Edibles '08 -Part 4

oh boy Willie... that sounds and looks great.... thank you for sharing that

Oh, yummmmmy, Willie. That looks wonderful!!! Thank you for that recipe. I think I will make that to take to Thanksgiving dinner at a neighbor's in Florida. I love your presentation photo. Very nice!! Oh, yummmmmm.

Thanks, One & Donnie! And everyone is most welcome!

Just one trick, do not over cook the topping, as it will turn to Almond Brittle.

Forgot to mention that. I made one once that was hard as a rock!

I didn't realize how Martha Stewart-y that photo came out. On a fluke, I add the apples, as there was too much countertop showing. I was guessing no one wanted to see the countertop.

I am having a bit of a dilemma deciding what desserts to make for this years t-day gorge.

Anyone want the Pumpkin Roll recipe. T'is the season!!

Willie, you are killing me. I just sat here and ate my fiber-rich cereal with skim milk breakfast. I now want a huge tub of ice cream. Only because I don't have an apple pie or some kind of cake. Even some toast with that homemade grape jelly from Louise would be great. And she's probably going to leave some here while she's in Florida ha!

My second crop of tub potatoes is in...Red Cloud. I only had one plant come up. got 4lbs and they are mostly really big. very nice!

We just got one of those chicken cookers that you can put liquid in. It's ceramic and works like the beer chicken thingies. So yesterday I made a beer chicken and put chunks of these red potatoes, some green tomatoes and those little grocery store carrots. Pretty nice dinner.

this is the biggest one

Absolutely want the pumpkin roll!!! Now, as a matter of fact. lol Love that stuff. I say the T day gorge should just be desserts or at least start with them. :)

I've taken down all of my veggie plants. Picked all the green tomatoes. Most of them have already turned red in the house, so I will be cooking them down for a small pot of sauce. Maybe for lasagna. I've planted most of my garlic. 12 cloves of 'Music' from my fall harvest, 21 cloves of 'Red Chesnok' yesterday. I still have a head of 'Susanville' to get in this week'. Like I mentioned above, I'm planting it all in clumps around my rose garden.

Jan, I've always thought dinner should start with dessert. I'm tired of people saying they are too full when I've gone to all that trouble to bake pies or whatever. Besides, I'm grownup and I can do whatever I want :-p

AMEN, sister.

Good point, Jan! and Amen to that! Your potatoes look great! What type of container did you use, and what type of soil? Did you plant one potato piece to a tub? I've never done them in tubs, but that might be a good method to do in Fla. to avoid the nematodes.

Second the desire for Willie's pumpkin roll!!

I was wondering the same thing, Donnie, about the potatoes. So, when is the ETD to Fla.?

I've been thinking of growing potatoes next year. Then I wonder if it's worth it as you get a nice yield at one time, but it's just me. Would I really eat all those potatoes? Some interesting ways of growing them too. I like the look of the tire method. Of course, if I do give them a go, it would be in a container.

Jan, we are leaving tomorrow and I expect to be back online by Monday or Tuesday. Everyone, please behave in my absence!!! LOL

Safe trip!!! We'll see you when you get back online.

Thanks so much, Jan. You'll hardly know I'm gone once I get reconnected!

Likewise, Louise. Be safe on the road. You've got some long travel days ahead. Speak to you soon.
L

have a safe trip.... we will try to behave

;)

Take care--drive safely--will let you know if we'll be in FL in Jan!

Who behaves when unsupervised?? Hope you are enjoying a leisurely trip south, Louise!

Sorry I'm so late to get this to y'all, but here it is!

Pumpkin Roll

Prep time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes
Oven temp: 375ºF
Chill time: 1 to 2 hours

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling Recipe Below

Preparation:

** In large bowl, combine eggs and sugar, beating well. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, mixing until well blended.

** In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Add to egg mixture, mixing well. Spread batter into greased and waxed-paper lined 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.

** Bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Place cake on a clean towel. Cool 10 more minutes. From 10 inch side, roll the cake up in towel. Set aside. (I roll mine along the 15 inch side)

** Meanwhile, prepare filling. Unroll cake. Evenly spread filling over cake. Roll up cake (discard towel). Wrap in plastic wrap. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Slice before serving. Keep leftover slices refrigerated.

Filling:

Beat together 1 pkg (8 oz) soft cream cheese and 4 Tablespoons butter. Stir in 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, blending until smooth.

I like to add Lemon Extract, too. maybe 1/4 teaspoon or so.

Sometimes I frost the top with more cream cheese frosting.

Picture from front of card.

YIPPEE!!! Thank you, willie. I love this.

Looks good Willie, and that frosting is great! Same recipe I use.

I love cream cheese frosting

YUMMY! I've made that once and it was wonderful!!! Thank you for sharing that recipe.

I don't mind sharing my "Secret Recipes" AT all!

The pumpkin rolls only have one problem ..... there are NEVER any leftovers for coffee the next morning!!

My secret: Make TWO and HIDE one of them to serve with coffee the next morning!!

Although, my world-famous pumpkin cream cheese coffee cake is always a hit!

I can feel myself getting fatter as I type!

Oohh, that last one sounds good, I make a pumpkin cheesecake occ for Thanksgiving.

This thread is so NOT good for the waistline!!!!

Think of it as a way to practice self-control / portion-control??

I need A LOT of practice!!

:-)

Wow - that looks great!

I think I'll invite myself to Willie's house for coffee for the extra hidden one the next day :0).

I finished planting the rest of my garlic yesterday in the rain and wind in 40ish deg. I am crabby but glad to have it out of the way and can almost taste it for next year so it's worth it.

about the potatoes... there will be a forthcoming article about it with details, but I use the the self-watering container mix from Gardener's Supply. even though these container's are not that type, I like the mix. it's very light and nice to work with. I'm sure any light potting mix would do. you could always add some perlite or whatever. give those taters nice room to expand. got the containers from GS, too. they are fabric tubs. supposed to be reuseable at least once. they suggested 4 plants to a container. I had 4 plants of the white potatoes, but only one of the red came up, so that's all I had of those.

the white potatoes I grew from seed, like tomatoes (seeds from Territorial Seed). that was fun. the one mistake I made was a fert. with too much nitrogen. they should have like a 5-10-10 to encourage the spuds instead of absolutely gorgeous foliage that I had at the expense of the good yield. I should do better next year. I got about 4lb of the red potatoes and 5-6 of the white.

Glad I gave thes thread a look.
I am intersted in growing pot potatoes next year. Here is another article about how to.
Your fabric containers look easier and smaller than a 30 gallon tote.
Why in the world would anyone want to grow a crop of potatoes in a plastic garbage can? Well let me tell you, potatoes grow deep, and it's hard to dig them all out! Plus, they like soft, well prepared soil that's easy for them to root in. Then of course, they're space hogs, eating up precious planting room in the veggie garden. Last, but not least, potatoes should never be planted in the same place year after year, because they infect their own soil and cause next years crops to get blight (anyone remember a little potato famine that knocked down the population of Ireland?). So for those of us who don't have much space in our gardens and can't or don't like to dig giant holes looking for our food, this is a great alternative for the city gardener.

Things You’ll Need:
• A clean 30 gallon plastic garbage can.
• A drill with a 1/2 inch bit.
• Seed potatoes available from your local nursery(store bought potatoes are often treated to keep them from sprouting).
• Good quality, well draining potting soil. 3 cubic feet or 1 large bag.
• Organic vegetable fertilizer with a lower nitrogen content (nitrogen causes the leaves to grow fast and big but keeps those tatoes teeny weenie). Look for a 5-10-10. Compost.


Step 1:
Grow new kinds you can't find at the grocery store. Turn your garbage can upside down and drill several holes in the bottom of the can. Add a few around the outside wall, 3 to 6 inches up from the bottom. It's really important to have good drainage or your potatoes will rot in a hurry.

Step 2:
Good soil is the key ingredient. Dump about 2/3rds of your bag of potting soil in the can. Mix in 1 cup of your fertilizer and set aside.

Step 3:
Large potatoes could be cut into at least 4 pieces. For your seed potatoes, small ones can be planted whole. The larger potatoes should be cut up into pieces with no less then 3 "eyes" per piece ("eyes" being those brown dimples that the roots will grow out of). Let your potatoes dry out on the cut side before you plant them.

Step 4:
Once your cut potatoes have curred, plant them in your can 5 inches apart and cover with the remaining soil. Set the can in an area that receives 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight.

Step 5:
Water thoroughly and keep the soil moist but not soggy during the growing season. Don't let the soil dry out our you'll end up with mishapped potatoes. On the hot summer days, your potato garbage can might even need to be watered daily (you might move the can to a slightly shadier location on the hottest days).

Step 6:
. As the plants start to grow in the can, mound up compost around plant stems keeping the leaves uncovered. They grow a little more, add some more compost. You'll be able to fill up the entire can with compost by the end of the growing season. Keep it watered.

Step 7:
At harvest time, you can wait for the flowers to start to fade and grow what looks like berries. Harvest a few potatoes now, by reaching into the soft soil and picking a few, then covering everything else back up with compost. These early potatoes are "new potatoes" and they spoil quick, so eat them now. For your bigger, storing potatoes, wait to harvest after the green plants have turned brown and dried up or died back. Just dump the entire can over (onto a tarp, maybe) and pick out your potatoes. The soil can be collected and added to your flower garden. You just don't want to plant potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant in that potting soil/compost because the soil will likely harbor some insects or disease from this seasons crop.

Tips & Warnings
• I usually plant my potatoes around St. Patrick's Day (I'm in zone 8)
• Clean and dry your late harvest potatoes and store in a cool dark area (38 to 40 degrees).
• Store for up to 6 weeks depending on the variety.
• Practicing good crop rotation keeps soil born diseases from spreading and allows lean soils to naturally become rich with nutrients. Potatoes can pass on Verticillium, Sclerotinia, and scab in the soil that would infect tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and other potatoes. Cabbage, lettuce, and herbs would happily grow in old potato crop soil.
• Potatoes absorb everything around them, so start out with healthy organic soils, fertilizers, and compost. Avoid pesticides.

How to Grow Potatoes in a Garbage Can.
By GreenGardenChic

That's the article I used JoAnn, and will do again next year too.

I like the idea of the fabric tubs but couldn't find them on GS website.
After combining two homes I'm not about to add anymore planters or garbage cans.

Willie---your recipes are great--the pumpkin roll looks gorgeous! Jan--the potato plant is so healthy looking--what a good idea to get the insect-attracting potatoes out of the garden! We don't eat many potatoes, & we try for sweet potatoes because of the nutrients--would sweet potatoes grow in a bucket?

Thanks for all the tater info! I will have plenty of compost for next year, so maybe I can muster up a crop.

I am still looking for my directions to the "Compost Ring Veggie Garden" I need to find before next spring ..... I had it in my hands a few months back after "losing" it for years, only to put it "someplace special," you know, so I could find it easily again ......

Well guess what ..... I am a searching for it again!

And, Anytime, Jan! I am glad y'all are enjoying my "secret recipes" ..... Shhhhhhhhh.

What am I in the mood to make next ...... ???? ........ hmmmmmm

Here's a link to the potato tubs at GS

http://www.gardeners.com/Potato-Bin/VegetablePlanters_Cat,36-629,default,cp.html

Anita, this potato tub is small, very manageable, and you can always make potato soup or something like that. I think that may freeze well. You could do Willie's potato leek and freeze it without the cream and add that after you thaw it. Pick a variety that stores well. Or something so delicious you could eat them every day :0) I could with the Catalinas.

Thanks its saved in my favorits for next year.

That looks cool. I think I'll try one next year.

so much better than buying yet another thing to store in the overcrowded garage.

Those are so neat, I'd put white potatoes in one and sweet potatoes in a second. You can always store them in paper bags if you basement gets cool enough. They will last a long time if dark and cool.

five pounds of potatoes will not last a week at this house ,but it will be fun to do it.
I will also grow eggplant and sweetpotatoes just for kicks.