Diary 2022-08-02
Aug. 1st, 2022 11:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
squirrelitudeLast week I was surprised and delighted to see a mockingbird beating the absolute tar out of what I think was a Manduca caterpillar. I don't bear any ill-will towards Manduca, mind you; it was just so unexpected. I didn't know anything ate those! The bird must have plucked it out of someone's home garden on that block.
I was also able to locate the nest -- very loud cheeping in a nearby tree. :-)
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A neighbor was giving out some ham from Walden Local Meats, a Massachusetts meat-share program with good standards. (So this is from pasture-raised pigs.) It's "uncured ham", which apparently actually means "cured, but with less gross ingredients". I accepted, and now we have to figure out what to do with it. Ham has not been much a part of my life. It's too fatty for me to enjoy directly on a sandwich, but I fried up some thin slices and I guess that's basically the same thing as bacon. Amazingly tasty. The fat mostly comes out into the skillet, so we can fry up other stuff in that instead of using olive oil.
These days I also make "tempeh cutlets" pretty often -- slice two packages of it thin, then marinate in 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 20 drops liquid smoke until absorbed. Pan fry in copious olive and toasted sesame oil. Pretty incredible in sandwiches, especially with burger/hot dog condiments and sometimes cheese.
I made some last night and fried up the first couple in the pork fat. And you know, I think they actually weren't as good as the ones fried up on the other oils! That was a bit of a surprise.
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Such drought here. A lot of trees have brown leaf margins. Many lawns are covered in brown grass, which I guess is good, considering; that means people aren't watering them. There are watering advisories in effect but this isn't a drought-prone area, so I don't know how well-publicized they are.
Two rain barrels continue to be sufficient, but I'm also starting to measure how much water is coming out of the dehumidifier. It looks like 1-2 gallons per day, which is honestly a huge amount. Again, a terribly energy-inefficient way to collect water, and it wouldn't be enough for hygiene, but that's enough to keep a couple of people in probably-OK-quality drinking water in an emergency where you have electricity but not water. I don't think it's actually enough for my garden by itself, but it's supplementing rainfall enough that I haven't had to use tap water.
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The hopniss poked a tendril out of the pot the other day and just sort of sat there for a few days, but when I wasn't looking it shot a good 10-15 cm up. Maybe because I gave the pot a good soak. I'm looking forward to sitting with the plant and learning its shape and how it moves. Right now I wouldn't be able to tell hopniss from wisteria foliage, so I can't be sure whether I saw one in the wild or not a couple weeks ago. A little embarrassing.
I've been thinking about how one would grow starchy root plants in a no-dig manner. Carrots and beets can be pretty much pulled straight up, maybe requiring the soil to be loosened a bit first. Potatoes can be done totally no-dig by piling up mulch around them as they grow, so the base soil layer remains undisturbed; the tubers form in the soft mulch, not the firm soil. But sunchokes and hopniss probably don't work that way? My best thought is that you might be able to pull up the plants in the fall and bring some of the tubers up for harvest, and leave the rest int he ground for next year. It's still going to be disruptive, but not as disruptive to the soil structure as traditional digging.
I was also able to locate the nest -- very loud cheeping in a nearby tree. :-)
----
A neighbor was giving out some ham from Walden Local Meats, a Massachusetts meat-share program with good standards. (So this is from pasture-raised pigs.) It's "uncured ham", which apparently actually means "cured, but with less gross ingredients". I accepted, and now we have to figure out what to do with it. Ham has not been much a part of my life. It's too fatty for me to enjoy directly on a sandwich, but I fried up some thin slices and I guess that's basically the same thing as bacon. Amazingly tasty. The fat mostly comes out into the skillet, so we can fry up other stuff in that instead of using olive oil.
These days I also make "tempeh cutlets" pretty often -- slice two packages of it thin, then marinate in 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 20 drops liquid smoke until absorbed. Pan fry in copious olive and toasted sesame oil. Pretty incredible in sandwiches, especially with burger/hot dog condiments and sometimes cheese.
I made some last night and fried up the first couple in the pork fat. And you know, I think they actually weren't as good as the ones fried up on the other oils! That was a bit of a surprise.
----
Such drought here. A lot of trees have brown leaf margins. Many lawns are covered in brown grass, which I guess is good, considering; that means people aren't watering them. There are watering advisories in effect but this isn't a drought-prone area, so I don't know how well-publicized they are.
Two rain barrels continue to be sufficient, but I'm also starting to measure how much water is coming out of the dehumidifier. It looks like 1-2 gallons per day, which is honestly a huge amount. Again, a terribly energy-inefficient way to collect water, and it wouldn't be enough for hygiene, but that's enough to keep a couple of people in probably-OK-quality drinking water in an emergency where you have electricity but not water. I don't think it's actually enough for my garden by itself, but it's supplementing rainfall enough that I haven't had to use tap water.
----
The hopniss poked a tendril out of the pot the other day and just sort of sat there for a few days, but when I wasn't looking it shot a good 10-15 cm up. Maybe because I gave the pot a good soak. I'm looking forward to sitting with the plant and learning its shape and how it moves. Right now I wouldn't be able to tell hopniss from wisteria foliage, so I can't be sure whether I saw one in the wild or not a couple weeks ago. A little embarrassing.
I've been thinking about how one would grow starchy root plants in a no-dig manner. Carrots and beets can be pretty much pulled straight up, maybe requiring the soil to be loosened a bit first. Potatoes can be done totally no-dig by piling up mulch around them as they grow, so the base soil layer remains undisturbed; the tubers form in the soft mulch, not the firm soil. But sunchokes and hopniss probably don't work that way? My best thought is that you might be able to pull up the plants in the fall and bring some of the tubers up for harvest, and leave the rest int he ground for next year. It's still going to be disruptive, but not as disruptive to the soil structure as traditional digging.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-02 09:42 pm (UTC)you can in fact pull some straight up like a carrot, if you're okay leaving a pile of rhizomes in the soil for next year.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-02 09:56 pm (UTC)(Other than seasickness I have an iron stomach, and I'm growing the sunchokes in a container for now... so I think I'm good on those counts. My partner won't be able to eat them, though—those starches are bad news for her.)
no subject
Date: 2022-08-02 09:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-08-02 11:05 pm (UTC)I've only dug for sunchokes a couple of times, and it was astonishing just how far down they would set rhizomes in an unconstrained soil bed.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-03 03:19 am (UTC)yeah, they're a permanent installation in soil. now i know!
no subject
Date: 2022-08-03 11:47 am (UTC)Hmm. I bet pigs could grub 'em out, and would do so with relish.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-03 01:46 am (UTC)I've harvested and planted potatoes when I was a child. It was easy for us little kids to do.
I loved the tomato plants. My grandfather said I was a menace because I could strip a whole plant and eat all the fruit in a single day.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-03 02:25 am (UTC)(I mean, doing a whole row is a ton of work. But it's kind of a miracle to see food pop out of the ground.)
no subject
Date: 2022-08-04 01:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-08-04 02:29 pm (UTC)I really should try making split pea soup at some point, though! I loved it as a kid. Do you have a favorite recipe? (I'm not sure if my mom made it from scratch or from a can, come to think of it. I should ask her too...)
no subject
Date: 2022-08-04 03:11 pm (UTC)Smoky Ham and Split Pea Soup
Potatoes contribute starchiness and silky thickness, while sweet carrots and salty ham balance out the peas' light, earthy flavor. Leftovers fare well in the freezer, so say hello to your new favorite make-ahead soup. Garnish with parsley and additional pepper, if desired.
Serves 8 (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients
1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potatoes
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrot
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pounds smoked ham hocks
6 cups water
sour cream (when serving)
Preparation
Hands-on: 15 Minutes
Total: 8 Hours, 15 Minutes
1. Layer peas and remaining ingredients (through ham) in order listed in a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Gently pour 6 cups water over top. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
2. Remove ham hocks from slow cooker. Remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-sized pieces; discard skin and bones. Discard bay leaf.
3. Coarsely mash soup to desired consistency, adding additional hot water to thin, if desired. Stir in chopped ham. Divide soup evenly among 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.
no subject
Date: 2022-08-04 04:38 pm (UTC)