The Second Half of May In the Garden
Gardening · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

The Second Half of May In the Garden

Sarah

As I mentioned on May 16th, it has been a learning month for me in the Shenandoah Valley of West Virginia. The weather started very hot in May, with numerous thunderstorms, but as the month progressed, particularly into the 3rd and 4th weeks, it changed. It got cooler. No complaints on that, though. It made life a little easier. I only had to water twice in the last 2 weeks of the month. But cold it got – down to 57* yesterday. The past few days, it has been barely above the mid-60s. But that isn’t bad – if anything, it encouraged me to get work done. It felt great sitting outside in the shade. The bugs seemed less energetic in general and left us mostly alone.

I gave up on the onions and the soft neck California garlic in the 3rd week and pulled them.  I don’t know if it was the weather or the hard plastic containers, but both had absolute cellular collapse, and the stems rotted. I dug up the garlic, and it wasn’t growing much. I shall try again next year, but this time it will be in raised beds, with more room and better temperature control.

My theory is that the large, hard plastic grow containers were not the best choice in this case. They performed well in Washington State, but the temperatures are significantly lower. I think the soil was too hot here, and the heavy May rain led to the soil being too wet, which prevented it from drying out quickly enough.

I also realized that as the Oak trees finally leafed out, one side of the patio out back wasn’t getting enough sunlight. So that led to containers being moved around in the 4th week.

The raspberry plant I potted up is producing berries.

These two tomato plants have done well in this wooden holder.

Mid month the were around 2 feet tall.

And already had tomatoes setting.

I try every year to find an African Blue Basil. It is a woody type of Basil. They produce long stamens of flowers that attract pollinators, versus being an eating Basil.

In the 4th week I started moving more plants to the other end of the patio, to seek out more sun.

One thing I paid to have shipped was two of my folding tables I used in the gardens. They are invaluable for holding plants – and keeping them up high off the ground. My herb plants I started from seed, to build my new herb harden, are doing their kob and getting biggger.

The shade is very noticeable on the patio, on this side, now in the afternoon. Therefore, it was worth the effort to relocate more of the containers to the right.

Stevia is in bloom.

And with the month ending, I have four types of Basil growing, all of which are doing well.

As I mentioned above, the rigid plastic containers haven’t been the best choice for growing here, but the fabric felt grow bags have performed well. They breathe far better, and let out excess water when we have sudden downpours. The only things in hard plastic that grow great here are blueberry bushes, but next year I will move those into really big felt bags once the permanent garden is built. They will grow along the fence, is my idea. Digging into the ground here isn’t easy due to the amount of rock seams under us.

~Sarah

Arroz Verde con Pollo (Green Rice with Chicken)
Recipes

Arroz Verde con Pollo (Green Rice with Chicken)

Sarah

I came across a recipe for Arroz Verde, and it sounded delicious, so I decided to make a one-pot full meal by adding chicken breast and cheese. It was a great-tasting dish, full of vibrant flavors. It was well worth the prep time, and it used fresh ingredients.

The straining of the cooking sauce lets the dish be friendly to those who don’t like pieces of peppers and cilantro leaves: all the flavor, none of the vegetation.

Now, if you hate cilantro or are one of the unlucky ones who find it tastes like soap, I would suggest using flat-leaf parsley. A head of cilantro leaves is big enough for two meals, so plan another use for the other half.

Panela cheese is firm and easily crumbled; you can use any similar cheese, such as Queso Fresco or Cojita. Panela has a mild, almost sweet flavor.

Arroz Verde con Pollo (Green Rice with Chicken)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups long-grain rice
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 medium or 3 small poblano peppers
  • 1 medium jalapeño pepper
  • 1 bunch fresh cilnatro
  • 1 small onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 3½ cups lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 2 11-12.5-ounce cans of chicken breast, drained and flaked
  • 1 wheel of Panela or similar Mexican cheese

Directions:

Rinse the rice in cold water, draining and repeating a couple of times, to remove the excess starch. Drain well and set aside.

Remove the ribs and seeds from the peppers, then chop them into small pieces. Peel and chop the onion.

Add to a high-speed blender.

Rip off enough cilantro leaves to make 1 cup, add to the blender along with the garlic and 1 cup of the chicken broth.

Process until blended.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids until you have about 1½ cups of green liquid.

Discard the solids.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Add in the rice and saute until lightly toasted.

Add in the green liquid and stir to combine, letting it sit until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Add in the remaining 2½ cups of chicken broth and the drained chicken breast.

Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for 20 minutes.

Crumble the cheese.

Turn off the heat. Fluff up the rice. Sprinkle the cheese on and cover, let sit off the heat for 5 minutes. Fold the cheese in and serve.

~Serves 4 to 5.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icebox Cake (Carlota De Queso y Limón)
Recipes

Lemon Cream Cheese Icebox Cake (Carlota De Queso y Limón)

Sarah

I saw this idea and had to make it, knowing how much our middle son loves lemon-inspired desserts. It’s a straightforward recipe, perfect for hot days when you want something without having to bake and heat the house.

Goya Maria cookies are often sold in grocery stores, in the “ethnic” aisle with other Hispanic foods. You can use any similar digestive biscuit or cookie, or even graham crackers, in a pinch. I can find the Maria cookies in a 3-pack locally for under $5, in the Mexican food section.

In this recipe, do use fresh lemons and limes – the flavor from them is what makes the dessert pop.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icebox Cake (Carlota De Queso y Limón)

Ingredients:

  • 8-ounce brick full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1¾ cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided
  • ¼ cup lemon juice (about two lemons)
  • 3 Tbsp lime juice (1-2 limes, depending on size)
  • zest from lime
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 7-ounce or 4 3.5-ounce packages of Goya Maria cookies (about 44 cookies)

Directions:

Blend the cream cheese, condensed milk, ¾ cup of the heavy whipping cream, lemon juice, lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla till smooth.

Lay nine cookies across the bottom of an 8×8″ glass baking dish.

Spread 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture over the cookies.

Continue repeating this process until you have 4 layers of cookies, spreading the final cup of cream cheese over the top, and then topping with a 5th layer of cookies.

Take the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and beat it with the sugar until medium peaks form (where the whipped cream stands on its own and doesn’t flop over).

Spread over the top evenly.

Cover with plastic wrap loosely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The longer it sits, the more the cream cheese sauce soaks into the cookies.

How many servings depends on how big one’s sweet tooth is.

 

~Sarah

Whipped Lemonade Recipe
Recipes

Whipped Lemonade Recipe

Sarah

Hot outside? Want a refreshing, almost milkshake-like frozen lemonade? You need to try this out!

Whipped Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup cold heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup sweetened condensed milk (there is a no-sugar-added version)
  • 3 cups ice cubes
  • Whipped cream

Directions:

Add the ingredients into a high-speed blender, process until smooth, tamping as needed.

Pour into two pint glasses, top with whipped cream. Add a wide straw and enjoy.

Serves 2.

~Sarah

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves
Preserving · Recipes

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

Sarah

It had been years since I had used Sure Jell pectin, and I found something disturbing. The packs no longer have the folded-up paper directions for making jam. Instead, the box tells you to go to the website for directions; that URL just takes you to a landing page on Kraft’s website. I had to search externally for a “lower sugar strawberry jam” recipe on the Kraft website, and the one I found was the weirdest. Their search parameters are not working great.

That two-sided paper contained the basic recipes for jam, for both canning and freezer jam. What does it save? A penny per box? Yet, that page was invaluable! It had the ratios; you could use that to make any berry jam or jelly. Searching again externally, I found they DO have the paperwork online. But you’d think it should be easy to find, no? For the lower sugar Sure Jell, here is the paperwork. If one has to use Google to find something that should be hyperlinked, it is a major fail!

I chose to use the Sure-Jell Lower Sugar pectin with this jam to use less sugar. Walmart is one of the most affordable places to buy it, at under $3.50 a box. Amazon is far pricier. Normally, I would use Pomona Pectin and have an ultra-low-sugar jam, but I was taking an existing recipe and working with it, so it is best not to change the pectin brand (because the lower-sugar pectin is far different from Pomona Pectin).

It’s an easy jam to make, and quite tasty, though still a bit sugary. The kids will like it!

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries (about 2 pounds)
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 package Lower Sugar Sure Jell Pectin

Directions:

Place seven jam canning jars, or the size you prefer, into a canning kettle. Fill the jars with water, and up to the neck of the jars.

Place on the stove and cover.

Put rings and new lids in a small saucepot, cover with water. Place on the stove.

Bring the jars to a boil, and the rings to a simmer.

Wash the berries, then trim the tops. Dice up and add to a heavy pot.

Add in the balsamic vinegar.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Mash a bit with a potato masher.

Once boiling, stir in the sugar and pectin till dissolved. Bring back to a boil, cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

Take off the stove.

Drain the jars into the canning kettle and transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Then, sterilize your ladle, canning funnel, and bubble wand in the canning kettle.

Pour the hot jam into the jars, leaving a ¼” rim. Run the bubble wand through the jam.

Wet a new paper towel, wipe the rims.

Place a lid on each jar, then a ring, tightening with your hand (use the towel to hold the jar).

Place the jars in the canner rack and lower them into the water. Add hot water from the rings/lids saucepan, if the jars are not entirely covered. Bring to a boil, and let simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 for pints.

Lay a clean kitchen towel on a cooling rack. Transfer the jars to it. Let cool, then remove the rings and wipe the jars.

Mark the lids with the date made, use within a year for best taste/quality.

Makes about 56 ounces, or 7 cups, of jam. I used 8-ounce canning jars.

~Sarah