True Confessions

I hope you're sitting down when you read this, because I have a confession to make. This revelation may shock some and disgust others, but I feel it's time I just brought everything out into the open for the sake for full disclosure. So here it is. I LIKE fruitcake. Yes, that's right. I enjoy the dessert that has been the butt of so many jokes for so many years. The present that has won the Most Likely To Be Regifted Award more than any other. So you can imagine that I was overjoyed to learn that there is actually a day dedicated to the celebration of this unique sweet.

Now here are some fast facts that you may not know about fruitcake:

• Typically, American fruitcakes are known for being rich in nuts and fruits. 
• Mail-order fruitcakes have been around in the U.S. since 1913. 
• Commercial fruitcakes are often sold by charities to raise money for many causes. 
• The expression “nutty as a fruitcake” was coined in 1935 during the period in which Southern bakeries, Collin Street and Claxton, began to use inexpensive surplus nuts in their cakes. 
• Contrary to popular belief, most mass-produced fruitcakes in the U.S. have no alcohol.
• Some traditional recipes do use liqueurs or brandy and then are topped off with powdered sugar.
• Some people use brandy soaked linens to wrap their fruitcakes and then store them to allow time for the cakes to age. They believe that this improves the taste of the cakes.

So take some time out to enjoy a slice, O.K., maybe just a sliver of fruitcake today along with your coffee or tea. You may yet become a fancier of this much maligned confection.

Robo Weeder

If you're looking for a special gift for that  gardener who seems to have everything, you might want to consider a robot weeder. Yes, the silicon servants are now in the garden. And they might be just the thing for those who are eager to reduce the time they spend weed wrangling. Who knows, you might even want to pick one up for yourself.

To Brighter Days

The winter solstice is upon us. From this point on, we can look forward to brighter days.

Support Your Local Community Garden

It's Not Uncanny

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there really is a National Mason Jar Day. And you can learn all about this amazing invention that is one of the gardener's best friends here.

Watch This Space

To Thanksgiving And Beyond

Yes, I still have a precious few tomatoes wrapped in newspaper, ripening in a brown paper bag in a cool, dark, dry place in the garage. Would that I had enough to last through the entire winter. Alas, that is not the case.

Yeah! It's National Cake Day!

What better way to celebrate a day dedicated to one of America's favorite desserts than to use some of those green tomatoes that remain in the garden that won't ripen on the vine before the first heavy frost arrives? This recipe makes a moist, spicy cake that most will enjoy. You may sprinkle the finished cake with confectioners' sugar or a nice dollop of vanilla fat free yogurt. And it can be made with or without the nuts, either way its very tasty.

 

Preparation time: 25 min.

Baking time: 45 min.

 

Ingredients

4 cups chopped green tomatoes
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup light stick margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1-Place chopped tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Place in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain. 

2-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. 

3-Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy. 

4-Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add raisins and nuts to dry mixture; add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Dough will be very stiff. Mix well. 

5-Add drained tomatoes and mix well. Pour into the prepared 9 x 13 inch pan. 

6-Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

7-Now gather about two dozen of your favorite people together to help celebrate the day and enjoy your cake!

Get Your Mind Into The Gutter

If you don't have the space for a garden plot, you might want to consider going vertical with a hanging gutter garden.

We All Need A Walk On The Wild Side

If you know someone who you want to say "take a hike" to, this would be the day to do it!

Fast Food

While today is National Fast Food Day, when it comes to gardeners, fast food doesn't have the same meaning as it might for others. After all, what could be faster than getting your food fresh from containers located on your window sill and patio or from the garden only a few steps from your door?

Of course, there are those who would argue that it takes time to produce all of that produce. So it's not really fast at all. However, the meat, fish and veggies used in the production of  meals for fast food restaurants doesn't just appear in an instant from out of nowhere. So all things being equal, gardeners are quite justified in calling what they eat fast food. It's all in how you look at things, isn't it?

If You're In A Pickle, Then This Is Your Day!

Yes, it's National Pickle Day. And for those of us who garden, we know that pickling is one of the tried and true ways we can make our harvest last all year long. There is almost no limit to what you can pickle. But here are a few general rules to follow:

1. Always start with clean, sterilized mason jars! Don’t skimp…they are fairly cheap and you can reuse the jars several times.

2. New canning lids …never reuse old seals or ones that have been used before. never! You can reuse the screw lid tops but, what the heck..just keep with new ones and make a wind chime or something with the old ones:)

3. For best results, make sure that whatever you are pickling is at its peak of ripeness and freshness.

4. Use 5% vinegar distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar…if you're like me sometimes I will use a combination of both of these vinegars.  The key here is to look at the labels on the vinegar to make sure you have a 5% acidity rate.  Vinegar along with the salt is what preserves your pickles and keeps them from spoiling. So very important…to get the right stuff!

I'll Take Several Dozen Of These

When Buildings Go Green In Barcelona, They Don't Do It Halfway!

For some reason, I don't think anyone would mind me having a garden on my balcony in this building.

An Autumn Thought

If Only

I'd love to have a garden full of these. They are known as Swaddled Babies Orchids and are native to the Andes Mountains in South America.

The Year Of The Cabbage

Nine pots, eight harvests. From soup to casserole. From coleslaw to kapusta. It's been a very, merry cabbage year. Let's do it again sometime soon.

Each type of cabbage has its own unique flavor and nutrient profile, but all contain the cancer-fighting glucosinolates and good levels of vitamin C and K.

1. Green Cabbage

This is the most common variety. Pale in color and with tight leaves, it is great for slaws, salads and stir-fries.
Varieties include: Grenadier, Charmant, and January King.

2. Savoy (Curly Cabbage)

Savoy cabbage has looser, crinkled leaves. It is a great addition to your regular green salad, or as the wrapping for a raw burrito.
Varieties: Salarite, Savonarch, Promasa and Wivoy.

3. Napa (Chinese Cabbage)

This popular variety has light green, narrow, crinkled leaves. The leaves are more delicate than those of its green cousin, so they cook much more quickly. It is delicious in salads, curries or just very lightly steamed.

4. Bok Choy

Bok Choy has dark green leaves and white stems and a much different shape than the cabbage you may be used to. Wonderful both raw and cooked, the stems have a sweet flavor when fresh. Other varities: Michihli, Pe-Tsai, Tai-sai, Lei-choi and Pakchoi.

5. Red Cabbage

If I had named this group, I probably would have called them purple rather than red, but don’t let the color deter you. You can use red cabbage in pretty much the same way as the common green variety, and it has a higher lever of protective phytonutrients then its green counterpart. Other varieties of red cabbage: Meteor, Red Rodan, Ruby Ball and Scarlet O’Hara.

Near At Hand

Fall colors just a hop, skip and a jump down the street.

One Of Many Autumn Views In Our Fair City

Freeze Dried Tomatoes

This is what happened when I left some container cherry tomatoes in the refrigerator for an entire winter.

And this is what happened when I planted some of them.