Calalily, that is a great system and not very expensive either, I did find a video that kind of describes how you did your raise bed system I think, it is a little long but I thought it was a great system and something I might use in the future when I get a place with more land. http://www.youtube.com/user/permascience#p/c/ADB15864889A72A2/50/ugFd1JdFaE0
Winter Harvests
Thanks for the compliments. Bud and I came up with the system by putting our farming experience together. I'm very happy with it.
Cala, what's the name of your farm and I'll look you up on Facebook!
Acacia Farms growing in harmony with nature (long name, but explains our farm in one sentence)
Beautiful, Calalily!
I finnaly took my broccoli plants out and kept the nice looking leaves and a few broccoli shoots, I am now attempting to cook them, in a big pot, I figure since the broccoli heads were so tiny and I hardly got any broccoli I might as well get something from the plant, has anybody tried eating broccoli leaves before? I found a recipe online with onions, garlic, and some bacon, we will see how it turns out.
Let us know how it taste.
I love small broccoli leaves in my salad. I use them in the mesclun mixes we sell.
Large broccoli (and cauliflower and Kohlrabi) leaves can be cooked like turnip or collard greens.
My favorite way to cook leafy greens is to cut up them up, blanch in boiling water, sautee with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes until tender (about 10 minutes) and serve with balsamic vinegar. Spinach and hon tsai tai don't need blanched first.
Several of my customers blanch the greens, sautee them lightly with butter then cook them with scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Msrobin, yes they were really good, I actually was just able to taste a little bit since my DH just ate the whole thing, he seemed to like it as well.
Cala I actually left a couple of the smallest leaves along with the broccoli shoots and used it in salads, they were yummy as well, but I guess no more broccoli for me this year, hopefuly next year I'll have better luck, I jut bought some early divident seeds from a company in Canada so I am still waiting for them but hopefuly this one will be a better broccoli.
I also tend to peel the stalk of the broccoli and use the heart of the broccoli in salads, it taste really good as well.
You'll love the ED Carmen. Veseys is a good company. The time from order to receipt for me is usually about 2 weeks since they do ship from Canada. Prince Edward Island is a beautiful place I used to visit a lot as a kid growing up in Maine.
Are you telling me the company is on Prince Edward Island? I used to watch Felicity as a kid and they filmed in Price Edward Island, ever since then I wanted to live there, so peaceful and beautiful.
Yup - that's where they are at!
It is a beautiful place! You'd love it, though I haven't been in years.
O.K I finally decided to take my beets out after probably 4-5 months, a few bulbs that are a decent size but for the most part tons of leaves and not so many bulbs, still I'll be able to cook the greens. So far not very good results with my beets at all, but will not give up and will try again in the fall.
Here is a picture of the beets
Here's another picture up closer.
So, any idea why the beets didn't get very big?
Truthfully I really don't know, I thought I had good soil, it definetely has worms on it, I found a couple when I was pulling this guys out. Could be I need to add something for good roots to form. Anyways I just talked to my DH about beets, I just got done roasting them in the oven and decided I really don't like them, just the smell of them cooking turned my stomac, sorry to say this but it is true, my DH feels the same with asparagus which I absolutely love. Since my growing space is so limited I have decided just to grow veggies that we both like. I will try the greens and see if they taste a little different.
Carmin, here is a recipe we hand out at market for various greens. We mix beet greens, kale, spinach, pac choi and various other greens together for a "braising mix" that is really good cooked this way. It should work with beet greens (or any other green for that mater).
Southern Style Braised Greens
Ingredients
2 strips of bacon, chopped
1 Medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 cups of cut up greens, stems removed
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
In a large soup pot, fry the bacon over medium heat until it has rendered it’s fat and is crispy. Add the onions and cook in the bacon grease with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for about two minutes. Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Deglazing means to bring the chicken stock to a slow boil and scrape up all of the browned bits off of the bottom. This infuses the stock with great flavor from the bacon, onions and garlic.
Add the greens with a good pinch of salt and cook until they have wilted down enough to be able to stir easily. You may have to work in batches. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan and allow to simmer for at least thirty minutes, or up to two hours. Shortly before serving, stir in vinegar and red pepper flakes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Best when served warm, not piping hot. The flavors are lost a bit when just off the stove.
C - I grow beets only for the greens. I do not like beets either - lol...
My fave way to eat beet greens, chard or any greens really? Cut up some bacon and fry until brown. Add onions and garlic and cook a couple minutes. Add a bit of water, a bit of sugar and a pinch or so of red pepper flakes and boil. Scrape bottom of pan to loosen yummy bacon stuff. Add your chopped greens and cover. Cook until greens are tender (about 5 minutes, longer for older tougher greens or collards). Add a bit of salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar... Delicious!
Thank you Calalily, Kelly, I will try those recipes, they sound yummy! I cooked the greens yesterday but have not tried them yet, I think I just could not eat them after the whole smell episode, so I decided to place them in the fridge, I just placed the greens in a pot with barely any water and just steamed them, then I took some garlic and olive oil and mixed it with the greens, I bet they are delicious but will let you know for sure today. If I had the space to grow anything I would definetely grow beets again, expecially those golden ones that are so expensive in the stores, plus my DH likes them, although he told me yesterday that there are greens he like better than beets.
kelly I might do what you are doing which is grow just for the greens and forget about the bulbs, but I do have a question, do you just buy beets that don't put out bulbs or do you just plant regular beets and just discard the bulbs?
I am actually growing some southern Giant curled mustard greens, just planted some in the edge of the bed where I am going to place the tomatoes, I bet they are going to be delicious.
I grow Detroit Dark Red and Early Wonder beets. EW is supposed to be good for greens. If I can't pawn the beets off on anybody I just compost them - lol. Not sure if there are beets that only produce greens. Maybe Farmerdill will know if he sees this thread...
Thank you Kelly, I actually have some golden beets just because they looked so prety I might give those a try before I give up completely, I will try the greens tonight and see if I like them or not.
I could use some help as to when to plant some cold weather crops, I live in N GA, and I don't have very much experience with vegi's. When is the best time to plant? I wanted to do some sugar peas and cabbage, and what ever else I can get in the ground. Any suggestions will be more than welcome. Thanks