THE GARLIC POST

The problem with traveling so much is that I am way behind on all my posts, years behind on some. But today we have a good wifi connection so I am going to try to post about a visit we made two days ago on Prince Edward Island. A roadside sign had me saying 'Stop now!'.

We pulled down the dirt road into the farm where a large carts held masses of freshly picked garlic.

I approached the lady who was tying them up into bundles and told her I had never bought any like this before. " Oh, these are not for sale" she told me, " go into the barn."

There we saw racks of garlic hanging up to dry and some already dried and hanging in net bags for sale. Too many choices. Artichoke, Asiatic, Creole, Turban, Silverskin, Porcelain, Rocambole, Purple Stripe, Purple Stripe Marbled and Purple Stripe Glazed.
 

Then I noticed these bags of black garlic and was promptly brought a sliver of the black garlic to try. The processing takes 23 days and involves controlling the temperature and humidity while the garlic ferments into this sliceable black clove. A sweet, smokey, intriguing flavor. And so I bought a 50g bag of black garlic and a large bag of the regular which I forgot to photograph, so have no idea what it is. All I know is that I asked for large cloves because I dislike all those tiny cloves. I am pleased to say they use no chemicals at Eureka Garlic.

Of course a vanity plate on their truck.

So here is the black, sometimes called Korean garlic, prized by chefs. We had steak for dinner and we smeared the garlic over the steak for a delicious smokey flavor. I'm hunting for new recipes to try.

I may grow garlic again this year but it will just be the kind that my local nursery has and I certainly will not be doing the 23 day procedure.

THE 1LB TOMATO

Tipping the scales at exactly 1lb. It would be a celebrity even if it wasn't a Celebrity!

Just one day without picking and I have filled two colanders and a bowl. More roasted Roma tomatoes in the oven. Their wonderful aroma fills the kitchen.I am beginning to wish I had picked some of them green and made my green tomato chutney. I'm now stuffing tomatoes with squash instead of squash with tomatoes!

Thank goodness I picked the garlic and had it drying in a sheltered place. We had over 3" of rain in two days. They would have been rotting in the soil, I'm sure. Unfortunately with the rain comes the splitting tomatoes. The yellow pear are particularly affected.

BOUNTY FROM THE GARDEN

Today I picked the last of the beets from the garden. They were a second crop planted some time in March and I wasn't even sure if they would produce that late in the season. Now I wish I had put in more rows. We love pickled beets. You know what will be on the table tonight; beet tops with roasted beets. Tomatoes are in abundance and I am managing to keep down the numbers of leaf footed bugs by giving them the creep and grab treatment. These will probably be the last of the patty pans as the plants are going into a serious decline......and not due to the squash vine borer but the heat and humidity.

The Italian romas are all going to be roasted and frozen for use in the winter.

I have two kinds of yellow tomato. The first is the yellow pear which I picked up at Garden a Go Go at Diana's house. I can't remember who gave it to me but thank you anyway. It has been a great producer. Maybe I will be serving some them next Saturday for Garden a GoGo at my house!

The second I have no idea. It produces medium sized round fruit which have a strange translucent look; not terribly attractive. They are quite tasty although the heat is causing the skins to become a little tough. I probably would not grow this one again- even if I knew its name.

Either way it all makes for a great insalata caprese.

Or stuffed squash with beet tops/beets.

Yesterday I pulled out all the garlic and it is drying out on the gravel. Not the greatest crop but enough to keep us going for a few weeks. I think the garlic is better suited to sandier soils and mine might be too heavy. So the beds will mostly lay dormant until later in the year when the fall/winter crop will go in.

These are the reason we garden behind walls. Mama and baby eye me through the cedars. There is also another mama with twins.

This lone deer is a regular visitor behind the back garden. Always looking for a handout.

"Green tomatoes, red tomatoes, tomatoes with blossom end rot, beans, beet stalks..... I don't care. Just send them my way. I'll compost them for you"

Otherwise I'll just have to eat agave!