What's up with the kale?

The red Russian kale has head rot. That's when the head of cabbage family veges rots. Hence the name. This is the first time I've ever seen head rot, so I'm just learning what it is.

Head rot is an airborne disease, so there's no way to avoid it. If your plant is susceptible, it will get it. The risk factors are heat and humidity when the head is maturing.

However, check out the red cabbage and the green kale -- they're not infected. That's probably because the green kale was planted as seed, not as seedlings, so it hasn't been maturing in the humidity. Either that, or the green kale just isn't as susceptible.

The red cabbage isn't affected probably because it's late maturing. Only one of the heads is close to being mature.

If you plan on growing kale next year, consider planting one of the sturdy green varieties, and start it in the garden from seed. If you do grow red kale, grow it from seed. You can plant kale up to July 1 for a fall harvest.

Also plant your kale so that it has lots of air. Avoid crowding it or placing it in the shade of another plant.

In the meantime, consider harvesting your red kale while most of it's still edible. Cook kale the way you'd cook broccoli (e.g., steamed 3 minutes for salads, stirfried with other veggies, cooked into quiches and frittatas, etc.). Dutch, Polish, and German recipes for traditional kale dishes are available on the web. And there are even recipes for making "kale chips."

When you have 25 tomatoes

At this time of year, a gardener can end up with the happy misfortune of having 25 ripe tomatoes sitting on the kitchen counter. Or 40. Whatever -- same problem.

Sure, you can give them away to the neighbours. Or lob them at politicians. But ideally, you'd want to eat them.

Here are a few ideas for taking on the tomato pile.

1. Fresh pasta sauce

You'll need one or two cloves of garlic, some herbs (like parsley or basil), some sharp Italian cheese (like parmiggiano reggiano, asiago, grana padano, romano), and olive oil. If you want a complete protein, rinse a half-can of romano, cannellini, or kidney beans.

Dice up lots of tomatoes. Mince or press the garlic. Snip the herbs.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Stirfry the garlic till softened. Add the tomatoes and herbs and let it bubble till the mix reaches a consistency you like. (Less cooking time leaves more of the light, fresh tomato flavour and texture, but longer cooking time deepens the flavour and softens the texture.) Cover to prevent drying out. Add beans and some salt and pepper toward the end. If it starts drying out, add a few tablespoons of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta. Then pour the sauce on top and cover with grated cheese.

2. Canned tomatoes

Canning tomatoes is easy if don't bother peeling the tomatoes. That's what takes up all the time.

You'll need small or mid-sized mason jars, tongs, oven mitts, a jarring kettle OR a large potalong with a round grate that fits in the bottom (so that the jars don't sit directly on the element), a medium-sized pot for heating the tomatoes, a mason jar funnel, and a ladle.

Wash the jars in the dishwasher to sterilize them the night before. Have screwtops and fresh lids handy.

Wash the tomatoes. Cut off the woody tops. Cut extra large tomatoes in half. Meanwhile, fill the large pot with 5 inches of water and get it boiling. Sterilize the ladel and funnel by setting them in water as it boils.

Put the tomatoes in the mid-sized pot, add a dash of salt and (if you're Italian) some ripped basil leaves, and bring it all to a boil.

Immediately scoop it into the jars, pressing the tomatoes down and removing trapped bubbles. Put on the lids, screw to finger-tight (not super-tight), and place in the boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Remove the jars and let them cool rightside up.

When you go to use the tomatoes in a stew or chili, the skins will still be there. After a minute of cooking, they'll loosen and roll up. They're easy to see and grab with a fork if you want to remove them.

NB: Never try to jar yellow or orange tomatoes. They don't have enough acid.

3. Bruschetta in a Jar

If you'd like to make bruschetta, email me directly for the recipe nancy (at) nancymucklow.com.

Canning workshop for garden members!

Do you have a surplus of produce?  Are you looking for creative ways to use the fruits of your labour?

Canning is a great way to set aside a taste of summer for the cooler days ahead!

Garden members are invited to join Lisa for a canning workshop on Tuesday, Aug 23rd, from 6-8 pm in the church hall. 

 

July 30th Harvest

Check out the beautiful assortment of veggies that I harvested today. Some items came from my plot and some from the communal bed. Yum!

New Pictures Added - Garden Album

More pictures of our garden have been posted to the album - take a peek and enjoy! By the way my daughter (Anna) loves the bean tee-pee and the tire play area!!

Saving Tomato Seeds

The tomatoes are ripening. We are trying to collect free seeds for everyone for next year. If you're growing an open-pollenated tomato, here's how to save the seeds.

1. Scoop out the seed pulp.
2. Put it in a fine metal sieve.
3. Use a scrubbing brush and your hands to remove the pulpy coating off the seeds. Then scrub the whole mess with paper towel to remove the seed coating. Make sure each seed is free of its coating.
4. Place the seeds on a fresh paper towel to dry overnight.
5. Pick the seeds off the paper towel and put them in a labelled paper envelope.

If your seed come from the communal plot, please give the envelope of seeds to Nancy.

How to tell if your tomato is open-pollenated

Google the name of the tomato. If the terms heritage, heirloom, OP, or open-pollenated come up in the descriptions, then the seeds are worth saving. If the term hybrid is included, the seeds are not viable.

Never put tomatoes in the fridge. Tomatoes lose their flavour when exposed to temperatures below 10 degrees.

New Pictures Added - Garden Album

This is an exciting time of year!!! I am sure most of you have picked from our communal bed (or your own plots) and have enjoyed munching on fresh veggies! It`s hard to believe that all of these big beautiful healthy plants came from tiny seeds, but here they are...and they look and taste excellent! Check out some new pictures in our garden album:)