Lots of leafy greens ready to make into something wonderful! Each day my chickens give me a few eggs.
They are much fewer on these short days of winter. They will go back to full production in a couple of months. Poppy provides about 2 cups each day of delicious milk. This month I made cheddar, Feta and "fresh" chèvre. I thank her after each milking for her delicious milk and she thanks me for the treat of fresh and crunchy apples that she eats during the chore.
Tetsoi - Asian spinach
This grows in a gorgeous florette about 12 inches across. You can pull leaves off or I think that I will just steam the whole burst
It's winter but in Southern California a garden can still give you a plethora of fruits and vegetables. Citrus is the dominant fruit here right now. I planted a few small trees when I moved here 3 years ago but this tangerine tree of my neighbor's is absolutely amazing:
Even in a year of draught this beauty is loaded with fruit. Often neighbors share their abundance with others Last month I posted my tiny grapefruit tree. I still have a dozen fruit left to pick but they do well on the tree. I also have a Meyer lemon tree- with about 8 gorgeous lemons, a blood orange tree (no fruit yet) and a kumquat tree.
I have trained many of my friends and family how to eat these. The fruit is tiny - about an inch oblong. The skin is very sweet. The pulp is very sour with a few soft seeds. How to eat? Commit to eating the whole darn thing at once. Don't think about it. The blend of sweet and sour is delightful. These little gems are great made into a sauce with wine and honey. Try this:https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/05/17/narsai-david-recipe-chicken-breasts-sauteed-with-kumquats-and-honey/
Believe it or not I have one last tomato on the vine. It's a Berkeley tie dye beefsteak tomato. I planted it new last February and it gave me a beautiful production but then it reseeded and gave me another huge crop starting in October
Today I combined my freshly picked tomatoes with some of Poppy's cheese to make
Baked goat cheese and tomato pasta- recipe at the end of today's post
There are lots of other greens:
Arugula : try making a salad with walnuts, cranberries and a balsamic dressing
Tuscan kale - love in a salad or quick stir fried in olive oil, add pine nuts for a minute and then balsamic vinegar, I love to add a piece of grilled white fish or steak to the top
And red freckled lettuce
There's still plenty of passion fruit
And my very first strawberries
Nectarine
Then the apple tree is starting too:
And this is my first artichoke plant :
Baked goat cheese pasta:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup good olive oil - is there really any other kind?
11 oz goat cheese- unflavored
20 oz cherry or small heirloom tomatoes
3 garlic cloves - peeled and sliced thin
1 shallot - peeled and sliced thin
10-12 oz dried pasta
10 large leaves of basil
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper
cooked pancetta for a top of garnish. I didn't have any but I wish that I did. It would be perfect!
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
In a 3 quart casserole dish (that will take high heat) pour in the olive oil. Then add all of the goat cheese to the center of the dish. Add the tomatoes, garlic and shallot. Place 4 leaves of basil and the thyme on top and then add salt and pepper:
Bake in 400 deg oven for 20-25 minutes. The corners of the dish should be lightly brown and bubbly.
Meanwhile cook the pasta according to box directions. Use any kind you want....gluten free would be nice too.
Optional: cook under broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the cheese. I didn't do this step.
Drain the pasta reserving some of the water in case you want to thin the sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce. Finish with the remaining 6 leaves of basil and pancetta.
Enjoy!
Serves 6
Serve with a leafy green salad for vitamin A and C
Would be perfect with a citrus based dessert or throw a little citrus into the green salad.
This will keep in the fridge a few days or freeze
This recipe was inspired by The Dizzy Cook, by Alicia Wolf
