Archive | October, 2018

Ripe sugar snap peas!!

28 Oct

Correction: Winterization Event is 11.10 (Sat) at 2:30pm

26 Oct

2:30pm Sat Nov 10th: Winterize the Garden With Us!

26 Oct

Join us to winterize the garden on the afternoon of Saturday November 10th.

We’ll clean up and close up the raised vegetable beds and containers to prep the space for winter.  We will also be planting garlic to harvest next summer!  All pots that remain will be removed as well.

Time: 2:30pm to 4:00pm

Date: Sat 11.10

You’ll need garden gloves or work glovesas well as sturdy shoes and clothes that you can get dirty. RSVP to cvearthlab@gmail.com. There will be kid-friendly tasks, such as pulling weeds and planting cover crops and garlic–but any child who attends should be supervised, as there will be hardware wire, clippers, and other sharp objects around.Thank you! —Shari, Judith, Sandy + Denise CVEarthlab’s core group

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Get Ready for a Home-Grown Herb Sachet Project!

21 Oct

I’ve always wanted to hold a workshop for making sweet and fresh sachets filled with dried herbs and flowers from CVEarthlab garden. In addition to all the rosemary, oregano, and other kitchen herbs, the garden is filled with mountain mint and lemon balm. The latter herbs have spread by self seeding, and now grow wildly.  They aren’t appropriate for tea as they grow in non-edible ground soil, but they’re still great for scent.

Prep for Homemade Sachet Making NOW

Before the CVEarthlab garden is winterized on the weekend of Nov 10th; we’ll hold some quickie herb and flower harvesting sessions.  Participants will be invited to snip and cut flowers and stems of delicious smelling lavender, lemon balm, calendula, mint and more. We’ll label and dry the cuttings in paper bags, store and use them for a sachet-making workshop in December. (Stocking stuffers!!!)

Sound good?  If you know you or your kids want to be involved in harvesting, please send a note to cvearthlab@gmail.com.  We will likely host multiple harvesting sessions over the coming weeks but these will be weather contingent and likely announced last minute.   Thanks!  -Denise

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Sweet peppers!

20 Oct

First signs of sugar snap pea bumper crop

11 Oct

Mystery Insect: What Bug Is This? Spotted recenly on the squash.

7 Oct

Thank You!

2 Oct

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Many thanks to everyone who came out Saturday to celebrate the harvest from the 2018 season. Over 70 people shared dozens of homemade dishes featuring tomatoes, garlic, peppers, oregano, basil and other herbs. To see photos and recipes, click here.

Thanks to the kindness and generosity of these and other Concord Village residents, we raised funding for the 2019 garden season. Money raised will go toward soil replenishment, tomato plant supports, and other supplies. The community garden would not be possible without your enthusiasm and support.

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Harvest Potluck Scenes and Recipes From Saturday September 29, 2018

2 Oct

 

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Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
  • 2 bunches Swiss chard center stems cut out and discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 2 medium shallots finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)6 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 5 ounce can garbanzo beans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
  • 1/2cup crumbled feta cheese optional

Instructions

  1. In a larges skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half of hte chard and cook, 1 to 2 minutes. When the first half has wilted, add the remaining chard. When all of the chard is wilted, add the chicken broth. Cover the skillet and cook the chard until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the chard through a fine sieve (strainer) and set it aside.
  2. Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until they are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the chard and chickpeas and cook until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Drizzle the lemon juice over the mixture and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle cheese on top just before serving, if desired. (from The Recipe Girl Cookbook )

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Ginger Lime Asian Slaw

Ingredients

  • 8 cups Napa cabbage thinly sliced (or combination of Napa and red cabbage)
  • 3 carrots grated
  • 1 apple grated
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs lime juice
  • 2 tbs olive oil divided
  • 1 tbs minced onion
  • 1 tbs minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 2 tbs rice vinegar

Instructions

  1. Combine the cabbage, carrots, apple, salt, and lime juice in a large bowl.
  2. In a medium skillet, cook the minced onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  3. In a jar, mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with the honey and rice vinegar. Add the veggies from pan.
  4. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. This will wilt a bit if you leave it in the refrigerator for a few days, but it still tastes great. (From Real Food Real Deals

 

 

 

 

Vegetarian Lasagna     

Ingredients

  • 1 package no bake lasagna noodles…15 sheets
  • 1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 16 oz. shredded mozarella cheese
  • grated Romano/Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons for ricotta mixture, 1 tablespoon for top
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped oregano
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
  • 3 cups of tomato sauce
  • 9 x 13 pan

Instructions: Preheat oven to  375 degrees

In a small bowl beat the egg with a fork.  Then add the ricotta, oregano, parsley and the Romano/Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

In the 9 x 13 pan place a thin layer of tomato sauce, put 3 lasagna noodles next to each other on top of the sauce making sure that there is space between the noodles.  They will expand during baking.  Put sauce on top, then 1/2 cup of ricotta mixture divided  among the 3 noodles, then 1/4 cup of mozzarella, repeat for 3 more layers.  For the final layer add sauce and the remaining ricotta, Romano and mozzarella.

Cover loosely with foil.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes.  Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

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Vegetable Pasta Salad

Garlic
Rosemary
Olive oil
A spoon of better than bouillon
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Ronzoni vegetable pasta

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon cut into squares
Feta cheese
Chopped basil leaves

Combine with balsamic vinegar glaze (to taste)

 

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