Seed Starting 2011

Today is the day - the first day of spring for me.  I know the calendar does not say it but, spring has arrived.  I began my seeds today.  I have been writing about ordering seeds and purchasing supplies, but today is the day to take all of the preparation and put it to work.  As of today, my hopefulness for a great harvest has begun.  Here is how to start your seeds indoors.

I began with ordering my seeds in January and they have all arrived, even the back ordered ones.  I purchased seed starting soil.  Here is the kind I used from Jiffy, it is organic, since I use organic seeds and the garden is organic, I like the starter to be organic as well.

I also purchased peat pots to start the seeds in.  I use the 3 inch ones, because it allows the seeds to get good root size without crowding and they fit well into the mini greenhouse I purchased. 

I also purchased plastic seed labels from Lowe's so I know what I have in each pot.  Use a pencil to write on these, ink and marker run. 

I bought a Hydrofarm from Amazon.  It includes a plastic mini greenhouse with a bottom and tall lid.  This is important so the seeds can grow tall and have room to do so.  It also comes with a heat mat, this helps germination, which is especially handy for seeds that like warm soil like tomatoes and peppers.

Now it is time to get started.  Find a bucket and put hot water into the bottom.  Pour the started soil on top and then add more hot water.  Mix until the soil is wet, but not sopping and not dry.  You want to use hot water because the peat in the soil absorbs the hot water best.  Do not fill the pots with dry soil and then add the water - it will run off and you will not get an even soil moisture.

Lay out the pots in a plastic pan, greenhouse base or whatever you are using.

Fill with moistened soil.

Place the labels in each pot and plant the accompanying seed.

Put the lid on and the heat mat underneath.  Put the whole thing in front of your sunny window and wait for germination.

My next step after germination is going to be placing the seedlings under a light.  I will update you when that happens.  Make sure you water the seeds and keep the proper moisture in your greenhouse.

Chicken with Peppers and Onions

I went to a local winter farmer's market and found Dines Farms.  It is a farm located in Oak Hill, NY that comes to Long Island farmer's markets.  I found the meat at the G & G Long Island Winter Farmers Market (http://www.winterfarmersmarketlongisland.com/).  I found wonderfully fresh chicken, lamb, duck and other meats available.  I purchased the sweet and spicy boneless chicken thighs.  The farmer recommended making them with peppers and onions so I did.  Here is the recipe I devised to show off this delicious chicken, which is locally raised and processed.  Please check out this farmers market and Dines Farms chicken.

Ingredients:

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 red pepper, sliced thinly
2 green peppers, sliced thinly
1 large onion, sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste
1.25-1.5 boneless chicken thighs, Dines Sweet and Spicy if you can
1/4 cup chicken stock

Here's how:

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat.

Oil in pan

Thinly slice the peppers and onions.  Salt and pepper.

Add the peppers and onions to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stir occasionally, until softened and onions are translucent.

Peppers and onions in the pan

While the veggies cook, thinly slice the chicken and remove any fat on the chicken.

Dines chicken as it came from the market

Add the chicken and stock to the peppers and onions.

Chicken added to pan, thinly sliced, fat removed

Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked. 

Chicken is done, you can see the sauce at the bottom

Serve over rice.  The stock will create a thin broth that can go over the rice as well.

All of your food groups in one dish.  Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

My brother's favorite cookie is Oatmeal Raisin.  My husband's is Chocolate Chip.  So I decided to make a cookie that provided the best of both - and save myself some time in the kitchen.  As always, I have made this recipe using organic ingredients.  You can take any conventional recipe and substitute out organic ingredients.  It makes me feel better about baked goods to know that the ingredients were grown and processed responsibly.

Makes 3 dozen.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.

Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients above.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Add butter and brown sugar to bowl

Combined butter and sugar

Add vanilla and egg.  Beat to combine.

Vanilla and eggs added and mixing in

Slow mixer to low and add the dry ingredients until just combined.

Dry ingredients in the bowl

Add in chips and stir in by hand.

Mixture is all combined

Drop the dough in one tablespoon size balls onto the cookie sheets. 


Ready for the oven

Bake for 20 minutes until just browned.
Remove from oven and transfer cookies and parchment to wire racks and let cool.

Good enough to eat!

Red Cabbage

My CSA box for January and February contained a small head of red cabbage.  I put them in the vegetable crisper drawer and waited for inspiration.  Then it hit me.  When I was a kid I loved red cabbage out of the jar.  So I decided to try to make it for myself.  Here is my version, which is tangy and fresh and delicious.  If you want this to be vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

Ingredients:

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 small heads or 1 large head red cabbage (organic if possible)
3-4 cups chicken stock (organic)
4 TBS apple cider vinegar
salt

Here's how:

Heat a large saute pan on medium heat with the olive oil.

Thinly slice the red cabbage.

Cabbage is sliced.

Add the cabbage to the pan and saute for 5 minutes until it begins to soften.

Saute for 5 minutes (before)

 Add 3 cups of the chicken stock and vinegar.

Stock and vinegar added

Lower the heat to low and let simmer for 40-45 minutes until soft and all the liquid has evaporated.  If the cabbage is still too crunchy, add the last cup of chicken stock.  This is up to you how soft or hard you want it.

Done and ready to enjoy

Serve hot.  This can be served with anything - chicken, pork, beef, fish etc.

Getting Ready for Seed Starting

My seeds have arrived from my online orders.  I am very excited to get them started.  It is time to head to the stores to purchase peat pots, starting soil (organic, of course) and get out those lights and heat mats.  I have ordered lights for use this year, I am hoping that will help my seeds survive in my house with no southern exposure.  Use this weekend to look at the size of your garden and determine how many of each seed you are going to plant from each pack and make sure you have enough pots and soil for each.  Look at the back of each packet and count backwards to see when you should start planting.  I am planting this weekend, which is a bit early but I had such late yields last year that I want to start earlier.  Look at your garden journal from last year to see what you should do differently this year.

Wish me luck and good luck to you!

Chicken Stuffed with Fresh Mozzarella and Spinach

An easy and health dinner during the week is not easy.  You have to get home after a long day and then stand in the kitchen making dinner.  This recipe is so easy and it is good for you.  This is a fancy meal during the week.  This recipe can be used for anything you want to stuff in the chicken - cheddar and broccoli or pepperoni and mozzarella.  In the photos you will see the pepperoni version as well.  I use organic chicken and spinach in this recipe along with local fresh cheese to make it Homemade on Long Island.

Ingredients:

Thin sliced boneless, skinless, chicken breast (2-3) pieces per person
Fresh spinach, 1 bag
Fresh mozzarella, 1 lb, sliced thinly
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmegiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated, Optional
salt and pepper

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lay chicken out on a stone pan or cookie sheet so that it is open completely.

Lay chicken on the pan

Place a piece of fresh mozzarella on each piece of chicken at one end of the cutlet.

Cheese at the end of each cutlet

Take a small handful of spinach leaves and place it on top of the mozzarella.

Spinach added.  Also shown is the pepperoni version.

Roll up the chicken, starting at the end where the spinach and cheese are.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then the extra virgin olive oil.

Chicken rolled and ready for the oven.

OPTIONAL : Grate the Parmegiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano over the top of each chicken roll up.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove when the chicken is no longer pink and the cheese is oozing out.

Chicken is done

Ready to eat

Serve with couscous and the rest of the spinach that did not fit into the chicken.

CSA Winter Share - February 2011

I picked up my CSA for February.  It consists of the usual root veggies and eggs.  But the head of cabbage is interesting...hmm...what to make..,check back to see.

GARDEN OF EVE VEGETABLE SHARE

1 Cabbage ($4)

3 lbs. Rutabagas ($6)
3 lbs. Beets ($6)
6 Shallots ($3.50)
2 lbs. Sweet Potatoes ($4)
5 lbs. Potatoes ($10)
1 Head Garlic ($2)
2 Celery Root ($6)
Winter Squash ($6)
1 Dozen Eggs ($5)

TOTAL VALUE GARDEN OF EVE SHARE: $52.50

Box of goodies

Now it is time to figure out what to make.

Pigs in a Blanket

A classic party food is pigs in a blanket.  I find them to be so low brow, yet you find them at the fanciest cocktail parties!  They are so simple to make at home so there is no need to buy those frozen ones from the supermarket.  I think that these are better than store bought.  Try them at your next party.

Ingredients:

Package of cocktail hot dogs (such as Nathans)
Refrigerated crescent rolls in a tube

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Here are the crescent rolls

Open the rolls and take them apart along the perforated lines.


Pull these apart at the seams



Taken apart

Now cut each triangular piece into 3 triangles as below.

Cut into 3

Place the hot dog along the longer side of the triangle.  If you cannot find cocktail hot dogs, cut up your favorite regular hot dogs into small pieces.

Ready to roll up

Roll up the hot dog by going from the long end to the small end.

The pig is now in the blanket.

Place them onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Ready for the oven

Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and hot.  Serve with mustard and ketchup.

Tips:

I buy the hot dogs at BJs.  I find that one package of hot dogs uses 4 tubes.  This is enough for two parties.

If you are not using all of the hot dogs, they freeze well.

Envirocycle Composter

My brother told me that he was going to get me a new composter for Christmas this year.  He told me to find the one I want and to order it.  This was quite a treat for me - I have been looking for a new compost bin for a while.  I have one of those large bins where you put in the materials from the top and take it from the bottom through a sliding door.  The problem with it is that it is too deep for me to mix it.  This means the compost takes a long time to break down because the water and air does not get into it like is should. 

When I found the Envirocycle Composter, I was excited.  This is a round composter that you can roll to mix and aerate.  The water gets into it as well, so it gets what it needs to make compost quickly.  I have ordered it and cannot wait for it to arrive.  I will review it after using it for a while.  I am going to keep the old bin as a holding area while I make compost in this one.  I hope it goes well.

Here it is

Asian Marinated Pork Loin

Sunday dinner is a staple in my house.  The family gathers around the table and we eat a dinner that usually includes a piece of meat, veggies fresh or frozen from the garden and a starch...all completed with a sweet dessert.  Since I had some Honeybells left from my Florida trip, I wanted to incorporate them into my meal.  I thought that Asian style flavors would pair nicely with the citrus.  I think I was right.

Ingredients:

1 3-4 lb boneless pork loin
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 TBS grated ginger
1/8 cup honey
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 TBS orange zest
juice of half an orange

Here's how:

Combine all of the ingredients except the pork in a bowl and mix until fully combined.

Marinade is combined

Add the pork and the marinade into a zip top bag and seal. 

This is the pork I used.

Place the pork into the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and up to over night.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pork in a roasting pan and pour the marinade over the top.

Cook the pork for 20 minutes per pound, until no longer pink.

Finished and ready to serve.

Slice and serve.