No Rain, Day 44 and Counting

The title says it all.  Today is day 44 without significant rainfall.  We had 20 or 30 drops several times, but that doesn't count.  To go with that, we have been having highs in the 90's and south winds at 25-35 sustained for the past 4 days.  Starting to understand what the Dust Bowl went through.  Wheat harvest is starting, (a month early), center pivots have been running non-stop and dryland crops look poor.  Nonetheless, I am pushing forward. 

I have been watering almost around the clock to stay ahead, most things are looking good. We are really starting to harvest a crops and sales are picking up at the markets. 

How dry is it, I spend 4 plus hours today putting down plastic mulch for my outside peppers.  I had to run the tiller back and forth to pulverize the clods.  I ended up with a decent bed, but the soil to cover the plastic looked like this.


Here are the 4, 70 foot rows.  The plastic mulch is covered with dust, that is why it is gray and not black.


The peppers in the high tunnel are really looking great!





Pickling Cucumbers are looking really good and I am picking every other day to keep them at the right size. I have sold out for the last three markets.  They are blooming and setting like crazy!



Inside Zucchini is looking good, Kinda concerned, it isn't blooming as much as normal. 


We have been picking zucchini outside for two weeks too.


Cucumbers are looking rough, the wind has really hurt them. I am hoping they start producing soon.


Not planted in this picture, but I got half of my melons planted and they are up. I hope they didn't fry in this heat in the plastic mulch.


Not planted in this picture either, but my Okra is really popping up.


Sweet potatoes went in on Thursday, not in this picture. Waiting for the last 100 to come in the mail soon.


Inside onions are looking nice, some really huge onions in there too!


Outside onions are bulbing up nice, like the crack in the ground?  They got a good soaking after this picture.


My pride and joy, tomatoes are LOADED!


Picked a few Cherry tomatoes tonight, big ones aren't quite ready.


Sold our first Green beans of the season on Saturday also planted the 4th planting on Saturday. 


Still need to transplant peppers (later this week), get more cucumbers and zucchini planted. 3rd planting of tomatoes are suppose to go in this week.  Also need to weed some things and dig potatoes (plants are already dieing too hot!)  I also have 3/8 of an acre of winter squash to plant.  Finally, I have to get thing harvested and sold.

Sorry for the long post, but I need to share some success.  We have had too many failures already.

Enjoy!

Jay

No Rain, Day 44 and Counting

24-caret Carrots?

If you haven't tasted freshly picked carrots, you've missed out on the true flavor of the vegetable. Growing up, we always ate store-bought carrots, and I thought they were good. I'd willingly eat them whenever they were offered. But, man oh man, the first time Jay brought me a carrot fresh from the garden, I realized what I was missing. I don't know if it's the sugar content or just a more vibrant flavor, but they are delicious.

Of course, carrots are good for your eye sight. But, did you know the vitamin A they provide is also good for your skin and immune system? Unlike many vegetables, cooking carrots actually increases their vitamin content, increasing the vitamin A from 150 to 270 percent of your daily recommended amount.

The Fruits and Veggies Matter site, which I use for most of my nutritional info, made me laugh a bit tonight. It says, "Pick carrots that are deep orange in color." They obviously don't know how Jay gardens. The site goes on to say, "More beta carotene is present in carrots that have a darker orange color. " So, I did some research. Do the other colors have less nutritional value? According to this source, they actually provide more health benefits. Even more reason to pick a purple carrot. If you are interested in this science behind it, here's what they wrote:

Anthocyanins and pigments of the flavonoid (as opposed to carotenoid) class are found in purple carrots. In the human body these pigments act as powerful antioxidants, immobilizing harmful free radicals. Anthocyanins can also help reduce the risk of heart disease by slowing blood clotting.

This year, we will have four different colors of carrots: orange, yellow, red, and purple. The red and purple will be planted this fall, but this orange and yellow varieties (Napoli, Yaya, Nelson, Mokum, and Amarillo) are now big enough for harvest. The ones I pulled tonight are about 7 inches long and about an inch in diameter. Their skins are so tender, there is no need to peel.

Most of the time, we eat carrots raw or boiled to fork-tender with a bit of butter. To change things up, I might sweeten them with honey (also from our Farmers Market), agave nectar, or a bit of ginger. I love that, when I ask our girls what they want for supper, Natalie will always say, "how 'bout tarrots!"

Earlier this year, there was a month or so when we had more carrots than customers. That gave me a chance to try out some new carrot recipes, stretch my culinary wings. Here are a few my favorites:

• Paula Deen's Carrot Souffle
• Simple Roasted Carrots
• And, of course, Jay's amazing Cream-Cheese-Filled Carrot Cake

24-caret Carrots?

Springtime Stir Fry

Ah, spring time. The time of year when I get spoiled and can walk in my backyard to do my grocery shopping.

Tonight, I had planned to make a veggie stir fry out of whatever vegetables I found ready. Here's what I found after my ten-minute "shopping spree":

Tonight's meal harvest. The carrots are hidden by that gorgeous purple bok choy

I found red radishes, white turnips, purple bok choy, red swiss chard, orange carrots, green onions, a white onion, and the newest addition to our garden palate, broccoli rabe (pronounced raw-bee).

New this year: broccoli rabe. Look at that cute little flowerette!

After a few minutes on google recipes, and I found a recipe to modify into this:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic
2 teaspoons ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 1/2 tablespoons water
and all the veggies listed above, sliced less than 1/4 inch thick or diced

1. In a large bowl, blend cornstarch, garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, and vegetable oil until corn starch is dissolved. Add in radishes, turnips, carrots, bok choy stems, broccoli rabe stems, white onion, and swiss chard stems. Toss to lightly coat.
2. Heat sesame oil in a walk over medium heat. Remove vegetables from the bowl and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 
3. Meanwhile, add the swiss chard leaves, bok choy leaves, and broccoli rabe flowerettes to the bowl. Toss to lightly coat.
4. Add the remaining vegetables to the wok. 
5. Stir in soy sauce, water, and 1 teaspoon ginger.Cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 more minutes.
6. Add green onions to the wok. Stir to mix well and serve over rice.

Finished stir fry

And, yes, the kids liked it and asked for seconds. Well, Natalie didn't like the swiss chard, but ate everything else on her plate. It helps to have her big sisters saying, "But Natalie, that's not just any vegetable. Those are Daddy's vegetables!"

Springtime Stir Fry

Radishes and recipes

To some, radishes are the evil-stepsister of the spring crops. To others, they are the little red gems that signify the end of winter. In our house, they are all gems.

Radishes usually come in shades of red, white, and pink. This year, we planted Crunchy Royale, Pink Beauty, and White Pink Pong Ball. We also have a vibrant purple variety called Amethyst, and it does honor to its name. Raw, radishes add a great splash of color to the salad or the table. But, for some -- me included -- their spicy kick can be overwhelming in large doses. Cooked, though, radishes take on an entire new taste. They mellow without losing flavor, resembling the succulence you expect from fresh cauliflower but with better texture.

Health-wise, radishes do their part to boost your immune system. A half-cup of radishes provides 15 percent of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin C, with a splash of fiber thrown in for good measure.

My preferred way of preparing radishes is to slice them into 1/4-inch slices. Boil them for 4-5 minutes. Drain, and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir until butter is melted and serve warm.

We also tend to throw them into stir fry dishes, add them to noodles, slice super-thin and add to salads, or just skewer them on a kabob and grill until fork-tender.

But don't take my word for it. Here are a few other professional recipes:

• Braished Radishes from Raychel Ray
• Roasted Radishes and Carrots by Melissa d'Arabian
• Grilled radishes

Radishes and recipes

Tomatoes ahead of schedule?

With such a wonderful spring, I planted tomatoes out two weeks earlier than I have ever planted them. Is that going to push them along to have earlier tomatoes this year, I hope so. Here are some comparison photos, you decided.

April 6, 2012 photos
I need to sucker and remove the lower branches.




April 12, 2011
These plants were suckered and had the lower branches already removed.


April 24, 2010


April 30, 2010

Tomatoes ahead of schedule?