Monday, September 01, 2008

Happy Labor Day!

This is a cop-out post, but I wanted to show you a little of what came out of my garden this morning. It is hell of cornucopic. Going clockwise from the bottom: Purple Cherokee heirloom tomato, scarlet runner beans (can't wait to turn those into feijoada), a giant zucchini that escaped my notice for a few days (ridged Italian variety whose name I forgot), yellow pear tomatoes, Pink Brandywine tomato, mutant Golden Bantam corn, Swiss chard (I have a yellow-stemmed plant that I didn't pick), jalapeños, poblanos, baby pattypan squash, mature pattypan squash, and regular zucchini.

I need to get over my fear of frying and just tempura those squash blossoms for once and for all. I have so damn many. And I have that lovely slab of dill havarti that wants to be chunked and stuffed inside the tender corolla. The male flowers aren't gonna do shit but turn to amber slime (they lack the requisite ovary for turning to fruit), so I may as well just pick those and let the rest of my squash mature.

I'll get back to my regularly-scheduled programming tomorrow. I have lots of cooking to do.

16 comments:

Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul said...

How I envy you with your large garden and its beautiful produce! Are you seriously going to make that Brazilian pig ear stew of feijoada? Or am I confusing it with something else.

Anonymous said...

Ok. I officially have produce envy.

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Hey - I'm back.

That's a real purdy picture.

You - afraid of frying? How so? I find that difficult to believe...

Go for it. Tempura-ing those lovely veg will be so worth it. The burns will fade in time. ;)

Laura Paterson said...

Damn, I wish I could have cop-out posts like this...

Nice crop - get frying those blossoms, you know it'll be worth it...

Anonymous said...

Huh huh, you said 'requisite ovary.'

But for reals, awesome booty! What else do you have planted in there.

And nice new pic, btw. Every new pic makes you look like a new person..

PS i thought i might have seen you this weekend at a Thai restaurants in NE. There was a guy and a girl taking pics of their food and goin gon about delicious things to cook for so and so. I thought she doulc have looked like you, but your pics are so mysterious. Then they left as if they were goin to that Anime convention that as happening near Lloyd Center. Sounds like something you would do. WAS that you I saw?

Alicia Foodycat said...

That's not a cop-out post! Jealousy inducing is what it is.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

If only you could ship all your squash blossoms my way. I love them stuffed with feta and mint:D
...and to answer your salad question I have added to the recipe that indeed the broccoli is diced:D

peter said...

Garden porn is never a cop-out. I think those ridged zukes are called costata romanesco.

Heather said...

Petah - Yes, that's the dish! Except I'll probably just use a smoked pork hock and some belly instead of ears and feet. Or maybe I'll make cassoulet, but with giant purple beans insead of fagiolets.

Nikki - Lol, it was the giant zuke wasn't it?

Sketti! - I was starting to take it personally. It's the grease. It forms a mist that coats my kitchen. I got a spatter guard, so we'll see.

Kittie - I know it will. Luckily, they;l keep popping out until October or so, so I can work up the nerve.

Leif - It wasn't me! But now I'm worried that my future best friend is out wandering the city without me. I also have tons of laciniata kale and collard greens. I have about 10 tomato plants, but it's been too cold for them to ripen. :(

Foodycat - Aw, my garden is a mess, really. It took all summer to get only that much. :P

Valli - You should grow a little vine for the flowers! I think next year I'm going to prune harder.

Jube - I guess it is its own porn. Thank you for the name - it's a weird variety and I can never just look it up on the Territorial website.

cookiecrumb said...

"tender corolla"
I love it when you talk botany.

Nikki @ NikSnacks said...

What is wrong with you? Wishing us a Happy Labor Day n shit :( I'm disappointed.

Ok, not really, but I'm just jealous of your beautiful cornucopia of goodness. Like, for REAL jealous. The only thing I can grow is parsley and I'm not very good at that LOL

Oh, and stop being scared of frying. Do it in a stock pot. You won't get splattered as bad (or at at all if you're going to be as careful as I think you are). Straight up. Word. Or whatever it is the kids are saying these days.

Norm Schoen said...

I am diggin your Froggy sponge holder.

Emily said...

Yes. Fried squash blossoms, please.

glamah16 said...

Get cooking.

Heather said...

Brittany - Hey, you jealous of my bushel of green tomatoes for every one ripe? :P

Different Brittany - That's pretty rich coming from a chick with a uterine parasite.

Cookie - I gave you more tonight. X-Rated botany.

Nikki - I can't hear anything you just said because your new avatar is distractingly adorable.

Norm - I love that little froggy.

Tammy - Who needs a rugged farmer to crush on? The ultimate self-love is being your own farmer. Uh, wait...

Em - I'm so almost there, I just need to quit being a pussy and do it.

Heather said...

Coco - Damn I just missed you! I did some cooking. Oh did I.