs. Leaving the plants intact, gently remove most of the loose dirt from the roots and bulbs. DO NOT WASH THE BULBS. Never try to pull the garlic out of the ground by its leaves. The tops will just break off and youll have nothing from which to hang and cure the garlic.
You will now cure the bulbs before you store them or even bring them into the house or you will quickly discover that your entire house will smell of garlic. Curing them will eliminate the smell, prevent mold, and greatly increase their shelf life. Take about 10 to 12 plants and arrange them on the ground so they vary in length. Tie the tops together and hang the bundle in a well ventilated area. Make sure they are out of the sun and rain. Let them hang for 3 to 4 weeks or until they are dry.
Once cured, cut the roots and leaves off and rub a few top layers off the bulb until you uncover a healthy, clean skin while leaving as much bulb wrapper as possible. Keep the cleaned bulbs in a cool, dark, well ventilated place. A root cellar at about 55 degrees F and 55% humidity is said to be optimum. DO NOT STORE IN THE REFRIGERATOR as this will cause the garlic to sprout. Save your largest bulbs for planting next year and enjoy the rest!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup Serve ChilledRaw Vegan And Gluten Free
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| Raw almonds make this chilled cucumber soup creamy. Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest. Download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen, on Amazon and iTunes. |
Busy Week
Sorry its taken me so long to post this month but weve been busy harvesting 3.7 tons of organic Pinot Noir grapes in our vineyard here in Sebastopol, California. Sudden hot weather caused the sugar in the grapes to quickly spike and we had to scramble to get the grapes harvested. The sugar level dictates the percent alcohol in the wine and since we like our Pinot to be around 14% alcohol or under, we pick our grapes when they are around 24% sugar (Brix) or less.
Friends, family, and workers came to our rescue and we got it all done in three days. My brother and his wife happened to be visiting (thinking that they were here for a relaxing vacation) only to find themselves out in the field picking grapes. They enjoyed the experience and now have a story to tell back in Charleston, South Carolina.
Check out last years post on how we make Pinot Noir.
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| My brother Peter, harvesting grapes. |
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| My sister-in-law Dianne busy at work. |
Back to Cucumber Soup
Before we roped Peter and Dianne into harvesting, we did some fun things. It was Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and we took them to a fabulous wine event at Fred MacMurrys Estate that featured 200 wineries and 60 local chefs.
One of the chefs made a delicious chilled cucumber soup. Since it was creamy I assumed it was made with dairy. (I always have to ask since Im allergic.) But to my surprise, the cucumbers were blended with almonds (my favorite source of vitamin E). I didnt get the recipe but I have attempted to recreate the dish, especially since my garden is packed with cucumbers right now. My version is a bit thicker and instead of drizzling olive oil over the soup, I use cold-pressed hemp oil since it has more omega-3.
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| Cucumbers in my garden |
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Creamy Garden Cucumber Soup
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes about 2 1/4 cups - 4 small servings]
Requires a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix
3 cups diced, peeled cucumbers with large seeds removed
1/4 cups raw almonds, soaked over night
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill plus some for garnish
1 1/4 teaspoon cold-pressed hemp oil
To prepare the cucumbers, peel and quarter lengthwise. If you have large seeds, remove them. Dice and measure 3 cups and place them in a high-speed blender.
Add the soaked almonds, lemon peel, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill and blend until smooth. If its too thick, add a tablespoon of water or non-dairy milk and blend until mixed. Chill until ready to serve.
To serve, place the soup in 4 small teacups or bowls and drizzle 1/4 teaspoon of hemp or olive oil over each bowl. Take a demitasse spoon or a toothpick and stir the oil into the soup. Garnish with a small piece of dill and serve.
Per serving: 77 calories, 6 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 170 mg omega-3 and 1,749 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 293 mg sodium.
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