Weekly Garden Thread - March 21- 27, 2020

March 21, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Looking good! My Peppers are a bit behind yours, as they should be.

[Pollard]

Just noticed you screen name tubebender.

As in neon?

[Ellendra]

Yeah, I hang on to the Baker Creek catalogs just so I can browse through them in winter when I’m starving for the sight of greenery.

[Liz]

This artichoke-potato au gratin is a wonderful meatless meal w/ sides of steamed broccolini; add an arugula
salad with balsamic glaze drizzle. Creamy, rich, flavorful gratin, perfectly baked with lovely browned areas.

Artichoke and Potato au Gratin

CHEESES 2 cups grated Parm / 3 cups grated Gruyere

POTATOES 3 pounds thin-sliced (about 1/8-inch), Yukon Gold

ASSEMBLY Layer in greased oblong baker 1/2 sliced potatoes rows overlapping; s/p; 2 minced gar/cl.
Add single layer 6 c drained marinated arti/hearts; 1/3 cheeses; drizzle w/ 1/2 QT h/cream; rest potatoes overlapping; s/p.

Drizzle w/ 1/2 qt h/cream; then rest cheese. Cover w/ buttered foil. Bake almost done 350 deg 45-60 min
(potatoes easily pierced w/ knife). Uncover; bake/melt cheese golden, 15-20 min. Cool slightly on rack before serving.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m leaving out the artichokes, and substituting the broccolini in the gratin! ;)

[Liz]

No crime in that.

[Yaelle]

Can we just take the ton of leaves the mow and blow guys pile into trash cans and dump it there? Lazy.

[aspasia]

Yes. In the fall I rake a pile of leaves into patch of four roses (they’re small). In the spring I clear the leaves out from the bush by hand to expose the new growth to sun.

Most of the leaves are removed from the patch in the spring, but a sufficient layer is left all around to keep the weeds and grass down.

[tubebender]

The garlic I planted last October and mulched with rice hulls is looking great as usual…

[metmom]

There is quite the discussion on the latest corona thread about gardening.

I’m going to encourage people to come over here for it.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m dedicating at least HALF of one of my 8x4 beds to Garlic this coming fall. You’re so inspiring! :)

[Liz]

Extra special, over the top recipe. Orange sauce is yum.
Without a doubt..........the BEST french toast ever.

Orange Cream Filled French Toast

FRENCH TOAST pocket day-old French bread loaf thusly: first slice ½” thick, then next slice ½” thick all the way through; repeat for 8–10 portions. Spread tb cream filling in each pocket, then press together. Dip in whisked batter of 4 lge eggs, cup milk, tb sugar, tsp vanilla; turn to coat; dip all slices. (Note: can soak Bread overnight in liquid; turn over once).

Preheat skillet on med. Add Tb butter and swirl to coat pan. When butter foams, add as many slices as will fit; lightly brown. Turn/cook other side. Remove and keep warm. Cook rest.

SERVE with Orange Sauce, ramekin of orange cream cheese.

ORANGE SAUCE Melt 1/2 c butter/3 tb cornstarch a min. Add 2 c heated oj. Stir/thicken, then add 2/3 c sugar. Bring to boil; simmer 5 min. Add ¼ c maple syrup, or to taste; oz orange zest.

ORANGE CREAM FILLING combine 4 oz cream cheese, tb oj, tb sugar, tsp orange zest, 2 tb orange marmalade.

[metmom]

I am sooooo jealous.

We are moving this year so I was not able to plant my crop here as I would not be around to harvest it, and the garden there needed too much cleaning up to work on it there so no garlic for me this year. >:(

[ANKE69]

Yum, yum....
My garlic looks great too and is almost ready to come out of the raised beds.
How do you store it afterwards?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“ORANGE SAUCE Melt 1/2 c butter/3 tb cornstarch a min. Add 2 c heated oj. Stir/thicken, then add 2/3 c sugar. Bring to boil; simmer 5 min. Add ¼ c maple syrup, or to taste; oz orange zest.”

I have everything on hand. This is going on Pancakes or Waffles this coming weekend. That is, if we’re all still alive. ;)

Kwik Trip (our local Gas Station with food & stuff) has the BEST 99-cents a loaf bread for making Baked French Toast. You don’t need anything fancy. It would work great in this recipe, too. :)

[Liz]

You’ll be eating so good, no virus would dare get near you.

[metmom]

I ended up dehydrating much of my garlic to keep it. I bought a garlic mandolin and sliced it very thin.

I laid the slices on parchment paper on cookie sheets and set the over to standard proof, which is not too hot, and left them int there for about 3 days.

A word of caution, though. Open the windows in the kitchen or you'll burn your eyes out.

Now I have nice dehydrated garlic slices like this.

[GnuThere]

Another soggy Missourian here.
Somebody gifted me 2 small planter boxes - if used for herbs, my favorites would be basil, dill, thyme and Italian parsley.
Do any of these repel squirrels? Haha. Dang yard rats.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Clean living, good eating, fresh air, sunshine, playing in the dirt and a solid immune system will take you far these days it seems! :)

[Liz]

Playing in the dirt.......that’s gotta be it.

I’v been pondering whether the coronavirus in a “clean disease”....like polio.