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Thursday, December 18, 2014

DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS

You may be dreaming of a white Christmas or there may be visions of sugar plums dancing through your head. Over here we are thinking of lots of greens. I am having a really super winter vegetable crop year. With only 2 frosty nights and lots of warm sunny days and a sprinkling of rain it must be perfect conditions. I even have peas! The first successful fall planting.

There's lots of this. Napa cabbage.


Although the the first pick doesn't have a very tight head I'm not complaining. You can see what dish I made at the end.


Homegrown broccoli is so tender there is no need to peel the stalks.


And lots more peas in the making.


This particular snap pea is called Cascadia. It is tender at all stages even when the peas have fattened up in the pod. You'll find it at Botanical Interests.


Delicious peppery arugula. Cut and grow back again.


Dinosaur kale, delicious stir-fried in olive oil with garlic.


More peppery mustard greens.


Beds of chard and broccoli.


Multiplying onions, from Bob and Renee. The lemon tree came out of the potting shed today and received a root pruning. We lifted it out of the pot, amended the soil bringing it up to the right level and pruned some of the long straggly roots.


I finally got around to thinning a row of the beets the other day, putting the trimming in a green smoothie.


So this is the salad we had the other night  using the Napa cabbage. It is Asian style with a peanut sauce. You can add whatever you have on hand. I used cauliflower, carrots, radish and bean sprouts. Topped with scallops and shrimp it makes a delicious meal. I have  Renee Studebaker to thank for the recipe, which she shared in the Austin American Statesman years ago. It's one of the reasons I grow Napa Cabbage.


Now to go outside and pick dinner.

21 comments:

  1. What a crop Jenny! Just beautiful, and makes me envious. No pest (caterpillar) issues at this time of year?

    Now you have me hungry for beet greens! (so lovely steamed!)

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    1. I remember I used to give away my beet greens. Not anymore. I put them into a smoothie the other day. Didn't care for the color but it tasted good.

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  2. Your greens looks so healthy and beautiful! The dinner that you made looks delish:) I've always wanted to try growing Asian greens, I think you inspired me;)

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  3. Your fall garden looks wonderful! mine is better than it normally is, but it's nowhere near as awesome as yours. I think I started mine too late (per usual).

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    1. I have to agree it has been a good season for vegetable gardening this year. Not too late to plant.

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  4. Dinner looks great, Jenny, as does your beautiful and exceptionally healthy vegetable garden. I have to share pictures of the frames you use to protect your vegetables with my husband to see if he'll construct something along those lines for me. I have nothing but perennial herbs in my raised beds so far this year but I do hope to get some sugar snap peas in before it's too late.

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    1. The frames are great but unfortunately they don't stop all the moths. I need to find some netting that is smaller than the bird netting I have.

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  5. Oh man! All my favorites (except for the beets), I have a great recipe for a soup that calls for lots of Napa cabbage, I must scan it and send it to you!

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  6. Dang it Rock Rose! Showing us these beautiful photos filled with delicious veg and greens that are (no surprise) every bit as gorgeous as the rest of your garden spaces. I can only imagine the work that went into prepping those beds with their covering cold frames. Seeing your results without mention of the labor involved makes it seem deceptively easy.

    And naturally the reward for all your hard work is a selection of the freshest most delicious ingredients possible. I'm wondering if you'd mind sharing the recipe for that salad? It is too late in the season for me to emulate your success with growing winter vegetables but I sure enough wouldn't mind trying to reproduce that dinner!

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  7. I love our snowy winters up here, but WOW--to be able to serve your own freshly picked vegetables for the Christmas meal would be wonderful!
    Beautiful broccoli. And Peas. And EVERYTHING. Lucky lucky you! Enjoy!!

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  8. Your winter vegetable garden looks amazing, as does that Napa cabbage dish.

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  9. Looks divine! I am enjoying your blog!

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  10. A green Christmas indeed! Your cabbage dish looks delicious!!!!

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  11. Oh, such beautiful greens! I love Napa Cabbage, and that dish looks amazing. I'm definitely fixing that at some point!

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  12. Wow! As usual, you've worked magic in the garden.
    And, the kitchen, too.

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  13. That is quite a harvest. Do you grow and harvest your multiplying onions year round? I planted an onion that was labeled as "multiplying" this past spring. It grew all summer and did a little addition (no multiplication yet). I have not tried to harvest yet. Do you have any growing tips?

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    1. I received a few of the onions from Bob at Draco. This is their second year. They were dormant last summer, grew last fall and then flowered with beautiful white pom,pom flowers this last summer. So much so that I am thinking of putting some in the flower gardens as ornamentals. They disappeared over the summer. This winter I have large clumps but they are more like spring onions. A little too strong, raw, for my taste, but OK sauteed or roasted. I should really divide them as they may be too crowded. I think Bob's were much larger but I don't do much fertilizing over here.

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    2. Thanks for the info. Mine have not gone dormant. I am anxious to give them a try once they multiply a little more.

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