Tag: Gardening

Groundhogs in the Garden

Every garden has its pest and ours at this moment is groundhogs. If you don’t know what a groundhog is, think beaver with a short stubby furry tail. Groundhogs are a member of the rodent family. 

They get the hog part of their name honestly. They are hogs when it comes to munching on tender garden plants. Imagine how disheartening it is to go to the garden early in the morning and find the sweet potato leaves gnawed to the stem. Or bean plants nibbled down to the ground. 

We put up a very temporary and lightweight fencing to slow down entrance to the garden. That got us through about a month. Now the varmints are plowing right through that fence and it is time to get serious.

Many recommend shooting or trapping and relocating, but we are choosing other methods.

Cayenne

Our first line of attack is a healthy dose of cayenne pepper around their favorite munchies. 

Distraction

Next we have installed whirly gigs and scarecrows to scare them away.

Barrier

But the big guns is a wire mesh fence with solid wood frames all the way around the garden. Of course they may tunnel under, but they will find their holes full of cayenne. 

Fence under construction

2019 Battle of the Groundhogs is on!

It’s Tomato Time!

What will you do with that first ripe tomato?

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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Cilantro

 Flavor

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. 

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Garlic Scapes

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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