Late-season Plums

My good friend and neighbor Eva gifted me with a load of plums from her tree. They were purple after washing, but were a delightful blue right after picking. I was excited to receive these, of course, as our Santa Rosa plum provided fruit in late spring/early summer and we hadn't had plums since. But this bounty of late-summer plums raised some questions: Why were Eva's plums ripe for harvest so much later than mine? 

This led me down a reserach hole where I learned quite a bit about the difference between Italian plums and Asian plums. I'm still not entirely clear on it all. But one thing that is clear is that Asian plums, which is the kind most of us grow, and eat fresh, are available from spring to late summer, depending on the variety. My Santa Rosa plums shouldn't have been ready until August, but we were eating them in May, which is weird (though we often have things ripen earlier or later than other folks; for instance, our peaches and apples are always ready before anyone else's). Anyway, I have no idea what kind of plum this is that Eva grows, but it's probably Asian. Italian plums are more oblong, while Asian plums are rounder. 

European plums are more suitable for drying, due to their low-water content, but I still wanted to give drying a try. I sliced the plums up into thin wedges, put them on a cookie sheet with a baking rack (my usual method for drying), and put them outside in the sun.

They spent three days in the sun (I bring them in at night so they don't get eaten by nighttime critters), and at the end of this period they were delicious. Still pretty moist, but with a very high sugar content and satisfying chewiness. I decided to stop the drying process at that point so I could use them for school snacks, but if I wanted to keep them for long-term storage, I would have left them out in the sun another three days at least. You could add these, chopped, to oatmeal, quick breads, or cookies. You could reconstitute them in the winter and make a dessert. Or, you can just inhale them plain, which is what I am doing.

But I still had a large bowlful of plums, which we ate fresh, of course, but today I noticed they were starting to soften and go south. So I decided to make a plum clafoutis. 

Clafoutis is a French dessert, traditionally made with cherries (with the pits still IN, if you can believe it). It's basically fruit placed in a buttered dish and covered with a custard batter and baked; then served with a dusting of powdered sugar and maybe a little cream. You can do this with almost any fruit. Tom and I made rhubarb clafoutis back at the Apple Farm in 2016, and it was delicious. You can add a little more sugar if you're using something like rhubarb (and the rhubarb needs to be sautéed first, if I remember correctly; something like apples would probably need a little cooking beforehand, too). But with sweet in-season stone fruits, little sugar is needed. It's a great way to use up extra eggs, too. And because it's so eggy and fruity, you can totally justify eating it for breakfast. 

The great thing about clafoutis is that it is totally unfussy and very easy to make. It's a one-bowl dessert. You don't even need to get out the mixer. I love that. Also, late summer just seems made for fruity desserts.

This recipe is adapted from Christopher Kimball of America's Test Kitchen.

You'll need 3-6 plums, depending on the size, 3 large eggs, 1/3 C sugar, 1 C whole milk, 1-1/2 t vanilla, a pinch of salt, 1/2 C AP flour, and powdered sugar for serving.

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch cake or pie pan. (Clafoutis is traditionally made in a cast iron skillet, so if you have one, use that.) Slice the plums and arrange them on the bottom, skin side down. 

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a medium bowl for minute, until color lightens slightly. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt, and whisk to combine. Sprinkle the flour over the batter, and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter gently over the plums. You will likely dislodge them, no matter how carefully you do this; just do it as gently as possible. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes (my oven always requires the full baking time). It will be puffy and golden at the edges. As it cools, it will deflate and settle. Serve it warm or at room temp, dusted with powdered sugar and perhaps a little cream.

Gorgeous, yes?

What are your favorite ways to use up extra plums?

Cabbage Worms

I potted up all the brassicas last Friday (broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower) and the plants looked great all weekend. This morning I went out to look at them and found.... duh duh DUH.... cabbage worms. All over. On almost every single plant.

Cabbage worms are the larval or caterpillar stage of Pieris rapae, or the Cabbage White butterfly (also called small white or common white). It's the only type of butterfly I see regularly in our garden; the monarchs and gulf frittilaries visit frequently, but the cabbage whites are here daily. Unfortunately. They are pretty, but they can really destroy a cole crop of any kind. As you can see from the leaf above, they are rapacious eaters. 

So, I spent a gross but happy hour checking the top and undersides of every leaf, and collecting the velvety little worms in a dish. 

Then I sprayed all the leaves with Neem oil, an organic oil that will hopefully repel the butterfly, while I wait for my delivery of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), which is an organic treatment consisting of a naturally-occurring bacteria that makes pests sick when they eat it. I'll spray that when it arrives. In the meantime, I'm hoping the paper wasps and yellow jackets will find a few worms and dispatch them. One good reason to be thankful for wasps! 

Meanwhile, I fed the caterpillars to the chickens, who thought it was Christmas.

Cabbage worms are notorious and it's almost impossible to keep this pest away from brassicas. I haven't had them before, but this year the cabbage whites are hip to me and my fall-planting schemes. One way I could have avoided this was to cover the seedlings with some Agribon, or row cover, which would have let in light without letting in the butterfly.  Oh well. I shall keep on top of this pest, because I have about 50 plants that I don't want to lose. 

Bees and Galls

If you live in the west, then you are familiar with all the varieties of oak trees that grow here. California is particularly known for its redwoods and sequoias, and rightly so, but those grow in very specific areas, while oaks grow across the state in four or five different plant communities that are widespread. It took me a long time to understand California's plant communities, but here is a blurb from Wikipedia to help explain this one:

"California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. Oak woodland is widespread at lower elevations in coastal California; in interior valleys of the Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges; and in a ring around the California Central Valley grasslands. The dominant trees are oaks, interspersed with other broadleaf and coniferous trees, with an understory of grasses, herbs, geophytes, and California native plants. Oak savannas occur where the oaks are more widely spaced due a combination of lack of available moisture, and low-intensity frequent fires. The oak woodlands of Southern California and coastal Northern California are dominated by coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), but also include valley oak (Q. lobata), California black oak (Q. kelloggii), canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis), and other California oaks. The foothill oak woodlands around the Central Valley are dominated by blue oak (Q. douglasii) and gray pine (Pinus sabiniana)."

Didja get that? :)

Here in our yard, we have a Valley Oak, which is no surprise, as we live very near open space dominated by Northern Oak Woodland. It was here when we moved in 12 years ago, and has grown quite a bit in that time, despite the fact that I've done pretty much everything wrong in taking care of it (planting edibles underneath it, and then adding regular irrigation, pruning it at the wrong time of year, etc). It's now larger than any other tree in our yard despite my ignorant attentions.

I think this is Antron douglasii but it could be Antron quercusechinus

In the fall of our first year on this property, I noticed the above pink growths on the oak leaves. I took the leaf in to a local nursery and asked what it was. They very helpfully explained all about gall wasps, tiny microscopic insects that inject a chemical into the oak leaf or branch, and then lay eggs into that area. When the eggs hatch, the area swells to accommodate the larvae. I have been into nature my whole life, and a California resident since I was 20, and a hiker pretty much for forever, and I never knew this until an oak was in my yard. It surprises me still when folks don't know about galls, and I'm always so glad to share about them, because they are fascinating. Good old Alfred Kinsey was originally an entomologist and studied these creatures extensively before he moved on to sex. 

Oh, I don't know. Perhaps an Andricus brunneus or maybe Besbicus conspicuus? Hard to tell.

Every year since, I've noticed new kinds of galls on this same tree. It's fun, every fall, to see what's there. Gall wasps are good guys, and these little nests don't hurt the tree, so there is no reason not to welcome them.

No idea what kind. I can't find them anywhere. They were on a stem, not a leaf.

These pictures (not my best effort, sorry, all very high up and I was teetering on a ladder) were all taken this evening, after my mother and I were standing outside talking, under the oak tree. Suddenly we both noticed the huge amount of honeybees flying around the tree. I've NEVER noticed bees in the oak tree before. Oak trees are largely wind pollinated, like many trees, and I've honestly never even really noticed the blossoms on this tree, though I do of course notice the acorns (which have just started to get big - it is clearly NOT a mast year, as there are only a few). 

Pretty sure this is Andricus fullawayi

So we looked closer and definitely saw the bees landing and feeding on these little knobs. To me, they looked for the world like galls, but why would a bee feed on a gall? It just doesn't make sense. So I promised mom I would immediately do some research, and sure enough, with some digging, I found the answer.

Honeybee on a cluster of Disholcaspis eldoradensis, or Honey Dew Gall Wasp!

There's not a whole lot of information on the interwebs about these particular gall wasps. But one thing is clear: In this particular kind of gall, the larvae turn the plant starches that its feeding on into sugars, which then exude from the gall and form honeydew on the outer surface of the gall. This is to attract ants, wasps, and yes, honeybees, so that they will guard and protect this food source and stop other parasitic wasps from invading the nests! Isn't that incredible???

We don't usually think of honeybees as honeydew eaters. When I see the word honeydew I think of aphids and ants, and that symbiotic relationship (aphids produce honeydew to attract ants so the ants will protect them from predators). But apparently if it is available, and food is scarce (which in the late summer and early fall is always true here in hot dry CA), bees will take advantage. It's unclear how much nutrition it provides for them, and it's unclear how it affects their tummies; in fact some large-scale beekeepers do everything they can to prevent the bees from eating it, because it can turn into a hive-sized diarrhea issue! But of course I'm not going to do anything extreme. I'm just going to watch and wait and see what happens. Like I said, I've never seen this before, so maybe these wasps only came to my tree this year for the first time! 

For good 'lay' information on galls, I like this article by KQED, and these photographs by Joyce Gross. 

Pepper Preferences

Our pepper harvest is going very well; we're picking both sweet and hot peppers on a daily basis. This is exciting, as last year we didn't have nearly enough. My goal this year was to provide enough sweet peppers that we could freeze several batches of roasted slices, as well as eating many fresh, and giving some away. The goal with hot peppers was to have enough to make fermented hot sauce for our family Christmas gifts, as well as have plenty on hand for making salsa, freezing for winter, and eating fresh. So far I am well on track for meeting all these goals. So I thought I'd share what I did differently this year, and what I might change for next year, as well as our favorite varieties (so far!).

Bullnose Bell

The clear winner for bell peppers is the variety Bullnose Bell. I bought these from Baker Creek seed, because I liked the history of them - they were grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello and in fact still are grown there. In previous years, this variety was a good producer but the actual peppers were on the small side. This year, they are massive and beautifully colored. You can eat them green or wait until they are red. As you can see, I get anxious and can never wait until they are fully red. Since this variety is an heirloom, I can save the seeds for next year.

One thing that's great about bell peppers is that they are so easy to cut up, whereas the long thin peppers are a bit harder to prep, as you cannot avoid the seeds.

Carmen organic

I really like the taste of the long, thin, bull's horn shaped sweet peppers (corno di toro), and in years past, we mostly grew Jimmy Nardellos to satisfy this craving. Those are great, and heirloom, but very small and thin. I wanted the same shape but bigger. I decided to try these hybrid peppers from Johnny's Selected Seed called Carmen. They are about 6" long, and quite a bit wider than the Jimmys. We've very much liked the taste and production of these peppers and will grow them again. Unfortunately, since they are hybrids, I cannot plant from saved seed, but will have to buy them again each year. The organic variety of Carmen is even more expensive, at over $5 for 25 seeds, but I think they are worth it. And actually, 25 seeds lasts me at least two years, if not more.

Lipstick organic

I also really like these Lipstick hybrid peppers from Johnny's. They are about 4" long, ripen beautifully, and are delicious roasted. Again, the only downside is that they are hybrid and I can't save the seed.

I tried many other hybrids from Johnny's such as Glow and Escamillo. They haven't done as well as the two listed above. Many of them have severe cases of blossom end rot. I will not plant those again.

As for hot peppers, I stuck with some tried-and-true varieties this year: Jalapeno, a classic, which we use for everything - salsa, fresh eating, freezing, and hot sauce; Maule's Red Hot, a prolific twisty pepper with nice heat which we mostly use for hot sauce; and Calabrese drying peppers, which I dry on cookie sheets outside in the sun and then keep for dried chili flakes. This year we also tried a mild Habenero, which hasn't come ripe yet, and Thai chilis, which are long and thin and which we have used green but not in their ripe yellow or red forms yet. All have done very well. I got all of these seeds from Renee's Garden except for the Calabrese, which I ordered from Seeds from Italy, and have saved every year since. These hot peppers are all heirlooms so can be grown from saved seed. 

Piccante Calabrese hot peppers

When I say that I 'freeze' Jalapenos, what I do is slice them into rounds, seeds and all, and freeze them in a mason jar. I do this mostly for Adam - he likes them on grilled cheese sandwiches or quesadillas. One small jar-full usually suffices, so we don't need a huge supply for this purpose. However, we use Jalapenos for so many different dishes that I grew two plants this year, and it's great to have an abundance.

Jalapeno

We tend to eat sweet peppers only one way. I know, that's awfully boring of us, but it's the way we like them and so that's the way we always eat them, and that's as fajitas. I marinate a skirt or flank steak in lime juice, soy sauce, and olive oil (throw in a smashed garlic clove or two) and then we grill it. The peppers are roasted in olive oil and sea salt, usually in the oven. Sometimes we add caramelized shallots. The sliced steak and peppers are served in flour or corn tortillas with a generous helping of guacamole, and for some, homemade salsa. This is not a classic fajita, but it's the way we like it and we have it frequently. We do not eat this meal in winter, as peppers are not in season at that time. Not even in June; I know because we had a hankering and our peppers weren't near ready yet, so I checked both Whole Foods and Safeway. Both had organic red peppers, but they were both shipped in from the Netherlands, of all places. Not even Mexico. When we were in Washington state, I checked the local store for organic red peppers, and they were from Canada. Closer, but still! And conventional peppers were from even further away. Peppers are regularly on the 'dirty dozen' list for high-use pesticides, so organic in this case is best anyway. And local is even better! So, we don't eat peppers unless they are in season. Therefore, I always want extra to roast and freeze, enough to eat this meal once a month over the winter and spring. I have four pints frozen now, so that's enough for four meals. I hope to get twice that before our warm season is through. And I think I will! The sweet peppers listed above are still producing wonderfully.

What peppers are you growing and enjoying this year?

Working on the Fall Garden

The kids and I are splitting our days between lazy time and purposeful before-school-starts-again time. Half the day is given over to books, movies, and computer games, while the other half is used to fulfill some chore that needs doing before the 21st, when our days will once again be filled with schoolwork and homework. This encompasses anything from eye appointments to haircuts to shopping for school supplies. Some days we take off and do something we haven't done before, like tour the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. It's been fun, but for a restless person like me, it can be hard. I crave, and thrive on, schedule and routine. I actually enjoy being busy. I don't like large swathes of free time with nothing to fill it. And yet I know it's a luxury and I should embrace this short period of freedom. I'm trying.

One of the things I notice when I'm bored is that I want to spend money. Fix things. Make things pretty. Re-do entire flower beds. This would require funds we do not have. As any parent knows, August requires a robust bank account. Even public schools require many hundreds of dollars at registration time - student body cards, new PE clothes, donations to the PTA - all worthy things, just not exactly cheap. And the after-school activities start up again and therefore the fees start up again. So going to the nursery and buying a bunch of perennials? Um, no. Not a priority.

The other thing I want to do when I'm bored is eat. Mainly sweets. I find myself looking up recipes for chocolate mousse and Victoria sponge. Kate and I ducked into a See's the other day and came home with a box of soft-centered truffles. Oy.

One thing that keeps me busy is trolling the summer garden every day, weeding where necessary (though in summer, with only drip irrigation, there really aren't that many weeds), pulling out dead plants and flowers, tying up stray tomato vines, or harvesting whatever is ripe. We're eating tomatoes and peppers nearly every day, and any excess is either canned or frozen. Cucumbers are coming more slowly now, and the beans are in a lull after my last exhaustive picking, though basil can be harvested every other day and made into freezer pesto (just a huge bowl of basil thrown into the food processor with a cup of CA organic walnuts, a few cloves of our garlic, salt, a cup of grated parmesan, and olive oil to bring together into a paste).

But honestly, my mind is already turned to the fall and winter garden, what and how to plant, and when.

I started brassica seeds in July: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and cabbage. I transplanted most of them the first of August into compostable plastic cups, and they are growing well in a protected space that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. I've given a couple of plants away, but most I will transplant into containers in the next month or so. I've decided to do everything but garlic and shallots in containers (reason below). I have all those one gallon pots that I grow tomatoes in, I can fill each one with fresh potting soil and one plant. I'll have a ton of containers on the back patio this fall and winter, but that's ok. 

Some of these brassica starts have a leafminer problem. 

See that white trail there in the leaf? That's a very small maggot making its way through the tissue. Most leafminers are the maggots of moths or flies. I could have covered these with a light cloth to prevent the flying critters from laying eggs on the leaves, but I didn't realize I'd need to, having never had leafminers before. So I decided to spray them with Neem oil, which is organic, and smothers the maggots. Hopefully that will do the trick. 

I've also planted romaine, carrots, and beets directly into 10-gallon containers for a fall or early winter harvest. I plan to do some butter lettuce, kale, chard, and spinach once it gets cooler - those can go all winter. I have a fall crop of peas in the potato bed and should be able to harvest both peas and potatoes in a couple of months.  

There is a volunteer pumpkin coming up in one of the olive tree containers...

... and I've got kabocha squash and other pumpkins finally coming up next to the garage, where the sweet peas and lupines have been.

I have pre-ordered both my garlic and shallots from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, and will use two of my 4x8 beds for those, probably planting them in October. Last year, I left my tomatoes in through the beginning of November, but we really didn't get much of a harvest from them in October or November. Just not enough light and heat. So I'll cut my losses this year and take them out in October sometime and start my winter planting.

All the other raised beds will be given over a cover crop of winter wheat and crimson clover. Both should survive our mild winter. If they don't, they'll provide mulch when they winter-kill, having first improved the soil as they were growing. If they live, I'll crop some wheat in the spring, which should be a fun and educational experience, as well as providing food for us and straw for the garden; the clover will provide nutrients for the soil and flowers for the pollinators, as well as covering the soil to prevent erosion from winter rains. I'm excited to try something different over the winter. No row covers will be needed, which will save us some expense (it's time to get new row covers, and I'm happy to put that off for a year - the plants in containers should be protected enough not to need cover, but if they do, I'll use a sheet) and also some labor.

Meanwhile, we have not-quite two weeks left to enjoy our freedom. I'll continue to try and embrace it, without eating too much chocolate or purchasing any big-ticket items. We'll see how well I do. How are YOUR fall garden plans coming?