Winter 2012- seeds

I started some seedlings a couple of weeks ago, and they seem to be doing pretty well even though we don't have access to a greenhouse anymore. I'm growing 4 varieties of onions, leeks, and broccoli so far. I have them in the bay window on the south side of the house with some time outside in the sunshine when it's not too cold or windy out. The natural light is really helping- luckily it's been a warm winter.

This year I ordered most of my seeds from Fedco. I'm also getting some potatoes, shallots, and mushroom plugs from Pinetree. We had a small oak tree break in the October snow storm last year, so I'm going to have Bill cut it into logs and innoculate it with the mushroom plugs.

Last November we planted over 100 garlic cloves, and it's starting to poke above the soil. We also started gathering and spreading some composted goat manure from a local farm so hopefully this year's garden will be very fruitful.

New favorite recipes

I came up with a couple of new recipes recently- one for leek, potato and parsnip soup, the other for black bean cake burritos.

I still have leeks and parsnips from last year's crop- they did really well, and I have them stored in the fridge.

Leek, Parsnip, and Potato Soup

2 cups leeks, sliced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups parsnips, peeled & chopped

3 cups potatoes, diced

Water to cover veggies

Vegetable bouillon

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute leeks in olive oil until soft. Add rest of ingredients and cook until veggies are tender. Remove from heat and blend until smooth. Amounts are approximate. You can alter to taste.

Black Bean Cakes

2 cups cooked black beans

1/2-1 cup cooked short grain brown rice

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 chopped green pepper

1 egg

1/2-1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Mix ingredients in food processor and blend until well mixed.

Saute dollops (spread into patty shape) of black bean mixture in oil until crispy on both sides.

Serve cakes in flour tortilla with baby spinach, cheddar cheese, avacado, salsa, and plain yogurt.