Krazy Kale
As the cold weather sets in, the cool weather crops come out. Once the weather began dropping into the 40’s during the night, I cleared my annual bed and began to prepare it for the fall crops. One of the things I often grow (but …
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Hearty Garden Bean Soup
As we start getting into the thick of Autumn, the weather’s starting to get colder and the garden is drawing to a close. I had a box of macaroni in the pantry that I haven’t used and it was taking up some space, so I …
Surprising Saffron
One of the most interesting things I have in my garden, one that is always a conversation starter is saffron (Crocus sativus). A species of autumn blooming crocus. The same extraordinarily expensive spice is also quite easy to grow here in NY, its prohibitive cost due to the labor of collection, rather than difficulty.
It requires full sun (some say it can tolerate part shade but I believe full sun will help the corms grow bigger and stronger), is quite drought tolerant, and needs well drained soil. It’s not too picky on acidity and will do alright from a pH of 6.0 to 8.0. It’s hardy in USDA Zones 6 through 9. It comes up around mid October when it flowers, and the cheerful green, grass like leaves last through May. In order to collect the saffron, you take the three red stigmas from each of the flowers, dry them, and store them in a glass jar (glass, so the flavor doesn’t get leeched into the plastic and vice versa.)
They propagate through corm divisions, each corm becoming cormlets and entirely new plants, unlike other species of crocuses that can also spread via seeds. It’s genetically a triploid, and therefore sterile in terms of sexual reproduction. It likely descended (a mutant form) from Crocus cartwrightianus and I am eager to get my hands on them to compare their flavor–should they be similar, I might plant a patch of cartwrightianus in my grass and let them multiply on their own.
One issue is that rabbits and squirrels might get a taste for them, but usually they leave it alone. My biggest issue has actually been slugs/snails, who will steal the stigma from closed flowers, leaving them empty to find in the morning. I have a patch of them in my annual garden bed (they multiply quite quick), but I recently bought some more to plant in window boxes as I think it would look quite adorable during the winter. During the summer when they’re dormant, I will take these into the garage, divide them, plant some of the new cormlets outside, and then bring the boxes outside during the fall.
They really don’t do well if constantly exposed to water since the bulbs will rot, so keep them in a place that won’t be too wet. Watering them once a week when they break dormancy is enough, if you’re having a particularly dry Autumn.
One thing to note is that ingesting too much saffron is toxic–and pregnant women should definitely avoid it as there’s the possibility of it having abortificant effects.
Let’s Catch Eel
After my first accidental catch of eel which was absolutely delicious, I set my heart out to catch more of these tasty, albeit scary looking morsels. They were actually out here where I was! My husband was not as enthused. It looks like a… sea …
Cucumber Shiso Salad
A quick pickle with shiso, meant to be eaten as a side dish. I like roughly chopping the shiso but some people might prefer mincing it. This is a great way to use shiso if you have an abundance of them (red, green, or Korean …
Oven Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes
I dug up some of the Jerusalem Artichokes from the garden, where it’s kept contained in a shady area surrounded by concrete against the side of the house. It hasn’t stopped it from exploding in population, but at least it’s contained and not as vigorous as it could be. It’s a shame though, because in the shade, they do not flower. The tuber sizes are fine, some reaching the size of my fist. If I dug them up later in the season, they would probably be even bigger but I wanted to eat some.
They require a longer roasting time than potatoes to become soft and tender. But once they have, they are a delicious starchy tuber that can definitely replace potatoes as their taste and texture is very, very similar.
Once roasted, a pat of home-made herbed butter exalts it to new levels of tasty delight.
Note: Some people cannot digest inulin which can cause gas. However, it is a good source of fiber to move things along if you’re suffering from constipation.
Recipe:
- Olive oil
- Jerusalem Artichokes (also called sunchokes)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Garlic cloves, crushed
- Herbs such as rosemary or thyme or oregano
- Herbed butter (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an oven safe tray with aluminum foil and place Sunchokes on it in a single layer. An optional method would be that the tubers can be halved or quartered before this step. Peel skin off with vegetable peeler if you find it makes you gassy.
2. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs over them and toss to coat evenly.
3. Put tray in oven and roast about 30 – 40 minutes or until it has become fork tender–similar to a baked potato.
4. Remove and serve hot with herbed butter.
Fresh Caught Japanese Grilled Eel (Unagi/Anago Kabayaki)
To my surprise, I caught an American eel the other day off our local dock, and at first I thought I had pulled in a snake–myself and my daughters were screaming, half because the thing was humongous and heavy and snapping at us, and the …
Freshly Caught Bluefish Sashimi: Waste Not, Want Not
I had been itching to try the bluefish snappers that we’ve been catching raw, sashimi style. The internet fishing community is a bit unsure about it raw, mainly because few people try it that way. Is it worth it? Heck yeah. The fish, while young …
Last Of Summer Sandwich
This particular sandwich has a special place in my memories, as Asian bakeries always have some variation of it. I must confess, for the longest time, I hated this sandwich which turns soggy after sitting in its container under the counter at the bakery, but after I grew up and moved away from where it was readily available, I started craving it.
It really is simple, but delicious too. It might be a combination people haven’t really heard of, but when I serve it as finger sandwiches for events at our dojo, it’s always the first to go.
Summer is came to a close, meaning my ducks have slowed down their laying while molting, and may be done for the year. The last of my tomatoes have ripened and have been picked, and cucumbers, if you grow any, are on their last legs. So what better way to capture the memory of summer than to make this sandwich as a tribute?
Recipe
- 1 egg (chicken or duck)
- 1 tablespoon Kewpie mayo
- 3 slices ham
- 2 slices white bread (Hokkaido milk bread is best, regular white, or brioche buns)
- 5-6 slices of cucumber
1. Hardboil duck egg, cool, peel, and mash with mayonnaise to make egg salad.
2. Place egg salad on one slice of bread, arrange tomato, cucumber, and ham on top, finally completing the sandwich with the other slice of bread. Slicing it in half before serving doubles the flavor. Trust me!
3. Alternatively, you can dice the cucumber and the ham and mix with the egg salad!
Sunny Sunchokes
Sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus), also called Jerusalem Artichokes, are one of those love-it-hate-it type of plants. However, it is one of the only starch sources perennial in all zones. The reason it gets a bad rap is the same reason it’s so hardy–it get invasive, fast. …