Tangerines

We have waited for months and months for our tangerines to ripen enough to harvest. Finally, the time was right. So I started picking some of them this past weekend. They are very decepetive since they start turning orange in February but it takes until late May for them to develop any sweetness. As you can see from one of the photos, they have a ton of seeds in side. So far, I have only used them for juice but I'm thinking of making tangerine marmalade with the rest. 

...More Bush Beans

I'm very excited. It finally happened, we have beans. Blue Lake string beans and Roc d'Or wax beans to be more exact. Monday, these beans were really tiny...less than an inch long. Now, some of them are over 3 inches long and are almost ready to harvest. Not enough for a side dish but there are a few mature ones. And, there are more to come.

Mixed Berry Buckle

I love buckles. They are one of my favorite desserts. They are easy to make and work with a large variety of fruit, so that you can bake them all year around with what is in season. However, I do have a special place in my heart for the buckles that I bake in spring and summer with all of the delicious berries from my local farmer's market. 

If you are not familiar with buckles, they are a homey, old-fashioned dessert that is believed to have originated back in Colonial times. It is basically a cake with fruit baked into it and has a streusel top. They are great for dessert but they are also wonderful for brunch since they are very similar to a coffee cake.

Mixed Berry Buckle

(adapted from Williams-Sonoma Fruit Dessert cookbook)

Serves 8

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 oz. unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups mixed fresh berries (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry or any combo you like), rinsed

Ground cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

1. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350˚ F. Coat a 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pan with vegetable oil spray. Line the bottom with parchment (baking) paper and coat the paper with more spray.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, applesauce and sugar for about 5 minutes. Because of the applesauce, it will look curdled but it is okay. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix well. The batter will be thick.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Then poke the berries into the batter. In a small bowl combine ¼  teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespooons of sugar, and sprinkle over the top.

4. Bake until the top is golden, the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and a skewer or cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.

5. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Once cool, run a knife around the edge in case the cooked fruit has stuck to the sides of the pan. Then place a large plate over the pan and invert the cake onto it. Remove the parchment paper, then place your serving plate on top and re-invert the cake onto it.  Serve with fresh whipped cream, if desired.

Notes and Variations:

You don’t need to use just mixed berries. You can make this will a lot of different fruits depending on what is in season. I have made this with blueberries (alone), plums, nectarines and pears. I have a friend who has made this with mango.

Get adventurous with adding a little flavor. I sometimes add cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter and not just on top. Also, cardamon is great with pears if you’re making this in the fall. Or add the zest from a lemon or orange.

The original recipe called for 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter. That much fat in a single-layer caked scared me so I have substituted 4oz of unsweetened applesauce for the second stick of butter. But, if you want it full-fat, go ahead and make the change back to the original.

Throwing in the Towel

Yes, I am throwing in the towel this season on growing my own tomato, eggplant and pepper seedlings. I have tried and I have failed. The seeds that did germinate have only gotten tall and leggy. Not one of them has filled out properly. I doubt that they would survive being transplanted. I really, really wanted to grow them from seed this year but I just do not have the correct set-up for this. I guess I really do need to have grow lights and few other things. Using a window and a simple potting set-up is just not getting these little guys off to the right start. So, with my head bowed in shame, I will be purchasing seedlings. From where...I do not know yet. That's the next project.

Spring in the Garden - Part II

All of the lovely spring rains are making the garden flourish. And, in case you were not aware, not all of our garden is edibles, we have a lot of plants that are not. Over the last couple of years, we have been planting more and more California natives. Above is an image of a flower stock from one of our Coral Bells. We have a shaded area behind our garage/carriage house thing and it desperately needed some sprucing up with some vegetation. The only thing back there is a 70 foot Ash tree but the ground around it was barren. So, last year we started planting some natives. Some took and a few died but the Coral Bells have been doing great. Though this is the first flower stock that we have seen off of any of them.

More natives, this is an Indian Mallow (Abutilon Palmeri). This is located in our front yard. It took about a year for it to really come into its own but it's doing great now and can really handle the hot afternoon sun in the summer. It's drought tolerant and it loved by native hummingbirds and butterflies. It should continue to bloom all spring.

Back to the edibles, these are part of our new arugula crop.  We have two 4' long rows of these. Hoping that we will finally be able to harvest some by mid-May.

Well, our bush beans have really taken off. We have four containers of them. Our friend Beth named our first little sprout Timmy. Well, as you can see Timmy has a lot of friends. Sadly, we cannot remember which one is actually Timmy or may be...they can all be Timmy.

This is what happens when you think that your lettuce is really pretty and you cannot bear to harvest it. Instead, it bolts, starts to go to seed and looks like a tree. When gardening books say that bolted lettuce tastes bitter, they are not joking. It was nasty. So, lesson learned...harvest edibles when they ready. Or, like us, you will end up with lettuce for our compost instead of your dinner. 

Oy Vey! So Much Matzoh!

After Monday night's Passover Seder, we had so much leftover matzoh that we were not sure what to do with it all. Then, I saw this great post on Salon.com about making matzoh brei. Not just any old matzoh brei but a french toast version. So, I can't resist and have to try it the next morning. Really easy, since it's just beaten eggs with a little milk and some broken pieces of matzoh all cooked up like scrambled eggs. Then you just add some maple syrup. Of course, I couldn't help tweaking the recipe and I added some cinnamon and nutmeg. Everything is much nicer with a little spice.

But, the experimenting did not stop there. Today, I made a Tex-Mex version. I added in some cheese (feta since I did not have any cotija) and topped it with sliced avocado and some hot sauce. It was delicious. I may just have to have it again tomorrow. Unless, of course, I will think of something new.

New Life - Bush Beans

I am so excited. It finally happened. The seeds that I planted more than a week ago for the Blue Lake and Roc d'Or bush beans have finally sprouted. I was getting a little worried that they wouldn't germinate. Then suddenly, they started poking their little heads out of the soil. Crossing my fingers that I can grow them into nice healthy plants with a lot of beans on them.