Pumpkin Dinner

Amazing!  To the left is the "dessert" pumpkin.

Stuffed Pumpkins

Jack-o-lanterns?  Nope.  These pumpkins are dinner! They are soon to be stuffed with a unbelievably delicious concoction and baked until tender.  Miraculously, this part of the process was completed without a trip to the emergency room!

 

 

Some of the ingredients for the stuffing: a grocery store tomato (bleh!), the last tiny tomato and two jalapenos from the garden, onion, and thyme.  Other ingredients include: kale, collard greens, evaporated milk and freshly ground nutmeg.

 

For this recipe a chopped onion, chopped tomato, minced jalapenos, minced galic and fresh thyme get sauteed in butter until softened.  Then, one bunch of fresh kale and one bunch of fresh collard greens, chopped, with ribs removed, are added to the hot skillet with 4 chopped scallions.  Once the greens are softened, a cup  of evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, and ground nutmeg are added, and the mixture brought to a boil.  Then, 1 1/2 cups of shredded white cheddar and 2 tablespoons of panko are added, and the mixture is cooked until slightly thickened.  The mixture is then placed into the pumpkin(s).  The top of the pumpkins are sprinkled with panko and Parmesan. The pumpkins are then placed into a 9X13 baking dish and an inch of water is poured into the pan.  The pan is covered by foil and baked for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees, uncovered and cooked 30 more minutes, then cooled for 5 minutes.  The pumpkin flesh should be scraped out and served with greens.

 

Note:  the reason this recipe say "pumpkin(s)" is that the original recipe called for two small, 2 lb. pumpkins.  Mine were bigger and the filling only filled one.  The other pumpkin got sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, brown sugar, with a couple pats of butter in the bottom.  It cooked right along with the other pumpkin.  Dinner and dessert, side-by-side!

 

 



BLTs on Townville

 

This sandwich is made with Morningstar veggie bacon strips (found in the freezer section of your supermarket), fresh spinach, and sharp cheddar, but you could use any combination of toppings.  When your garden has fresh tomatoes, make it a real BLT!

 

Lunch on Townville, today, was a vegetarian BLT.  Well, technically, it should be referred to as a vBSC, a veggie Bacon, Spinach, and Cheese...but let's just stick with BLT.  Now, you very well may be skeptical about veggie bacon.  The first time I heard of it, I was significantly more than skeptical.  However, it is perfectly delicious, tasting nearly identical to its dead-animal counterpart.  You also might be more willing to give it a try when you learn that it contains no artery-clogging cholesterol and about half of the calories of bacon (Not to mention the fact that pigs are now being genetically modified with human genes!  But that's a topic for another post).  Morningstar brand veggie bacon is a delicious substitute.  I cannot vouch for other brands, but that is only because I haven't tried any others.  I'm sure there are lots of tasty options.  Now, I do not endorse frequently consuming these meat substitutes, as they are processed foods and, thus, contain some of those "mystery ingredients" that no one can pronounce and can be found in all processed foods.  They also have the potential to contain GMOs.  However, this applies to every processed food in your supermarket, from potato chips, cookies, and cereals to sodas and soups.  Even the products marked "natural" can contain GMOs.  So, use fresh, whole ingredients and organic products (a product that is marked with the USDA organic seal has to have 95% or more organinc content and can contain no GMOs) whenever possible and only sparingly partake of these processed items...like when you have a hankering for bacon that won't be denied!

After Sandy

 

 

The tall leaves of the Red Romaine seem to have been the most susceptible to wind damage.  The more compact lettuce varieties were relatively unaffected.

Though they look a little worse for wear, the lettuces all appear to have made it through Sandy's winds (though she's not done blowing, yet).  Only time will tell.  I embrace this as a minuscule speck of happiness on a morning filled with such sadness.  My heart goes out to all of those affected by this unbelievable tragedy.

Stay tuned today for veggie BLTs and Spicy Pumpkin and Collards!

A Sad Day's Dinner

 

The makings of the most delicious vegetarian pizza, ever: onions, artichoke hearts, roasted red bell pepper strips, kalamata olives, and feta cheese (Not the green tomatoes, however.  Those are for Thursday's dinner...stay tuned).

 

Sadly, today there is no update for the Garden on Townville.  Aside, that is, from the hope that there will actually be a Garden on Townville tomorrow. Hurricanes are not gentle on tiny lettuce plants, even this far inland, apparently.  The wind is howling and their little tender selves are whipping...sigh. The happy news is that there is a delicious dinner on the table, anyway.  Homemade Greek pizza, made with a delectable assortment of unusual toppings.  If you want to try for yourself, here are the directions: spread a refrigerated pizza crust onto a baking sheet and bake 5 minutes at 400 degrees, remove from oven and spread with a very thin layer of your favorite pizza sauce, top with sliced onions, chopped artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and roasted red bell peppers, then sprinkle with feta cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Voila! Instant gourmet meal!

 

 

The finished product!

 

Lunch on Townville Street

For those of you who are inclined to turn your nose up at the thought of a vegetarian diet, you might want to rethink that!  Lunch on Townville Street:  half of a Quorn Garlic & Herb Chick'n Cutlet on a bed of spinach, topped with sharp cheddar and a sunny side up egg, served on a Panera Asiago bagel.  It'll make a convert out of even the most stubborn omnivore. Yum!

Eating Seasonally

Here, two pie pumpkins await their starring role in Spicy Pumpkin and Collards, where they will be stuffed with a mouth-watering combination of greens, peppers, onion, breadcrumbs, and cheeses.  Stay tuned this week for the recipe and a post on the results. Can't wait!

Pumpkins, butternut squash, kale, collard greens...these foods evoke the warm, comfortable images of fall: cozy sweaters and blankets, campfires, and hot bowls of hearty soups and stews.  There is reason for this.  Though we may have forgotten (in this modern world where nearly any kind of food is available at any time of year), eating, traditionally and historically, has been centered around seasonal foods. The reason that pumpkin pie is so at home on the Thanksgiving table, is that pumpkins are in season in the fall.  However, nostalgia is not the only reason that eating seasonally is a good idea.  Just because asparagus is available in your local grocery store in the middle of winter, doesn't mean it's a good idea to serve it for dinner. Unseasonal vegetable that are available in your supermarket have been brought in from very distant locations, most often from outside the U.S., taking business away from our own farmers. Even when they do come from inside the U.S., if the fruit or vegetable is not in season in your area, it will still have travelled a great distance, using unnecessary fossil fuels.  Eating seasonally is beneficial, both to local growers and the environment.  Even better, buy from your local farmers at a farmers market!  You will be helping support your area's agriculture, plus, you'll have the benefit of knowing exactly where your food is  coming from!  Small farmers are being run out of business by big corporations...big corporations that are using genetically modified seeds and dousing their crops with massive amounts of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.  Support your local farmers, or better yet, grow your own organic garden!  You can control everything that goes into and onto your food when you grow your own crops.  Even if you have only a small plot, grow a few plants.  Take back that little bit of control, and I promise, it'll feel so empowering, you'll be looking to expand in no time!  When you eat from your own garden, you'll also learn the true meaning of eating seasonally.  What's growing now is what's on the dinner table tonight.  So, keep your eyes peeled for those local pumpkins, squashes, and greens, and I'll share recipes with you that will help you put them to good use! 

Stay tuned for more information on eating locally, growing organically, and avoiding GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

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Dinner is Served

 

Here's the sweet potato and kale frittata.  A little toasted pine nut couscous on the side...perfect! I always like to load my dishes up with extra veggies, so I used extra kale and sweet potato. I also use Born Free free range eggs...it really does make a big difference in the flavor.  I definitely recommend spending the extra money.  Plus, Born Free actually allows their chickens to roam, unlike a lot of companies that claim their eggs are "free range."  I like my eggs to come from happy hens.  It didn't hurt that the kale was fresh out of the garden, either!

Note: If you're interested in learning what brands live up to their claims, visit cornucopia.org.  They have scorecards for different products (eggs, being one), and give you the real scoop. There are lots of brands that are scored much higher than Born Free, in fact, if you live in an area that carries those brands. Check it out. It's a great resource!
 

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata with Goat Cheese

For those of you who are curious about what a vegetarian eats, I'll frequently include what is on the dinner menu on Townville Street.  I'll also include recipes for using your garden crops.  Tonight's recipe is a little of both.  It uses the last of my purple kale.  Remarkably, this kale made it through the entire summer...scorching heat and drought!

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata with Goat Cheese

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 large eggs
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 large curly kale leaves, ribs removed, torn into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil sweet potatoes until tender (approximately 10 minutes). Drain.
Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, mustard, and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.
Coat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet with cooking spray.  Add oil and place over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until onion begins to soften (approximately 3 minutes). Add kale and cook 2 minutes, or until kale is wilted but still bright green. Add sweet potato and toss to blend, arranging vegetables over bottom of skillet.
Carefully pour eggs over vegetables without displacing them.  Cook 3 minutes, or until bottom of frittata is just set.
Transfer skillet to oven. Bake 10 minutes or until frittata is set in the center.
Using a spatula, loosen frittata from skillet and slide out onto a platter.  Sprinkle with cheese and let stand a minute or two to allow cheese to soften.  Cut in to 4 wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

Fall Cleanup

 

Well, the front gardens got an overhaul today.  The fall leaves are great as a mulch, but the thousands of acorns needed to come out.  Otherwise, the crop next year would have been nothing but oak trees!  So, out it all came and the beds look fresh for the passersby.  The summer plants have made way for cooler weather crops.  The last of the tomato plants came out yesterday, as did the okra.  Now the beds are planted with lettuces, salad mustards, collards, radishes, carrots, parsnips and broccoli.  This fall has been so busy that I didn't get all of my crops planted.  Swiss chard, spinach and mache were all on the list, as well, but just didn't make the cut.  An experiment is in the works, however.  A temporary cold fame made from hay bales and old windows might just do the trick.  If it works, it may allow me to grow some lettuces, my spinach, and a few other crops all through the winter. I'll post on the progress of the project when (if!) I get started.

Above is a photo of the lettuce bed.  From left to right: Ruby Streaks mustard, Mizuna mustard, Lolla Rosa lettuce, Rougette de Montpellier, Red Romaine, and Yugoslavian Red Butter lettuce.

 

Some of the radishes are already forming!  These are a white radish variety.

 

Here, you can see a row of radishes and, in the foreground, a Georgia Southern collard.  In South Carolina, the collards should make it through most, if not all, of the winter.

 

 

This little lettuce, one of my favorites, is the Lolla Rosa variety. Even if you don't garden, always get a variety of lettuces.  These colorful varieties pack much more of a nutritional punch than that old standby, Iceburg.  Try using an unusual variety or two for your salads or to top your sandwiches and burgers (veggie burgers, preferably!).  I use spinach instead of lettuce for topping everything.  Much more nutritious!

 

 



 

Ten foot tall tomato plants?

 Ten foot tall tomato plants? No one would have believed it. No one did, in fact. They had to come see for themselves. And once they did, they told others...who had to come see for themselves. So many people have inquired about the garden on Townville Street that I have decided to write a blog about it. But, an organic life doesn't stop at the curb, so stay tuned!