3 Sisters Garden - Recap

With the season over and taking time to reflect on the 3 Sisters Garden project, I would put it in the "win" column!

My most successful piece was the Cherokee Long Ear corn.  This was the first time I had attempted to grow corn of any type. It was very rewarding for me.  Since I don't have the space to grow enough corn for my family of five to eat fresh, flint corn is definitely a good choice. I will be growing this again.

Beautiful!!

I removed kernels from ears
that weren't fully developed.

Opening each ear at the end of the season was like opening a little present finding out what color was inside. I had some beautiful, decorative corn to use as decorations through the fall and Thanksgiving.  I gave several bundles as gifts to close friends and family, along with a gourd or two that grew from my "mystery" plant.  Much of the corn from this plot was removed from the cob and used for pop corn.  It made for some beautiful and very tasty snacks.  I hadn't realized how much the taste of popcorn changed over the years until I tasted this I raised myself. 

Ground Kernels and Cornbread

When I chose this corn, I knew I wanted to use some of  it to grind and make cornbread.  I like to have as much of my Thanksgiving dinner grown and homemade as possible. This cornbread was, by far, my most ambitious project for the table.  The multiple colors of the corn kernels made for a beautiful one-of-a-kind cornbread.  

The beans grew up the corn as they were supposed to and did quite well.  It was a fun challenge to duck in between the stalks of corn and over the vines to collect these beans.  We wanted to eat them fresh, but leaving them on to dry would most likely be the better choice.  While I was away one long weekend, the bean beatles came in and defoliated many of them before my return.  At that point,  I left the remaining beans in the garden to dry on the vines. 

Rattlesnake beans with beautiful purple striping, growing on the corn.

The squash, on the other hand, did not fair so well.  Perhaps it was too much shade from the stalks being close, the tree on the edge of the garden that created more shade than I realized, or the devastating squash bugs. I did get some gourds from that "mystery" spot, and a few small squash from the southern edge of the plot.  

3 Sisters Garden during growing.

I love trying something new in my garden each year.  This was an incredible project and one I look forward to doing again.  I have decided that flint corn will be something incorporated into my garden spaces on a regular basis for decorations, gifting and fresh popcorn.  

I have mason jars of "seeds" from this crop, corn kernels and dried beans, saved to plant next time which is another lesson from our past - self-reliance.

I hope I have inspired you to try the "3 Sisters Garden" or, at the least, to simply try and experiment with something new.

--Alison

Go-To Winter Soup - Warms you from the Inside Out

Fresh  Garden Vegs & Nice Spice

Chicken Sausage Soup

By Alison Rolen

This soup was created to be a low-carb soup for myself.  Everyone in the family liked it, so it has become a family favorite.  All ingredients are fresh, has a nice spice to it, and makes a beautiful presentation, especially when garnished with fresh, shredded Parmesan. Just as good the following day(s). To make gluten-free, check sausage and broth labels.

1 lb bulk sausage – Jimmy Dean has good flavor and acceptable fat

4 cloves garlic – minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

¼+ tsp cayenne red pepper

1 large Vidalia or sweet onion – diced

1 c. diced sweet red/orange pepper**

3 stalks celery – diced

1 c. sliced carrots

2 c. shredded and chopped cabbage

2 – 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes (or 1 quart home-canned tomatoes)

1 - 32oz box chicken broth (or 1 quart home-made stock)

If you have any reserved juice/stock from cooking chicken, add that as well

4 c. pre-cooked, cubed chicken – I use mostly, or exclusively, dark meat*

1 bunch green onions – sliced, including greens

¼ c. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Additional salt and pepper to taste

In large stockpot:

1. Add minced garlic to pot.  Add and Brown the sausage, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks.
2. Drain off only excessive grease (some is needed to cook veggies).  Add spices to top of sausage: cumin, paprika, red pepper.  Stir, coating sausage well.
3. Add in: onion, celery, carrots, cabbage – stir to incorporate seasonings over all, cover and cook about 10 minutes to begin to soften the vegetables. 
4. Add in: all chicken broth, tomatoes including juice, any/all reserved juice from cooking chicken, add some water if more liquid is needed.
5. Cover and bring to a simmer.  Cook until raw vegetables are desired softness – about 1 hr. total.
6. Add in cubed chicken and green onions.  Simmer (do not boil) about 10 minutes to heat chicken through. 
7. Taste broth and adjust red pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.
8. Add in chopped parsley, simmer for 5 minutes more, serve.

 Garnish: fresh shredded Parmesan cheese to top bowl

Variation:  I have also added in greens (kale, chard, or spinach) - raw with vegetables, or with chicken if pre-cooked (unseasoned)

*I bake 2 chickens, serve for dinner 1^st night, then remaining white meat goes to chicken salad, dark meat here.  

**Sweet garden peppers are chopped and frozen in 1c portions ready to drop in this soup

Swiss Chard

After some trial and error, I am sold on growing Swiss Chard! It is easy to grow, tasty, and "pretty". There are several different varieties and they may be used in a border garden for their decorative appeal as well as a wonderful, edible green. It has become my summer "spinach."

Ruby Chard - in whiskey barrel planter

At first, I followed several different recipes I found online.  They were all ok. Each was an "acid" base recipe, using either lemon or vinegar...  I had a season's worth of harvesting still to do and my family wasn't "sold" on this new addition to our table.  

It occurred to me that most people describe the taste similar to either spinach or asparagus.  With these vegetables, it occurred to me that I like both sauteed with butter...sweeter. Voila!  Success for our household.  

Suggestion 1: "Spinach"
I cut the main stems out and (gasp) discard - compost
I then chop and briefly saute the leaf portions as I would fresh spinach.  I use real, salted butter.  As with spinach, you need quite a lot of fresh product as it cooks down a lot. Salt/Pepper to taste.
This is the main reason I grow chard - to have "spinach" all summer in this way. I also cook it this way if the chard has "gotten away from me" and I have a lot of it.  I have used it in quiche, scrambled eggs, soup, and plain as a side.

Suggestion 2: Chard-whole
The stem portions need to be cooked longer than the leaf portions:
Remove the main stems making a pile of stems, and one of leaf portions.
Chop stems finely.  Chop leaves roughly.
Saute the stems first until softened (in your flavor of choice: olive oil, butter, whatever), then add in the leaf portion and saute until wilted/cooked. Salt/Pepper to taste.
My Family favorite:
Cook a few pieces of bacon until tender but not crisp, add in 2-3 cloves minced fresh garlic, saute till golden.  Add in chard stems and a little olive oil or butter if dry.  Cover and cook until stem pieces are tender.  Add in leaf portions and continue to stir and cook until wilted.  I sometimes top with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese. 

Suggestion 3:  Use in place of other greens
Pretty much any way you use other greens, you can replace chard for something different: soups, vita-drinks, sweet/sour wilted "spinach" salad, etc.  Basically, if recipe calls for spinach, I use only the leaf portion.  If it calls for kale or other such, use leaf portion and some or all of the stem (be sure to pre-cook stem first).  I love to add some to soup.  It is a beautiful color-I precook it separate first then add it in. 

So, my advice is to start with your favorite way to cook and use spinach and prepare the leaf portion in that way.  Then try it in a few recipes that use spinach.  After that, try it whole. And, by all means, try growing some.  You can even plant it in containers, along your flower bed as a border, or save some space in your vegetable garden for it.  Buy transplants or start from seed.  The key to harvesting is to pick outside, lower leaves and not more than 1/3 of any given plant.  It will continue to grow and produce all season long and may even over-winter.  

Rainbow Chard in raised garden bed - spring

same crop - mid October - still producing

I hope I may have encouraged you to try Chard and perhaps even grow it in your own garden.  If that is the case, I'd love to hear from you.  

The Fall Garden

It's now officially fall - by the calendar and the weather.  It is my favorite time of year. While not quite sweater weather,it is a wonderful break from the summer heat even though this summer was very mild. 

I have noticed that the garden is much happier with the break in the weather as well.  My pole beans took on a new life and began a whole new crop as well as the bush beans. While I didn't plant a lot of them, I was able to not only continually eat them fresh but put some away in the freezer for some future meals - one bag is specifically marked "Thanksgiving."

Fall plantings: broccoli, lettuce, kale, pole beans still producing

I direct-sowed some lettuce, spinach, and two types of kale seeds.  The lettuce and kale are doing well, the spinach came up then was hit with a couple weeks of heat which I think did them in.  They never grew and I gave up.  I purchased and placed broccoli plants in their place.  I also purchased a pack of brussels sprouts.  The brussels have been in for about a month and are looking good.  I can see teeny sprouts forming at the base of each leaf.  This is my first year with brussels and I am so excited!  I have been battling cabbage worms or as I call them "cabbagepillars" that are trying to eat things before I can.  I have to make a point of checking everything at least every other day.  Those "pillars" can munch a plant beyond recovery in 2 days.  I have already placed the hoops over two of the garden sections.  This is covered in plastic and become my little "greenhouse" when frost and colder weather is predicted--extending the season for some of my crops.  

Brussels sprouts with loaded sweet pepper plants behind

Look closely and you will see several cabbage worms-in all sizes-tricky

I am working on picking the last of everything left on the plants and pulling them up. They then are gathered and thrown into the chicken run for the girls to work over.  Once they are done, there is nothing but bare sticks or stalks that are then composted, burned, or bagged for recycling - depending on what it was.  They love to see me coming with an armload of "goodies."

October 8 harvest:
3-1/2lb beans, 4lb hot peppers, 3-1/4lb sweet peppers, chard, dry beans for seed

I leave my flower seedheads alone for fall.  I do this for a few reasons.  First, I love to watch the goldfinches land and eat the seeds from the coneflowers and black-eyed susans plus there is something about those little brown spikes that is appealing to me...the color? the shape? I'm not quite sure.  Leaving your flowers go to seed also allows for the possibility of reseeding for even more lovely flowers next year.  

Leave the seedheads for the Goldfinches. 

This past summer, I discovered some "volunteers" under the bird feeder.  While I pulled many of them, I left a few that were in a spot that could hold them.  After of a summer of growth, I have a nice little stand of sorghum!  Pleasant surprise.  

Sorghum stand - from sprouted birdseed.

My tomatoes are pretty much finished for the year - we had our last BLT of the year this weekend.  I still have a lot of peppers - both sweet and hot - to pick yet.  That is a good thing since we eat a lot of peppers through the winter.

I still have a lot of garden "to-dos" ahead of me for the fall... 

Refrigerator Pickles - Spicy Dill Spears

After an especially bountiful cucumber harvest, I set out to find a dill variety refrigerator pickle.  I had tried my hand at canning dills, but they always turned out too soft for our liking.  Furthermore, we are not a "sweet pickle" family so the standard refrigerator pickle with vinegar and sugar was not for us.

Refrigerator Pickles in re-used jars

This is the final recipe I use, adapted from one I found online* (see bottom).  My family likes things a little on the spicy side, so these were perfect.  Now a requested item.  

Brine: 
2 cups water
1 3/4 c. white vinegar
1 1/2 c fresh dill "fronds" (leaves)
scant 1/4 c white sugar (or less)
8 cloves garlic, halved
1 1/2 Tbsp. coarse salt
1 Tbsp. pickling spice
1 1/2 tsp dill seed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (plus)
fresh dill flowers (to place 1-2 in each jar)
1/2 tsp alum (for crunchiness)

(12) long pickling cucumbers cut in spears
Either use canning jars, or I reuse jars from dressing, salsa, other pickles, etc.  

Note: I just use the cucumbers that I have and make more brine if I need to.  I also like "dilly beans" so if I have some, I make a jar or two with string beans.

1.  In a large pot: combine ingredients for the brine, heat just to dissolve the sugar & salt.
2.  Cut cucumbers into spears.  Remove ends from beans - leave them whole.
3.  Place "dill flower" into bottom of each jar along with 1-2 pieces of garlic.
4.  Pack the spears into the jars fairly tightly.
5.  Ladle brine to cover pickles, include spices.  
6.  Divide dill evenly through all jars topping and stuffing it throughout.  
7.  (To taste) Add another "sprinkle" of red pepper flakes to top of jar.
8.  Seal with lids.  Refrigerate for 10 days before eating for best flavor.  Use within 1 month.
I also invert/shake the jars several times within the 10 days to ensure even distribution of flavors.

*Adapted from "Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickles" at allrecipes.com

Hot Pepper Jam

Our all-time favorite appetizer is Homemade Hot Pepper Jam over softened cream cheese. Serve with thin pretzels or other cracker of choice.  It is a wonderful blend of heat and sweet. 

Personally, I use a mix of jalapenos and hot cherry peppers for a beautiful mix of colors.  If it is early in the season and the peppers aren't as hot as I like, I have also added in several cayenne peppers for a little added heat.  

My jar of choice is the 1/2 size (4oz) jelly jar.  It is the perfect ratio:  one full jar to one block of cream cheese.  These jars are also given out on Christmas or other occasions as our take-home gift to guests. 

Hot Pepper Jam

Adapted from the Ball Pectin recipe:     yield: 12-4oz, or 6-8oz jelly jars

Use Gloves!
Another caution: rinse/wash all peppers before you cut them.  Do not rinse after cut.
4c. Fresh-picked, Prepared (finely chopped) hot peppers, seeds discarded*
    *I use a mix of Jalapeno and Hot Cherry, I keep in a few seeds from each pepper, and chop using a small food processor - to finally measure a full 4c. prepared peppers 
1c. cider vinegar
5c. sugar (do not substitute)
Pectin - 6 Tb. from bulk jar (or 1 box) Original/Classic

1.  PREPARE boiling water canner, jars and lids.  Measure out all ingredients.

2.  COMBINE prepared peppers with vinegar in a 6-8qt saucepan (you need the large surface area).  Gradually stir in Ball Original/Classic Fruit Pectin.  Optional: Add up to 1/2 tsp butter to reduce foaming.  Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over hight heat, stirring constantly.

3.  ADD entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve.  Return mixture to a full rolling boil.  Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary.

4.  LADLE hot jam into hot jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Clean rim and threads of jars using a clean, damp cloth to remove any residue.

5.  CENTER hot lids on jars, allowing sealing compound to come in contact with the jar rim.  Apply bands and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

6.  PLACE filled jars in canner.  Be sure water covers tops of jars by 1-2 inches.  Add hot water if necessary.  Place lid on canner. Bring water to a gentle, steady boil.

7.  PROCESS jars for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (refer to chart in pectin).  After processing is complete, turn off heat and remove lid.  Let jars stand for 5 minutes.

8.  REMOVE jars from canner and set upright on a towel to cool, undisturbed, for 12-24 hours.  Bands should not be retightened as this may interfere with the sealing process.  After cooling, test seals by pressing the center of each lid.  If a lid does not flex up and down, it is sealed!  If it is not sealed within 24 hours, refrigerate immediatedly for up to 3 weeks or reprocess for the full length of time using a new lid.  

9.  CLEAN sealed jars.  Remove the bands.  Wipe jars and lids with a clean, damp cloth.  Label and store in a cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year.

I make several batches of this jam every year so in addition to labeling with the year, I indicate the batch number as well using inconspicuous "dots", abc, 123, or the like.  Each batch will turn out with a slightly different "hotness" level.  I keep track and use accordingly (eg: the hottest batch is noted and saved for "special" occasions). 

Do you have a favorite variation of hot pepper jam?