Not Harvest Weather

The weather seems as though it just doesn't want us to harvest our wheat. First the cool month of June delayed the start of the crop. Now the cool, wet August has delayed the ripening of the wheat. Yes, I know it's now September, but that cool, wet August is lingering. I want more summer. I'm not ready for fall. I'm afraid the wheat harvest is going to drag on until it seems like forever. The hours we can actually combine will be short.

Last week I did manage to get all my onions and shallots pulled. There were a couple of dry days in a row, so they could sit outside to "cure." The dried dirt was knocked off, the tops were twisted off, and they're all safely bagged in old potato sacks where they can breathe. Those bags are hanging in a cool, unused bedroom for now, ready for use as needed.

A panful of the Walla Walla onions were caramelized in butter with a pinch of sugar to accompany the bacon-wrapped pork medallions I found in the freezer when defrosting it recently. To complete that meal, several new carrots were sliced on the diagonal and sauteed, also in butter. Once they were a bit tender, I tossed the last few peas, one of the gypsy peppers, chopped, and some chopped broccoli into the pan. They didn't take as long to soften up.

There are lots of sun gold and red cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine. They make the best snack. I've only had a few of the large tomatoes so far, certainly not enough for canning. The cool isn't encouraging them, either. I'm thinking I should have planted more radishes and leaf lettuce a week or so ago. Those would thrive in this weather. Ah, well, maybe next year I'll actually get a second planting in.

I'm not going to be canning any beets. Something (I strongly suspect voles - I see them out of the corner of my eye, scurrying away in the garden sometimes) has been eating them. The beets are completely hollowed out. Sometimes they've been gnawed on so badly that even the tops are dying. I won't put out poison as I don't want the birds or the foxes to dine on poisoned mice or voles. I could set out lots of mouse traps, but the damage has already been done. Besides, I'd forget those traps were there and snap myself.

Speaking of traps, no more varmints have been caught in my live trap since the foxes were in there. So far the corn hasn't been damaged by raccoons this year - so far. I guess I'll trade off beets for corn. On Monday I harvested enough ears to make a batch of my semi-creamed freezer corn. It's so easy to make, and so good to eat. Cut enough corn from the cobs to make 20 cups. Put in a large roaster, add a pound of butter (no need to melt it first), then pour a pint of half and half over it all. Bake at 325° for an hour, stirring a few times during that hour. Cool, package, and freeze. I use a vacuum sealer, and those bags of corn keep for well over a year.

This cooler weather has me thinking of soups. I have lots of beautiful rainbow Swiss chard begging to be used. Being tired of salads and of steamed chard, I tried this recipe. It's wonderful. You could use spinach in place of the chard. I had to guess at how much a large bunch would be. If using frozen spinach, I'd thaw it and squeeze the liquid out, or just skip the added two cups of water. (I only added 3/4 cup of water, and threw in a half cup of brown rice with the chicken.) I'd serve this with crusty bread, or soda cracker sandwiches. You know, butter a cracker and top with another cracker.

Swiss Chard and Chicken Soup

1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

4 C (1 box) low-sodium chicken broth

2 C water

2 cans (16 oz) white chicken, chopped

1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems chopped, leaves cut in ribbons

1 C fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Saute over medium-high heat until the onion is translucent but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, water, the chard stems, and the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the stems are cooked. (My brown rice takes about 40 minutes, so that's how long mine simmered.) In the last five minutes before serving, stir in the leaves until wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro, juice, and scallions right before serving.

The garden has rewarded me with beautiful flowers. I have several bouquets in the house right now. On the dining room table is a large vase filled with dahlias and Queen Anne's lace. A slightly smaller vase featuring zinnias and forget-me-nots sits on a side table in the living room. There were only a few puny gladiola stalks ready, so they are in a jar with a few sprigs of four o'clocks above the tv. Those four o'clocks are not very impressive in a jar. They're much prettier outside in the garden and in the planter on the back deck.

So now I'm going to go work on my corn.