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September News 2004 |
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and Updates for September
2004 Welcome to our monthly "Newsletter". This is where we announce the most recent additions to our website along with "what's happening in our gardens", helpful hints, herbal tips, etc. Please check back often as we will be updating regularly. What's happening in our garden for September: This summer has been the most fantastic summer that I have ever experienced weather wise. We continued to set all time records for sunshine and high temperatures. I am one of those people who absolutely love hot, sunny summers and I enjoyed every minute of it. (except for the worst case of wasps ever!) Our sons and their family spent countless hours with us in the pool and outdoor barbeques. It truly was a summer to remember and hopefully it will continue after we go through these past few days which have been a little wet and cooler. Hopefully, summer comes back for the remaining time left. Even though my husband and I have so much to look after that we cannot leave and go anywhere we enjoy staying home especially when everyone tends to come and visit us. My newest project is working on creating a few new soaps and skin care products using certified organic oils. It is becoming a very time consuming task trying to hunt down ingredients which are of ‘affordable’ quality. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer! September "To Do" List: -plant out garlic. -direct sow radish & spinach early September. -as spaces become available in the kitchen garden, work in compost and transplant hardy lettuces, corn salad, Swiss chard and rhubarb chard. -leeks will benefit from a final feeding of fish meal. -transplant over-wintering cabbages. -seed a winter variety of spinach for picking between October and March. Seed sparingly and thin as soon as possible. -harvest squash before first frost – need to be cured by a little extra heat for 10 days. (on top of hot water tanks or the fridge is a good spot). After curing store in a cooler but frost-free storage space. -harvest onions and shallots. -gather all sound tomatoes before first frost. (let ripen or make relish) -seed winter radishes. -begin planting spring bulbs. -divide perennials. -good time to plant peonies. -add dolomite lime to hydrangeas if you would like them to be pink. -new evergreens and perennials planted this month will have time to grow new roots before winter. Greenhouse Gardening for September: (for a cool greenhouse kept at 40 - 45F (5 - 7C) -plants in bloom for this month – bougainvillea, pelargonium, oleander, jasmine, gardenia, dipladena, passion flower, gloriosa lily, hibiscus. -give greenhouse thorough cleaning before plants have to be brought in. -bring in tender perennials before first frost – check for insects and disease. -continue watering and fertilizing throughout September. -dampen down only when needed. -close door on cool nights. Herbal Hints: With all the sunshine this summer our herb plants are the largest they have ever been. We also redid the herb garden, added compost and removed a tree which was shading them. They have rewarded us with a fantastic crop this year. -continue harvesting and drying herbs. -freeze chives, chervil, basil, dill, fennel, parsley, and cilantro as these do not dry well. -as the weather gets cooler and wetter trim out any diseased leaves and stems. -keeping the herb garden tidy with lots of air circulation and plenty of sunshine prevents most problems. Dilled Cucumber Slices: -3 medium cucumbers -1 1/2 tsp kosher salt -2/3 cup low fat sour cream -3 Tbsp fresh dill and/or cilantro -1/2 large sweet Spanish onion sliced thin -1/2 tsp kosher salt -fresh dill for garnish Peel cucumbers and slice. Sprinkle with the 1 1/2 tsp salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain well and rinse twice and drain well again. (just like you were making relish). In a medium size bowl stir together the sour cream, dill and/or cilantro, and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Add the well drained cucumbers, onion slices and toss to coat. Cover and chill overnight. Serve cold garnishing with fresh dill. Handmade Soap News: Part 14 – Soap Making Hard bars of handmade soap were made by the addition of salt. These were easier to store and pack elsewhere. These now hard bars were quite often scented with oils such as as lavender or wintergreen and sold to people living in the towns or cities. These hard bars were generally made by pouring the mixture into wooden molds and allowed to cool and harden. They were then sold by the pound by slicing off the amount required from the entire soap block. The first time I made soap (over 25 years ago) I made it the same way as some of these women did but I had the advantage of being able to purchase the lye. We had raised some pigs with my parents and after they had been slaughtered I rendered the fat down and made my very first batch of soap outside on our camp stove. The soap did harden but it smelled terrible and since I was afraid to use it I grated it up and used it as ‘organic bug spray’. That was my first attempt at soap making. It wasn’t until many years later that I tried again using wonderful ingredients such as palm, coconut and olive oil. What a difference these ingredients made. Although back then there was little or no information out there for making soap I was hooked. I spent months perfecting my blend and as time went on more and more vegetable oils became readily available. I have never looked back and still enjoy making soap to this day. My next goal is to find certified organic vegetable oils and make some truly organic handmade soap. This is not easy as certified organic oils are not readily available at an affordable price especially here in Canada. I have grown organically my whole life, baked my own bread, jams, preserves, meals from scratch as I have always known that this is a lot healthier for my family and our environment. Finally there seems to be a larger worldwide movement in the organic industry. Unfortunately it has taken a long time coming but late is better than never and our future generation are much more aware of our environment than previous generations. Natural Cleaning Products: Simple Kitchen Sanitizer 1 cup water 1 tsp teatree essential oil Combine in a spray bottle and spray on surfaces to be disinfected. Test on an inconspicuous spot first before using over the entire surface. Wipe dry. Shake well before each use. Organic Gardening Tips: Fall Cleanup Use leaves as foundation for next year’s mature compost as they are a good source of carbon and go well with grass clippings, vegetable scraps and fruit peelings which supply a lot of nitrogen. Both of these ingredients are necessary for good compost. If your leaves are dry, run over them with your lawnmower to chop them finer and they will decompose quicker, especially oak leaves which I find take a long time to compost. Health and Wellness Our Harvest Pannini Sandwich This is one of my all time favourite sandwiches. You will need a large, flat heavy brick. I picked one up in the garden centre of our local nursery. -Focaccia Bread -thick zucchini slices -tomato slices -pepper rings -sweet onion rings -shredded cabbage or lettuce -prosciutto or Parma ham -jalapeno havarti cheese (sliced thin) -Dijon mustard -homemade mayonnaise or bought -fresh basil leaves Heat a large frying pan, griddle or barbeque. Split the Focaccia bread in two. Working with 1 half of the bread spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise. Add slices of zucchini, tomato, pepper, onions, cabbage and or lettuce. Add thin slices of prosciutto or Parma ham, then the thin slices of havarti cheese. Sprinkle a generous amount of basil leaves on top. The sandwich will now be very tall but don’t worry about that. Top with your remaining split Focaccia bread. Press down as best as you can. Pour a small amount of olive oil onto your griddle or frying pan. If using your barbeque brush grill well with olive oil. Carefully place the sandwich on the heat and place your heavy brick on top of the entire sandwich. If you don’t have a heavy brick you can place a heavy frying pan on top with a heavy can in the pan for added weight. Cook on medium heat until bottom is nicely browned. Remove the brick and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on the top half of the focaccia bread. Carefully turn the sandwich over and place the brick back on top. Cook until nicely browned and sandwich is hot. Your sandwich which was very tall is now squashed into a delicious pannini sandwich. Remove from heat, slice into hefty pieces and serve with a salad or corn on the cob. Delicious!! Recipe for my Focaccia Bread -1 1/4 cup warm water -1 Tbsp fresh regular yeast -1 tsp kosher salt -1 Tbsp olive oil -3 cups unbleached white flour or whole-wheat flour or combination of the two. How To: Pour your warm water into a warm bowl. Sprinkle with yeast and let soften. Add salt, olive oil and flour. Mix and knead until dough forms a ball adding more flour if needed. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with saran or cloth and let rise until doubled in size in a warm place. Punch down and divide into 2 balls. Roll each into a 3/4 inch thick round circle. Make indentations with your finger and drizzle with olive oil. Preheat oven to 375F. Place each dough round onto a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise again until almost doubled in size. Bake in oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Thanks for visiting! Susan |
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