Apple Heirarchy and the $3 Head of Garlic

Funny how things change with time, I always hated apples, could barely stand eating apple pie growing up. Now as my kids eat halves of everything they grab, pick-your own farms and general love for things that have a taste, I have started eating "the other half", apples included. (As I am typing, I am realizing that I think the only varieties my father bought were McIntosh and Red Delicious, my least favorite!!!) Now, I have a new sense of urgency to eat as may varieties as possible and find the best tasting ones possible (I guess I am trying to make up for lost time). In our trip to the Catskills, Jen and I found a great market stand in Stanford where they had 6-7 locally picked varieties. Trying 3 of these, I now am forced to write down my list so I can remember.

1. Honey Crisp
2. Cameo
3. Jonagored
4. WineSap
5. Golden Delicious
6. Gala
7. Red Delicious
8. Ida Red
9. Macintosh

The Goldens came over for Plainfield Iron Chef 2 last night and it was our turn to cook. The secret ingredient: Tomato. Of course with all my tomatoes being ripped out last weekend, Charlotte and I made our way to the farmers' market in Scotch Plains. Really small as compared to the Summit market but it sufficed. 10 lbs of tomatoes (the season's last), 1 lb poblano peppers, Ida Red Apples, some potatoes and lots of fun looking around. The markets (both SP and Summit) are all done for the season next week which will be sad; Jen and I really have become accustomed to shopping for most of our produce and some proteins weekly there.

To make sure the garlic was in the ground on time, I had to finish preparing the bed from last week. When you look at it from a larger perspective, it starts to sound not worth it for garlic. To explain:

• 2 days to rip out the invasive Orange Blossom bush that had more roots than its untamed top growth.
• 1 day to edge the bed, turn over the soil, remove the rocks and start to build a rock border
• 1 day to add 3.3 cu. ft. of peat and 6 bags of mushroom compost ($40), turn it in and rake out/break up the large rock like clumps
• 1 day to plant 30-40 cloves of garlic, cover with 1 bale of straw and 6 bags of cedar mulch ($35)

So, for $70 (excluding having to buy a new shovel to replace the one that broke during the process and ~35 heads of expected garlic, it comes out to about $2 per head, $3 a head if I include labor; I could buy it for $1 per head at the farmers market, oh well.

Tomato Chutney

• 1 - White Onion, chopped
• 4-5 Red Tomatoes (large), rough chopped
• 1 Poblano Pepper, Seeded and rough chopped
• 3 Tbsp Ginger, raw and diced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp Mustard Seed
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seed
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 tsp Turmeric
• 2-3 Tbsp Flour

In large covered pan, heat oil until hot. Add all spices and allow to meld for 1 minute until aromatic. Then add everything else except flour. Stir well for first 2 minutes then cover for 5 minutes. Uncover, stir, add flour, cover and let cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Turn heat off, uncover, stir and let sit to cool. Can be served at room temperature, hot or cold. I prefer room temperature

Food Harvested:
Green Tomatoes
Green Peppers

Things Planted:
The rest of the garlic (30-40 cloves
Mums
Tulip, Daffodil, Iris bulbs

Seeds Saved:
None..Chaste will be ready soon

Preserved/Cooked:
Fried Green Tomatoes (Jen)
Tomato Chutney (Medium Heat)
Pumpkin Pie

Things to Remember:
1. Don't walk on the garlic
2. Plant Watermelon in Ivy patch
3. Plant pumpkin along side and back fence
4. 4-4x4's for gate arbor, 4 - 4x6's for bottom bed border

Rings around the Moon.

With the nights getting cooler and temperatures dropping in general, we are seeing lots of neat changes; the leaves, the yard and even in the sky. This past Monday night, we went outside to take a look at an enormous ring around the moon. Pretty intense sight and I tried my best to get a picture of it. It ends up that this
ring is a relatively common and is the result of the moonlight being refracted by upper atmospheric ice crystals. These ice crystals dissipate quickly so the rings are often only seen for a short period of time.

With a good stretch of cold nights, the garden is 90% finished for this year. I will have to start ripping out the tomato plants and pepper plants. We've harvested almost 90% of the edible radishes; with Jen's comments that they are starting to get "woody", the rest will come out as well. The only thing left will be the beets and I plan to let them go for another month or so. Once the bottom bed is cleared, I can start building the second retaining wall and replacing the broken garden gate and fence. I am still undecided on replacing the gate with a gate and arbor combination. I guess I will make that decision when I have the time to start it and the money to pay for it. It should only cost about $100 in lumber for everything.

Magnolia Tree Seed Pod (found by Jen)

I received my Seed Savers Exchange seed garlic this week. I am going to try to plant three varieties for our use but also to re-list them in the SSE 2009 yearbook. I have not a clue of what I am doing nor the best place to plant it so this is going to be one big experiment. I hope to have it in the ground this weekend. One potential place for it would be the new planting bed I am getting ready in my front side yard. I would also like to put potatoes, peppers and radishes in this bed in the spring. The only hurdle is that I need about 3 hours to finish getting the bed ready (removing the grass, adding peat and manure, top dressing it with mulch) and I am not feeling it today.

There has been a continuation of the indoor things that are happening to prepare us for winter as well as just finishing up the small started-but-unfinished projects around the house. The list of things started to get a little crazy as you can see from the picture (that is just Sunday's list). Seems that the little things sure add up quick and they also make a mess of vacation; I need a vacation from my vacation. Needless to say, 90% of the work is done, small polishing things left to finish up and we are settled in ready for the winter.

Food Harvested:
Radishes

Things Planted:
Garlic
Transplanted grasses

Seeds Saved:
Daylillies
Jen saved Magnolia...very odd looking.

Preserved/Cooked:
Whole Chicken
Repeat of the lamb shanks

Things to Remember:
1. Tomato seeds to be started inside in Feb
2. Peppers to be started with Tomatoes
3. Peppers will need small cages or support
4. Garlic to be planted in up front bed with potatoes and radishes

The First Frost

It has been a few busy weeks with not much time or energy (mostly energy) to post. I keep telling myself that I need to find the time but that is usually while I am crawling into bed at night. It seems that as more and more needs to get done in every day life, the things that help keep me in touch with myself and present with my family are usually the things that disappear first (like posting here).

Seems that we all have been taking a break from the garden and yard lately. Jack is playing soccer for the first time, Jen is trying to go back to mobile meals (hopefully), days have started getting shorty and chillier, blah, blah, blah... We did manage to go apple picking again. With honeycrisp being closer to finished, the main apples were macintosh and something else. They mentioned that the honeycrisps were still available, just not as sharp tasting; much more mellow. At the end of the day, we had almost 2 bushels and brought home 35 more lbs. 15lbs went to more apple sauce (which is already eaten), we made an apple crisp and the rest for snacks.

With weather getting cooler, my thoughts have drifted to the things I want to grow next year. It is amazing to me how often and how easily my mind can drift. I have found a wealth of information on Seed Saver's and Gardenweb forums and I am ready to dive into really building a garden all around me, sort of like an edible landscape. I am looking at adding:

• 6 blueberries to add to the 3 I already have
• 5 thornless blackberries, all single canes so it will be a year or two until fruit
• 4 fig trees from cutting so 2 years to fruit
• transplant the 3 remaining apples from the spring to their final locations
• add a honycrisp apple (our absolute, hands down favorite)
• possibly adding two grapes if we do the patio and pergola like we plan to
• a new side yard planting bed for radishes, potatoes, garlic and other edibles

As for the backyard plans, we decided to hold off and revamp the patio plans. Because of price, we need to reconsider the plans in terms of size and style and we agreed that this will have to wait until the spring. Building a 900 sq.. ft. dry set stone patio with a 200 sq.ft. pergola will take money time and patience as well as be VERY permanent.

We have been focusing more on the small things inside lately. Jen and I notoriously let the little things slide until enough of them pile up and become a really big thing. We vowed (again) to not let this happen again and we (Jen) have a list of things we need to address. Top of the list and the oldest thing is the electrical wiring in the 3rd bed room. Although this was relatively easy, John peaked into the basement ceiling at what we uncovered after removing the acoustic tile ceiling and he wants to bring someone else in to look at the wiring nightmare. Not good. Painting, windows, patching walls, fixing some appliances, rewiring the stereo, organizing the clothes in the closet, switching out all closets, making the bigger bedroom the upstairs living room, adding a wall unit, getting the car inspected, replacing window panes, etc... the list is a lot of little things.

Food Harvested:
The last of the tomatoes and Sultan Peas
Orange Peppers
More and More Radishes

Things Planted:
Actually, removed an invasive Orange Blossom Bush

Seeds Saved:
Day lily seed pods
Last of the watermelon seeds
Sultan's Crescent bean

Magnolia Tree seeds (jen's first attempt which she promptly planted)

Sunflower seeds (from the sunflower project flowers)

Preserved/Cooked:
Nothing new...
15 lbs more of apples for apple sauce

Things to Remember:
Too tired to remember