Text 28842, 125 rader
Skriven 2009-09-17 12:25:18 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
  Kommentar till text 28438 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
Ärende: Re: Gardening
=====================
Hi Dale!

>> They need warm nights... how's it been over by you for
>> temperatures? we finally got some warm days and nights here
>> and that's when things started turning 'orange', etc.

> We go up and down.  We did have a few weeks of 90+ days.  It has tapered
> off to a more comfortable 80+ day now.

That's nice.. is it still?  I know you wrote this a bit ago..been crazy here,
My brother and his wife came in from Vancouver BC for a visit.  Was great to
see them again :)  ..  we are going to 60s and 70s.. but the last few days it's
hit in the high 70s like 78, so that's good :)

>> Yeah..This year though, Tomatoes in my main tomato raised
>> bed got a Tomato Blight that affected most people in Broome
>> County and are just about DEAD :(  it's sad.. can't even
>> use the plants for composting... City garbage doesn't want
>> 'em either (grin). makes sense when you think about it if
>> they're tryng to contain this.

> I hadn't heard about that until you and Bob mentioned it.

Yes, it's bad.. and from what I understand, it won't be only this year that we
have to worry about it.  It will be carried from year to year.. :(  I will not
be able to use those plants in my compost pile of course, but it won't matter..
the blight is "in the air" and in the soil.  I expect it will be in the seeds
packed for next year? :(   Now, no one has mentioned this but I'm going to try
to treat the soil with a fungal disinfectant that killed a squash blight I had
in previous years.. it _might_ work.. I doubt it, but it's better than doing
nothing :(  It worked great on the squash plants I had.  I wish I'd been up to
noticing my tomato plants were in distress before they'd all died.. I might
have saved them. Just to busy with mom, etc (g)

> See my message to Bob in this package about a wierd looking bug we
> noticed for the first time this year on our plants.

Yes, that's some ugly bug :)  I've seen those, but I'm not sure if it was in
Kentucky, or here in NY.. they sure look weird though.

>> So, bad this year for some things in the garden.. good for
>> others. Potatoes did really well, as did cabbage, broccoli
>> (they loved the cold haha) and green beans.  Strange

> The only things that we feel like trying are tomatoes and basil.  With
> tomatoes, it often turns out to be just trying without much success.
> Problem is lack of good direct sun.  For other vegetables, we are
> satisfied with what we can buy.

I understand.. it takes time, and energy which year after year I have less of..
:(  One of these years, I have to say, "enough" I'm afraid..  But for
 now, I like growing as much as I can because around here, it seems you get a
lot of 'stored' vegetables.. in other words, not as fresh as you'd like. In the
summer Wegmans does get a lot of produce from local farmers which is good, but
still you sometimes have the sense that even those have been frozen in
storage.. And boy, you can't believe the difference in a potato grown in your
backyard.. not just the taste (though that will surprise you), but the
texture.. just cutting up a fresh pototo is a shock feeling the resistance
instead of mush when the knife hits it (grin).

I'm going to try this recipe tonight.. I'm a lover of Polenta.. interestingly,
my Mom hates it :)   I was shocked.. she said her mother made it often, but
she never liked it.. I told her she'd never had my polenta (I make it with
chicken bouillion, white wine, butter and Parmesean cheese), which Ron can't
get enough of (g).. She tried mine, said it was 'ok' .. but her whole attitude
reminded me of when I was a kid and she made me eat my veggies Lol

This looked interesting :)

http://www.initaly.com/
===Tortq Tridolore di Polenta===
Ingredients
(8-10 people)

     1 28 oz. can Italian chopped tomatoes
     1 bunch fresh spinach (about 1 lb.), washed and destemmed
     6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
     16 oz. fresh goat cheese
     1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
     2 tsp. fresh thyme (leaves only) or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
     6 leeks, white part only, sliced crosswise in very thin rings
     6 Tbs. olive oil
     2-1/2 cups corn meal
     8 cups water
     Salt and pepper

    Directions

   1. Saute 2/3 of the garlic in 2 Tbs. olive oil until just golden. Add
   chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 30 minutes.
   Reserve.
   2. Arrange spinach, while still wet, in a large saute pan and sprinkle
   with salt. Place over moderate heat and cook until spinach is completely
   wilted. Drain thoroughly of all excess water and chop coarsely. Saute
   spinach with remaining garlic in 2 Tbs. of olive oil and reserve.
   3. Saute leeks in 2 Tbs. olive oil over low heat until golden.
   Reserve.
   4. Combine goat cheese, yogurt and thyme in a bowl and blend until
   creamy and spreadable. Reserve.
   5. Dissolve 2 tsp. salt in water in a large pot (preferably not
   too deep). Stir in cornmeal with a wire whisk and place over
   moderate heat. Continue stirring constantly with whisk until
   cornmeal begins to thicken, then change to wooden spoon. Polenta
   is done when it pulls away from the sides of the pan (about 15
   minutes).
   6. Place 2/3 of the polenta in a bowl. Add 1 cup of tomato
   sauce. Add the spinach to the remaining 1/3 of the polenta.
   Spread half the tomato-polenta mixture on the bottom of a
   lightly-oiled 9-in. spring-form cake pan. Spread half of the
   goat cheese mixture across the polenta, then spread half of
   the leeks next. Continue spreading the spinach-polenta
   mixture, the remaining goat cheese mixture and the remaining
   leeks. Top with the remaining tomato-polenta mixture.
   7. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes. Allow to
   stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Cut in wedges
   and serve with remaining tomato sauce. Serves 8 to 10
   people.
===


Take care,
Janis

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