Updating garden experiments...

[MiHale]

Beautiful day in Northern Michigan, chores done some season’s coming to a close only leading to another…great times.




Straw bales are going to be a thing from now on…amazing quick raised beds. Acorn Squash and zucchini did great but I think I’d lower the profile of the bale, short side top. Adding a few bales on the west side of the greenhouse for lettuce. Bales are awesome for lettuce, no dirty leaves, easy to harvest height, easy succession planting.

Last year’s Acorn squash seeds gave us a very, very, very diversified harvest. Some yet to mature to see what the heck they are but others we thought were inedible BUT got a great surprise.

The beds intersected last year… Acorn and zucchini, well they fell in love and under the leaves unimaginable unions took place unbeknownst to all but the participants. The seeds from the very delicious Acorn were “tainted” with zucchini DNA. Hey 2na the next is dedicated to you, lol!

Gardeners do as gardeners do and a lot of that is talk, a lot, well lots. Unless it’s Fred’s lot then it’s what to do…oh never mind.

Well found out what to do with inedible squash…squash flour…yes you saw that…flour. Not flower, FLOUR. Gluten free…I personally don’t care about that but some do.

Grate the squash, dehydrate, pulverize…FLOUR! Take about 2 pounds of squash to make a couple cups of flour or more.

Mom granted us a bumper harvest of tomatoes…the greenhouse helped a lot too. Outside we grew Roma’s for saucing it’ll keep us through the next spring. But the little tomatoes that were in the greenhouse…some were smaller than a golf ball. What to do…what to do…AHH…TOMATO JAM!
I forgot how freaking delicious it is.

At lunch we normally eat what we call a vegcuterie plate. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, various cheeses, crackers or flatbread. Last week I made a white bean/lemon/fresh oregano/ fresh garlic dip. It needed time to marry the flavors.

Today we added the jam, instead of fresh tomatoes, plus the dip. Best lunch of the season!

So although mores coming’s so far it been great!

[niyad]

1. Sounds absolutely wonderful.

[flying_wahini]

2. Re: jam you made....So did you roast those little tomatoes first?

How did it turn out?

[MiHale]

3. No but the would have added a layer of flavor...

Actually, I tried to take a short cut and started 2 pounds withe the spices in an Instant Pot for 5 minutes pressure cook. Still left a lot of liquid so it went into a cast iron pot on an electric stove, ( I’ve used gas and electric it’s different) at 3 power for about an hour and a half stirring quite frequently…I was in the kitchen anyway and am used to making risotto so no big deal.
Put the pot to one side of the burner for about the last twenty minutes (?) scraped the mixture to the cool side and caramelized the sauce that creeped to the hot side. Kinda same as roasting I guess.

[niyad]

4. What did you use for the acid, citrus or vinegar? Ginger or peppers for heat?

Every time I see tomato jam in the store (on markdown, no less!), I grab all they have! Same with pumpkin butter ( I am soooooo glad that some people have NO clue!)

Do you ever do green tomato jam?

[MiHale]

5. For this one lemon juice...

But shifting the spices slightly and different acid like ACV would be great in …say a more southwestern blend. I make a White Pine Needle Vinegar which would pair greatly with a more Mediterranean spice blend.

No on the green tomato jam have thought about it though. Thanks for resurrecting the idea!

[niyad]

6. Whitei pine needle vinegar is a new one to me, I must admit. Sounds

most intriguing!

Glad if the mention of green tomatoes sparked you. I love them, especially in jams or pickles. My market used to carry the pickled tomatoes, but, alas, no longer.

[MiHale]

8. I make it...super easy but time consuming...

It’s basically a vinegar tincture. Take a bunch of White Pine needles chop into smaller pieces, I don’t go too small just enough so the needles are bruised a little and can fit easily in a quart size mason jar. Pack in the needles kinda tightly fill with a good quality White Wine vinegar. Wait at least 6 months, shaking the jar every day for at least the first month, then forget about it. The best I ever made I totally forgot it for about a year.

I use it in some risotto recipes I have instead of the wine, finishes with a light woodsy taste.
If you made pine needle tea you kinda get the idea.

Red Pine is stronger tasting, I have not tried Cedar yet in a vinegar but love it as a tea.

[niyad]

7. Thanks to you, I just spent some delightful time looking up recipes for the

vinegar you mentioned. .. We do not have white pine here, but many others. It also reminded me about pine needle tea, which had completely slipped my mind. I do pine potpouris, including the simmering ones. hmmm, time for a lste night stroll around my neighborhood!