Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on October 4, 2012 at 11:21am

I like your comment and book recommendations. Little tricks make big differences. Even in cooking. When I make any kind of stock, vegetable, chicken, beef, or fish, I use fresh parsley stems, not leaves during the sock making time. Leaves, cooked for a long time, bring out bitter flavors. When I make soup from stock, I add chopped herbs on top of a bowl of soup. Yumm.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on October 4, 2012 at 4:09pm

Re-reading the companion planting book.  Also a good book, Raised Vegetable Bed Handbook for the Organic Garden, by Ian Gomersall, which has illustrations.  Down to earth (literally and figuratively), no nonsense, practical.  

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Some of the companion planting info gets complicated.  I want to simplify it.  Diversity is key.

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I think I will border the tomatoes with basil (listed as excellent for companion planting with tomatoes), and maybe chives or garlic chives, or scallions.  Parsley is also listed as doing well with tomatoe.  In the more vertical bed (north of the lower bed), Looks like corn does well with beans and cucumbers, which can be planted on trellis.    Just thinking at this point.

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In the walkways between the beds, I'm thinking about mint, yarrow, clover. Oregano, marjoram. Whatever is aromatic and can handle some walking and mowing.  Plus, the clover and grass together makes use of this information.

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The soup sounds good!  I'll have a use for parsley stems!  The leaves can go into some tabbouleh!  Which can also use the nearby-growing tomatoes and mint.

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on October 4, 2012 at 10:28pm

A wonderful garden plan, full of flavors and aromas to walk in and snatch leaves for nibbling. Would love to wander through. 

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on October 6, 2012 at 12:11pm

I harvest parley by cutting it to the ground, wash in cold water, cut off healthy leaves and dry them on my homemade dryer and store in glass jars, usually old spice jars. I cut the young stems, dry them, and store them in their own glass gars. I cut stems to the depth of its jar. Don't use leaves in long cooking processes, they tend to make the stock bitter. Stems give the flavor of parsley without the bitterness. 

When I make stock, I grab a dozen or so dried young parsley stems and throw them in with the Mirepoix, the "holy trinity", (2 parts onions, 1 part carrots, 1 part celery, cut into small dice).

If I want brown stock, I roast bones and mirepoix in a roasting pan for an hour at 450 degrees. 

Beef stock, put bones and mirepoix, roasted or unroasted, into a soup kettle, cover to 2 inches cold water over top of bones, add Bouquet Garni (1 bay leaf, 2 fresh thyme sprigs, 5-6 whole peppercorns, 6-8 parsley stems, 4 cloves garlic, 1 T tomato paste), simmer for 8 hours. 

Chicken and poultry stock, put bones and mirepoix, roasted or unroasted, into a soup kettle, cover to 2 inches of water over top of bones,  add Bouquet Garni (1 bay leaf, 2 fresh thyme sprigs, 5-6 whole peppercorns, 6-8 parsley stems) simmer for 2 to 2 1/2hours;

Fish stock, in a soup kettle, brown in butter, fish bones, 2 parts onions, 1 stalk celery, cover to 2 inches over top of bones with water and/or dry white wine (I use dry vermouth), simmer 1 hour.

Source: Char Zyskowski, Taste & Technique: Basic Cooking Classes

Sorry, this should be in the cooking site, but there are so many garden products in here, I am posting it here in Godless in the Garden. 

Permalink Reply by Tonya Wynn on October 6, 2012 at 10:12am

I sometimes exchange seeds with others.  One of the seeds I exchanged was a CREEPING clover, very low growin.  Mine may've died from lack of water.  But I would think that that kind would be easier to mow, because it is much shorter and retains less water.