horseradish for free

This evening, after visiting my garden and the 4 foot high weeds, I have decided to inventory all the plants (minus weeds) that are growing in no particular order. This is mostly to help me next year in planting less, I hope.

Garden Inventory:

tomatoes (about 42 plants, about 10 varieties - too many yellow)
green chiles (about 20 plants - don't need more plants, just fertilizenext year)
poblano chiles
jalepenos
red bell peppers
green bell peppers
hungarian peppers (which happen to be very hot)
collard greens
broccoli
broccoli rabe (mistakenly mis-tagged - lucky me)
brussel sprouts
eggplant
swiss chard
arugula
red leaf lettuce
green leaf lettuce
butter lettuce
leeks (there were supposed to be scallions too, but they are all leeks - about 60 of them!)
shallots
onions
acorn squash (three plants are taking over 1/2 the garden - next year no squash, don't really like it enough to have bushel full)
cucumbers
sweet peas
pole beans - kentucky and italian flat
tomatillos (these are coming up from last year and once i realized it wasn't a weed I have let them grow - bonus as I saw no tomatillo plants for sale)
swiss chard
purple potato (missed one from last year and it grew again after over wintering)
horseradish (grew from neighbors garden roots after tilling now taking over garden where acorn squash isn't)
dill (from last year's seed)
radish (these were in my neighbors plot, but planted for both our use - but they didn't grow well)
zucchini (almost forgot that one, how could I)

basil

cilantro and bonus, now I have coriander as it bolted

I think that's it. I have a full perennial herb garden too, but that is a different post.

With today's broccoli harvest I made chicken divan ala my style - chicken dijon with chicken, broccoli, a chicken broth based creamy dijon wine sauce and parmesan cheese - yummo. Served over rice cooked in chicken broth and fresh herbs. I used a fine rice flour from the asian market (Indian isle) and it worked great for making a roux.
And of course fresh tomatoes (one brandywine and one yellow, I even peeled them this time) with olive oil, torn basil, chives, sea salt and loads of freshly ground black pepper. I eat this salad almost every day. Delish.

i'm out

procastination motion

Over the weekend I was at my Aunt's house sipping a margarita and visiting with family and upon leaving, guess what I saw on the kitchen shelf? That's right, a rooster pitcher. If you recall, the profile to the right of this blog has a little statement about rooster pitchers.

"For your birthday, your aunt gave you a maple syrup dispenser shaped like a rooster. Please write her a thank-you note:
Which end of the rooster does the maple syrup come out of? Chic-kens!!"

I saw that pitcher and started laughing. Well to answer my question the syrup is supposed to flow from the beak. I bet you were all dying to know.

I think it is a sign. Not sure what kind of sign, but I do smile everytime I think about it. Maybe I will knit a rooster hat for the winter.
My brother has started to raise pheasants, quail and chickens. I bet he would love a rooster hat.

On a different topic I seem to have this tomato canning avoidance system in me right now. I desperately need to can the tomatoes which are falling off the vines in my gardens, but feel like doing nothing about it. I think this is a result of being gone for 11 days. And the fact that I have to return a tank of gas in order to can and that is a pain.
I am in a procrastination mode. The eggplants are ready too. Think I will roast those and freeze them. I need to get out of this funk. You know the i'm broke and my house needs cleaning and the tomatoes are ripe all at the same time kind of funk.
I need to cook, something that I've never made before. Something spicy, something mood changing. Send ideas. Use garden veggies. Send lobster.

i'm out