Snow Squalls and Tomato Selections

   
   Following several days of mild, Spring-like weather, the temperature dropped and we are in for snow squalls.  We no longer seem to have a solid 4 or 5 months of winter followed by a gradual entry into Spring.  The weather graphs look like mountain ranges all winter long, with temperatures shooting up and down.  Not a lot of stability and the weather patterns aren't as predictable as they used to be.

   I took the bus yesterday downtown, as I needed to have bloodwork done at the lab.  There were few people on the bus (thankfully, and understandably).  It was a strange experience to weave through the streets and see that almost all the driveways had vehicles parked in them at 8:30am on a weekday.  The windows of many homes had decorated paper hearts taped in them.  I read online recently that people were encouraged to place hearts in their windows to serve as an "I Spy" game for those out for walks.  Also as a symbolic, "We're in this together", I would think.  It was surprisingly comforting to see them in the windows.  Some homes had one heart in a single window, and some homes had several windows completely filled with hearts.  Windows in two homes I passed had been decorated with colourful tissue paper and looked like stained glass.  Those windows also displayed small signs with religious messages of encouragement written on them.

   It has been something to visit the websites of seed businesses this Spring.  Most have posted messages thanking customers for their patience in dealing with delayed shipments caused by the unprecedented demand for seeds and gardening equipment.  It is a shame it has taken a pandemic and empty shelves in the grocery stores to remind people how critical an issue food security is. Small, independent seed businesses have had to become creative; most typically earn a large chunk of their income through Seedy Saturday events and Farmers Markets and those have been cancelled.  Prairie Garden Seeds in Saskatchewan held two live streaming events online where customers could ask gardening questions and the owners recommended varieties appropriate to each customer's needs and growing region.

   Everyone should be growing food if they can this summer, even if it's a single tomato plant or a pot of herbs.  HERE is a list of Canadian seed businesses.  One business missing from the list that you might wish to check out is Yonder Hill Farm in Nova Scotia.

   Around March 20th, I started a few pepper seeds:

Anaheim - the first to germinate, as they were fresh seeds, recenty purchased.
Tam Jalapeno - only one has germinated so far. The seeds are a few years old.
Chocolate Bell - old seed.  In fact, I am now wondering what I was thinking when I planted them.  We'll see if they come up.

   The plan was to wait until April before starting tomato seeds. I was feeling snakey and unwell yesterday, so planted them early as a pick-me-up.  This year's tomato varieties are:

Repeats 

Work Release Paste  (pink, heirloom, heart-shaped, paste, indeterminate, large, origin Italian, mid-season ~75-80 DTM) 

Black Sea Man  (brown/black, heirloom, beefsteak, 8-12 oz, rich flavour, slicer, determinate, can be grown in large containers, Russian origin, early, ~ 75 DTM) 

Black Krim  (black/purple, heirloom, beefsteak, indeterminate, very flavourful, slicer, ~ 80 DTM/midseason) 

Hungarian Heart  (reddish-pink, large oxheart (often 1lb or more), heirloom, indeterminate, paste/canner/fresh, crack-resistant, few seeds, origin: Hungary, ~ 80 DTM) 

Striped German  (bicolour – yellow marbled w/red, heirloom, indeterminate, large beefsteak, fruity flavour, ~ 85 DTM) 

Principe Borghese  (red, heirloom, determinate, small, dry, few seeds, good for sundried tomatoes,~ 75 DTM) 

Cole (red, small/round, short sprawling determinate, very early and productive, open-pollinated Mennonite variety from Saskatchewan. ~ 60-65 DTM?) 

Emerald Evergreen (large green-when-ripe beefsteak, heirloom, indeterminate, slicer, mild/sweet flavour, ~80 DTM)

New 

Bellestar  (also "Bellstar" - red, medium/square-round 4-5oz fruits, paste, Canadian heirloom, determinate, compact, early set, ~70 DTM 

Hungarian Italian Paste  (red, 3-4 oz pear-shaped fruit that grow in clusters of 4, paste, productive, open-pollinated, determinate (?), ~80 DTM) 

Jewish  (red oxheart, heirloom, rare, indeterminate, few seeds ~ 80 DTM) 

Candy Sweet Icicle (pink w/gold and orange stripes, mini-roma/large pointy cherry, open-pollinated, indetereminate, pretty, sweet and flavourful, mid-season, 70-80 DTM) 

Cream Sausage (pale yellow/cream, open-pollinated, determinate, productive, paste/salsa, sweet flavour, mid-season, 75-80 DTM) 

Wentzell (red-pink beefsteak, Nova Scotia heirloom (Wentzell family of Lunenburg County - a local strain of pink Brandywine selected for generations), indeterminate, slicer, early)

 The garlic bulbils I started in late December indoors seem to be doing well.  They have been under the grow light until now, which surely helped. 

   Off to make a big mug of hot chocolate.  Afterwards, I'll tackle the dishes.  Thank goodness for podcasts; they make dishwashing a much more enjoyable task!  I have Under the Influence (CBC), Ram Dass Here and Now, That Classical Podcast, and The Unexplained with Howard Hughes queued up and ready to go.

Raven Gift

   During the winter months, we sometimes put the old, dried up bits of tinned cat food our cats are finished with out on a large rock for the ravens and magpies.  They seem to relish the treat, especially on very cold days.

   This morning, R. found a "thank you" gift on the mat right outside the front door.  It looks like it might have once been part of an earring.  (Click to enlarge)

  Something similar happened several months ago.  Arriving home from running errands, we discovered a metal "pink ribbon" pin, minus the clasp, sitting on the mat in front of the door.  It had a rusty spot or two, but overall was still quite shiny.  After keeping it as a novelty for a few weeks, I threw it away.  Now I wish I had held onto it.  We are going to keep a little glass jar on hand to stash any future raven gifts we receive!

   Here is a neat article about a young girl who regularly receives treasures from her crow friends.  :)

Oh, Look! It's Warmed Up!

It actually has.  It was -38 this morning.  Ice fog and aching bones.

This ice is on the inside of the kitchen window.

I'm ready for Spring.  In the meantime, some hot chocolate is in order.

Garlic Bulbils - A Winter Experiment

   Earlier this week, I discovered that some of the Spanish Roja bulbils I received in a trade last year had sprouted in their envelope.  The bulbils seemed to be in good shape, so I planted them in a plastic pot yesterday and put them in the plant room.  I also planted some Persian Star bulbils.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to harvest small rounds of each variety in a few months and replant those in late September, 2020.

Spanish Roja – Rocambole, early, thin wrappers (not good for long storage).  Medium-sized bulbils.

Persian Star – Purple-Striped, mid-to-late season, approx. 6 months storage.  Very small bulbils.

January 3, 2020

   I planted 5 Duganski bulbils in a pot and put it in the plant room along with the others.

Duganski – (Marbled?) Purple Stripe, hardneck, violet striped wrappers, strong/rich flavour (“fiery with mellow finish”), mid-to-late season, a large/tall variety, long storing (~9 months).  Small bulbils.

January 8, 2020

We have sprouts!

Spanish Roja...

Persian Star...

   My fingers are crossed that some nice garlic rounds result from this experiment.  However, I read after I planted the bulbils that it is best that they be exposed to at least a month of cold temperatures in order to develop well.  (This is definitely the case when planting cloves with the hopes of later harvesting bulbs.  An informative article about this can be found on the John Boy Farms site.)   Perhaps the bulbils won't be as particular with regards to cool temps (or lack thereof)...? 


January 15, 2020

One of the Duganski bulbils has sprouted. The bulbils were so small that I might have planted some upside down.  It was difficult to tell which end was up!


January 30, 2020

Left to right: Persian Star, Spanish Roja, and (alas, only 2!) Duganski.

May 3, 2020

Bringing the bulbils outside to acclimatize.  Left to right: Persian Star, Duganski, Spanish Roja.    

This is the neighbour's kitty, who came over to see what I was doing.  We don't know her name, but she seems like a gentle little soul.

Breaking Into the Lower Salmon River

   
   This past summer was my first time growing Lower Salmon River squash.  Of the squash varieties I planted, this is the only one - including the summer squash - that not only pulled through the cool, wet weather, but produced well.

   One of the main characteristics of Lower Salmon River I kept reading was that it is an excellent storing variety.   I can confirm that this is the case.  The skins are hard.  The first one I processed took me close to an hour and a half to cut open, peel, and cube.  I had to repeatedly zap the squash halves in the microwave so I could cut them into wedges and peel the wedges. I developed a blister in the process!  When all was said and done, there was a lovely large bowl of squash cubes.  Enough to make a squash and chickpea curry (recipe below) and have still have some left over to boil and mash for the next day's supper.

   Today, I took a different approach.  I asked R., who has large, scary tools, if he could cut the squash open.  From another room, I heard,"BANG BANG BANG BANG!" coming from the kitchen.  I stayed put and asked no questions.  In less than 5 minutes, he called me into the kitchen. There was my squash, ready to be scooped out and cut up.  He agreed that the skin was hard - the machete had to be used in tandem with a hammer!  It certainly was faster than the kitchen knife and upper body strength (*cough*) that I used on the last one.

Squash and Chickpea Curry

2 Tbsp cooking oil or olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp curry powder
6 cups Butternut (or other type) squash, peeled and cut into small cubes.
¼ tsp  pepper
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 ½ cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup raisins
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)


Directions:

- In a large pot/Dutch oven, heat oil. Saute onions, ginger, and garlic until onion is softened.  Stir in curry powder* and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in quash, pepper, and tomato paste and stir until squash is coated.
- Add broth and water, chickpeas, and raisins.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Stir occasionally.  Simmer for  about 15 minutes or until squash is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, and/or toasted sliced almonds.

*I also add ~ ¼ tsp cayenne, ½ Tbsp ground cumin, and 1 Tbsp garam masala.

Midnight Sun

   A few of the Midnight Sun tomatoes I grew have finally ripened!  Find a description of these tomatoes, as well as a link to the woman who developed the variety on THIS post.

Forget the Tomatoes, Tickle My Belly!

Monday morning (October 7th), I woke up around 6:30am to the sound of hail hitting the windows.  It came down hard for five minutes or so, then gave way to big, fluffy, wet snowflakes.  Snow fell for an hour or two, and has remained on the ground due to cool temperatures (it was -10 yesterday morning).  It has just started to melt this afternoon.  I'm glad to see the sunshine again!

The Work Release Paste tomatoes are nice and ripe now, so I took a picture to add to my notes.  I take a lot of pictures in the plant room, as the light is bright in there.  I snapped this picture, looked up, and...

...discovered Bea, waiting to be adored and photographed.  Belly tickle not optional.

Here are some of the tomatoes ready to go in the freezer.  Once frozen, running hot water over them makes the skins come off easily.  Then into the pot to cook down for sauce.  If I'm up to another step (usually, I am not!), the sauce is run through a little tomato press to remove the seeds.  So far, 14 L of sauce has been canned this month.  I think when all is said and done, we'll have about half the amount we did last year.