Baby Butternuts, Black Carrots, and a Steamed Pudding

   The small butternut squash (Burpee's Butterbush) were picked September 18th.  They could have used a longer time on the plants to ripen, but a string of heavy frosts made it a safer bet the pick them.  They spent a month in the sunny plant room, curing, and then were put in a cool cabinet to store.  We haven't eaten any of them yet, but we did use one of the Galeux D'Eysines to make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  Delicious!

 

   This year, in addition to the carrots I usually grow, I tried Pusa Asita black carrots.  I didn't expect them to do well, but they absolutely thrived in our hot, dry summer.  They are deep purple and bleed/stain like a beet when cut.  I braced myself for a very sweet taste and the same uncomfortable sugar rush that hits when eating beets.  To my surprise - and relief - they tasted just like regular home-grown carrots.  Whew!  I've snacked on them raw, as boiling or steaming them with other carrots results in everything being purple.  They would probably be wonderful roasted in the oven, too.

 

    This afternoon, R. used carrots and a potato from the garden to try his hand at a steamed carrot pudding.  This recipe is on the AllRecipes website and was submitted by Joyce Rehagen.  I'll include the recipe below.  R. added 1/4 cup of dried cranberries to the mix.  We skipped the buttery sauce and enjoyed the pudding plain.  These can also be made in large mason jars and given as gifts.  Neat!

   The best light in the house is in the plant room, thus...

 

Carrot Pudding

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup grated carrots
1 cup peeled and shredded potatoes
1 cup white sugar
1 cup raisins 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground allspice 

1 teaspoon ground cloves 

½ cup butter   

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup white sugar 
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, potatoes, sugar, raisins, flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, all spice, and ground cloves. Transfer mixture to a clean 1 pound coffee can. Secure wax paper over the top and place the filled can in a large pot with 2 to 3 inches of water. Cover the pot and bring the water to a simmer.

2. Steam the cake for 2 hours. Serve warm.

3. Buttery sauce: In a medium-size pot, combine butter or margarine, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Heat until the mixture is liquid. Spoon mixture over the warm carrot pudding to serve. 

    

    

Garlic's Planted

   Late September and October (thus far) have been mild, including the overnight temps.  Only a few heavy morning frosts to speak of.  That has made it tricky to time garlic planting this year.  I used to always plant the garlic patch around September 25th, but the last few years have given us warmer autumns.  That has pushed the planting into October.

   In any case, I gave into the urge and planted the patch this weekend, despite most overnight temps in the forecast still being above zero.  The bulbils and rounds (in pots) went in on October 7th and the cloves were planted October 8th.  The patch doesn't look like much right now, and it still needs to be covered with chopped leaves.  Doing the garlic patch is one of my favourite gardening tasks, and it is a nice to have it finished and "put to bed" for the season.

 

 

   The patch is wider than usual this year, divided by a weeding path in the middle.  Varieties are separated by rows of rocks.

The varieties planted this year are:

Bulbils: Central Siberian and Northern Quebec

Rounds: Red Rezen, Red Russian, Russian Giant, Northern Quebec, Pyong Vang Korean, Mother-of-Pearl, Brown Tempest, and Persian Star.

Cloves: Kiev, Baba Franchuk's, Central Siberian, Brown Tempest, Northern Quebec, and Red Russian.

 

Descriptions

Russian Giant  – Hardneck – Marbled Purple Stripe – Very hot when eaten raw.  Best grown in cool/northern climates.  Large bulbs, often 3 inches across.  4-6 cloves per bulbs.  Long storing (~8 months).  Skin is brownish-purple.

Pyong Vang Korean – Asiatic Hardneck – Glazed Purple Stripe.  Rare, hot, early to harvest.  Easy to peel, moderate storage (~6 months).  REMOVE SCAPES when they emerge. This variety should be harvested when 1-2 leaves have turned brown (unlike most varieties).

Red Rezan – Hardneck – Glazed Purple Stripe – Small plants and large bulbs.  Medium heat.  Pretty cloves; skins have almost an iridescent/gold tinge.  Averages 6-10 cloves per bulb. This is a heritage variety.

Persian Star – Hardneck – Purple Stripe – Cold-hardy variety and a Canadian heritage variety.  Late harvest.  5-6 months storage.  Spicey but not too hot.

Mother of Pearl – SOFTNECK – Silverskin – long storage, dense heads, no scape develops, rare variety.  Of the Silverskins, this is the earliest variety to mature.

Red Russian – Hardneck - Marbled Purple Stripe (a kind I plant annually).  Very dependable.  Excellent storage.  Large bulbs, averaging 5-7 cloves per bulb.  Can tolerate wet and very cold winters. Hot flavour with a bit of sweetness.

Northern Quebec – Hardneck – Porcelain (a kind I plant annually).  Good storage.  Averages 4 cloves per bulb. Does well in most climates and tolerates very cold winters.  Mid-season harvest.  Hot (and some say slightly smokey) flavour.

 

 

Mama and Little

   We've had many visits from deer this year, but yesterday morning was the first visit from moose in a while.  

 

   A mama moose, who was in our neighbour's back yard, became separated from it's youngster, who was in the alley.  They were separated by a 6 foot chain-link fence.  We think the mama hopped our back gate and then the fence that separates our property from our neighbour's: both are significantly shorter than the neighbour's back fence.  The mama would have had no problem navigating our back gate and fence, but her youngster would have.

 

 

  

   The neighbour has two gates beside their house, blocking their back yard from the street.  That prevented mama moose from heading onto the street, down the block, and into the alley, where her youngster waited.   The little one began making distress calls, and mama anxiously trotted back and forth between the back and front of the neighbour's yard, trying to get out.

 

 

   Finally, mama jumped (or rather, hurled herself over) the fence and managed to get into the alley despite one of her back legs/hips being temporarily caught on the top of the fence.  

The fence is a bit worse for wear...

 

   ...but Mama and Little were happily reunited.  They munched on some leaves before leaving the north end of the alley together.

 

Visitors at Dusk

 This evening, just after 6 o'clock, R. spotted a mama deer and three little ones quietly having supper in our garden.  They seemed to enjoy the crabapples best, though the lettuce and sunflowers that were in the south garden compost pile were close seconds.  They are such gentle little souls and so enjoyable to watch. They stayed for a half hour or so before moving on to explore other things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dry Bush Bean Round-Up 2022

   If the heat and periods of strong wind made for a dismal tomato year, it had the opposite impact on the dry beans I was growing.  In 15+ years, this is the first time the dry beans dried down almost completely on the plants.  No pulling entire plants in early September and hanging them indoors to avoid heavy rain or a string of "killer frost" days!

   Two of the varieties grown this year – Early Warwick and Wiener Treib - proved to be very early to dry.  I only grew out a small amount of them and wish I’d planted more.  Overall, the varieties of dry beans I’ve found to be the earliest (listed as best I can from the very earliest on down) are:

Wiener Treib (dry/bush) - 2022

Early Warwick (dry/bush) - 2022

Beka Brown (dry/bush)

Ireland Creek Annie (dry/bush) - 2022

Swedish Brown (dry bush w/short runners)

Mitla Black (dry bush w/short runners)

Small White Navy (dry bush w/short runners)

Purple Amish Gnuttle (dry bush w/short runners)

 

Honorable Mentions for early dry bush beans:  Ruckle (2022), Cattle (2022 - also called, “Jacob’s Cattle”) and Painted Pony.    

Incidentally, if your beans have begun to dry down and rain is in the forecast, for Heaven's sake, get them inside right away.  I will never forget the year I had a beautiful bed of healthy, productive Painted Pony plants, drying down nicely, when the weather suddenly turned cool and wet.  The temperatures bounced back the following day, the sun beamed…and all the beans sprouted inside the pods.  Arhg!

Of the few dry pole beans I have grown, Flagg (also called, “Skunk” and “Chester”) and Dolloff have been the earliest to dry.  That being said, many of the pods had to complete drying down indoors after being picked in late August/early September.

 

Dry beans grown in 2022

(Click to enlarge photos)

Wiener Treib

A small white and speckled gold heirloom with Dutch origins.  Rare.  Very early for a dry bean. Rich flavour, meaty texture, nice for stews, chilis, and soups.  Easy to pick and shell.  Seeds obtained from a member of Seeds of Diversity, through the Member Seed Directory.

 

Early Warwick

A dark red speckled bean from Warwick England, grown pre-1890.  I find them quite pretty!  Very tasty in chilis and baked beans, and they hold their shape when cooked.  Productive, early, and cool weather tolerant.  Seeds obtained from a member of Seeds of Diversity, through the Member Seed Directory.

 

Ireland Creek Annie

Productive, reliable, and early (~80DTM).  A nice soup bean that makes it's own sauce/broth.  According to Annapolis Seeds, where I originally purchased these beans, it was named after Ireland Creek Farm in the Fraser Valley (BC, Canada) where it has been grown since the 1930s.  

 

Mrociumere

An heirloom bean from the Kenyan region of Africa.  They have a thin skin and creamy texture.  Narrow kidney shape and a finely speckled lavender colour.  About 90DTM for dry beans.  I have read they are best for creamy soups and dips.  Seeds were obtained in a trade and grown out.

Ruckle

An heirloom named by Gwen Ruckle of Salt Spring Island. A white kidney bean that matures early on productive plants.  Mild, sweet flavour.   Originally purchased through Salt Spring Seeds.

 

Tiger Eye (dry bush w/short runners)

A beautiful, large gold/orange bean with burgundy stripes. Not the most productive bean I have grown, but I've grown it often because it looks and tastes so nice.  When planted in a plot with short stakes between the rows, the runners have something to cling to and the pods dry down more quickly and evenly.  I bought these years ago and am unsure now where.  Possibly The Cottage Gardener.  (I still miss their lovely catalog, and trust they are enjoying their semi-retirement!  :)

Tene’s Beans

White, egg-shaped, an heirloom marrowfat type bean.  It has it's roots in Grand Manan, New Brunswick, where it was grown by the Locke family for generations. Great for traditional baked beans, or cooked and eaten just as they are.  Approximately 90DTM. I originally bought these seeds from Heritage Harvest Seed. 

Coco Jaune de Chine

According to Heritage Harvest Seed (where I originally purchased this bean), this is a very rare original strain of the China Yellow or Sulphur bean.  It cooks down to a thick sauce, making it great for soups and stews.  Though a small bean, I find it fairly late to dry down (~100-110 DTM), so don't grow it as often as I would like.

 

 Cattle beans

A productive and reliable heirloom from New England that strikes me as surprisingly early for it's size.  Plump, oblong seeds that are white with maroon speckles and splotches.  Good for baked bean dishes and soups.  The plants grow close to 2' tall.  ~90DTM.  Obtained in a trade.

 

And...Gold Harvest dry pea!

An heirloom from Salt Spring Seeds.  The plants are compact (2-3 feet tall), productive, and early to dry down.  The pods are small and contain just a few peas each.  The flowers are lovely - pink and coral in colour.  Though I haven't tried them yet, they apparently have a distinct chestnut flavour.