The winds blow so hard on our property that securing this house to the ground somehow becomes a bigger priority than we thought.  Luckily, it wasn’t that difficult to straighten and we didn’t loose the kale or the Swiss chard growing inside.  Jon drove rebar stakes to which he affixed the base and then reinforced the sides with long 2 x 8′s.  This should do the trick, but a winter of Maine weather will tell us for sure.

All of the other season extenders – cold frames and mini-greenhouses – are producing as well.  The leeks and carrots are completely covered and insulated with straw and it was only last week that I harvested the last of the Brussels sprouts and broccoli from the beds.  The hens were so excited to still be getting greens this late in the season.

Traveling back in time to when it was constructed in the spring…

The girls got into the act, donning drills and hammers.  The base is made of 3 – 2x12x12′s, the frame of electrical conduit piping with dry fit 45 and 90 degree corners at the ‘roof edge’ and topline.  The whole is encased in 6 mil. plastic which we may find isn’t strong enough to withstand our property’s micro-climate.

Chloe working on strapping while Ella works on the framing.

Jon and Ella getting the last piece fitted for the base.

Rebecca used the greenhouse all summer long to grow veggies for the Riggin.  I can’t wait to use it as we go into spring!

Annie
Why is chard ‘Swiss’ and sprouts ‘Brussels?’

My grandma worried that we would get so bored that one year we would eventually resist coming.  I’m not sure why we worry as adults so much about the children in our lives being bored.  I know as I look back on my childhood memories, the softer, less thrilling moments are the ones I cherish most.  As I watch my own children, move in and out of boredom, what comes after bored is so interesting to observe.

“Mama, I’m bored.”

“Oh, excellent!  I can’t wait to see what comes after ‘bored.’  Whatever you discover, I know it will be terrific!”

I’m certain that this is one of the phrases that I give to my children which they promise to themselves they will NEVER repeat to their offspring.  We’ll see.

During one of my many childhood periods of boredom spend with my grandparents, we would don my grandpa’s old oxfords with the tails down to our knees and the sleeves rolled up to our wrists, armed with pails and some sort of muck boot.  We’d then tromp through the bushes to my grandma’s favorite haunts looking for whichever berry was in season – usually raspberries, blackberries, or my favorite, elderberries.  We would then trounce home, tired and sunburned and mouths watering for my grandma’s famous elderberry pie.

For the longest time I tried to recreate it with other berries, but eventually gave up the effort, resigning myself to reliving elderberry pie in my mind only.

Until this summer!  When the elderberry patch went into my garden!  It’s American Elderberry, Sambucus canadensis, and I should see my first pie next year.  My mom has always said that gardening skipped a generation and that my grandmother passed her green thumb on to me.  Thank you, Grandma, for the memories.  I’m so glad you are with me again in the garden.

Annie
Thinking of Cecile Hunt

Simply put, while the name is old-fashioned, a casserole is just a one-pot meal with the protein starch and vegetable all in one dish.  Preferably with a crispy topping, please.  Casseroles from our past don’t have to include canned soup to be hearty, one-pot meals.  And they don’t have to be something only served for a weeknight dinner.  Served in individual bowls or large ramekins and topped with a garnish, you quickly turn an everyday meal into a simple meal fit for entertaining.

This is a wonderful comfort meal for a snowy, winter evening, with friends or just family.

Casserole of Mashed Potato, Portobello Mushrooms and Swiss Chard with Goat Cheese

For the mushrooms and Swiss chard:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 Portobello mushrooms
1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped and cleaned well
1/2 teaspoon salt
several grinds of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

For the potatoes:
8 medium red potatoes, peeled and whole
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for the water

4 oz. goat cheese

For the mushrooms and Swiss chard:
Preheat oven to 400°.  Place the mushrooms and Swiss chard on a roasting pan and sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 40-45 minutes.  The Swiss chard may be done before the mushrooms at about 30 minutes.  It’s done when it’s wilted and the stems are tender.  Remove the Swiss chard with tongs and transfer to a medium sized bowl.  Toss with balsamic vinegar.  Continue to cook the mushrooms until they begin to get darker on the edges.  When the mushrooms are done, let them cool briefly and then slice thinly into long strips.

For the potatoes:
Place the potatoes in a medium stockpot and cover with salted water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.  Drain the water; add the butter, milk and salt and whip with a hand mixer.

Reduce oven heat to 350°.  In four 2-cup oven proof bowls, layer the potatoes, mushrooms and Swiss chard, beginning and ending with the potatoes.  Sprinkle with goat cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes begin to brown.

Serves 4 (or 6 if you use smaller bowls)

This recipe ran in the Portland Press Herald recently with a typo on the oven temp, so I post it here for those who had questions about it.

Winter Slaw
My girls will eat this dish as if it’s candy rather than squash and cabbage – the sugars of both caramelize and turn simple vegetables into something akin to an addictive confection.

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound peeled, seeded and grated butternut squash, about 4 cups or 1/2 of a medium-sized squash
1 1/2 pounds sliced green cabbage, about 4 cups or 1/2 head of cabbage
3/4 teaspoon salt (sprinkle half over squash and half over cabbage)
several grinds of black pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil.

Add the squash, sprinkle with half of the salt and sauté until heated through.  It will stick to the pan, but don’t worry, it will loosen up at the end.

Add the cabbage, sprinkle with the other half of the salt and all of the black pepper.  Break the butter into smaller pieces and dot the top of the cabbage.

Transfer to the oven and cook for 35 to 45 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked through, but still a little firm.  If you can, slide the whole mess out of the pan at once.  Slightly mix the squash into the cabbage and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

Annie
Using up garden veggies

We serve Swiss chard to our guests all summer long because it’s one of the staple vegetables that our CSA offers as it grows well in cold climates.  We’ve served it with lemon, balsamic vinegar, garlic, roasted garlic, roasted pine nuts and crumble feta cheese (not necessarily all at once!).  This is my favorite way of preparing it so far.  My husband, who eats green things mostly because they are good for him and not because he really has a love for them, had a third helping of this Swiss chard.

4 chicken breasts, bone in
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch of Swiss chard, chopped and cleaned, stems separate from the leaves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
3 strips bacon, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400º.  Heat a large skillet (one with a lid), over medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.  Heat the oil and carefully add the chicken breasts, skin side down.  Sear for 8 minutes or until the skin is a deep golden brown.  Turn and sear for another 8 minutes.  While the chicken is cooking on the second side, clear a space and add the bacon keeping it in one spot in the pan.  When it is done, transfer it out of the pan with a slotted spoon.  When the chicken is a golden brown on the second side, remove it from the pan.  Drain the pan of all the fat and return it to the heat.  Cook the garlic for 30 seconds to a minutes being careful not to burn it.  As soon as it’s done, add the Swiss chard stems to the pan to stop the garlic from cooking further.  Sauté for 3-4 minutes and then add the rest of the Swiss chard and the bacon.  Stir all together and return the chicken breasts to the pan.  Cover and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the chicken breasts are opaque throughout.

Serves 4

Tomato and Kalamata Olive Salad

4 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons basil, julienned
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Fan the tomato slices neatly onto a platter.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter the olives and basil.  Sprinkle all with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6

I’ve now enticed Rebecca , our most excellent gardener who helps me when I’m out sailing, not to fear the words “expand the garden.”  She has now joined us on the dark side and is fully up for twice as much garden space as we put in last year.  This may have also had something to do with her supreme frustration with the mowed grass being blown directly into the free form beds she’s just weeded (just saying).  Paths joining the beds will take care of this perennial issue by only requiring mowing on the perimeter.  Happy me, happy Rebecca, more veggies, more fruit trees!

The wood chips, 10 yards in all, I’m told, were recycled from Rebecca’s property to make way for fruit trees there.  The wood from those Norway Maple trees, high in btu’s, will be our fire wood on the boat next summer.

Wood chips for the garden paths

Annie
More veggies!

The baby greens and baby kale that have just made their way into my refrigerator will become the basis for a number of salads, as will the goat cheese from Appleton Creamery.  The greens are light and delicate so will be accompanied by same in ingredients.  The kale will receive a heartier paring.

Fiore olive oils and vinegars have become a staple for us in our salads and while the company suggests pairing a flavored olive oil with a flavored vinegar, I find they are too special and precious to use both in combination so it’s the standard good extra virgin olive oil pared with a flavor vinegar such as my favorites Black Cherry or Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegars.  For the summer, I’ll end up using the Grapefruit White Balsamic or the Summer Peach White Balsamic.

Favorite salad combinations:
Baby greens, dried apricots, shaved fennel and pinenuts dressed with my standard olive oil and Summer Peach White Balsamic.
Baby kale, Appleton Creamery goat cheese, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts dressed with my standard olive oil and Black Cherry Balsamic.
Oakleaf lettuce, sliced pears, caramelized walnuts and blue cheese dressed with lemon juice and Blood Orange Olive Oil.

The combinations are endless and you almost can’t go wrong.

Annie
Thinking of what salad to have with tonight’s lasagna.

The new tomato green house is another one of those gifts, given to me by my family for Mother’s Day.  What clinches it for me as a top ten gift is that we all spent time in the garden working on it together.  When I walk through the framed in door for the first time to plant my tomatoes, I’ll think of them, if only for a second.  When I walk in again, the second time, same thing, if only for a second.  I love them for giving me this memory everytime I’ll stoop to weed the tomatoes or string a vine up a line or pick a fully ripe and warm tomato from it’s stem.

Annie
Grateful

There are a few things I’ve learn over one summer of bees:

1. Keeping bees is like having a garden – hope springs eternal for the imagined harvest in the following year.
2. I’ve found the surest way to the most expensive eggs (owning my own chickens) and now the most expensive honey.
3. Perhaps when one first picks up their hives, one might want to think about a car with a trunk rather than a hatchback.

The white hive when it first arrived in the spring with only one deep.

Checking the white hive one month in.

The undulating swarm which landed in our apple trees.  We weren’t able to capture it, just as the third hive was on it’s way, the bees’ inner wisdom suggested they flee to greener apple trees.

Feeding the bees in preparation for a long Maine winter.

The ladies of the purple hive.

Annie
Bye for now, ladies, we’ll see you in the spring!