Posted on October 2, 2022October 2, 202210/02/2022 complex dinner Tomato basil soup (basil, onion, and garlic from garden; celery from farm share), fried farm share potatoes, chicken with garden onions, and farm share peppers on the salad.
Posted on September 27, 2022September 27, 202209/27/2022 moon and stars salad again Briar examines the food table which is covered with a mesh cover with fancy lace edges. The outdoor plague safety dining experience! You will note it protects a new version of the watermelon and feta salad. The main innovation here is that I suggested we use the melon as the bowl. Paula assembled the salad as before. I believe Judy gave me the fancy salad tongs long ago. They worked well and looked lovely.
Posted on September 3, 2022September 3, 202209/03/2022 popcorn testing again The tiny bowl on the left contains popcorn from a deeper container. The tiny bowl on the right contains popcorn from a shallow bowl. Both are stored near an air vent. The sample on the right had nearly all kernels pop. The sample on left did not. We have decided we need to at least stir that container.
Posted on August 24, 2022August 24, 202208/24/2022 giant squash time and other things I thought I saw something in a firewood piece. It was a mason wasp! The Chef made a delicious dinner. BLT with farm share tomatoes and Paula’s sourdough bread. The okra and peppers side was breaded and pan fried, with both farm share and garden okra, topped with cholula hot sauce. These corrientes cowpea leaves seemed maybe diseased because they were covered in light yellow speckles, so I removed them. Some sort of fungus maybe on the basil? It is the round dark spot I’m pointing to with my snippers. I have been removing them. If anyone knows otherwise, I’d let a leaf miner live. Trimmed all the basil this evening for the Chef to do a pesto batch. This corrientes cowpea stem is flat like a ribbon. Side view of flat stem of cowpea. A mystery. Last but definitely not least, the giant green-striped cushaw squash. I’m not sure if Briar was concerned or unimpressed. We got out the bathroom scale for this magnificent beast. The squash weighed 14.5 lbs. Last year’s big squash was barely 7 lbs.
Posted on August 21, 2022August 21, 202208/21/2022 15/22 test kernels popped We think the popcorn is almost ready! Remember the extension service website said 13-15% moisture and most kernels should pop.
Posted on August 6, 2022August 6, 202208/06/2022 POPCORN Glass gem popcorn in all its glorious colors! One cob down, two to go. Paula just used her hands to remove the kernels. The kernels are such a beautiful mix of colors! Three ears of popcorn made 147 g of dried kernels. We let the ears dry on the stalk and then have been keeping them in the hot dry shade on the porch. About half of the kernels Paula tried did pop. According to this extension service article we found, this means they’re probably still too moist. More should pop and be fluffier too once they dry more. However, we’re still quite pleased!
Posted on July 31, 2022July 31, 202207/31/2022 melon debut for this year Paula wields the knife. Oh no! Bad spot in our canteloupe! The bad spot carefully removed leaves us with snack size halves. They were cold and delicious. Saving seeds from this variety, Madhur Ras melon. I put it in the hot shade on the west facing front porch. It has a lot of melon goo on them that we couldn’t rinse off, so maybe they’ll be easier to clean after drying.
Posted on July 27, 2022July 27, 202207/27/2022 pesto pasta All other veggies from the farm share. The Chef made the pasta.
Posted on July 27, 2022July 27, 202207/27/2022 pesto progress A blender full of garden basil, olive oil, garlic, parmesan, and pine nuts.