Recycle: Trees

Have you recently had a tree trimmed or taken down at your home? Instead of having them picked up by your landscaper or the monthly bulk/brush, consider repurposing them by creating a Hugel raised bed.

“Hugelkultur” composts whole trees while cultivating a garden. As the rotting tree limbs decompose, they release moisture and nutrients and create a valuable organic soil base in which to grow…well, anything! It is a centuries old technique for composting utilized around the world.

(If you are stuck on this fancy name, just think of saying, “Google Culture”…Then, insert an “H” for that “G”.  That’s it!)

How to build it?

1.     Pick a sunny space, and plan for a North-South orientation of your bed.

2.     Start with the larger wood pieces on the bottom (fyi, if you want to speed up decomposition, bury the wood one foot deep at the outset).

3.     Add to that base layers of the other tree parts, largest to smallest (e.g. start with limbs, next branches, next twigs…)

4.     Add some green stuff (nitrogen) to it (grass clippings, hay, manure, etc.)

5.     Add some brown stuff (carbon) to it (leaves, mulch, compost, soil).

6.     Water all of that down, and (ideally) let it rest for a bit before planting in it.

We created several Hugel beds over the winter in our urban space, and we’re going to grow vegetables in them.  Check out pictures here.

Stacking branches for the base layers of the bed. next, would come grass clippings, manure, hay, mulch (smaller organic items)…This bed was intentionally placed on a slope for erosion control and also to capture rainwater that will naturally nourish the garden bed.

Planting onions and potatoes in a finished Hugel bed…

Interested in learning more? Check out these great resources:

http://www.holzeragroecology.com

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur

Cook: Stock

My kids are always eating carrots and celery so I keep all of the ends of them in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

If you have any recipes that require vegetable/chicken/beef/fish stock, use that extra celery and carrots to make a stock that can be stored in the freezer until needed. Today, I will be making a vegetable stock.

I’ll chop up some onion and gather the seasonings that I plan on using to make a sachet (you can be creative: I used clove, parsley stems, black pepper, and bay leaves). The appropriate term is sachet d’epices which is French for “spice bag”, often called “sachet” for short. (If you don’t want to make a sachet, you can still cook the sachet items in the pot, just strain it carefully after…).

Once the sachet is made, I’ll tie the string on the lid of the pot, add the vegetables and pour enough water to cover them. I’ll place the sachet in the pot and cover with the lid, then let it simmer for at least 3 to 4hrs on medium heat.

After 4hrs of cooking, turn off the heat and let the stock completely cool off for storing.

Your needs will determine how you decide to store the stock. Whether you pour it in several containers or 1 big container with a proper cover/lid, remember to label it. If you put it in the fridge, it’s good for up to 3 days but if you decide to freeze the stock it will keep for months.

I’ll be making some broccoli cheese soup with this!

Plant: Onions

Onions are one of the easier vegetables to grow in your urban backyard garden (or patio containers). They are also one of the first (and only) vegetables you can plant outside in January/February and not worry about the cold temps.

Now is the time to purchase and plant onion transplants in our local garden nursery stores. We bought one package of white, and one package of red (fyi, they are readily in stock at Redenta’s, North Haven Gardens, Ruibal’s). One bunch was plenty to spread amongst several homes and friends.

Here are three basic planting tips:

1. Find a sunny spot (they need at least 6 hours of sun/day) and loosen the soil where onions will be planted (use a trowel or spoon to break up any compact spots; if soil is hard and dry, moisten it).    

2. Plant each onion base (the part with roots) in the soil approximately four inches apart from each other. Don’t plant more than one inch deep.

3. Water the soil deeply around all of the onions you’ve just planted. Keep them watered every week in the spring until they get growing. But do NOT overwater!

You should have mature onions somewhere between May and July. Here’s a helpful tip sheet from Texas A&M on planting and growing onions.

Cook: Winter Greens

January is a great time to buy and cook local winter greens - broccoli, chard, kale, spinach, collards…we hope you sauté, or braise, or steam these beauties at home for your family.

However, if you don’t think you will be able to cook them in time before they go bad, here’s a quick tutorial on how to blanch them and save them for a future date!

Blanching is a culinary term that means, “to cook an item partially and very briefly in boiling water or in hot fat.  Usually a pre-preparation technique, as to loosen peels of vegetables, fruits, and nuts, to partially cook French fries or other foods before service, to prepare for freezing, or to remove undesirable flavors.” [Source: “Professional Cooking”, Wayne Gisslen]

That’s a technical way to say: quickly cook at high temp, then chill immediately.

Here’s what you do:

1.     Chop up the greens. While chopping, put a pot of salted water on the stovetop and bring that water to a rapid boil.

2.     Once water is boiling vigorously, put the greens in and let them cook for 1-3 minutes. It is important to not let them boil for too long, as you will lose more nutrients and texture the longer they cook. Wait for them to turn a bright color and soften slightly…for thicker greens, boil slightly longer – more delicate greens only need 1 minute or so.

3.     While the greens are boiling, get another bowl and fill it with ice water (this is your “ice bath” for the greens – yes, they’re getting a little spa treatment…)

4.     Drain greens in a colander, and quickly move them to their ice bath. Let them cool to room temperature. Drain them again in the colander.

5.     Put greens in Ziploc freezer bags and label with the date you cooked them. Store them in your freezer.

Blanch away, friends!  Don’t waste those good greens.