Master Gardener Victory Garden Certification Classes

I am so excited that this weekend I start attending the Victory Garden Certification Classes taught Master Gardeners. I became an avid home gardener about four years ago and in the last two years have become pretty serious about growing most of my fruits and vegetables.

Last year I started making lasagna gardeners using layers of compost, leaves, grass and such to basically create my own soil in my garden beds. I also went to adding some raised beds.

The first year of my endeavors in Ventura I had some major coups and some glorious failures. As I've been determined to do everything in an organic manner and even moreso, by not using any pesticides but rather working with beneficial insects and substances like milk pray as a fungicide. It's fascinating what is possible and I've been on a steep learning curve. Last year I gained more confidence in my research ability and a keener eye to catching problems early when they showed up for our and did much better.

I have ordered so many heirloom seeds I almost need a personal organizer and of course! I'm looking at expanding the gardens again. What's fun is Chris has joined me in this effort in the garden and love of growing things so now I have a partner in crime. There's nothing quite like working the land with someone together in harmony and actively creating food and beauty in nature. Happily he will be attending the classes with me.

I will try to blog some of what I'm learning so you can come along for the ride. The Master Gardener teaching us specializes in making school gardens which really excites me! We will be learning at Saturn Elementary in Los Angeles at their impressive school gardens!

Here are the topics we will cover:

Week 1 (Sunday April 11): planning, tools, seed starting, building raised beds, choosing containers, plant selection (what to grow and when to grow it)

Week 2 (Sunday, April 18): transplanting, soil preparation, irrigation, mulching

Week 3 (Sunday April 25): pest management (weeds, diseases, insects), beneficial insects, organic pesticides and fertilizers.

Week 4 (Sunday May 2): composting, harvesting, seed saving, review, recipes, graduation and certificates

Lemony Artichoke Stem Slices with Toasted Almond Slivers

I am in love with growing artichokes. When I bought them at a local nursery, a curmudgeon standing behind me said they "weren't worth it." "They take up a lot of room and you maybe get one artichoke". But I still wanted to try! Another person told me I'd have to wait at least a year to see the fruit of my labor. I felt foolish yet oddly determined as I paid for them at the counter. We planted them in the late fall of last year and boy did they grow -- about 6 ft in circumference each. As the plants kept growing, and crowding out other vegetables, (mostly the beets), I saw my boyfriend becoming impatient. "They are really large!," he'd say. "Can we move them in the summer?" "Do you think we could trim some leaves?" My boyfriend is a beet freak and was concerned one crop would impede the other.

I begged patience but I too was starting to wonder if Mr. Anti-Artichoke was right. Then after about 6 months of waiting, something miraculous appeared in the center of the bush -- a tight, green artichoke bud! Like any other new parents, Chris and I watched expectantly. Soon other babies appeared alongside the larger bud and to date we've eaten 8 artichokes with many left on the plant and our second artichoke, a large globe also has its first fruit! I am thinking about stuffing this larger artichoke with a sausage bread crumb mixture when we harvest it. It might be an entire meal on its own.

The artichokes we've grown and harvested moments before steaming them are meatier and moister than those I've bought at the market. It is truly like the flesh of the leaves tastes more like well MEAT than any others I've experienced. We're having gorgeous, hearty meals from them! But there is a part of the artichoke I've become obsessed with that most throw away. To me this versatile part is becoming my favorite part. That right, I am in love with artichoke stems!

**If you don't grow your own artichokes you can still often get the fruit with the stems attached at a local farmer's market!

Now in general I love to cook most stems. The stems of broccoli are delicious! and I cook crunchy stems of chard along with my leaves. I almost growl at people at farm stands who dare ask if I want them to remove my beet green tops and their tiny stems. Imagine! I picture the smart person who came up with that question who goes home each night with a delicious bag of greens to savor in privacy! But artichoke stems are taking this fetish to a whole new level. They have the full flavor of the artichoke heart with lots of versatility.

Preparation:
To start, cut off your artichoke at the second level of leafy nubs under the fruit -- we usually get 4-6' of stems with them. I put the cut stems a lukewarm glass of water on the counter like I would a flower. When I trim up the artichokes I cut off the stems to make them sit flat and score a small x in the bottom to help them steam. Then I set the fruit to steaming and take on the stems.

Peeling:
I peel the stems with a vegetable peeler then slice them in 1/4" slices crossways. They should be tender to slice. If they are not, don't use them because they will be bitter. The longer the stems are and the older the artichoke, the more chance they will be tough. Put the cut stems in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon to avoid discoloration.

Ingredients:
2 Artichoke Stems, peeled and diced and put in water with lemon squeeze
1/2 a lemon
Olive Oil
Butter (optional)
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup almond slivers

Cooking:
I put about 1 tbl of butter and 1 tsp of olive oil in a pan. (you can use all olive oil if you like). I then add the almond slivers and start to toast them, stirring often. When the slivers are lightly browned, I push them to a side and add my disks of artichokes. While in the pan I put a grind of salt and pepper on them. When one side is browned, I turn them over and add salt and pepper on the other side. When the other side is browned, I then add a generous squeeze of lemon to them, stir around in the pan to mix in the salty, lemony, buttery flavors and remove them to cool on another plate before eating. They are better than potato chips, really addictive! They would also be a lovely addition to a stir fry.

Growing Notes:
** You can divide your artichokes in early spring by digging them up and using a knife or shovel to vertically divide some of the leaves, still leaving the roots in tact on the two parts.
** They make great hedges or dividers
** Aphids love them as much as we do so lady bugs are you best friend!
** fyi, you CAN remove, or trim leaves. These plants are VERY forgiving so please, do SAVE the beets!

Banana Coconut Chocolate Chunk Bread

There is a joke going around about how I rarely make a recipe without adulterating it -- it's like some sort of compulsion. Another twist on this disorder is that I often research something and combine 3-4 divergent recipes into one dish. Why is cooking sometimes stressful in my world? perhaps because I don't just take on one unknown, but often a few at a time. The results can be either brilliant or catastrophic but it's always an adventure!

My boyfriend left some bananas browning on my counter. He said he'd take them home but kept forgetting. As their age spots started to equal the amount of yellow left on them, I decided to take action. I found a simple foolproof ancient banana bread for the basic chemistry of baking involved and had every intention of keeping to the recipe. But by the time two ingredients were in the bowl, I'd already strayed. Luckily, it turned out brilliant beyond my wildest hopes.

It has a crunchy crust due to the larger stone ground flour I added and the large flakes of toasted coconut which made it chewy/lightly crunchy. I also used up organic chocolate chips that had melted together into an amorphous blob in the heat one day. The chocolate chunks being larger and less consistent than chocolate chips made for bites of crunch and bites of melted, gooey bliss -- almost like a lava cake. I recommend using the graham flour and coconut large coconut flakes I did (available at Natural Food/ Health Food Stores or online) as I believe that really 'made' the texture. Those products are linked in the ingredients list.

Banana Coconut Chocolate Chunk Bread

INGREDIENTS
3 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup graham rustic stone ground whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
6-8 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar or other chocolate that can be smashed into larger chunks
1 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes (I used Bob's Red Mill)

Needed:
1 large mixing bowl
wooden or other mixing spoon
saute pan
hammer or rolling pin to smash up chocolate into rough chunks

METHOD
No need for a mixer. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. In a saute pan melt 1 teaspoon of butter, put in coconut and brown over medium heat. When it starts to get a light yellow glow, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of brown sugar in and toss it over the heat. Remove from heat. Take chocolate bar still in the wrapper, wrap it in a kitchen towel and smash with either another pan, a hammer, or a rolling pin. You want the chunks varied and not too small, about the size of quarters and some nickels would work. Add the flour to the wet mixture in parts and mix. Add the toasted coconut in and the chunks of chocolate and blend. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan by turning over onto another surface or large plate, let cool a bit and slice.