seasonal martinis

As I mentioned in my last post, I enjoy eating (and drinking!) seasonally. These martinis are some of my favorites. They aren't like the fancy sweet martinis on restaurant menus. I don't like too much flavor to overwhelm the beverage, just a bit of color or spice to complement the gin and celebrate the season.
Summer martini: I like very fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and little pink radishes.

Fall/Winter martini: A spicy slice of chile pepper wrapped around and onion or olive, or carrots and celery.

Winter/spring: A frosty white version with cocktail onions and a black radish slice.

Always good in a Martini: Picholine olives and Peppadew red peppers.

Of course, the possibilities are endless. Many more veggies to try this year.

Topic: martini!

veggie martini's

Another true sign of summer is a fresh garden martini! Especially ones that are shared with friends and family. Aahhh. Cheers to a bountiful harvest.


Topic: martini!

cheers to the harvest!

This is my first non-lettuce harvest of the year. Sugar snap peas, broccoli buttons and a radish! Yippee!

Gretta warned me that spring broccoli around here tends to button. She said it goes to fast from cool to hot. I would assume that's what has happened to mine. Little tiny heads. I picked them because they look ready - like they're about to open into flowers soon. My 15 year old son ate them and the peas and I heard no complaints - that means they were at least good.

But the radish I ate and can attest was awesome. Spicy and crisp. For the past couple years I've tried to grow radish to no avail. The plants bolt and don't bulb. This first radish is still pretty small as I was just thinning the row. But its a real round red radish! I am thrilled!

The difference is my new sunny garden. I planted the same radish seeds at the same time at both gardens. This one is from my sunny (community) garden. My shady garden radish are bolting and have no bulbs (yet again).

Radish is one of my favorite martini additions - along with onions, cucumbers, peppers and of course olives. So its a perfect celebration. (By the way the fresh uncooked peas look good, but they don't taste good in the martini - just decoration.) Cheers to the spring harvest!

Topic: martini!
harvests from my vegetable gardens

radish martini !!

I am hosting a CSA distribution site this summer for Picadilly Farm. The first distribution was this week. They have beautiful vegetables! Lettuce, spinach, hakuri turnips, arugula and beautiful spicy radishes. Definitely worth toasting to!



Topic: martini!

a toast to the end of gardening season

I think this is about it for my vegetable garden this year. I have one tomato left from the big box of green tomatoes that I picked last month. Pretty much all of the green tomatoes ripened. Outside, I just have carrots, garlic sprouts and parsley left in the garden along with my cover crop of winter rye. We've had a couple of hard frosts and the garden soil is nearly frozen. I'll take a few pictures of the garden plot during the winter - and I am looking forward to planning next year's garden. But for now, here's a toast to a productive and enjoyable season. The beverage is one of my newly invented garden martini's - carrots, celery, cukes and olives!

Topic: martini!

cheers! a winter martini with ... radishes!

I still have a million (almost) radish in my fridge from my garden. They are still great in martinis. Cheers!

Actually I have about 20 radishes left. I'm pleased they're keeping so well. I was afraid they'd be in the compost bin by now because we only eat about 1/2 a day, at most.

These martinis have two olives, a radish slice and a Peppadew pepper - red, white and green for Christmas.

Topic: martini!

radish (Raphanus sativus)

round black Spanish radish

Last year I bought some radish seeds called a round black Spanish. Well, they didn't even sprout for me, but I'll try again this year and give them more sun. In the mean time, I was surprised to come across the same radish in my local supermarket. It was grown in Vermont.

It turns out that the round black Spanish radish is a nearly forgotten vegetable. It is quite bitter when eaten fresh, but is a good keeper and mellows with time. I was a bit hesitant to try it, but I found it delicious! A nice sweet taste and definitely lots of radish flavor.

I'm finding these days that my tastes have become quite seasonal. I like the taste of summer vegetables in the summer and winter vegetables in the winter. The round black Spanish radish is a nice winter vegetable - perfect for this time of year. I put it on a green salad with apples and onions. Also, not bad in a martini, though this may be an acquired taste. I like the icy white look of the rolled radish and cocktail onions.

Topic: martini!

radish (Raphanus sativus)

time for a celebration soon

Once my site meter hits 50,000, I think it will be an occasion for a celebration. Lets see - a nice carrot martini? I always like a cause for toasting.

Topic: martini!

cheers to another Friday night!

Cheers! We had my giant carrots in our martinis tonight.

Daucus carota
Topic: martini!

cheers! the cukes are here!

My first cucumbers are ready for harvest! This is a variety called Rocky. A very nice slicing cucumber. Also nice in a summer martini.

I hesitated to post this photo of my hand. It is too brown this year. And my nails are dirty and ragged. One of the consequences of gardening I suppose.

In any case, cheers! I hope you too are enjoying a good summer harvest.

Topic: martini!
harvests from my vegetable gardens

tgif

Happy Friday!!! Nothing like a nice garden martini to end the week. Its a good way to use up all those extra tiny tomatoes. Also the cukes you don't know what to do with. Cheers!

Topic: martini!

tgis

Thank goodness its SPRING!!!! A great reason to celebrate....
Topic: martini

little lemon tree

Since I just posted photos of my parents great grapefruit tree, I thought I'd photograph my own little lemon tree. Its a Myers lemon. It is about 8 years old now. Here in Massachusetts, I have it in a pot and bring it inside every winter and outside every spring. Two years ago it produced 3 beautiful lemons, but none last year. This year I am being very nice to it. I re-potted it this summer, and am trying hard to remember to water it now. I have one blossom now that seems to be setting fruit. Meyers lemons are awesome in martinis!

Here's a link to a photo of my tree and a lemon from it two years ago.

The Meyer lemon (Citrus × meyeri) is a citrus fruit, native to China, thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin orange or sweet orange. The Meyer lemon was introduced to the United States in 1908 as S.P.I. #23028, by the agricultural explorer Frank Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China. It is commonly grown in China potted as an ornamental plant. It became popular as a food item in the United States after being rediscovered by chefs. They’re sometimes smaller than a regular lemon, rounder in shape, with a thin, soft, and smooth rind which ranges from greenish when slightly immature to a rich yellow-orange when fully ripe. The rind lacks the typical lemon peel oil aroma and the pulp is darker yellow and less acidic than a regular lemon. The complex flavor and aroma hints of sweet lime, lemon and mandarin.(from Wikipedia and SplendidTable)

Topic: martini!

apple-tinis

Its time to celebrate finishing the plot expansion! This is the second apple from my little backyard Fuji apple tree. Delicious!

Recipe: To shaker, add crushed ice, dash of dry vermouth and gin. Shake well. Pour into chilled glasses. Add several apple slices and some dried cranberries. Cheers!

Apples (Malus domestica)
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cheers!

Here's to pea sprouts and sowing tomatoes.

Topic: martini!

TGIF

Ahhhh.....

This is a nice one. A winter radish, variety Misato Rose. It was grown at my local CSA farm. A variety I've never heard of and would like to try in my garden next year. It tastes like a regular radish, but milder, crispier and much more colorful. Really nice when it freezes in the cold gin.

Topic: martini

50,000!!!

Well my counter hit 50,000! Amazing. I have to take a minute to thank everyone who stops by my site.

I used to feel that gardening was a lonely activity. Occasionally one of my neighbors stops by and talks. Skippy always hangs out with me. But its different with a blog. I look around my garden and think - this is a story I could tell. And I take a photo and write up a post. Then I hear comments from all corners of the world. And from very close by.

I am very, very appreciative of every piece of gardening advice I receive. Also the greetings, compliments, suggestions and questions. These make an incredibly rewarding hobby even more so.

Cheers!
Kathy and Skippy

Topic: martini!

FAQs

I will finish answering these soon. Please ask more questions! I'll post a link on the sidebar.

Camera/photography Questions:
1. What camera do I use?

I have a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. A fantastic camera that I highly recommend. Its relatively light and small for a digital SLR, a good size for my hands. I used to take it everywhere with me. But now, I end up taking most of my photos with my cell phone. They have surprisingly good resolution.

I keep saying I'll use my Canon more. It does take a nice photo. I have two lenses. A general purpose Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens (reviewed here). Also a wonderful Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens. This lens gives wonderful background blur.


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 2. How do I organize my photos?

I take 20-100 shots a day. I delete at least half right away. Then I select a couple I like, edit if needed, and upload to Flickr. A subset of these go onto my blog. The folder of all the saved photos gets archived onto an external hard drive, organized by date. If I want to find a photo, I generally just search Flickr or my blog. The important thing on both Flickr and the blog is to title or tag the photo with a useful name that I and likely to find again my searching. I can download the original resolution image from Flickr. Based on the photo date, I could go back to my archived folder and find more photos on that topic, though I have rarely actually done this.

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3. What software do I use to edit my photos?

I use Microsoft Office Picture Manager as a quick tool to view and crop. I use PhotoShop CS3 to do lots of other things. I especially like "auto levels" and "shadow/highlight". I use PowerPoint to make collages. To export, I use DocPrint PDF Driver and then convert the PDF to a jpg using PhotoShop.

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4. How do I get high resolution photos into my blog?

I use Flickr. It allows you to use higher resolution than Blogger.

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5. How do I make collages?

With PowerPoint. To export, I use DocPrint PDF Driver and then convert the PDF to a jpg using PhotoShop.


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6. How do I take "aerial" photos of my garden?

From the 2nd floor window - right above the garden.

I'm trying to find a way to get an aerial shot of my new garden that has no house nearby. I've considered a tall ladder, climbing a nearby tree, a weather balloon, a drone. I'm still thinking. I like the drone idea though if the prices some down a bit.


Blog questions:
7. How do I format my blog?
I have done it all with HTML code in the template box. I directly edit the code there. I started with the template "565" (below) and from there edited lots of things. Not knowing HTML, I have edited using the trial and error method. I haven't updated to the current blogger, so I can't use their widgits and have to write my own or find code on the web.

Blogger Template Style
Name:     565
Designer: Douglas Bowman
URL:      www.stopdesign.com
Date:     28 Feb 2004


Dog Questions:
8. What kind of dog is Skippy?

He was a Portuguese water dog. Skippy died suddenly on August 27, 2016 of a burst spleen tumor. He was 11. He was a wonderful dog. My first dog and I was very close to him.

I now have Suzie, born June 1013. And Charley, born the same day Skippy died. All are Portuguese water dogs. We chose this breed because my husband is allergic to most dogs. He is fine with this breed. All on my dogs were breed by Heather Shilo at C-Lion Portuguese Water Dogs. She's located in Bedford MA.


Garden Questions:
9. I did a good job with succession planting, but no matter when they get planted, the lettuce, spinach, and radishes are finished by the first or second week in July. They all want to bloom, and then get bitter. When I plant for a fall crop in August, some years it grows, and others they don't. Do you have a way to extend the season?

Boy, what a great question! But I think every crop is different.

Lettuce: Grow heat resistant lettuces in the summer. They're called Summer Crisps. Start planting them in June. Plant more every few weeks. I am usually able to grow lettuce all year. My problem is remembering to do the succession planting.

Radish: I think of  radish as seasonal crop. Maybe you can look for a bolt resistant variety and extend the season a little.

Spinach: Again, a seasonal crop. I get one crop in early spring, sometimes one in the fall, and good winter crops. For a fall crop, you can try growing seedling in pots on a table in the shade, or try using shade cloth. I've grown fall spinach in pots in my 60 degree garage under lights and brought them out when the weather cools off. But, since our NE weather goes so fast from very hot to cold, its hard to do this. It works some years and not others. My best crops of spinach are in a winter tunnel. If you plan it so the plants are pretty big by early November, then you will have spinach all winter (if you plant enough of them). They get big and delicious in March and April.


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10. How big is your garden?

1992 - 2013, I had a garden next to my house. Over time, trees grew and it got very shady. This garden had 5 raised beds, about 9 x 3.5 each and one big bed about 10 x 10. So, about 250 sq ft.

In 2008 - current, I got a local community garden plot, a mile from my house and full sun. The plot is about 30 x 30. So, 900 square feet.

2013 - current, I have a big backyard and a large vegetable garden. It has 7 raised beds and a perennial border along the front. The fenced area is about 20 x 60. So that's 1200 sq feet. I also have a blueberry patch, space for fruit trees and a 10 x 5 ft herb garden next to the house.


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11. What are the dimensions of the posts and wire of your community garden fence? Where did you buy the metal posts and wire? And more importantly, how has it worked out for you?

The fence is 5 ft tall. The poles are driven in a ft or so, so I guess they are 6+ ft. They are the ones sold to go with the 5 ft fencing at Home Depot. My garden is about 25 ft square, so we have 25X4 total ft of fencing.

The 5 ft fencing material is hung to start at the ground. We then dug a 1 ft trench and lined the garden with 2 ft chicken wire, half underground and half above. This keeps the burrowers out, plus the small rabbits that can squeeze through the larger fencing holes. In areas we couldn't dig down the chicken wire angles outward underground. The chicken wire is secured to the 5 ft fence with small tie wraps.

After two seasons, I can report that this fence has worked great. The chipmunks come over, but that's all.


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12. Is there anything I can plant this late in the season? (August-September)

You can try out my on-line fall planting calendar. Here's the link. Enter your first frost date and it gives dates for planting. Also my new apps at a link a the top of my sidebar.

July and August are the months for fall planting. I plant peas, kale, spinach, escarole, mustard greens, lettuce, bok choi, baby carrots, beets for greens, and radish. The peas never work though - just my challenge. People in NE used to grow fall peas but now the weather goes from hot to cold too fast.

Even in September or October, you can plant seeds to come up early in the spring. Plant cilantro and dill in the garden for early crops. In a cold frame, plants seeds for spinach, mustard greens, kale, escarole, radicchio. They'll sprout and the baby plants will take off and grow fast once the sunlight gets stronger, March and April.


Food Questions:
13. What do you do with all your vegetables?

I store many by canning, pickling, freezing and drying them. Most, we eat fresh. A big salad every evening with dinner. We don't buy vegetables in the summer or fall. I bring my vegetable dishes to outings, serve them to guests at my house. And I look forward to having too much. I give them to my mom, siblings, and neighbors. Or I take them to the local Food Pantry. I always feel good doing that. One spring I brought 16 beautiful heads of bok choi an a big basket to the Pantry.

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14. What won't you put in a martini?

Well, tomatoes, beans, greens, pumpkins, eggplants, kohlrabi, turnips, or rutabagas. But I think just about anything else is fair game. And seasonal, fresh homegrown tastes best.

Favorites from my garden: cucumbers, celery, radish, onions, carrots, watermelon, apples, fresh and dried pears, strawberries, raspberries. And once in a while I like a store bought olives. Especially the big green Castelvetranos.

BTW, here's my martini recipe (serves 2): Chill shaker, gin and glasses in freezer. (We store them there.) Add to shaker: about 1 cup crushed ice, 4 shots gin (or vodka) and a splash of dry vermouth (~5 drops). Shake well. Pour into two glasses. We like to add the ice too. Add vegetables and/or fruits to taste.

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15. Where did you get your paella grill?

www.buyspain.com (We have a 42 cm pan.)


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16. What can I do with kohlrabi?

Compost it! (If you feel bad about that, put it in the bottom drawer of your fridge til its brown and then compost it.) Sorry, I've never brought my self to eat it, though I do hear it's very good.