1st Jar of the Season

We have been eating our strawberries, a few at a time, for a couple of weeks. Today was my first real harvest of berries. About 12 ounces, nearly a pound of berries in one day. Woohoo. I made my first jar of preserves of the season.

12 ounces of berries make about one cup of crushed berries.
1 cup of sugar
1/8 cup of lemon juice
Boil until reaches about 220 degrees F or until desired thickness.

I didn't bother processing the jar in a hot water bath. I plan on making a pbj sandwich for lunch and then pouring the strawberry preserves on vanilla ice cream for dessert... yummy! Survival prospects for 1st jar of strawberry preserves- one very sweet, delicious second.

Today's Harvest

The artichokes are still producing. Butter lettuce and a bouquet of cherry belle radish will make the basis for tonight's salad. The radish seed packet listed 22 days from planting to harvest. We started harvesting at 25 days. I also collected about 12 ounces of strawberries- just enough for a small jar of jam.

Modest Garden Harvest From May 12, 2011

Several radishes and some lettuce were harvested from our garden a few days ago. We made a tasty salad for supper from these.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

For all of us who mother, whether we are called auntie, grandma, mom, sis, or stepmom.

Motherhood

They smell of green.
The beauty of a breeze in their eyes.
From their toes and the toss of crisp curls
Sunshine invades our souls.

They taste of purple.
They are the heirs that breathe
The mysteries of humanity's story.
Directions toward divinity.

Today's Harvest

Marinated rib eye , asparagus and artichokes for dinner. Will I get tired of artichokes before the plants get tired of producing?

Sweet potato slipping

Sweet potato slipping sounds like a 1950's dance move. It's actually a fun way to propagate sweet potatoes. I took a sweet potato from my cupboard that had been shriveling and growing sprouts. I cut off the top third and stuck it in a canning jar with water, supporting the potato with tooth picks. I threw in a little bit of fertilizer. Now I'm just watching the sprouts grow. After the sprouts grow into little plants you gently twist them off the potato and then put them into a glass of water and let roots develop. Then you plant them in the ground. Hill them up a bit or plant them in an old tire. Let them grow all summer and dig them up before the frost hits in the fall. Sweet potatoes store well if they are unbruised and are kept at 60F. Sweet potato plants are heat lovers, they can be planted in our area through June. I can't wait to get them in the ground.

On a spring evening in May, grilled artichokes are divine. Cut in half, scoop out the choke, chop off the top third and trim any stems that are prickly. Peel the outer part of the the stem and pull off any loose leaves. Thoroughly clean (home grown artichokes attract aphids and ants like crazy). If desired, dip in lemon water to keep from browning. Steam for 15 minutes or until the stem is easily pierced with a fork. Brush with garlic infused olive oil and sprinkle a little salt. Grill on the barbecue for 10 minutes or so on the lowest setting. Magnificent! The grilling gives the artichokes a smokey undertone that blends well with the nutty flavor. In my book garlic takes any vegetable to a higher plane. I sprinkled my artichoke heart with a little Parmesan (absolutely verboten to my husband the cheese Nazi). I have to admit its great even without the cheese.