Plant of the Week: Purple Prairie Coneflower

Purple Prairie Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) photo credit

Thought to improve immunity, Echinacea has grown in popularity as an herbal remedy in recent years, but it has been a part of the North American native prairie landscape much longer.  All nine species of coneflower are native to North America, but with varying distributions.  The Purple Prairie Coneflower (Black Samson, E. purpurea) is common in the northern Great Plains prairie and is a no fuss, sun loving, drought tolerant species that is a great addition to any butterfly, wildflower or rock garden.

Plants can be purchased from a garden center or a root division can be taken from a well established garden plant.  Transplant in either the spring or early fall.  Coneflowers also start fairly well from seed.  (Please Note:  Respect native prairie plant communities!  Do not dig up wild plants or gather wild seed.  They are a part of a greater community that depends on them.  Thank you!)   Purchase seeds from a garden center or gather them from your garden friends' flower beds.  Gathered seed will need to go through a cold treatment before they will germinate.

Plant seeds outdoors early in the spring (6+ weeks before the last frost) or start them indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost.  Transplant starters in full to partial sun after all chance of frost has past for the season.  Individuals should be spaced 2 - 2 1/2 ft apart but in clusters of 3 to 7 plants for the best landscaping autistic and to get the 'color splash' that will draw butterflies.  Water newly establishing plants regularly and remove all flower buds for the first year or until well established.  Once the root system is well established, water only during the driest years and deadhead flowers to prevent self seeding.

Happy Gardening! :)

Plant of the Week... Moving to Thursdays

Fall and 'school year' activities are in full swing now and the new 'life reality' has set in.  I love sharing all I learn about the Plant of the Week with you every week, but I am finding that I just do not have time to sit down and write by Wednesdays anymore.  :(

I spent much time thinking about this today and decided that it is time to move this weekly post to Thursdays.  It is my hope that in the quieter Wednesday evenings I will be able to carve out time for writing. Thanks for your patience and look for the new Plant of the Week post tomorrow sometime.

Happy Fall Scheduling and Gardening! :}

On the Menu This Week (9-23 to 9-29)

 For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and to be intentional about using fresh garden produce and preserves from last season.  Now that it is the season for garden fresh produce, it is my goal to incorporate as much garden fresh ingredients as I can into our meals, and preserve the  abundance for the winter and spring to come.

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Garden fresh this week:
-tomatoes
-peppers (hot, mild & sweet)
-zucchini/summer squash
-carrots
-kohlrabi
-kale
-cabbage

Meals:
-Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells & garden greens salad- uses frozen pesto, garden kale, spinach & lettuce
-Grilled Pork Chops & Broccoli Salad - uses garden broccoli, carrots, & onion
-Sloppy Joes & Copycat KFC Coleslaw - uses homemade tomato sauce & garden cabbage


Snack:
-fresh veggies & fruit
-banana bread

Preserve:
-apple leathers
-dehydrate apple chips
-freeze crust ready apple pie

What are you harvesting and eating fresh this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

*this is a recipe I hope to post soon

On the Menu (9-16 to 9-22)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and to be intentional about using fresh garden produce and preserves from last season.  Now that it is the season for garden fresh produce, it is my goal to incorporate as much garden fresh ingredients as I can into our meals, and preserve the  abundance for the winter and spring to come.

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Garden fresh this week:
-tomatoes
-peppers (hot, mild & sweet)
-zucchini/summer squash
-carrots
-kohlrabi
-kale
-cabbage

Meals:
-Potluck Spareribs & baked buttercup squash - garden fresh squash
-Elegant Grilled Chicken & Copycat KFC Coleslaw - garden fresh herbs, cabbage & carrots
-Summer Veggie and Herb Baked Ziti - garden fresh zucchini, summer squash & herbs

-Apple Pie -frozen last year

Snack:
-fresh veggies & fruit
-squash muffins

Preserve:

-freeze corn
-apple leathers
-dehydrate apple chips
-freeze crust ready apple pie

What are you harvesting and eating fresh this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

*this is a recipe I hope to post soon

Frost Tonight?

My tomato and pepper plants are loaded with fruit yet and many are green!

Fall is soon upon us and the threat of frost hangs over our gardens again.  The National Weather Service is suggesting a low of 29F tonight in my neck of the woods and I've had questions from a couple of friends about what to do.  "Do I cover my plants?'  'My tomatoes are mostly green yet, do I harvest them today?' To answer the question of whether to protect or not, here are a couple of questions to answer for yourself.

1.  Is this an early frost?  Am I likely to get more good growing season or is day length too short and temps too cool?  (See average fall frost dates from NDSU extension here.)

2.  Are my plants ready to be done for the year?   Sometimes more importantly, am I ready to be done for the year?

3.  Do I have time to harvest the remaining produce before frost/freeze sets this evening?  Do I have time to protect my garden yet today?

If you are not ready to be done, your plants are not ready to be done and this is probably a short cool spell that you are willing to work with, then go ahead and take measures to protect sensitive plants from the cold.  If you and/or your plants are done for the year, or you are not able to protect your garden, then it is time to get out and harvest the produce off from sensitive plants like peppers and tomatoes before the cold sets in.  (Check out my post from last fall about ripening green tomatoes indoors if you choose to harvest and ripen them indoors.)

Are you going to protect your garden or harvest today?

Happy Fall Gardening! :)

Plant of the Week: Beet

Beets (Beta vulgaris) photo credit

Beets are a love it or hate it vegetable that is thought to have been domesticated early in agriculture history in the Mediterranean region .  Both the tops (greens) and the bottoms (tuber) are eatable.  In fact, the greens contain more nutrition than the tuber so next time you head to the garden to harvest a beet, wash the greens and give them a try too!  The greens are frequently steamed or boiled, while the tuber is often sauteed in butter, boiled, or pickled.  (I found a Garden Cake recipe this year which includes chopped beet tubers that my family found surprisingly good!  Try it! ;D)

Beets prefer cool temperatures (not freezing) but tolerate heat making them a good long season plant and great addition to a northern garden.  They can be directly seeded into a prepared garden bed as much as 5 weeks prior to the average last spring frost in the spring and again in the fall 6 to 10 weeks before the average first fall frost.  As with other tuberous vegetables (carrot, parsnip), the beet does best in a loose, well drained soil and full sun. Thin seedlings to one inch apart initially and 3-4 inches apart as they get larger (don't forget to eat the greens of the thinned individuals!).  Water beets to maintain continuous growth and harvest when the greens are 4-6 inches tall or the tuber is 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter.  Like kohlrabi, beet tubers tend to become more fibrous with age so successive plantings and frequent harvests are preferable for a long season.  Store in a cold location (near freezing) with high humidity for long term storage.

Happy Gardening! :)

In the Kitchen: Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salsa

I was introduced to a couple of 'open can and dump' versions of this recipe early this spring.  It reminds my family of a corn salsa we get at our favorite burrito joint.  I have been anxiously waiting for my tomatoes and peppers to ripen so that I could try it with fresh ingredients.  If you are interested in one of the original recipes, check out this one on my Pinterest recipe board.

Here is my fresh version.  Enjoy! :)

Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salsa

From The Full Circle Gardener

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c whole corn kernals (frozen, canned - drained or fresh- blanched & cut off cob)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 mild pepper (anaheim, hungarian wax)
2 c chopped tomato
1/4 c fresh cilantro chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
1/2 c oil
1/2 c white vinegar
3 Tbs lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin

Clean and chop all veggies and herbs into bite size pieces.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for later use. 

Note:  My husband is not a bean fan so I make the whole recipe without the beans and set aside about 1/3 of the salsa for him.  I then add the black beans to the remaining 2/3 of the salsa for the rest of the family.

Linked Up to Little House on the Prairie Living Old Fashion Recipe Exchange

On the Menu (9-9 to 9-15)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and be intentional about using garden produce and preserves from last season.  Now that it is the season for garden fresh produce, is my goal to incorporate as much garden fresh ingredients as I can into our meals, and preserve the over and above abundance for the winter and spring to come.

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Garden fresh this week:
-tomatoes
-peppers (hot, mild & sweet)
-cucumbers
-pole beans
-zucchini/summer squash
-eggplant
-carrots

Meals:
-tacos & fresh Corn & Black Bean salsa - garden tomatoes, peppers, onion & corn
-Eggplant Parmigian & Chicken Parmigian (have to have something for everyone right :}) -garden eggplant
- Avacado Chicken Burger & Garden Pasta Salad - fresh pesto, garden carrots & peppers 

Snack:
-fresh veggies & fruit
-fresh apple sauce
-squash muffins

Preserve:
-salsa
-apple leathers
-dehydrate apple chips

What are you harvesting and eating fresh this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

*this is a recipe I hope to post soon

On the Menu this Week (9-2 to 9-8)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and be intentional about using garden produce and preserves from last season.

I have just about exhausted my stock of frozen and canned garden produce from last year, but fortunately, the garden and backyard fruit are producing fresh again.  It is now my goal to incorporate as much fresh produce and herbs as I can into our meals, and then preserve the abundance for the winter and spring to come.

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Garden fresh this week:
-cucumbers
-pole beans
-zucchini/summer squash
-tomatoes
-eggplant
-jalapeno peppers

Meals:
-breakfast cups -uses potatoes, bell peppers, onions & tomatoes
-spaghetti (uses frozen tomato sauce)

-chili burger (uses frozen tomato sauce)
-burgers & spicy pickled green beans

Snack:
-fresh veggies & fruit
-fruit leathers
-No Bake Energy Bites -need treats once in awhile :)

Preserve:


What are you harvesting and eating fresh this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

*this is a recipe I hope to post soon