Savoring The First Strawberries

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Ann Lovejoy
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Heritage Home Grown Sweetness

Though strawberries start appearing in supermarkets in early April, most of these hothouse products are huge and tasteless. By mid May, the first locals (which appear from now into June) arrive, ephemeral treasures to be cherished. Smaller and less showy than those super-sized California girls, the sweet little strawberries-next-door may be plain Janes but boast richer flavors and brighter perfumes. Berries of all kinds thrive in the maritime Northwest, and strawberries are no exception. June bearing strawberries produce a single crop and many runners, each of which can become a new plant. June bearers are often planted in wide beds and allowed to create new colonies after the fruit has been harvested. By planting early, mid, and late fruiting varieties, June bearers will fruit for about four weeks. Plant your starts about 12-16″ apart with the crown at soil level, choosing a spot in full sun with rich, well-drained soil.

Everbearing and day-neutral strawberries produce two to three flushes of fruit in bursts, from early summer into autumn. Both are good candidates for growing in strawberry pots near the kitchen, where a happy handful can quickly be gathered to brighten a salad or sweeten a dessert. Longer lived than June bearers, they are less prolific with runners, so coddle those that do appear to replace your original plants which will exhaust themselves in a few seasons. Tiny alpine strawberries, diminutive but prolific Everbearers, are just right for edging a path or tucking into odd corners.

Celebrating Strawberries

Here on Bainbridge Island, strawberry season has been celebrated for over a century, kicked off by the appearance of local fruit and culminating in our Filipino community’s election of a lovely young Strawberry Queen, who gets to ride a float in our lively small-town Fourth of July parade, practicing her flat-handed queenly wave. Local strawberries are also passionately welcomed by the whole community as folks flock to our local, family owned Town & Country Market for the season’s first local berries. Most come from the Sakuma Brothers farms, run by former island families who found larger fields on the main land, but some are still grown on small island farms that date back to the days when Bainbridge Island was called the fruit basket of Puget Sound.

Best In The West

Here on the West Coast, the earliest strawberries include Earliglow, a sweet, juicy June Bearing favorite with excellent form and flavor. Honeoye is also an early bird June Bearer, though it needs a full year to settle in. Once established, you’ll harvest copious quantities of fat, tangy fruit. For early to midseason fruit, consider Chandler, a very productive variety with succulent, colorful, wedge-shaped berries. Surecrop is another tasty June Bearer, with especially firm, plump fruit that freeze well. These sturdy, disease-resistant troopers need a season to get started but produce lavishly their second year.

Outstanding among Everbearing strawberries, Ogallala is especially hardy and tough. Like many others, this one is a light fruiter the first year but kicks it up to serious production in year two. Delicious in salads and smoothies, the juicy berries are red clear through, without the white hearts of many modern hybrids. Sequoia, also Everbearing, ripens earlier than average, with glossy, sweet berries with that classic conical shape. Sequoia also hits its stride in its second year, and often sends out scads of eager runners, each tipped with a wannabe baby plant. Day Length Neutral Seascape is notably disease resistant and highly fruitful, offering extended harvests well into August once established.

Strawberries On The Table

Refrigeration may keep berries fresher longer, but cold air starts converting sugars into starches, which makes ripe strawberries (or tomatoes) taste flat. For best flavor, serve strawberries the day they are picked and at room temperature. Freeze fresh strawberries whole on flat baking sheets, then transfer them to tightly sealed freezer containers. They’ll taste best if used within three months but save some to make jam or smoothies in winter and they’ll be fine for such purposes.

What might you do with your daily harvest? For a quick and delicious dessert, serve freshly picked strawberries with a sprinkle of freshly ground nutmeg and brown sugar. Garnish summery soups with sliced strawberries and slivered green onions. Add quartered strawberries to green salads and dress with a white balsamic vinaigrette. Stir a cupful of chopped strawberries into sourdough waffle or pancake batter. Or, of course, you can make smoothies!

Strawberry Breakfast Smoothies

1/2 cup ice cubes
1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 ripe banana
2 cups coconut, almond or oat milk (or any milk)
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons finely chopped mint
few grains sea salt

Grind ice in a blender, add remaining ingredients and puree until creamy. Serve cold. Serves 2.

Strawberry & Greens Salad

This summery salad is also lovely with raspberries or Loganberries.

8 leaves of Butter or Boston lettuce
1 cup finely shredded Swiss chard, golden or red
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
12 fresh strawberries, sliced and fanned
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2-3 ounces fresh goat cheese
Fresh Strawberry Dressing (see below)

On four salad plates, arrange lettuce and top with chard and red onion. Fan berries on each plate and top with capers and goat cheese. Drizzle with dressing and serve. Serves 4.

Ripe Strawberry Dressing

1 cup chopped strawberries
1/3 cup avocado oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic or cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Dessert First

Although nothing beats eating sun-warm strawberries straight from the garden, these enticing fruits lend themselves to a wide range of treatments, from sweet to savory. After eating a few day’s worth of naked berries, I’m ready for a few classics. For many years, my family has celebrated the start of local strawberry season by enjoying strawberry shortcake for dinner. There are, of course, many versions to try, but after a fair amount of playful experimentation, I’ve plumped for these light, flaky, slimmed down shortcakes, which gain flavor, fragrance, and a tender crumb from whole wheat pastry flour.

Perfect Strawberry Shortcake

Berries:
6 cups strawberries, hulled & quartered
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup

Combine in a bowl and set aside to macerate for at least 15 minutes.

Cream:
1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
1-2 teaspoons sugar or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Whip cream to soft peaks, add sugar and vanilla and whip for 10-15 seconds more. Set aside.

Shortcakes:
2 cups whole wheat (or any) pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon cardamom or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter OR coconut oil
3/4 cup milk (almond if not cow)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients in a food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add butter and process for 10 seconds or until evenly distributed. Transfer to a bowl and stir in milk, starting with 1/2 cup, adding just enough for the dough to form a ball (not too sticky). Pat into four rounds 1/2 inch high and bake at 450 until golden (12-15 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes, then split in half like a bun, using a fork, and fill with berries and cream. Serves at least one.

 

Posted in Early Crops, Easy Care Perennials, Gardening With Children, Growing Berry Crops, Planting & Transplanting, preserving food, Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Good Food And Good Company

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Ann Lovejoy
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Relishing Raw Asparagus

This weekend, my daughter and I had a house blessing ceremony to celebrate moving in to our newly refurbished home. At a recent choir practice, I’d asked my fellow choristers to come sing a sweet old hymn, Bless This House, and then invited the whole congregation to come along, as well as the entire neighborhood, my Friday Tidy and library pals, and any old friend I happened to see last week. They packed the house with cheerful good will and good wishes, and I was extremely grateful to our talented contractor Jorge Hernandez for reinforcing the underpinnings before redoing the floors!

My loving and wise Pastor Dee Eisenhauer blessed the front doorway and each room, including what she declared to be the shrine of the kitchen, blessing the herbs and spices, the food, the pots and pans, the dishes, that all might serve to nourish us and our guests. What a powerful sentiment; may we indeed nourish each other physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually! I hope I can stay awake to that as I cook in this kitchen, taking delight in both the food and in my surroundings. I want to keep holding onto my gratitude for all the hands that went into making this room so bright and cheerful as well as functional and super cute.

Spring Gifts

As a house warming gift, a former library co-worker brought us a bag of home grown goodies, including young asparagus, huge shallots, and a beautiful, juicy Meyer lemon from her prolific tree (it lives indoors all winter, of course). She reminded me that they were ingredients in a salad I’d devised many years ago, a recipe I’d almost forgotten but happily revised for tonight’s dinner. Asparagus is a huge treat for me because I refuse to buy it out of season. I’d rather do without and look forward to spring asparagus than eat stalks that were grown thousands of miles away, flown up from South America and landing here trailing an enormous carbon shadow…

Fresh asparagus is both delicious and wholesome, packed with vitamins and antioxidants. When the first local produce arrives, grab it. Whether the stalks are thick or thin, there are wonderful ways to use them. Very thick stalks can be carefully peeled (though I find this a bother and prefer the slightly crispy crunch of skin-on asparagus). Like many vegetables, asparagus balances a subtle combination of savory and sweet sub-flavors that can be emphasized by alternating the herbs and spices we use in sauces. For instance, a mild curry dressing with a hint of cinnamon and coriander awakens sweetness, while lemon juice and capers bring out savory qualities.

Raw Asparagus Salads

These astonishing salads are high among my favorite springtime treats. Each offers an enticing variety of flavors and textures, and all can be adapted to accommodate vegan/dairy free eaters by leaving out the cheeses. Letting the salads stand before serving changes the textures, sometimes remarkably, as oil and/or vinegars “cook” the greens and asparagus a bit. You might try tasting some right after mixing, then letting them stand a bit, then tasting again to see which way you prefer these spring delights.

French Raw Asparagus Salad

1 organic lemon, juiced
1/4 cup fruity olive oil
Pinch of kosher or sea salt
Pinch of smoked paprika
1 bunch plump asparagus
1/2 cup coarsely grated Romano cheese

In a jar, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and paprika, shake well to emulsify and taste, adjusting seasonings to get the balance you prefer. Snap asparagus stem ends off and shave the spears into skinny strips (skin and all) with a vegetable peeler. In a serving bowl, combine asparagus and dressing, toss with cheese and serve. Serves 2-4.

Italian Raw Asparagus & Mushroom Salad

1 organic lemon, juiced, rind grated
1/3 cup fruity olive oil
1 tablespoon capers
Pinch of kosher or sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch plump asparagus
4 mushrooms (your favorite), halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian (flat) parsley
1/4 cup coarsely grated Pecorino cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

In a jar, combine lemon juice and rind with the olive oil, capers, salt, and pepper, shake well to emulsify and taste, adjusting seasonings to get the balance you prefer. Snap asparagus stem ends off and slice spears thinly on the diagonal, keeping tender tips intact. In a serving bowl, combine asparagus, mushrooms, red onion, and parsley with dressing and let stand for 20-130 minutes. Add cheese and nuts, toss gently and serve. Serves at least one.

Raw Asparagus & Shallot Salad

1/4 cup avocado oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon thyme, stemmed and minced
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups black Tuscan kale, shredded
1 cup arugula or radicchio, shredded
8 spears asparagus, ends snapped, cut thinly in rounds
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

In a jar, combine avocado oil, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper, shake well to emulsify and taste, adjusting seasonings to get the balance you prefer. In a serving bowl, combine kale, arugula, asparagus, and shallots. Drizzle with dressing, toss gently and let stand for 15-20 minutes, then serve, garnished with almonds. Serves 2-4.

 

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The Return Of Human Compost

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Ann Lovejoy
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Resting In The Peaceful Garden

Let’s talk a little about remains; what’s left over when we move on. Over the years, as members of the Friday Tidy garden volunteers have died, we who remained have talked about the ways in which we each might prefer our bodies to be cared for after death. Most of us lean towards being planted under a tree, or as new green burial options arose, perhaps sitting upright in a body pod with a tree nestled in our lap. We’ve often discussed our personal tree choices; I definitely favor a crabapple, the kind with small berry-like fruit beloved of birds, such as Royal Raindrops or Golden Raindrops.

I also admire the diminutive forms of Sargent crabapple (Malus sargentii), such as Sargent Tina and Rosea, both of which top out under 8 feet in height. Sargent crabs usually spread wider as they age, turning into gnarly, knobbly granny trees with abundant spring blossom, plump fruit that persists into fall, and pleasing autumn color. How perfect is that? These little gals fit snugly into small places where larger trees would quickly outgrow their position (one reason I often use them as memorial trees). My new garden (still emerging as ongoing renovation continues) is very small indeed, and a Sargent is a leading candidate for the very limited space available for trees and shrubs. And possibly my own memorial tree?

Ruminating

Perhaps it seems odd to be dwelling on death when spring is in full bloom, skies are blue, and my daughter and I have just moved into our new-to-us home. Partly it’s a time-of-life issue; by now, many family members and friends have moved on past this life, and more are on the runway, preparing for takeoff. The death passage is also on my mind because I’ve been facilitating an ongoing series called Write your Own Obit, encouraging people to take a creative look at their own life stories. While there are established templates for obituaries, many sadly lack the flavor and richness of a full lifetime. True, describing a full life fully could tale a book—or several volumes—yet it’s fascinating to notice how a few truthful, singing statements can bring a dry narrative alive. The usual long list of facts and accomplishments does tell a kind of story, but can’t capture the experiences and dreams that make a person an individual.

Another reason for my rumination is that, at the last obit writing session, I learned that a “new” way of dealing with empty bodies has become possible. Until now, human bodies in Washington had to be embalmed or cremated. Last week, the Washington State Legislature passed SB 5001, legalizing both alkaline hydrolysis (“water cremation”) and human composting. The impetus for this bill came from research done at Washington State University using bodies donated for this purpose by green burial proponents. The research team developed technology has been developed that involves burying a body in a box filled with wood chips and straw. Treated just like any compost, the mixture eventually becomes about a cubic yard of soil that can be used in home gardens. An eco-conscious company called ReCompose hopes to be in the human composting business by 2020.

Really?

Well, of course! After all, for millennia, when we humans died, our bodies have been laid to rest in the cradle of the earth. Covered with rock cairns or earthen mounds, tucked into crevices in caves, slid into pits or sealed in tombs, sooner or later our remains returned to the soil. I find embalming repellent and even though preferable, the thought of cremation isn’t exactly soothing. I’m smitten with this return to tradition and the possibility that my saggy old body can contribute nourishment to spring blossoms and summer fruit, autumn color and bare winter branches. I love the idea that my earthly remains become ever more earthy, contributing to the wellbeing of the plants and critters and the planet itself.

How does it work? As the company website says, “By converting human remains into soil, we minimize waste, avoid polluting groundwater with embalming fluid, and prevent the emissions of CO2 from cremation and from the manufacturing of caskets, headstones, and grave liners. By allowing organic processes to transform our bodies and those of our loved ones into a useful soil amendment, we help to strengthen our relationship to the natural cycles while enriching the earth.”

 

Posted in composting, Soil, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Filling A Tiny Garden

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Ann Lovejoy
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Finding Room For Favorites

In just a handful of days, I’ll be moving into one of the last genuine neighborhoods left on my beloved island. By policy, growth has been concentrated in and around the small town center, taking advantage of city water and sewer lines and seeking to keep outlying areas more rural. To some extent, this policy works, but as huge new housing developments replace modest old cottages, charm and character are erased by bland (and sometimes brutally homely) conformity. Great tracts of creepily similar homes now surround the holdouts, which look a little forlorn sandwiched between giant blocks of concrete, sleek but anonymous.

In rich contrast, my new neighborhood boasts a full spectrum of mobile homes in all sizes and styles, from authentic vintage to ultramodern blocky. Years ago, this was a larger trailer park, but a hostile takeover removed a large chunk of homesites. Alarmed, the remaining owners banded together, created a coop residents association, and secured a hefty HUD loan. Now there are fifty lots, each with one voting share, regardless of lot size, which varies wildly from miniscule to modest to (relatively) mammoth. Where a dozen mobile homes once sat, several high-rise blocks are rising, jammed with nearly 60 units with tiny “garden” strips and very little parking.

Sharing The Love

In the park proper, mine is one of the smaller lots, nearly filled by my vintage mobile home. A 1977 double-wide, it’s 24 x 48, with a great floor plan and wonderful light, indoors and out. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms make it a good fit for me and my daughter, who will be living with me. A young friend recently said that America needs to stop stigmatizing young people who live with their parents and I heartily agree. All over the world and for millennia, shared family homes and multi-family living situations have been more normal than nuclear family dwellings, and not only for economic reasons. It’s not easy for single folks of any age to find comfortable, affordable housing these days, and home sharing offers social and emotional advantages as well as lower living costs.

I’m especially interested to see how our aging cats adapt to feline company, as both have been single girls since kittenhood. We’ve always been a cat family, with occasional dogs, rabbits and chickens joining the mix, and usually all the critters coexisted quite happily. We’re hoping that our sweet old girls get along and even enjoy each other’s company, perhaps even napping together on the sunny windowsills. Because we love birds, ours will remain indoor cats, though we’re contemplating installing some caged cat windows so they can sit and watch over the garden and the street.

Small Spaces, Special Plants

Like all remodels, ours uncovered unsuspected issues, among them a serious drainage problem caused by deferred maintenance. Huge overgrown shrubs had knocked off the gutters, so water poured under the house, causing one side to sag several inches. To fix that, we jacked up the house, rebuilt the supports, then removed a mossy, rotten little deck that ran the length of the lot on the North side. Once the huge shrub rootballs, came out, we had to build a long, low retaining wall to hold up the tottering old fence, since the lot to the north is several feet higher than mine. My thoughtful garden contractor is making the wall into a narrow but 60-foot long strip of shade garden to soften the new gravel path and give me some planting space. Kind friends have offered some truly choice treasures for this bed, and as soon as it’s prepped, I’ll be tucking in small hostas and podophyllums, fritillaries and ferns, hellebores and tiny bulbs, black mondo grass and snowdrops.

The little back yard is still a disaster but I’ll have some planting space out in front. Most of the narrow front strip will be graveled for parking, but some big galvanized watering troughs will hold herbs and tomatoes, blueberries and raspberries, asparagus and potatoes. A small garden by the front path will hold some of my all-time favorite shrubs and perennials, from the fragrant, apricot colored Austen rose, Just Joey to Bowl of Beauty and Coral Charm peonies, Orange Rocket barberry, and Lemon Thread chamaecyparis. Some grasses, of course, and zinnias, poppies, and pollinator annuals, and seasonal bulbs…

Privacy And Screening

Though the old wood fence is sagging and rotting, I love the weathered look. Indeed, I’m considering lifting the panels off the ground and hanging them in sturdy frames like artwork, so they help screen our space from the neighbors but aren’t rotting from soil contact. One section is already gone; when I was discussing ideas with my clever house contractor (the uncle of my long-time garden guy), my neighbor popped her head over the fence and said her elderly mother loved to grow tomatoes but this section of fence blocked her light. In response, Jorge simply lifted the 8-foot panel away. Poof! We’ll replace that section with stockade wire and build out a bed to hold my three-way espalier apple tree, which I’ll train on the wire.

On the other side, I’m planting a beautiful Pacific Fire vine maple, a compact, upright form with good fall color and gorgeous red stems that remain brilliant into maturity but won’t get too large for its allotted spot. My backyard, now a mud pit, will eventually be floored with pavers and a little fire bowl for evening garden savoring, as well as large planters filled with much loved plants. My back neighbor’s lot is almost eight feet lower than mine (the original grading must have been pretty free-form) so I’m planting an Italian prune plum in his yard, where there’s more room than in mine. As the plum tree grows up, it will screen his handy-guy collection of useful materials and provide fruit for both of us (if the raccoons don’t snag them all!).

Present And Future

Some of this work will have to wait a while, as the interior remodel is (surprise!) costing more than expected. We’re delighted with the way our cozy cottage looks, though, from its dove grey aluminum siding to our renovated black-and-white kitchen to Alexis’ lovely lavender bedroom and my sunny yellow bathroom. It’s adorable inside and before too long, the outside will also be attractive and usable. right now, the long deck is jammed with tools and saw horses but eventually it will host our vintage metal table and chairs so we can sit outside and enjoy the neighborhood.

By summer, my big mother pots will hold hardy fuchsias and hostas, and those galvanized troughs will offer up basil and thyme, rosemary and sage, parsley and lavender. I’m excited to have an actual full-sun place to grow tomatoes as well, though they probably won’t go in until Mothers’ Day. By then, night temperatures should be in the mid fifties, the critical temperature point for tropical plants like tomatoes, which often drop blossoms and lose ground if temps dip lower than that (their roots can actually shrink a bit when nights are cool). Back in the day, we used soil thermometers which have little markers that register the day’s high and low temperatures to determine when it was safe to plant tender crops. These days, most Smartphones show hourly temperatures for each day, what a boon!

 

Posted in Annual Color, Drainage, Garden Design, Health & Wellbeing, Pets & Pests In The Garden, Pollinators, Soil, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Tomatoes | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments