Posted on 02/08/2020 7:01:00 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Thanks for the warning about Spring...
I miss mine, too! But she looks pretty under a blanket of snow right now.
And - NO WEEDS! :)
Thanks for the reminders about the beneficial bug mix and the good for bees plants.
I have printed them off for Hubby. He is particularly interested in perennial edible flowers that will attract bees.
While we don’t see a lot of honey bees, we are seeing a lot of bumble bees over the wild passion flower areas. About 3 years ago—out of no where, a passion flower began to grow. Hubby has been “training” it and attempting to get it to grow in designated places. LOL
It doesn’t train well. Ha Ha. Very tasty citrusy fruit—but critters usually beat us to them. Leaves etc. also good for tea.
I looked through photos of last years. We are getting dumped on with snow tonight. Actually started at noon.
Thanks for the pictures.
Eric - is that area heated in the winter time?
ING 1 recipe magic bread dough (recipe follows)TOPPING: 10 oz bunch curly or Lacinato kale, stems removed 3 tb olive oil, 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely slivered Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper About 3 1/2 ounces mature cheddar, grated
PREP Prepare the dough, leave it to rise until doubled as directed below. Set oven to 500 deg. Put in a baking sheet to heat up.
TOPPING While the dough is rising, shred the kale leaves into 1/4 to 1/3-inch wide ribbons. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the onions. Once sizzling, decrease the heat to low and cook gently, stirring from time to time, until the onions are soft and golden, 10 to 15 minutes, adding the garlic halfway through. Stir the shredded kale into the onions and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often, until the leaves have wilted. Season with salt and pepper. After punching down the risen dough, leave it to rest for a few minutes, then cut it into three pieces. Roll out one piece as thinly as you can. Scatter a baking peel (if you have one) or another baking sheet with a little flour and place the rolled-out dough on it. Spread one-third of the kale and one-third of the onions on the dough, then top with one-third of the grated cheddar. Trickle with a little oil. Slide the pizza onto the hot baking sheet in the oven if formed on a peel, or, if formed on a baking sheet, simply lay the baking sheet on the hot one in the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden. Repeat with the remaining dough and topping. Serve hot, cut into wedges.
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MAGIC BREAD DOUGH / Makes 3 pizzas, 8 flat breads, 12 pitas, or umpteen breadsticks
ING 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups bread flour 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt 1 teaspoon instant dried yeast 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil, plus a little extra for oiling 1 1/3 cups warm water
METHOD Put the two flours into a large bowl with the salt and yeast. Mix well. Add the oil and 1 1/3 cups warm water and mix to a rough dough. Flour your hands a little. Tip out the dough onto a work surface and knead rhythmically for 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth. This is quite a loose and sticky dough, which is just as it should be – you get better-textured bread this way – so try not to add too much flour if you can help it. It will become less sticky as you knead. Trickle a little oil into a clean bowl, add the kneaded dough, and turn it in the oil so it is covered with a light film. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size – at least an hour, probably closer to two. You can also proof it in a floured, cloth-lined proofing basket. When the dough is well risen and puffy, tip it out and “punch it down” by poking it with your outstretched fingers until it collapses to its former size. It’s now ready to be shaped to your will.
Raw materials for blending Fox Farm potting soil across the bay from Benderville...
I could eat that stuff with a spoon, it’s THAT good!
(But, I won’t, LOL!)
Yay! Kale Pizza! Thank you! I use Deborah Madison’s Pizza Dough recipe:
https://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/deborah-madisons-pizza-dough
I just baked bread this weekend, so my only other suggestion is that everyone buy themselves decent yeast. I recommend SAF (Red) which you can buy on the Amazon or King Arthur Flour sites.
Thank me now, and thank me later. Good stuff!
Wow. I did not know that you took a trip. Glad you had a good time.
Chef tips always welcome......thanks.
Sunny and 85 degrees every day.
Mrs. Augie was cleaning up deadfall in the horse pasture and got Flash (Flash is her hot-rod golf cart) stuck in the mud on Saturday. Flash has a set of meats that would make a monster truck proud. Getting it stuck is not easy, but she did it.
Pops and I switched the wheels/tires on Mr. Clarence on Saturday. Mr. Clarence is a 1956 Ford 950 that was gifted to us for safekeeping by the cousin of a dear old friend. The wheels that have the golf course tires are going to get a new set of ag treads this spring, and after a good cleaning/tune-up/fluid change, Mr. Clarence is going to get the 5' tiller that's on Nanner now.
Who has more fun than you and Mrs. Augie? Not many! :)
Handsome young man in Wales, walking through his (awesome!) garden this past week, telling us some simple tricks to keep ahead of all of the many gardening tasks we’ll all have coming up.
7 Weekly Habits Every Gardener Needs | Simple, Easy & Effective
Coconut Cream Kale
ING 2-16 oz servings Kale Greens 1 Tb Olive Oil 2 1/2 cups peeled, 1/2-inch diced onions
tsp minced Garlic 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp salt 13.5 oz can Unsweetened Coconut Milk
METHOD Blanch 16 oz kale 4-5 min in large pot of boiling, salted water. Transfer to colander; drain. Keep blanching water boiling. Gently squeeze excess water from cooked kale; set aside. Repeat process with remaining kale. Set kale aside. Add oil and onions to braising pan on MED. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 min until soft but not browned. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook/stir a min. Stir in coconut milk. BTB on MED-HIGH. Cook/stir/thicken 4-5 min. Offheat, add kale to coconut milk mixture. Cook tender on MED 5 min. S/p.
Just adding on to my last reply. 2/11/2020 is another dreary, rainy day. Weather report says a severe winter storm with the possibility of 7 inches of snow could hit us! I’ll believe it when I see it. lol Anyway, spending time looking at all the websites for seeds and bulbs. Nice to see all the colors and new plants available for container gardens in bright indirect light! Planning my garden for this year. Thinking more perinnels than veggies. Will be easier on these old, arthritic bones of mine.
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