A Case of Mistaken Identity

Since both the raspberries and green beans are slowing down, I've had a little time to look around more at the rest of the garden. I'm still picking some of both, but there aren't nearly as many to deal with at once. The beans are starting to blossom again, for another onslaught in a few weeks. No more berries are going into my freezer, but there are more than we can eat. I've given quite a few containers of them away, some to the staff at the Courier, more to my fellow church members in Opheim.

During that looking around, I've discovered that what I thought was broccoli is actually cauliflower. The four plants I bought at the greenhouse were clearly labeled broccoli. The plastic marker is stuck in the ground right next to them. I surmise someone plucked up that marker to check what those starter plants were, and then put it back into a wrong container.

I haven't grown cauliflower for years. I'd always found them to be a pain. Even when touted as "self-blanching," they required the tying of the outer leaves up over the center of the plant to keep the part you eat white. If you don't do that, the cauliflower turns a dingy yellow-green, which is aesthetically unappetizing. The plants take up quite a bit of space for the delivery of only one head, whereas broccoli keeps on producing smaller side heads after the main one is harvested. I'm sorry I have no broccoli this year.

Both broccoli and cauliflower, as well as cabbages, attract cabbage moths, which look like small white butterflies. You have to dust the plants to get rid of the cabbage moth worms, or else lose your crop to those pests. The worms are voracious eaters, and grow quickly. Anyway, I've found it easier (and cheaper in the long run) to just buy the few cauliflower I consume at the grocery store. In my defense of this error, I will point out that baby broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower all look the same.

Also during the looking around, I found I had the makings for a nice cucumber salad. This one turned out really well, and I enjoyed it for several days in a row. I will definitely be making it again very soon.

Crispy Cucumber and Tomatoes in Dill Dressing

1/4 C cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh chopped dill

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbl oil

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 C sliced red onion

2 ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges

In a large bowl, mix together the first six ingredients. Add the rest, toss and let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving.

I cut my cukes lengthwise and scraped out the seeds. I had learned at a Table for Six lesson (if you haven't been, you're missing out on a great experience) years ago that the seed section of a cucumber is what can cause stomach distress. The remaining cucumber, with skin still attached, was then sliced, placed in a colander, and sprinkled with sea salt. I'm not real careful about measuring the salt for this, so I don't add more. I let those sit and drain while I prepared the rest of the salad. I do always add more freshly ground black pepper than what's called for because I like it.

Now, lest you think I only prepare healthy fare from my garden, and also to satisfy my Lustre-area audience, I baked a pan of fudgey brownies. This recipe calls for zucchini, but I used an over-sized summer squash. It's maybe a zucchini variety I haven't seen before, but instead of a smooth, dark green uniformly smooth cylinder, this squash has a mottled-yellow and green skin, and is ridged. It did make delicious brownies, though.

Zucchini Brownies

2 C flour

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 C vegetable oil

1 1/2 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 C shredded zucchini

3-5 Tbl water, optional

1/2 C chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350°. Line a 9x13" pan with foil, then spray the foil with a no-stick spray and set aside. Whisk the first four ingredients together and set aside. Mix the oil, sugar, and vanilla together, then stir in the flour mixture. Fold in the zucchini and let set a bit so the batter can absorb the squash. If it's still powdery, you can add up to five tablespoons of water. The batter should still be thick. Stir in the nuts, then spread the batter in the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The center should spring back up when lightly depressed.

Frosting

3 Tbl cocoa powder

1/4 C butter, melted

2 C powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 C milk

1 Tbl vanilla

Whisk the first four ingredients together. Whisk in the milk and vanilla. Spread over cooled brownies. Cut into squares, then chill to semi-set the frosting. The frosting should be hard on top, but still gooey underneath. Store in an airtight container.

I alternated adding the sugar with the milk/vanilla into the cocoa/ butter mixture. I didn't need to add any water to the brownie mixture as my squash was very wet when shredded. And yes, there are no eggs in this. The recipe said to eat the brownies within a couple of days, but I kept the covered pan in the fridge, so they're still good after several days. And they're extra good when fresh raspberries are sprinkled on top.