On the homefront...
Life's been quite busy here as we hurry to finish up our new home! This past week it was all about Kitchen cabinets! I'm going to have a functioning kitchen really soon! More details here... Can't wait to begin canning!
Canning...
Speaking of canning... A gardener that I follow on facebook posted about these interesting reusable canning lids. I'm thinking about giving these Tattler reusable lids a try! Anyone out there ever given them a try?
Eggplant...
I have my very first baby eggplant! The first one I've ever grown! I have 10 eggplant plants... and several have babies developing! Dreaming.... about Eggplant parmesan...
Next year I hope to try the Japanese variety...
Shallots...
When I bought my onion sets, the hardware store had shallot sets too... so I bought some! Now... I have NEVER eat shallots... but I've heard that they are milder than onions.
The greens were starting to die back so I pulled a few shallots. I was so surprised to see what came out of the ground! It looks kind of like a garlic bulb.
Would love to know how you use your shallots! I'm thinking stirfry...
Royal Burgundy Beans...
So many of my garden blog friends grew these beans last year that I decided to try them for myself! They have beautiful purplish flowers!
Here's a baby Royal Burgundy Bean.
Cukes...
My cucumber plants have started to bush out and are blossoming! Can't wait to taste my very first garden cucumber! Neither can my husband!
Death in the Garden...
I had 2 (of my 92 tomato plants) start looking kind of sad with yellowing leaves. I've been watching them for about a week now trying to decided whether to pull them or not... well... today I made the executive decision that they had to go!
I felt so sad every time I looked at them... so that's it... out they go!
Awesome garden success! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOur absolute favorite with eggplant is to slice it, toss it in a bit of olive oil, and grill it (essentially broil it) until it's cooked through. It tastes wonderful with everything. One way we eat it is on a cracker with a daub of hummus. We even dream about it. It's a wonderfully hearty satisfying meaty taste, with creamy texture.
I'm so sorry about your tomatoes. It's too bad, because my favorite shallot way is to saute in butter, then put in tomatoes and puree everything, add a little salt, then strain if you want, then put a spoon of pesto. Instant tomato soup! They're also good in sauces.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Tattler shout-out. They sound perfect for my uses.
You are going to love Shallots. I like to saute them them with lightly steamed asparagus. MMM!!!
ReplyDeleteToo bad about your tomatoes, I hope you have more than enough to cover your losses!
Shallots do well in fried rice, too. I always make double the amt of rice for a meal, and a day or two later we have fried rice made of all the veggies on hand stirred up with that leftover rice and flavored/salted with tamari soy sauce. A satisfying healthy fast meal!
ReplyDeleteI just checked out the non-disposable canning lids. What a great idea! I've so hated destroying the metal ones after one use! I'll be using these lids from now on. It sounds like a great family company to support, too. Thx for the tip.
No worries on the two tomato plants that I pulled... hee hee.. I have 90 more!!! : )
ReplyDeleteSounds like I'm going to want to do a stir fry... Tuesday night sounds good... I'll use some of those wonderful shallots... and the baby peas... and some of the awesome produce that I've been getting from my co-op, Bountiful Baskets.
You're welcome about the Tattler shout-out. Sounds like a great idea! I love NOT having to throw out the lid!!!
Peg-How long do you grill the eggplant? I can't wait to pick my garden eggplants!!! Hummus... love it... haven't made in like... forever though!
Stefaneener-that sounds heavenly!
Your shallots look great! Mine rotted in the ground over the winter...but, the potato onions came up just fine.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that you have 90 more tomato plants!
No, I have never heard of or tried those canning lids. Lets us know how you make out with them.
Congrats on your baby eggplant! I don't have any babies yet this season.
ReplyDeleteShallots - I always consider them sort of a cross between garlic and onion, given how they form and how they taste. They're an integral part in really flavorful hollandaise or bearnaise sauces, and I also like to add them to stuffing for mushrooms, or stuffing in general.. Yum! :)
That's a darling little eggplant. Once you start growing your own, you'll be a follower. Nothing says lovin' like something from the garden.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Love your shallot harvest! I think you can treat them like mild flavored onion/garlic and use them anywhere you would use onions. Or what Sarah Ruth said! Sorry about your tomato plants. I guess it's still hard to see them die even if you have 90+ of them.
ReplyDeleteLove the baby eggplant!! Hope to have one of my own soon.
ReplyDeleteDreaming of a place to have 90+ tomato plants! WOW!
Would love to read a review from you on the reusable canning lids. Let us know how they worked out for you. The baby eggplant look so cute. We have lots of eggplant plants growing, but no eggplant yet to date. I am dreaming of eggplant parm also!
ReplyDelete