Wednesday, February 29, 2012

In Love with Live Oaks

Live oaks (Quercus virginiana) do not grow where I live, so this is a long distance love.  I returned from a trip to the South Carolina coast, which is why I've been missing in gardening action recently.  I spent four years living in Florida and that's when my love for live oaks began.  They are like no other oak trees I have met.  I love the way they sprawl out with branches that become homes for ferns and Spanish moss.  This trip I met an amazing live oak known as the Angel Oak.  It is estimated to be ~1,500 years old.  The oldest tree east of the Rockies.  It was amazing!


At first I was disappointed that there were so many other people visiting the Angel Oak, but without them you wouldn't be able to tell the massive size of this tree.


The branches are crawling on the ground and are contorted into amazing shapes:



On these branches live an entire ecosystem of other plants:


And just look at the size!


I wish I could bring a live oak home with me, but I know they like warm weather and sandy soils.  It would not be happy living in the clay here, so my love for live oaks will have to remain long distance.  Oh and the beach was nice too.

Here's sunrise on Kiawah Island:

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Harvest Monday 2/20/12

Not much going on in the garden this week.  We almost saw a snowflake, but alas we only saw rain and the snow stayed about an hour north of here.  There was a little coating of ice that made for a not so speedy commute Monday morning.  I'm still hoping for a snowflake siting before spring official arrives.

As for harvests:
Broccoli 0.3 oz - a few little side shoots keep coming
Lettuce 1.1 oz
Radish 15 oz

Weekly total: 16.4 oz
Yearly total: 14.33 lbs worth $21.67

I did not take pictures of my little harvest this week, so I will leave you with a photo of raindrop on broccoli. 

To see what others are harvesting check out Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard... Radish Curry


I am trying to expand my culinary skills when it comes to radishes.  I was debating whether to plant radishes in the spring because I'm getting a bit tired of them in salads.  So this week I decided to try cooking radishes in a different way- radish curry.

Here's the original recipe, my changes are in italics.

Radish Curry
Ingredients
A bunch of red radish – contains 6 to 8 radishes.
Onion- one small, sliced.
Garlic- 2 or 3 small cloves crushed
Green chilis – 8 small, crushed (I didn't have green chilies, but I have a ton of dried cayenne peppers.  I used 1 crushed cayenne and I do not recommend it unless you like really spicy.)
Turmeric powder- a pinch.
Oil for saute
Mustard seeds – a pinch
Curry leaves- a sprig (I used curry powder)
Salt to taste
The leaves: Roll all the leaves together and slice into long shreds. (I used about half of the leaves.)


Directions:
Clean the radishes and cut them as you would slice an apple. Clean the leaves, if you want to use them in the dish.  In a pan, add some oil. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds.  When the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves and onions. Next time I make this I will add radishes at the beginning because it took awhile for my radishes soften and the onions ended up burnt.  Saute for 3-5 mins until edges of the onions turn slightly brown. Add the crushed garlic and chilis, and turmeric powder. Saute for about a minute or even less.  Add the radishes, mix well and add salt. Cook covered for about 3-4 mins.  Once the radish seems soft, remove the lid and crank up the heat. Saute on high heat for a couple more minutes. The radishes will be soft yet crunchy.  After you remove the radishes onto a plate, in the same pan quickly saute the leaves for a few seconds and add it to the top of the radishes. For best results, serve right off the stove.

I liked the taste and texture of cooked radishes, although a bit less spicy would be my preference.  I also liked that this recipe included using the leaves too.  I never knew radish leaves could be sauteed.  I'm thinking that radishes are going to make the spring planting cut.


If you want to peak into other kitchens and see what others are cooking, head over to Thursday’s Kitchen Cupboard at the Gardener of Eden.