Planet Veggie Garden

  Box of leaf lettuce

Don’t have much space but love really fresh salad…
here’s one of our boxes of lettuce.

Very simple. We got a banana box from a local grocer (actually, we’ve gotten many banana boxes). Typically it comes with a plastic liner bag with aeration holes. We double the box by putting the bottom half into the top half. Fill about 75% with good soil and you’re ready to go.

In this box I grew a couple varieties of leaf lettuce from seed – Red Sails and Rouge D’hiver from seed. Lettuce seeds shouldn’t be planted deep… only 1/8 inch.

Here’s how I planted this box:
– keep a little dry soil aside.
– water the soil in the box completely through.
– pinch some seeds between your index finger and thumb and sprinkle them into the box.
– then take the dry soil held aside and sprinkle it over the seeds.

Keep well moistened until they sprout, then back off the water some. Germination is generally 1-2 weeks.

You’ll notice this is densely planted. As it grows, thin by harvesting the leaves rather than entire plants. You can also space them out more if you have more room.

Leaf lettuce matures more quickly – around 45 days. Head lettuce – 60-75 days.

Lettuce prefers the cooler and moister weather of spring and fall. During the summer we plant it in shady areas. For now we’ve staggered out 4 boxes of lettuce to keep up eating very frash salad until at least the end of the year.

Yesterday, on a walk through our neighborhood, we spotted a persimmon tree full of bright orange orbs. In a few weeks, all the leaves will fall off and all you will see is the bright orange fruit hanging on bare branches. 

The sight of Persimmon trees bring back fond memories of Fall from my childhood.  Growing up in a Chinese family, persimmons were as common to our Fall table as apples.  It was always a big treat to see Mom bring out a plate full for the rare occasions we had dessert. We enjoyed both the Hachiya and the Fuyus, the two most common varieties you will find. Though now there are dozens of varieties that can be found in specialty grocers and your local farmer’s market.

Persimmons were originally from China and, as with many fruits from around the world, was eventually  introduced to California where it thrives today.

In the old country, the fresh fruit was used to treat constipation and hemorrhoids as well as stop bleeding.  Those that over indulge should not be surprised then if the runs come to visit.
However, the cooked fruit was used to treat dysentery and diarrhea…so there is your antidote should you eat a few too many raw fruits…

The trick to persimmons is knowing when to bite into one.  There are two types of persimmons but all start out green and turn a very deep orange when ripe.  The difference in the two types is that one is classified as astringent and the other…non-astringent.
Fuyu’s, which are flat and shaped like a tomato, are non-astringent and eaten when firm like an apple. 
Hachiyas, which are elongated with a pointy end, must be soft before you can eat them. It’s the high tannin content in unripe fruit that causes extreme astringency making them totally inedible – the tannins do however breakdown during the ripening process.

When ready to eat, a ripe Hachiya should feel like a water balloon.  Any firmness under the delicate skin will only pucker up your mouth and make you feel as if you stuffed your mouth full of cotton balls. Patti found this out the hard way a number of years ago when I brought home a big bag full from my Mom with a plan to bake a few persimmon pudding cakes. She had only eaten the sweet crispy fuyu’s in the past and didn’t know these were not edible til soft. Before I could stop her from eating a crisp firm slice of the Hachiya…wow, what a look on her face…

You can speed up the ripening process by storing them in a warm place with some apples. Some recommend tossing them in the freezer – now, while they are very soft upon thawing, I’m skeptical that all the tannins have sufficiently been broken down.

Once ripened, the pudding like pulp can be easily scooped out by a spoon and eaten as is or used in cakes, muffins and puddings. This time of year, many families have their secret holiday recipes.  One of my favorites is Persimmon Pudding. There are many versions out there that are steamed but I have always enjoyed a baked version from the Stars Dessert Cookbook -which I have misplaced, but here is a very similar recipe.

In China, Japan and Korea; Hachiya’s are preserved by drying. The dried fruit darkens to a deep caramel brown and has such high sugar concentration the sugars crystallize into a powdery white coating – the taste is reminiscent of dates.

Last year, we decided to plant a fruit tree in our front yard. After much pondering, we decided to plant a persimmon…a Fuyu of course! It has grown so much since then and this year we have – count them – 2 very nice sized persimmons. I’ve been keeping my eye on them the last few weeks as they slowly ripened. With the heat wave we are having, we may be able to pick them this weekend.

If you decide to plant a persimmon tree, keep in mind they do best in full sun and do not like being located near eucalyptus trees.  Optimal soil conditions include: well draining loamy soil with a pH from 6.5 to 7.5. Persimmons have a long tap root so digging the planting hole extra deep would be helpful.  Persimmons are light feeders so don’t need much fertilizing – beware that too much nitrogen may cause the fruit to drop! As the tree grows, skillful pruning by someone who knows how to optimize fruit production is a must. Pests are few but do keep an eye out for ants which may infest the tree with mealy bugs and scale.

Fuyu’s are great eaten out of hand or sliced and added to fruit salads or green leaf salads. No doubt our 2 Fuyu’s will be savored and enjoyed how ever we decide to prepare them.

It’s Fall and that means all around the San Francisco Bay Area, figs are ripening on backyard trees everywhere.

While we don’t have a fig tree in our own yard, our generous neighbors have four huge fig trees (one green Calmyrna and three purple Black Mission) – they let us help ourselves every year. This is the time of year you may find us marching down the street with a 12 foot ladder.

A childhood favorite, figs were popular in my family whether in the form of fig newtons in our lunch boxes or fresh off Mom’s tree in our backyard. 

For the rest of human kind, figs have been enjoyed for over 5000 years.  Figs have been found in Egyptian tombs to provide a healthy snack in the after world.  The Greeks and Romans used figs fresh, roasted, dried and as a sweetener before sugar was discovered.   It was the Romans who were instrumental in introducing figs to other parts of Europe.  In turn, during the late 1700’s the Spanish missionaries introduced figs to California.  Today, you will find fig trees growing all over California.

Figs, a soft super sweet fruit with numerous edible blossoms and seeds encased in a thin edible skin, are a member of the Mulberry family and has two fruiting seasons.  A short one in the Spring and a longer more abundant one mid to late Summer lasting into Fall.  Some common varieties you will find are the green ‘kadota’ and ‘calmyrna’, the brown ‘brown turkey’, and the purple ‘black mission.’ The best way to enjoy a truly ripe fig is to grow your own; have generous neighbors, family or friends; or purchase at your neighborhood farmer’s market.

It is important to pick only ripe figs as figs do not ripen off the tree. Figs are ripe when they are plump and soft. I find the ones with fine lengthwise cracks in the skin are the best tasting – literally bursting with flavor. To harvest, gently cup the fig in your hand and grab the stem with your fingers. Then give a twist – the fig should come right off the tree.

We love figs fresh but with such an abundance of figs we use our American Harvest Food Drier to dry most of the harvest.

• First we wash the figs then cut off the stem and slice in half. 
• We lay in a single layer on the trays and dry at 115F to 120F. Note that raw foodist like to keep the temperature at or less than 115F to keep the temperature sensitive enzymes viable.
• Dry until the figs are…well, dry. This will usually take 24+ hours depending on the initial moisture content and the size of the fruit.
• Store in glass jars with tight lids or in well sealed plastic bags. To extend the shelf life further you can freeze.

Other ways we enjoy the figs are sliced in salads; marinated in balsamic vinegar, honey and mint and grilled or broiled; in muffins; in Lamb Stew; stuffed in chicken breast; or on crostini.

Nutritionally, figs beat out some well known foods…ounce for ounce figs have

• more fiber than prunes
• more potassium than bananas
• more calcium than milk

One thing I have noticed about gardeners is that no matter the season – generosity is always in abundance. What better way to get to know your neighbors than sharing the bounty of the garden…kind of like breaking bread only better for you.

The political season is coming to an apex with elections two weeks away.

There’s a proposition on the California ballot – Prop. 2 – that regulates how animals are treated… mostly how they’re confined.

It’s not getting much attention in these financially challenging times, but it did make Oprah. Oprah featured an expose by investigative reporter Lisa Ling on how we treat the animals we eat.

Naturally the “NO” supporters threaten such regulation will lead to much higher prices and family farms being put out of business.

Would you be willing to pay more for meat products if animals were humanely raised.

There was a great article in the New York Times a week and a half ago from Michael Pollan: Farmer in Chief.

It’s an open letter to the next President with some specific food policy recommendations.

I’s a long article, but a very good read. Highly recommended.

Food is cheap in America – relatively speaking. Well actually, it’s not so much that food is cheap as it is that we don’t pay very much for as a percentage of our income compared to other countries, i.e., we buy CHEAP food.

I’m reminded of a TV commercial from the past. The commercial was for an oil filter (as I recall). The slogan: “Pay me now or pay me later”. Essentially, take care of your car by performing regular maintenance (spend a little now), or realize significant consequences (spend a lot later).

A few of the now and later figures:
This from the US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. Food Expenditures by Families and Individuals as a Share of Disposable Personal Income:
1960 – 17.5%
1970 – 13.9%
1980 – 13.2%
1990 – 11.1%
2000 – 9.9%
2007 – 9.8%

Spending on health care as a percent of national income from 1960 to today: 5% -> 16%

Environmental consequences: About 19% of fossil fuels are consumed by the food system. As much as 37% of greenhouse gases are attributable to food and animal farming. In 1940 – pre modern agriculture – each calorie of fossil fuel energy produced 2.3 calories of food energy. Currently it takes 10 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce 1 calorie of food energy.

There’s a plethora of information and studies out there that show how modern agriculture methods lead to more environmental impact.

There’s also a mounting information and studies out there that show eating cheap high-calorie, low-nutrition food significantly contributes to “lifestyle”, chronic disease.

Will you spend a little more time/money now… or a lot more later?

Beets are a wonderful nutrient packed vegetable where you can not only enjoy the root but leaves as well. So many great reasons to add this to your garden!

Since we got a late start to our fall and winter garden we took a chance by direct sowing some seeds a few weeks ago. We have a nice Indian summer going and our mini-greenhouses so germination has been great! Hopefully, we will have some baby beets to pick for our holiday table.

Otherwise, early spring is a great time to start sowing beets. Usually two weeks to a month before the last frost date. Seeds will germinate at a soil temperature of 50-70F. Some gardeners like to sow their beets right after harvesting their early spring peas. If you want a continuous supply, sow every two to three weeks. I’d venture to guess that in our temperate zone (9b) we can keep sowing until September. Cool weather is key so skipping the hot summer months is best.

Beets are in the same family as Swiss chard and spinach so if you want to rotate your crops keep this in mind. Good companions include lettuce, most root vegetables, onions, chives, mint and the cabbage family: brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, turnips.

Beets are fairly easy to grow provided you keep them well watered. Beets love sun but can tolerate some shade. Beets do best in well draining sandy loamy soil with a neutral pH from 7 to 7.5 – if you have had trouble growing beets in the past your soil may be too acid. You can correct this by adding in some wood ashes or lime.

Beet seeds have a hard shell which actually contains 1 to 6 seeds.
To help with germination, I like to soak the seeds overnight but even a soak for a few hours help. After soaking, strain out the water and dry them a bit on a paper towel.
Sow the seeds a 1/2″ deep, 5″ apart.
Since we are into intensive gardening, we space them at about 3 to 4″.
Beets grow well from transplants so if you want to skip the seed part buying transplants is an option.

Once the seeds germinate wait until the plants are about 4 to 5″ high and thin them to keep with your desired spacing. I like to thin by pinching the plant at the soil line rather than pulling them out so as to not disturb the root of the remaining plant.
Use the thinnings in salad or you can enjoy as a quick saute.

While the plants are growing, make sure they remain well watered. Any disruption in water will stop the growth of the root and make the roots turn ‘woody.’
Beets don’t do well at temperatures above 85F so try to provide some shade during the summer or skip planting during the summer altogether.
Cool soil will raise the sugar content giving you a sweeter beet.
Mulch to the rescue! Put down straw or chopped up leaves to help maintain the moisture and keep the soil cool.

If you like, harvest the greens when they are about 5″ long – just cut the outer leaves, leaving the center leaves so the plant can continue growing.
You can harvest ‘baby’ size beets as soon as they are about 1″ in diameter.
When harvesting the beets, be careful not to scratch the skin as this will allow the beet to ‘bleed’ when it comes time to cook them.
Cut the tops off, leaving about an inch of the stems – also leave the ‘tail’ of the root.
Doing these two things will also help prevent the beet from ‘bleeding’ during cooking.
If you want to store the beets longer, cut the stems off near the top of the root.

Once harvested, our favorite way to prepare is to:

• put the beets in a baking dish with a 1/4″ of water at the bottom of the dish,
• cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until you can stick a knife into the beet without too much resistance.
• Take the beets out of the oven and keep them in the sealed baking dish while it is cooling.
• Once cool, the skin will rub right off. You can also eat the skin so if it doesn’t come off not a problem – especially since many of the beets nutrients are concentrated in the skin.
• Cut into bite-size chunks and “marinate” in your favorite vinaigrette.

A simple Balsamic Vinaigrette is the old standby. During citrus season, I will add a quarter to a half of the zest and all the juice of an orange or tangerine.

Here is another favorite vinaigrette for beets or any salad:

Pomegranate, Dijon, Ginger Vinaigrette

– 3 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate
– 1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
– 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
– 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated or ½ tsp of dry powdered ginger
– ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

In a small jar, combine the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, mustard, and ginger. Shake. Add the oil and shake some more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Makes about 3/4 cup.

Beets…Plant it, Grow it, Eat it!

When it comes to roots, you can’t beat beets for it’s sweet taste and nutritional punch.

If you are only familiar with the canned beets typically found in salad bars you are in for a real treat if you grow and cook your own!

Beets are believed to have it’s roots in Africa, migrating to Asia and Europe where initially only the green tops were used as food. The Romans were the first to cultivate beets and begin to enjoy this veggie from top to bottom. In 19th century Europe, beets became an important commodity as an alternative source for sugar besides the sometimes hard to come by sugar cane. Other commercial uses are rooted in its brilliant red color – a great natural dye for foods from dairy products to condiments to Red Velvet Cake.

There are so many good reasons besides taste to dedicate a small patch of garden to this wonder root.

If you don’t want your heart to skip a beat

• research published in the journal Hypertension showed beet juice can lower blood pressure
• a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that the betaine in beets lowered homocysteine – an inflammatory marker associated with heart disease
• animals fed beet fiber showed a significant decrease in cholesterol and triglycerides

If you do want your heart to skip a beat

• since Roman times, beets have been considered an aphrodisiac – beets are rich in the mineral Boron which is required to make our sex hormones

May aid in beating down risk of cancer

• studies have shown beets can increase the number of immune cells in the colon responsible for detecting pre-cancerous cells
• compounds in beets increase the detoxification and antioxidant capacity of the liver reducing free radical damage – damage that can increase your risk for cancer
• beet juice has been found to reduce the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in the stomach. nitrosamines are formed from nitrates found in cured meats like bacon and ham. Hmmm, maybe a side of Red Flannel Hash with breakfast may be a good idea…

With beets you get two for one as the green tops are packed with many of the same nutrients as it’s close cousin Swiss Chard.

Tomorrow, tips on growing and preparing beets.

*Be advised that any nutrition information suggested is not intended as a treatment for any disease. The intent of any nutritional recommendation is to support the physiological and biochemical processes of the human body, and not to diagnose, treat, cure, prevent any disease or condition. Always work with a qualified medical professional before making changes to your diet, prescription medication, lifestyle or exercise activities.

One naturally believes composting is a bit messy. Yep, it generally is.
However, there’s one type of composting that can be done indoors… without mess, without smell.

Yes, you absolutely can have a worm farm in your nice, clean home.

Worms – specifically, red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) – can eat half their weight daily in food scraps and transform them into nutrient-rich “castings”. Use the castings to boost your garden soil.

Worms will be delighted with your veggie and food scraps as well as coffee grounds/coffee filters, tea leaves/bags, egg shells, shredded paper and cardboard.
They don’t like: grass clippings, salt/salty food, hot spices, meat, poultry, dairy, pineapple.

     Worm bin

You can keep your worm farm in a closet. They come with fitted tops so there’s no fear of a massive worm escape.

Read more about setting up and maintaining your worm farm in our earlier posts:
Worms – a gardeners best friend and…
Worm food

You’re no doubt aware of the climate change issue.

Human contribution (or to use a fancy word – anthropogenic) to climate change is primarily from fossil fuel carbon emissions. Methane gas and nitrous oxide are lesser contributors.

Fossil fuels are made of hydrogen and carbon. When you burn the fuel, carbon combines with oxygen creating carbon dioxide. The excess carbon dioxide produces greenhouses gases. Greenhouses gases trap heat. Mother Earths temperature rises.

Basically, we’re releasing too much carbon into the atmosphere.

Rot your food – reduce your carbon output

If you send your food and plant waste off to a landfill or incinerator, you’ll add carbon and methane emissions. In fact, yard and food waste account for about 30% of waste in the US.

If you compost, you will absorb and lock up carbon.

Compost basics

Composting involves combining high carbon (brown) waste with high nitrogen (green) waste. There isn’t ONE single way, or one specific formula for composting. Here’s A way:
– Put down about an inch of soil or compost. Why? Because it has microorganisms that can get to work.
– Layer in a couple inches of “green” material, then a couple inches of “brown” material.
– Moisten with water.
– Let it rot.

Because oxygen is important to the process, it helps to turn the compost pile every week or so.

If your pile doesn’t get hot enough and decompose fast enough, you can add more “green” (nitrogen) materials.
If your pile smells bad, you can add more “brown” (carbon) materials and be sure it’s adequately aerated and moist, but not soaking wet.

Compost bins

You can pile you materials up, but a container of sort makes it easier to be neat. You can choose a DIY solution or a commercial solution. What you want to accomplish with a bin is primarily weather protection – both wind and rain. Secondarily – pest protection.

DIY compost bins

Some DIY options are:

• Plastic bag: take a typical large garbage bag, layer in your carbons and nitrogens, moisten it, poke a few holes in the side, close it up and you’re done. Check it once a week or so to ensure there’s enough moisture. You can also roll it around to mix it up and aerate it.
• Wood pallets: take 5 wood pallets. One on the ground, four for the sides. Put cardboard or plastic on the bottom. Tie the sides and bottom together.
• Wire fencing: Chicken wire is easy enough to mold. You may need to stake it into place.

Commercial bins

There are two types of commercial bins… standup bins and rotating bins.

Standup compost bin

Tumbler compost bin

Stand up bins are fairly basic. It’s easy to throw stuff in, not so easy to get your pitchfork in there and turn the compost.

Tumbler type bins allow you to turn the bin itself… no need for a pitchfork. Generally, tumblers compost faster. Not because there’s anything inherently better about them, but because you can so easily turn them. With a stand up bin, the turning just doesn’t get done frequently enough.

Next up: Indoor composting

One of those maxims to live by is:
You can get what you want by helping others get what they want.

Applying that to the garden world:
You feed the soil. The soil feeds the plants. The plants feed you.

Feed the soil

You can buy individual organic and non-organic nutrients to put in your soil. However, just as it’s better to get the bulk of your nutrition from a well-rounded diet of whole foods – rather than bottles of synthetic vitamins – the best way to feed your soil is with compost.

Composting transforms organic matter – such as a banana peel – into soil like material that supports and nourishes plants.
Similarly, a chef can take a bag of ingredients and transform them into a tasty, nourishing meal.

In both cases, it’s not a haphazard process. In both cases, heat and moisture are needed. In both cases, active work is involved… The chef chops, peels, mixes and stirs the ingredients. Insects, worms, bacteria and fungi chomp, digest, aerate and breakdown the organic matter.

The process of composting

Composting is applied microbiology. It’s a complex ecosystem at work employing thousands of microorganism species.

Passive composting, active composting

When a plant dies microorganisms, bacteria and insects attack it and feed off it. This is normal decomposition, or “passive composting”. It’s a slow process. For instance you can rake up all your fall leaves, pile them up, come back in the spring and they won’t be fully decomposed.

However, if you provide more ideal conditions, you can turn that pile of leaves into compost in two months or less. This is “active composting”.

Active composting needs:

• An optimal Carbon:Nitrogen ratio
• oxygen (aeration)
• moisture

Carbon and nitrogen

Carbon rich materials are the “browns”. They include things like paper, cardboard, straw, plant stalks.
Nitrogen rich materials are the “greens”. They include fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds.

Microorganisms need nitrogen to be able to break down carbon. You can think of carbon as food and nitrogen as digestive enzymes that break down the food.

The ideal ratio is 30:1 carbon:nitrogen. So you want to be adding some fruit and veggie scraps (nitrogen) to that pile of leaves (carbon).

Too little nitrogen and composting will go slow. Too much nitrogen and you’ll generate ammonia gas.

Oxygen

Efficient decomposing is aerobic… it requires oxygen. Generally it’s the middle of the pile that requires the most attention. You can use a pitch fork turn to your compost pile or a compost “aerator” about once a week. Or you can buy a rotating compost bin and give it a little spin every couple days.

Additionally, if you chop up things before throwing them into the pile, there will be more surface area which helps to bring air in. Smaller pieces are easier for microorganisms and insects to digest as well. Quicker breakdown increases the heat.

Moisture

Like humans, microorganisms need water. 40-60% moisture content is idea… moist, but not soaking wet. Too little moisture and the process slows down. Too much, you drown out the microorganism.

Heat it up

Under optimal conditions of Carbon:Nitrogen, aeration and moisture, you’ll get a lot of decomposing activity going. This generates heat. Heat destroys weed seeds and pathogens. You get healthy compost.

You want your pile temperature to be 100-140 degrees F / 37-60 C.

If your pile is not heating up… add nitrogen. If your pile is too hot and smells bad… add carbon and aerate.

In the next post we’ll look at compost bin options – both commercial and DIY.