The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.... The "I'm Not Sure Which It Is".... and the WTF

THE GOOD:



All my tomatoes are about to blossom.  They have buds and the plants are sturdy and healthy.  This one is an heirloom variety that I've never grown before -- Cherokee Purple.
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THE BAD and THE UGLY

Yesterday reader Hat commented, "Your plants all look so healthy Norma.  Do you not have ANY pests and diseases?"

Oh, yes.  Yes, I do.



That pathetic-looking thing is Chinese cabbage.  It is in a bed with these:



A red cabbage...



...and these nubbins which should be pole beans.  They are all in the same bed, which seems to be particularly infested with something that is voraciously eating them.  Ya know, proponents of the non-organic way of gardening, or maybe a better way of putting it is purported debunkers of the merits of organic gardening, claim that all this natural material is unhygienic and harbors pests and diseases.  In this case, for this one bed of mine, I guess I have to agree with them.  But that is one bed and one bed only.  All the rest (that's about 12 others) are thriving.  So for my money, I'd just as soon let the voracious beasts feast on this bed and leave the rest alone, while I enjoy the bounty of the rest of my garden pesticide- and poison-free.  However, it is early enough in the season that I think I might dig up this bed, put another layer of soil in, line the edges with marigolds, and plant some bush beans in it.  It doesn't look like those cabbages are going to be dinner for anyone but the bugs and worms, so I might as well get something for my efforts.  So I think I'll be doing that today.

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More GOOD AND BAD:

Mr. Jefferies is 99.99999% fully housetrained now.  He is a perfect darling!  He signals that he needs to go out by quietly standing beneath our feet, assuming the position for having the leash put on.  All we need to do is be aware of the cue.  He still has an occasional pee on the papers in the kitchen put down for that purpose, but he never poops inside.  Not only that, but he associates "walk" with "poop" and no longer does it take the 1.5-mile walk to get him to do his business, but only a block or two.  This is GREAT.  But my hopes of those ten pounds being melted off by the frequent run-walks required to get him to do his thing are dashed.  I guess that means I gotta get back to the gym in earnest.

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GOOD and WHAT DO I DO WITH IT?



The coriander is thriving, and soon it will go to seed if I don't do something with it.  The problem is I'm the only one in the house who likes it, and then only in teeny-tiny measures, and only in a rare Thai-inspired dish or whatever.  I hate to see it go to waste, but .... there you go.

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GOOD and OH DEAR, NOW WHAT?



This year confirms it:  The compost bin is THE PERFECT PLACE to grow winter squash.  They immensely benefit from the heat and protection. These went in very, very early -- way "too early" for squashes to survive the cold weather that followed, but they could not be happier.  I put a bag of potting soil over the top of the full bin of still-decaying compost and took the lid off.  I planted the marigolds near them to hopefully discourage the moths which lay the eggs which become squash vine borers, another pest that I am plagued with.  But now what?  These four plants are thriving, but given that, they are definitely going to overcrowd the space as they tumble down and around.  Just adjacent to the compost bin is one of the pear trees, some sunflowers, and a bed containing thriving broccoli and pole beans.  It's a case of too much of a good thing. 

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The WTF:



Sunday morning coffee on the deck, listening to the birds and breathing in the fresh air -- alone, because David believes that what separates us from the beasts is the ability to eat INSIDE.  But I'm out of half & half, and skim milk in the coffee -- well, just ugh.  And an experiment gone awry:  Yesterday I harvested lots of parsley and mint.  The large majority of it was made into a highly successful tabouli in which I substituted brown rice for the wheat.  DELICIOUS!  But then I had a bright idea -- mint brownies are good, right?  So I finely chopped a ton (all right, a quarter of a cup) of mint leaves and put them into my brownies.  Apparently this is what comes of a '70s girl who never tried pot.  Do not try this at home.

Comments

[sandy]

Hmm. So I guess it's not the leaves that will make a good mint chocolate brownie. Point taken! :)
Go little vegs, go!
LX

[Brenda]

You can make cilantro pesto and freeze it in little cubes for use later. Or you can mail it to me. I love cilantro and have lots of recipes that require some fresh cilantro. Black bean soup, fresh salsa (I know, the tomatoes aren't ready yet), rice dishes and more.
You seem to be doing well with both the gardening and the dog training.

[Lynn]

Ditch the Chinese cabbage and the pole beans, but keep the red cabbage; they'll outgrow those pests, in my experience.

In other news, I just finished planting my veggie garden - tomatoes (4 kinds), eggplant, cukes, and basil. I've pared back to what I actually eat.

[Cookie]

Mint is for mojitos. Didn't Hank teach you that yet?

I'm so proud of you and Mr. J!

[Katie B.]

I second freezing the cilantro. If you don't want to make pesto per se, whiz it up in the blender with just enough water to make it go, then freeze in ice cube trays. I did this with an overabundance of basil from our CSA last summer, and I now have enough for about 5 years, at the rate we use it!

But don't send any to me. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like dirty sweat socks. Ew!

[lisa]

Yeah, I don't much like green stuff in my brownies. Sly moms will put frozen spinach in theirs, but I never could try it. I'm with cookie... Or you can just dry it and use it in tea. Our garden has been attacked by slugs. Eww. Recently I saw some "fresh" green (parsely or basil or mint or maybe cilantro). The person just froze it. I think. Do you like dill? I have made this Georgian salsa that has loads of cilantro, dill, and peppers. Let me know if you want the recipe, I'll send it in an email.

[Erica]

I know nothing about coriander - except I like it when OTHER people cook things for me with it! I did find this recipe online for fresh coriander chutney. Maybe you'll like this?

http://www.indiasnacks.com/recipe/233/Dhanya-Chatni-(Fresh-Coriander-Chutney).php

[Mary]

Can't get rid of the Coriander? Too bad you don't work where I do. Put anything (and I do mean anything) on the break area countertop and people will take it no matter what it is. Someone left one large stalk of a plant once (no roots) and it was gone in sixty seconds. Good luck finding others so willing to share your bounty.

[S.Kate]

All I can offer for experience in brownie making is don't substitute olive oil for vegetable oil. Bleck.

Cilantro can also be dried and stored. I've had success drying my excess cilantro (I like it best in fresh salsa and have a recipe somewhere for cilantro lime shrimp) spearmint and dill.

[anne]

i have a cherokee purple too; i can't wait to see what it's like (couldn't find the black nguyen tomatoes i usually buy)
you can harvest your coriander, wash it, spin in in a salad spinner and pack it into ziplocs to freeze (squeeze out the air). all winter long you can take it out, chop it frozen and throw it into your cooking or salsas (i do the same with parsley and basil, too)

[margene]

Wish I lived next door (how many times have I said that) because I'd take that cilantro off your hands as I've been eating Thai like it's going out of style...along with Mexican which is fabulous with cilantro. You could make a big batch of guacamole or salsa, too.

[Kathleen C]

In my experience, mint leaves are better infused in something, rather than finely chopped and added directly to a dish.

They also make a lovely fragrant garnish.

[LeslieEileen]

There's a 70's girl who didn't try pot? I'm glad I'm older than you!

[alice]

You know, I probably live about a 4-5 hour drive from you. If you want to give cilantro away, I would gladly meet you half way!

[Cheryl S.]

Chopped mint in your brownies?? What the hell were you thinking!!

[marianne]

Heee, chopped mint in your brownies... hey, it SOUNDS like it should work :^)
Cilantro used to taste like dirty dishwater to me, not that I ever tasted dirty dishwater.. but then I spent several months off all sugar,added salt,wheat,dairy... amazingly after that I loved cilantro. yeah, I've got your wtf?
Cherokee Purple! I've grown those in the past :^)

[AnnaMarie]

Okay, that's my Ewwwww for the day. I love mint tea but I can't stand chopped mint leaves in my tea. Infusions are definitely the way to go.

[Kristen]

Yeah, mint doesn't bake well. If you soak it in some warm milk and add that to the brownies, however...

[Starshadow Rivaulx]

Coriander is absolutely fantastic in salsa...I can never have enough of it. If you saw how I chuck it into salads, you'd have conniptions (in a good way, I hope.) I chop it up together with ginger, soak it in sesame oil and a little salt, and it makes a great dipping sauce for steamed fish or chicken...sometimes the dip runs out before the chicken in my family. *grin*

It's hard when you're the only one in the house who enjoys a particular thing!

[elizabeth a airhart]

mint goes in to julips
kentucky derby land and drink

sit on the front porch and watch the world go by

[regina]

You can make a lovely sofrito that freezes very well, and that you can add to soups, stews, beans, and all kinds of other dishes that need a little infusion of Latin seasoning. If you take a heap of that cilantro and blenderize or food process it with some garlic, onions, and bell pepper, it comes in very, very handy indeed.

[Manise]

This year I have lots of heirloom tomatoes in addition to others: Aunt Ginny, Mr. Stripy/Hillbilly, Orange Blossom, Cherokee Chocolate, Green Zebra, Moskvitch, San Marzano, Sun Gold cherry, Black Cherry and Sun Cherry. You'll love Cherokee Purple- a very tasty tomato!

Seems to me the Chinese cabbage and red cabbage have been ravaged by the cabbage worm caterpillars. The beans on the other hand look like they've been munched and slimed by slugs. I'd pull them all, but the Red cabbage. It'll survive the appetites- just squish the ones you can find and maybe soapy water for a while on the leaves. I have found over the last few years that the slugs have been having a field day with my marigolds! First the leaves and then the buds and flowers- arg! I have no clue why! Some protection they provide.....

[Ruth]

Guinea pigs love coriander. You should get a guinea pig.

[gayle]

I love cilantro, but husband doesn't... I'm on board with the freezing it - drying it seems to result in total flavor-loss. (But without the flavor, maybe then the husbands would eat it?)
If it does go to seed, save the seeds and grind them for coriander - talk about fresh! Good in teas, cookies, curries, and lots of good stuff.
You can always just keep walking with the little J, even after he's done his business...

[jessica~]

You never tried pot???? Nice squashes, babe.

[Carol]

I have a 'chocolate mint' plant that I use just for desserts. Smells sooooo yummy and taste fab. BTW- my cabbages didn't make it either. And they were named 'dynamo'. Not.

[Sarah]

You've saved me from a brownie tragedy.