Local Delicious

When I posted the photo and story about the freakish Strange Seeding Strawberry the other day, a lot of people asked what was going on and commented that they’d never seen anything like it. But no one could shed any light on the mystery.

See, typically strawberry seeds need to overwinter (a.k.a. freeze) in order to germinate. Having one germinate on the vine seemed more than a little unusual.

Well, I’m all about local so I decided to give our very own Driedeger Farms, a local strawberry farm dating back to the mid-1940’s, a chance to weigh in on the topic.

Rhonda responded to my query asking a few identifying questions that I couldn’t answer about what kind of strawberry it was. “Uhm, a red one” was about as specific as I could be.

In the end Rhonda did her research online and found me a link where the comments below referred to strawberries being planted in soil and sprouting that way. I appreciate that, but it was a bit disconcerting that the strawberry expert relied on eHow.com, even more so when  her parting comment was, “It was definitely interesting to see them in their ‘natural” state.’” Mind you, I can cut her some slack given that strawberries naturally propagate via runners and on a farm that’s 65 years old it’s not likely they’ve needed to rely on seeding in quite some time.

It has come to my attention that I haven’t posted a picture of my full garden since July 9th, and it’s not from lack of taking the pictures. While I was excited about the burst of garden glory back then, it pales in comparison of the garden at the height of its glory.

By mid-July the “tee pee” was completely covered in greenery in a combination of peas, snow peas and giant pole beans.

The garden in mid-July 2010

The tee pee is covered in delicious greenery

By early August most of the brightly coloured snapdragons were finished blooming, the rhubarb was in full spread, and the broccoli was well on it’s way to growing a lovely head. The beet greens continued unabated and the carrots were still a bit too small for harvest. In the photo below you can see that the snow peas are on their last legs, turning brown and suffering from a powdery mildew.

Garden greenery on August 11, 2010

By last August, the peas were long gone, the snow peas had died and been removed, and only the pole beans continued to produce a few beans here and there. The broccoli has all been harvested and one row of carrots has been partially harvested which allows more room for the rainbow chard to flourish. The dwarf tomato plant in the foreground is heavily laden with fruit but none has ripened yet. Brussels sprouts are on the rise, and most of the pole beans (behind the chard) have been removed.

Garden August 23, 2010

I had a spirited discussion last night about which exactly is the best way to cook a rhubarb crumble — and just what is the difference between a crisp and a crumble.

We also dropped a gauntlet re: whose recipe is better.

A crisp and a crumble, it turns out, are the same thing but which term you use depends on whether you favour the American or UK terminology. True to my Canadian roots, I favour the latter. (Also note the spelling of “favour”, people).

Below is my current favourite recipe for rhubarb crumble. I like to increase the amount of fruit or decrease the amount of sugar, or even a little of both, for a slightly more tart flavour.

I also demand that only real ice cream be used in the dolloping of this dessert. Anything else, like “frozen dessert” or “whipped topping”  is likely a petroleum byproduct and not real food (check your labels, people!).

Rhubarb Crumble

• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup quick cooking rolled oats
• ½ cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups sliced rhubarb
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

[Note: you can use slightly more fruit and/or a little less sugar with equally good results]

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.
In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.

Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. [Note: I usually cook it ahead, then heat it up when company’s on it's way. It caramelizes the sugar nicely and makes it slightly gooey.]

Bon appetit!

Related post: Rhubarb: Fruit or Vegetable?

When I chat with other gardeners we invariably get to the subject of bugs. When I mention that I spray for aphids and other pests using a garlic spray, they always want to know the recipe.

It’s late in the season to be worrying much about bugs, but I’ve heard several people say things like “aphids got my beans” or “I had a real problem with whiteflies this year” so it’s worth taking note for any winter gardening you may do, as well as prepping for next year — after all, isn’t the whole purpose of autumn to plan for next year’s gardening?

Below is the recipe I got from a gardener I know. Search “garlic pepper spray” online for other variations.

• 2 hot peppers
• 1 large onion
• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 1 gallon of water

Pulverize peppers, onion and garlic bulb in a blender with a little water. Cover mash with a gallon of water, let stand 24 hours and then strain. Spray directly on plants. Effective against aphids, cabbage maggot, carrot rust fly, leafhoppers, mites, thrips and whitefly.

Related posts:

Slug Patrol 2010
Garlic Rust Fungus

Join Vancouver Farmers Markets on September 11, 2010 for their annual Tomato Festival.

Tomatoes are at their peak of ripeness and deliciousness in September and vendors will be bringing out their best varieties – roma, beefsteak, cherry…the list goes on.

Always wanted to try an heirloom tomato but intimidated by all the different colours and strange names? Try something new at the sampling tables.

Tomatoes don’t just taste great – they look great too! Check out the Tomato Beauty Contest where tomato growers will bring out their biggest, best, and most beautiful tomatoes for judging.

Kids will love the Tomato Scavenger Hunt where they will meet local farmers and learn about — as well as taste — many different kinds of tomatoes.

Related posts:

Food Labels: Heirloom or Heritage
Why Quality Seeds Matter

Foxglove Farm is a 120-acre organic farm on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada. The farm is located on one of the original homesteads on the island, surrounded by hundreds of acres of protected forest and agricultural fields.

The farm produces a wide variety of produce and fruit that is  sold weekly at the Salt Spring Island farmers market, at local stores and select restaurants on Salt Spring Island, and in Vancouver and Victoria.

Foxglove Farm provides a variety of workshops throughout the year, below are the workshops available this month.

Register online or call 250-388-6800 for more information:

August 24 – 27 Small Scale Grain Production
This workshop is intended for anyone wishing to grow grains for their own consumption or for supplying small-scale regional users such as bakers, maltsters, or livestock producers.

August 29, 10-4pm Preserving the Harvest with David Mincey (Camille’s Restaurant)
There is nothing like cracking open a jar of tomato sauce, pickles or jam in the peak of winter and being instantly transported back to the flavours and smells of summer.

August 31 – September 3 Growing Tree Crops for Home & Market
Join orchardists Harry Burton, Bob Duncan, and Michael Ableman to learn about site selection, fruit varieties, orchard establishment, soil fertility, grafting, pruning, pest and disease control, harvest, post harvest, and marketing of fruit.

A full list of other delicious-sounding upcoming programs is available online.