Transition Gardening in Friday Harbor

.

Well, the rhubarb has wound down along with my shelling peas-the pea vines and trellis are gone and the last of the rhubarb is in the freezer for later use.The mustards have also finished for now so I have three blank areas to begin planting some winter veggies in-I'm very excited about winter gardening-I've done a bit of it for the last two fall/winter seasons with mixed sucess, so this summer I'm trying to get ahead of the game and actually do some PLANNED planting-it's just so difficult to think about planting and seeding in August-but there is lots of information out about winter gardening and veggie plant vendors at the Farmers Market have a wonderful selection of starts for our fall gardening pleasure-Heather and Jessica of Revolutionary Roots have some beautiful kales and the much-sought-after purple sprouting broccoli and Keith,Roger and Eric of Your Personal Farmer have a great selection of collards,kales,Chinese cabbage and a great blend of kales in small packs,just the right size for experimenting in the garden.

Joel and Margaret Thorson of 1000 Flower Farm have been encouraging all of us to plant a few extra rows of fall/winter crops so we will have wonderful,abundant veggies at the winter Farmers Market-gosh, it's really a stretch to think "Winter Market" after about 90 days with less than an inch of precipitation and record high temperatures!!!

Well, back in my veggie garden-I have begun harvesting the potato patch-I planted Russetts,Pontiac Reds,French Fingerlings,and Apple Rose Fingerlings-I LOVE to grow potatoes-a fresh potato is an amazing,wonderful product, crisp and tasty beyond belief-nothing like a store-bought potato-try some from the Farmers Market, roasted with other root veggies and some garlic, drizzled with a good olive oil and some fresh-cracked pepper-YUM-Yum-another favorite recipe I love to use with fresh potatoes is:

Potato Salad with fresh Tarragon
4 large Russett potatoes
apple cider vinegar
2 cups garlic mayonaise
1/3-1/2 cup fresh tarragon
1 red onion, chopped
salt and pepper,to taste

Cook and peel potatoes. Dice them while they are still warm and douse them liberally with vinegar. Add garlic mayo,fresh tarragon,chopped onion and salt and pepper. Mix very gently and refrigerate overnight.

VERY simple and soooo tasty-Enjoy!



These photos are courtesy of my neighbor, Gail Seitz, who makes garden art from my rhubarb leaves. Pretty wonderful - Huh!

RHUBARB 101

Rhubarb - that gift that keeps on giving is growing wonderfully in our garden. It is so self-sufficient, so productive and so beautiful. What's not to love about a plant like that? It is long-lived and easily shared with others. It loves the cool springs (and summers) at our farm and thrives on our cold wet winters. The "rules" say it should be split every few years, but we haven't done that for thirteen years. Maybe next winter we'll have time. So far so good - production is still excellent with thick stalks in abundance - gallon bags of rhubarb in the freezer for pies in the winter and jam - lots of jam - one of our favorites!

Gingered Rubarb Jam
4 cups diced rhubarb
3 cups sugar
3 TBSPs finely snipped candied ginger
2 TBSPs lemon juice
Red food coloring optional
Combine rhubarb with next three ingredients in large pan; let it stand about fifteen minutes or until sugar is moistened by juice. Cook over medium-high heat stirring frequently until thick and clear for 12 - 15 minutes. Skim off foam; add red food coloring if desired. Ladle into hot scalded jars; seal and process in a hot water bath for fifteen minutes. Makes (3) 1/2 pints.

This is used for hostess gifts throughout the year and gets rave reviews. So, if you have access to some rhubarb, give it a try.
I have wonderful memories of rhubarb - huge leaves made into hats and fans with my sisters in our grandmother's back yard. I always had to fan my big sister. Tart stalks to suck on, sitting on the back steps of Grandma's porch. Oh - the stuff of childhood.

Well, I think it's time to go harvest some rhubarb and make my first batch of gingered rhubarb jam for 2009. I hope you enjoy the recipe and I will share more later.