This is my garden.

Just kidding, of course. This is the reproduction of Thomas Jefferson's garden at Monticello. If you're ever in the area, definitely stop by and take a look - they're spectacular. It's impossible to take in this gorgeous view and look around at the gardens, orchards and other symbols of joyous abundance without experiencing at least a shiver of regret and grief knowing that the landscape was tamed by slaves. So often personal joy and existential sadness commingle and Monticello is no exception.

My own gardens are coming along. I need to buy yet more dirt to fill the containers that will hold tomatoes and peppers. These will be grown on the second story deck (veranda? I am south of the Mason-Dixon Line, after all) to avoid the deer/squirrel/rabbit problems that plagued us last year. I've bought eight seedlings to grow plum tomatoes for canning and drying, two for slicing and two different cherries - one red and one yellow. Three kinds of bell peppers and two hot round out the mix. The little salad garden is giving me great happiness - it's time to thin the sprouts, which I hate doing but I realize that it's necessary. In a few weeks we'll have mesclun, radishes and thin little onions for fresh salads. Really looking forward to that.

I'm also looking forward to tonight's dinner. We're having a macronade made with red wine gravy left over from last night. It's become cool-ish again here so this is just the thing to keep us warm through the night when it's too cold for a fan, but too warm to turn the heater or electric blanket on. First, cook up a pound of your favorite noodle things - I like rotini or elbows for this, but it really doesn't matter - in some nicely salted water. When they're cooked and drained, put them back in the pot and mix in enough gravy to moisten and flavor them without having them swim in it. You want the noodles to be nicely coated and slippery. Adjust the seasonings if necessary and then pour them into a casserole which has been rubbed with a garlic clove. Top with grated parmesan cheese and run under the broiler just until the cheese is melted and is a nice goldeny color. Serve with wine and salad for a delicious, quick dinner.

I've used jarred commercial gravy for this and, while it's not completely sucky, it's not really what you're looking for either. Leftover liquid from stew is nice, though, and worth saving in your freezer for just such occasions. For tonight I'm using the gravy that I made from the cooking liquid used for a Swiss Steak: beef broth, red wine and diced tomatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper and thickened with a flour slurry. Yum...is it dinner yet?

Post Title

→

Post URL

→

https://beat-hairstyles.blogspot.com/2004/04/this-is-my-garden.html

Visit Trend Wallpapers And Desktop Background for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Not a lovely day here in Charlottesville. Cold, misty, rainy, and just generally not pleasant (at least not what we've been led to expect over the last lovely weeks). Tonight is expected to be even worse, causing me to use quart size canning jars as cloches over some of the more tender new plantings so the money and effort they've already claimed is not wasted. I'm beginning to think that gardening is sort of like yacht or horse racing. Remember the old joke? How can you end up with a million dollars in horse racing? Start with 10 million. In gardening it's probably more like "Want to enjoy the beauty of $500 in new plants? Start with $1,500 in new plants."


I haven't come anywhere near spending this much, but I can see where it's possible. For example, I've become quite taken with double impatiens and decided that, this year, I'd like to have a few in what is now the ex-hosta bed. Turns out they're $3.00 a piece in my local garden center. Of course, the good folks at Burpee offered seed, but I'm still kind of klutzy when it comes to growing from seed so I decided to buy six and fill in with other stuff, like these beautiful confetti lantana. At these prices, though, I'm becoming more and more motivated to get my act together with regards to seeds. My new motto may become: buy perennials, grow annuals. That is, until I next visit the garden center and get sucked into buying some annual I'd never seen. My resolve is weak, indeed.


The strawberry jam turned out well. For the first time ever I'm actually pleased with the texture - not too firm (I hate jams and jellies that are like the skin on old gelatin desserts - shudder) - but not to loose. The color is also particularly fine. Occasionally I'll have a batch of jam that tastes fine but takes on a grey or brownish tone after processing. Fine for home use, but not terribly giftable. No problems here this time - I'm glad I took the time to do it. Giant has mangos on sale this week so I might make up a batch of mango jam this weekend. If I'm able to get to it my jam needs for the year will likely be covered. Think I'll stop? Yeah, right. Not with blueberry, raspberry and blackberry seasons still ahead. And let's not forget peaches and plums. A canner's work is never done.


Remember the tomato/olive relish/chutney/sauce thing I made the other night for the tuna? I came out just as I hoped it would. In fact, I'm going to look into the canning possibilities - i.e., whether or not it can be hot water processed or if pressure canning is more appropriate. Anyway, it's super easy: add to the heated contents of a jar or can of diced tomatoes (since I'm out of home canned, I used Muir Glen's fire roasted) two or three cloves of garlic in a very small dice, half a cup or so of cured black olives (kalamata or liguria are good) and a teaspoon or so of balsalmic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste, although you're unlikely to need much in the way of salt.


That's it. Just lovely on the tuna and my husband thought it would be good on a burger, too, although he's not to picky in that regard so who knows. A girlfriend suggested that if the olives and tomatoes were diced fine enough and enough liquid was cooked out it would make a lovely cracker or bread spread to go with an aperitif. Since there's nothing I like better than the prospect of cooking research that includes alcohol I'm going to try it on the next nice day. Here's hoping that Weather.com is wrong and that my chance to see if she's right will come sooner rather than later.

Post Title

→

Post URL

→

https://beat-hairstyles.blogspot.com/2004/04/not-lovely-day-here-in-charlottesville.html

Visit Trend Wallpapers And Desktop Background for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection