February 2021: VacciNation Valentine

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Celebrating Valentines Day in the Garden

In this month’s blog:

Traveling in the Garden

VacciNation Valentine

February in the Kitchen: Virtual Victual Valentines

Garden Update for February 2021

February 2021 Gallery: Fauna on/in/with Flora

Chris:

One of the happiest features of gardening in a pandemic is that the garden keeps changing. So if you have been hunkered at home, as we have, for most of the past year, every day in the garden takes you to a different place. Traveling while almost standing still. Now I don’t just mean using your imagination to think that you are elsewhere. I mean actually confronting a slightly changed world every morning you step outside.

Some of the change is aesthetic–in what I see, hear, feel, or smell–like the very first blossoms on the apricot tree last week, or the three-note coo that I heard from the first Eurasian Collared Dove returning to the neighborhood, or the brilliantly blooming snapdragon in the front garden.

Tiny blooms of the snapdragon, front garden

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Very first bloom of the season on the apricot tree, front garden

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Our first Eurasian Collared Dove of the season, on the roof

But many of the changes in the garden carry with them questions about responsibilities for decision and action, no matter how small.

Here are a tiny few of the many that arose in the past two weeks:

Does the slight change in the greenness of a broccoli head (below) mean that it must be picked now?

Well, I did pick it (Feb. 10), and we steamed the fresh florets to go with Jean’s East Asian veggie curry and rice.

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Broccoli head just beginning to turn yellow…

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Back garden toward south on a sunny warm February early afternoon, before the next day’s rain

2. Should I use some of our precious water today (Feb. 10) to moisten our dry veggies and herbs, even though the forecast–notoriously unreliable in this drought–is for showers tomorrow?

In fact, the rains did come the next day (Feb. 11), giving us 1/3 of an inch, with maybe more in a couple of days.

3. Is it time (Feb. 12) to uncover the Bulls Blood beets that have now been maturing below ground for 3 months?

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One of our six Bulls Blood beet plants, planted in November

I figured that this beet’s time had come, and I discovered that “it” was really 3 plants, 2 of which had mature beet roots, which Jean cooked as part of our Valentine’s dinner–along with the succulent beet leaves, tender and flavorful in their own right. I replanted the smallest of the 3 plants (Feb. 15), and am waiting to see if it takes hold.

4. Should I clear away the leaves and brush beside the lupine tree in the back garden?

This turned out to be an easy question–which a golden-crowned sparrow answered for me (Feb. 11):

No, a garden never stays put; it can never be just a pretty place to look at. We’re thankful that it’s both photogenic and an ongoing challenge, usually in manageable ways, so that our time trying to stay safe at home during the pandemic has been most often pleasantly busy. Indeed, the other focus of this blog, our kitchen, reinforces our expectation of something always to experiment with, be challenged by, and prepare.

Besides the garden and the kitchen, both of us work part time from home, read and write, watch and listen to entertainment media, walk our neighborhood, and go out to stores. Not to mention that we stay frequently in touch through FaceTime, Zoom, and the phone with friends, our children, and our grandchildren. So our days are full!

VacciNation Valentine

Although the pandemic has just reached its one-year anniversary, we have a special reason to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year. It has now been close to a month since the daily case rates have been dramatically falling across the US. So we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. One major factor has been the steadily improving rates of vaccination with the approved vaccines (Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna) all across the nation, as the US finally has a coordinated strategy, sparked by leadership at the federal level. So when couples across the US celebrate their Valentines love with roses, balloons, and their foods and beverages of choice, we can celebrate with a renewed feeling of hope for the future.

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More Valentines celebration: Jean’s orange chiffon mini pies

February in the Kitchen: Virtual Victual Valentines

Jean’s pear cheese tart

Jean:

“Virtual Victual Valentines”? What can I say? I love V words, and these just rolled off the tongue. These “vittles” are virtual because that’s how I can tell you about them, but they were fun to make and eat.

Pear Cheese Tart

This is one of my sloppier recipes because I don’t know where I saw the original recipe (except I know the inspiration was from Mary Berry on the BBC), I didn’t follow that recipe very closely anyway, and I don’t exactly remember what I did. So the measurements are rough at best, but it doesn’t matter. This is an invitation to wing it.

I was interested in this idea when I saw the recipe, because I know it started with puff pastry, not blind baked. I get tired of dealing with regular pie crust dough, blind baked or not, so I bought some frozen puff pastry and thawed one sheet. I then cut it into portions that would roughly fit the bottom and sides of this heart-shaped pan. I wanted to prevent the crust from getting too soggy from the pears, so I sprinkled some ground almonds or almond flour I had over the bottom of the crust, letting it fill in any gaps between the pieces of pastry. Then I poured in the filling, which was more savory than sweet: I whisked 2 eggs with about a cup of half and half, 1/2 c. mascarpone or cream cheese, and 1/2 c. blue cheese crumbles. These were all items I had on hand, and I figured they’d go together well. They did!

On the creamy filling, arrange pear halves and half walnuts or pecans in an attractive pattern. Sprinkle or spread coarse sugar, honey, or thinned jam on top to make a glaze. Done in no time!

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

Green grape avocado smoothie with egg cheese guacamole toast

Blackberry avocado smoothie with soy chorizo omelet

Avocado Smoothies

You know how it’s just easier to buy some things in bulk these days because you’re trying to meet a minimum dollar amount to get free shipping or pickup? Well, I ended up with more avocados than I would usually buy, and I remembered that I had picked up at a used bookstore a cookbook that focuses on avocado recipes. In browsing through it for ideas, I discovered a lot of recipes for avocado smoothies. Who doesn’t love a green smoothie? (Don’t answer that if you think you don’t; you would be surprised how good they can be.) The avocado in these seems to take the place of banana and you don’t really taste the avocado.

If you are the sort who likes to throw spinach or other greens into a smoothie, you can certainly do that. I used a recipe that called for fresh orange slices, which of course we have plenty of, and some frozen blackberries (I cup blackberries to 1 whole orange), plus a tablespoon of blackberry honey that we had just ordered off the Internet and one avocado. This is the reddish one you see in the picture; I added a few of our red chard leaves.

Other surprising ideas in the book, however, include green grapes with kiwi and avocado, or pears and avocado with lime and fresh mint. (I had a few canned pears left from my tart experiment, plus I added key lime yogurt.) If any of these look too thick to you after blending, add more orange juice, juice from the canned pears, or apple juice. Just have fun with it. (I also threw in a litte protein powder that I bought while trying to diet, but more about my diet another time, maybe.)

Jean’s orange chiffon pie

Orange Chiffon Pie

Looking at all the fresh citrus fruit in our garden, I was trying to decide what to make (besides the whole orange cake I made last month, although I still might do that one again). Suddenly I remembered that when I was growing up in Arizona, my mother and I cooked from a cookbook put out by the citrus farmers’ cooperative, Sunkist. They have a perfect recipe for lemon meringue pie that I have used for years, but I was interested in finding something to make with oranges first.

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Jean’s Sunkist Cook Book, published 1968

My eyes landed on Fresh Orange Chiffon Pie. Chris helped me prepare 2 teaspoons grated orange peel, 1-1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, two oranges (sectioned, cut, and drained), and 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice. That was a lot of work right there, so his help with the fruit freed me to make the rest of the components.

First you need a 9-inch baked graham cracker crust. I made one by adding butter and sugar to graham cracker crumbs and baking it for about ten minutes.

Then dissolve 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin in the orange juice (or even just part of the orange juice if it’s not all ready yet). Set that aside to soften.

Separate 3 eggs and whisk the yolks thoroughly in the top of a double boiler; then beat in 1/2 – 3/4 cup sugar (I thought it was pretty sweet at 3/4 c., but those lemons are sour) and 1/4 tsp. salt. Then beat in the gelatin with all the orange juice and lemon juice. Gradually cook over boiling water, whisking until slightly thickened and the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved, about 8 minutes. Take it off the heat and stir in the orange peel. Cool to room temperature; then add the drained orange pieces and set it in the refrigerator to chill and thicken more, but not totally set.

When you think the mixture is cool enough, beat the 3 egg whites (having left them out at room temperature) until frothy. Add 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar and beat at high speed until soft peak stage. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff and glossy but not dry. Fold the beaten egg whites and 1/2 cup whipped cream into the chilled egg yolk and fruit mixture. (You have to time this well so the orange mixture isn’t too hard to combine with the egg whites and cream.)

Pour into the cooled crust and chill until firm. Top with dollops of whipped cream and more fresh orange slices or canned mandarin orange slices. I topped ours with candied orange peels made by one of our sons and sent to me for my birthday.

The fresh orange taste of this pie lasts for days–unless you eat it all first!

Garden Update for February 2021

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Back garden toward north, Feb. 14, midday

Chris:

Oranges and Meyer Lemons. In December, I greatly underestimated the number of oranges we’d have this season. I estimated 150, but we’ve already used or given away almost 200, with a good 100 still on the tree. A few fall off each day, with most firm and healthy. The compost bin gets the few mushy ones, along with the peels of the many we use for juice or snacking. Though we use our meyer lemons for juicing or gifts to neighbors, we’re still barely into the bounty on the bush, so I estimate we’ll be picking lemons for at least the next three months–after the buds and blooms for next season have sprung!

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Watching the meyer lemon bush from inside the orange tree

Lettuce and Swiss Chard. The 3 leaf lettuce plants in their mesh cages are still thriving, while the 6 Swiss chard plants are also doing well, growing larger as the temps slowly climb, with highs in the low 60s. This week, I transplanted into the ground the two chards that had been in small pots close to the house on the veranda, as these had become root bound. Let’s see how they do, and if the birds love them or leave them alone.

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The largest so far of the 6 chard plants, back garden.

Green Onions and Bulls Blood Beets. All plants doing well, with the green onions being picked as we want them for salads, sandwiches, and mild spice for main dishes. See the story (above) about the only one of the 5 beets we’ve picked so far. We’ll be using the rest over the next few weeks.

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The plentiful green onions and thriving Bulls Blood beets in the large raised bed

Broccoli. Three of the 6 Green Magic broccoli plants produced full heads this month. These heads have been harvested, and on all of these 3 plants secondary florets are growing. Since I planted the broccoli this season in November, a month later than last season because of the persistent high heat in October 2020, I’ll be interested to see how the current plants do as spring heat arrives.