by Judy | Jul 31, 2024 | #CobraHeadFolksEat Good, #JudyValdes, CobraHead
This was a good year for garlic here in southern Wisconsin. The bulbs were bigger than ever due to all the rain we had. Since Noel uses the raised bed method of growing there was plenty of drainage, otherwise there would have been some mushy garlic. The bulbs came out beautifully. We do plant our own saved garlic cloves every year so I'm sure they are acclimatized for our seasons as well. Rarely a day goes by without using garlic in my cooking. I especially...
by Judy | Jun 28, 2024 | #CobraHeadFolksEat Good, #JudyValdes, CobraHead, dessert pizza, Recipes, strawberry dessert
We had a nice crop of strawberries this year, though we had to share some with the birds and voles. As I was trying to figure out a garden-related recipe to share I thought of this fruit pizza that my friend Eve used to make for potlucks. I had previously made fruit pizzas from a recipe I got from the Wyandotte News Herald many years ago when we lived in Michigan. It used a sugar cookie dough instead of the shortbread dough and the glaze was a thinned apricot jam....
by Noel | May 31, 2024 | CobraHead, Gardening, Vegetable Growing
I let a lot of plants bolt in the garden. Plants bolt when they are ready to produce seeds. They will develop a flowering stem and if left alone will often develop viable seeds. Gardeners often try to discourage bolting. We want leafy greens, not seeds. Bolting stems are often cut away. Plants are planted in cooler temperatures to reduce bolting and bolted plants are often removed. However, there are many instances when allowing bolting is a good thing. Free seed,...
by Judy | May 31, 2024 | #CobraHeadFolksEat Good, #JudyValdes, CobraHead, Recipes, Rhubarb Bread
It’s rhubarb time. I dug out my old 'Jane Brody Good Food Book' and experimented with her rhubarb banana crisp recipe. I was hoping the bananas would be the magic needed to cut way back on the sugar needed for the tart stalks. It was okay, and did the trick, but the dish didn't go over very well with the troops. I have made my usual and favorite Rhubarb Crisp already. Recipe here. My Rhubarb Ginger Pie recipe is here. This time I made a quick...
by Judy | Apr 30, 2024 | CobraHead
One of the advantages of leaving plants in the garden overwinter is that some of them sprout again or regrow from the root. Different types of kale can be annuals or biennials. The several types of kale that we grew last year have grown new edible leaves this spring. It’s fun to be able to forage in your own garden as the snow melts away. The young tender leaves are great in a salad, and as they mature into a chewier leaf, they work well in a stir fry or...
by Noel | Apr 29, 2024 | CobraHead, Gardening, Vegetable Growing
The weather here, like everywhere, keeps getting weirder. I’ve been gardening the same plot for over 35 years and the last couple years have really departed from what used to be normal. This year is extremely wet and warm. It’s been hard to get the beds prepped because of the wetness. I did take advantage of some nice dry days last week to get my peas planted. I try to get them in the ground in April. Later than that can get iffy for full production as peas don’t...
