our maine home – zone 5b
Yesterday, from the hoophouse.
I’m happy with this year’s overwintered greens. Clockwise from lower left: Bloomsdale spinach, escarole, arugula, baby kale. And plenty of self-seeded claytonia.
We’ve been eating homegrown greens for a few weeks now. It’s amazing that they survive the cold winter nights (under row cover).
I planted these in mid-September. This year, the electric fence did its job and kept out voles.
After a few days of below freezing temperatures, we can still get greens from the hoophouse! Seems amazing.
Spinach, arugula, escarole, kale. And some baby claytonia.
It’s cold. After a warm November that lulled me into laziness. I didn’t get everything done in the garden. So some things froze that aren’t supposed to. Granted, I don’t really have the infrastructure needed to keep greens in the main garden. That would probably be cold frames. The row cover is not adequate. That’s the way it goes.
The dried heads of various flowers are interesting this time of year. A variety of browns and all different textures. I don’t cut them back until spring so they can provide cover or whatever for creatures that might depend on them.
And I spotted these sweet little cups when cutting back fronds in the asparagus bed. They are growing on bits of straw. The largest is maybe 1/4 inch wide.
I am appreciating these fall greens in the hoophouse. They are looking about the right size going into winter. No vole damage for a while now.
I spread more hay mulch today. The ground was too frozen to rake the raised beds in the fruit yard. Tomorrow I think I’ll have to harvest leeks. I’ve put it off too long. I also have to remove the asparagus stalks which have dried up and fallen over. And mulch those beds too.
I pulled the overgrown arugula in the hoophouse. I stripped most of the edible leaves from the long stalks and then couldn’t bear to compost the flowers before enjoying them as a bouquet for awhile.
Peas and spinach are up! And enjoying today’s sunshine. So happy to see them. And the favas are poking through.
However, almost all the broccoli and most of the kale has been eaten by critters. Brokenhearted.
You win some, you lose some.
I planted the new baby kale seedlings in the same patch as the hoary old grandpa kale stalks. This is not following principles of crop rotation, but I did it anyway. I liked the idea of sheltering the babies amongst the elders that are starting to grow new shoots from their stems.
The dazzling blue lacinato is looking especially dazzling. No flea beetle damage yet. I may need to put these under row cover. Flea beetles can kill them when they are young and tender. Last few years, some of my kale survived the spring onslaught and grew well into the summer and fall, and even survived until the following spring (as the two stalks above).
I posted on social media about having extra squash at the end of the year and requested recipes to use up squash. Eleanor sent one that was perfect. The recipe called for butternut squash, but I used a small butternut and a small red kuri. We polished this off in one meal – no leftovers, unfortunately. The kale came from the hoophouse, where it is growing like a champ.
Here’s the recipe. I didn’t use oil and the squash roasted just fine. I also didn’t have the fancy additions, so I just added some currants. The amounts for the dressing make quite a lot, so I mostly halved it.
Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Kale and Cider Dijon Dressing
Salads
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Servings: Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
FOR THE SQUASH:
4 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2 inch pieces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
FOR THE SALAD DRESSING:
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (strained to catch the seeds)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
FOR THE SALAD:
1 bunch lacinato kale, stripped off stems, rinsed and patted dry
4 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry)
1/3 cup roasted pumpkin (pepita) seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the cubed butternut squash in the oil, sugar, paprika, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Spread out evenly onto a rimmed sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. No need to toss, just rotate the pan halfway through.
Meanwhile make the dressing. In a glass jar combine the mustard, honey, vinegars, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add in the oil, secure the lid and shake well.
In a large salad bowl add the chopped kale, cooked (warm) quinoa, roasted butternut squash, pepitas, dried cranberries and raisins. Season with a pinch or two of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the dressing or more to taste. Serve warm.
Source: https://www.simplyscratch.com/2015/10/warm-butternut-kale-quinoa-salad-and-fair-trade-giveaway.html
An exciting day at Cross Road Gardens. It really felt like spring, for the first time, I think. A burst of gardening energy, although I only really worked for a few hours.
I moved my seed starting schedule two weeks forward. I think I started too early last year.
So far, so good. My alliums have sprouted and some kale. Still waiting on celery leaf and indigo.
Today I planted brassica seeds: broccoli blend, Speedia Brussels sprouts, and Mammoth red cabbage. All Fedco.
