HOPE
When I looked outside my window this morning and saw this patch of purple in my flower bed, I swear my heart itself felt like a flower unfurling.
A week of headaches and heartaches, preceded by the coldest and iciest of Virginia winters, has left me craving the sight of lush greenery, not to mention the feeling of relaxing in the sunshine with a cold beverage and a fat steak sizzling on the grill.
I am eager to clean out my flower beds and lay down fresh mulch, clean up the broken limbs left by heavy snow, spruce up my herb garden and decide which new herbs I will add this year. It’s time to start thinking about what vegetables I will grow this year and whether I want to start any seedlings. According to a cool new book I just received, “Starter Vegetable Gardens” by Barbara Pleasant, I had better hurry. The following growing times are necessary for seedlings:
5-8 weeks: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce and other leafy greens, pepper, tomato, basil, cilantro and dill.
3-4 weeks: cucumber, cantaloupe, squash, sweet corn and watermelon.
If you plan to buy vegetable and herb seedlings at the nursery, Pleasant offered these tips: Although you may be tempted to buy the biggest seedlings, go for the smaller ones because they have not suffered the stress of cramped roots. She also suggests planting any extra seedlings in roomy containers and placing them in a sunny outdoor spot. That way, if one of the plants in your garden falls victim to disease or a hungry critter, you’ll have a replacement plant.
I have joined a fruit and vegetable CSA this year, so I don’t want to go too crazy with the plantings. At this point, I’m planning on adding cilantro to my herb garden, planting some rhubarb in the yard and starting a compost pile. I will also see if I have learned enough in the past two years to grow better tomatoes this summer, and I’ll probably put in a row of zucchini. How about you all?
Since we are talking about the start of outdoor dining season, I’d like to share the most recent recipe I received from the Weber grill company, Turkish Chicken Kebabs with Red Pepper and Walnut Sauce. Enjoy your weekend.
Turkish Chicken Kebabs with Red Pepper and Walnut Sauce
Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: up to 1 hour
Grilling time: 8 to 10 minutes
Special equipment: metal or bamboo skewers (if using bamboo, soak in water for at least 30 minutes)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
Sauce:
1-1/2 roasted red bell peppers (from a jar), drained
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. In a large bowl mix the mustard, granulated garlic, salt, cumin, and pepper. Add the oil and stir to combine.
2. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and then cut each half crosswise into 1- to 1-1/2-inch pieces. Place the chicken pieces in the bowl and turn to coat them evenly.
3. Skewer the chicken pieces so that the pieces are touching but not crammed together. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.
4. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the sauce ingredients and process to create a pesto-like consistency. For a thinner sauce, add a bit of warm water.
5. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F).
6. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the kabobs over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm to the touch and opaque all the way to the center, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from the grill and serve warm with the sauce.
Source: Weber-Stephen Products Co.
March 12, 2010 - 11:30 AM
RSS feed 
We plant many different varieties of tomatoes every year and have as much success with romas as all the rest. By the way, we plant several kinds of herbs and our cilantro does great!
You know, I’m not sure if they are easier. We had great luck with our tomatoes last year, although the skin did split on several of them because of all the rain.
I believe I will do a couple of Roma plants, a couple of yellow tomatoes (the Lemon Boys last year didn’t do too badly), and a couple of large red variety yet to be determined, plus cherry tomatoes. I’m excited. It’s so much work, but gardening is incredibly rewarding. Somehow, the months of winter are enough to make me forget the aching muscles.
Ya’ll are making me blush, but you like me, you really like me! This thread has made my day, and continuing on, I found a container of “half-dried” romas in the freezer yesterday, which went on the Friday night pizza (Kingsolver did not invent that). The same day, perhaps simultaneously, the first little tomato seedling broke ground under my grow lights. Gotta admit, there’s a beautiful symmetry in that.
Best of luck with all your gardens, and thanks so much for your support.
Cilantro actually likes cooler temps so get it started early and out into the garden before summer really kicks in. It will bolt no matter what and the best way to keep a supply going is to do succession plantings. Sow seed for it every 2-3 weeks. Later start some seeds in late August-early September to take advantage of the cooler fall temps. To preserve it chop up the leaves, put them in an ice cube tray, add a drop of water and freeze. When frozen pop the cubes out, bag, label, and store in the freezer. Won’t be as pretty as fresh but will still have that green taste when you use it. When the cilantro bolts, don’t despair – you’re on your way to having a crop of coriander seeds! Let the seed heads mature, clip, stick the seed heads in a paper bag and shake to loosen the seeds. Spread out to dry for a few days and then bottle them up.
When it comes to paste tomatoes we used to grow Romas but now we’re fans of Amish Pastes. Lots of meat, little tomato snot, great for salsas, roasting and sauces. This year we’re adding minuscule Currant tomatoes and Principe Borghese. Can’t wait to see what they’re like!
Walthers Greenhouse out on Bent Mountain has the best selection of herbs and veggie plants I’ve seen in VA. I think last year they had something like 15 varieties of thyme alone.
How do those of you who have success with tomatos keep the deer out of them? Do you have to fence your area in?
Thanks for stopping by, Barbara!
Other Rebecca, that was a great comment. Thanks for the detailed info on cilantro and how it doubles as a coriander producer. Never heard the phrase “tomato snot.”
Hi Kristen,
I’ve had reasonable success with Thai basil. It seems to like basically the same things as Italian basil. My lemongrass, which I thought wouldn’t do well, grew incredibly! It’s been my most successful herb (is it an herb, technically?) by far.
Cilantro’s still a bust, though.
I can’t take credit for the colorful term for tomato innards. That’s my husband’s doing. He thought he hated raw tomatoes until I fed them to him “cleaned and gutted”. Turned out it was a textural thing with him. Now he’s an avid fan.
Emma, are you growing your lemongrass in a pot and wintering it indoors or is it outside year round? I’ve been longing to pick up a plant.
wow… lots of talk about nothing… like to see all these women in MY garden
Crocuses are so faithful! They come up year after year! And are always so welcome!
Kristen, try Liquid Fence. It smells like poop (truly), but seems to work. I sprayed it last year and it kept the rabbits and deer away from my garden. My mom has used it on her roses, too.
Ok Emma, I’m going to give them both a shot.
Thanks for the suggestion Lori…I actually came into my back yard early early last summer one morning and saw a couple of deer standing under my Topsy Turvys trying to figure out a way to get at them!I live on Mill Mt and have woods pretty close to my house…the wildlife even eats my hostas.
Hi Other Rebecca! I do keep it in a pot but didn’t bring it inside, just kept it near the house when it was cold out and covered it with a sheet to keep it from freezing. It seemed to do fine.
A friend of ours used to make small satchels of herbs in them which seemed to ward off groundhogs, deer, and rabbits pretty well in her garden…but for the life of me I cannot recall what she used. I know some sort of pepper was in it, but that’s the only thing I remember. She also used some rather high fencing as a physical deterrent…seemed to work well. Her only problem last year was how short the growing season turned out.
A good source of heirloom tomato seeds. Their service is excellent, and no, I don’t own stock! Try “Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifters,” unbelievable results.
http://www.tomatofest.com