You know the one. The warm, juicy, full of tomato goodness one fresh from the garden. The one that holds all the promise of the season’s bounty just by changing from green to red or gold or purple or striped.
Will it be a large slicing tomato with red juice dripping down your arm from your bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich? Or maybe a medium yellow slice with the slightest dusting of sea salt nestled next to a mound of cottage cheese?
My favorite is a large plate of alternating red and yellow slices, mingled with wedges of fresh mozzarella cheese and topped with shredded fresh basil leaves. Drizzle the whole thing with a peppery olive oil, balsamic glaze, a quick twist from the pepper mill and a sprinkle of salt.
There is nothing else to say but “Yum”.
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Did you know that some people think it tastes like soap?
Somewhere between 10% and 20% of people perceive the taste of cilantro as soapy and do not like it at all. The cause is a sensitivity to a compound called aldehydes. Thankfully, we are in the 80% to 90% of individuals who experience cilantro as a fresh tasting herb that complements everything from salsa to scrambled eggs to chicken marinade.
Cilaantro or Cilahntro?
How do you say it? At Five Feline Farm we usually say Cilaantro. No matter what you call it, it’s delicious.
Companion Planting
This year, we have cilantro planted in the row with the pepper plants. The blooms attract pollinators, plus some other pests that prefer eating the cilantro over the pepper plants. Since it grows fast and reseeds, this is an easier plant to sacrifice than the slower growing, money-making peppers.
Coriander
Wait. What? Yes, when cilantro goes to seed, those seeds are Coriander. In fact, in some languages and cultures the entire plant is referred to as Coriander. All parts of the plant are edible including the root, but it is most often the fresh green leaves and the seeds used in culinary efforts. Often used whole in making pickles, but equally excellent crushed just before use to lend a soft spicy note to any dish.
Use
As mentioned above, cilantro can be used as a garnish, added to salsa or used in a marinade. It is good anytime you are looking for a brightly flavored accent.
Here’s a simple marinade for chicken or fish.
1 bunch cilantro, washed and leaves removed from stems
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil
Blend all in a food processor or small blender. Start with the smaller amount of olive oil and add more as needed to achieve desired consistency. A thicker paste can be smeared on the meat or a thinner mixture can be added to a ziplock baggie to marinate. Amounts can be doubled, tripled or adjusted to taste.
Did you know garlic plants provide much more than just the part that is commonly available in grocery stores? It’s true. There is more to this fragrant plant than what comes in the papery bulb.
What Are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes are the tender end of the shoot in hard neck garlic varieties. As the plant grows in springtime, it sends up a shoot that is tender at first and later turns into a flower with bulbils. Those tiny bits of the flower are also edible, but the scape is the newly forming flower with it’s white end and the first 5-6 inches of tender shoot.
When To Harvest.
When the shoot has a whitish end that looks like a bloom is starting to form, the scape is ready. The green part may be curled back on itself forming a curly que at the very top of the garlic plant. Snap off the shoot approximately 4-6 inches below the tip just as you would asparagus. The plant will snap off at it’s tender point.
How To Use.
Now that you have these spring delicacies, it’s time to use them in the kitchen. Scapes taste like garlic. The flavor is lighter than garlic cloves but still clearly garlic. One option is to dice and stir into any dish where you would normally use garlic. Scapes may be sautéed as is and eaten as a vegetable. You can chop it for a garnish on lettuce salad, use to flavor pasta salad, fry with potatoes or use in any dish where garlic will add a complementary flavor.
As an added bonus, snapping off the scapes will divert the plant’s energy into bulb development. So not only does the gardener get a fresh taste of garlic in the spring, the fall harvest will be improved.
If you grow your own garlic, give scapes a try. If you don’t and are in the Charleston area, stop by the 18th Street Farmer’s Market this Saturday and pick up some from us.
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Our last two posts discussed choosing determinate or indeterminate and the benefits of heirloom varieties. Now you have chosen your tomato plants and it is time to get them in the ground. If you haven’t read those yet, click here and here.
Or is it?
To ensure the best chance of success follow the following steps:
Harden Off
The first thing to ensure success is the process of “hardening off”. This technique helps acclimate your plant to the world of weather outside. All tomatoes grown in Central Illinois are started by seed early in the year inside a greenhouse or other indoor setting. In these controlled environments, the plant does not have an opportunity to adapt to blowing wind or pounding rain.
Wait until the daytime temperatures are above 60º, then set the plants still in their pots in a semi protected but outdoor area for a short period of time each day. At first, the plant’s adjustment may make you think the plants have wilted or are not going to survive. Trust that they will perk up overnight and be ready for their next excursion outdoors. Increase the time outside daily. During this time, limit watering to bare minimums. The goal is to strengthen the plants but keep them alive.
After a week or so of this increasing exposure to the outdoor weather and when the soil temperature is above 50º at 4 inches (or threat of frost has passed), your tomatoes are ready for the garden or patio pot.
Prepare the Planting Bed
Tomatoes need calcium to protect against blossom end rot. Crushed egg shells work perfectly. Save approximately one egg shell for every tomato plant. When ready to plant, crush the eggshells and add a pinch of epsom salts for each egg shell. The epsom salts add magnesium and sulfur to the soil as a fertilizer and support healthy plant growth.
When ready to plant, dig a hole slightly wider than the pot the tomato is in and twice as deep for each plant. Divide the eggshell mixture among each hole and add water. Allow the water to absorb into the soil to dissolve the epsom salts and you are ready to plant.
Plant Deep
For the best strength and success, bury tomato plant to the first set of leaves. This may feel unusually deep but tomato stalks will grow roots all along the stalk and increase the ability of the plant to take up soil nutrients. Most tomato plants will require some type of staking or cage to ensure they remain upright and the fruit stays off the ground. It is best to add this now while the plant is small instead of struggling to contain a large unruly plant.
That’s it. Ensure adequate water if it does not rain and in about 6 weeks, you will be picking your own fresh, ripe tomatoes.
Stay tuned to our social media for progress on our garden and post pictures of your own. Five Feline Farm is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
