Seed catalogs and next year's gardens

The seed catalogs have started to arrive.  I look forward to dreaming of perfect vegetables and flowers, just as they are in the pages of the catalogs.  It is hard to imagine what the ground holds with a new blanket of white covering the soil in my backyard.  I can still see the kale plants with their droopy heads in the back of the vegetable garden.  They will probably be the first things I will get a few leaves off of as the weather warms and they resume growth.
I wish I had room for potatoes in my yard.  Unfortunately, the space is too small and they do not like black walnut roots.  I am not going to give up my beans and peas for what promises to be a small crop for the space.  I will continue to get those from the farm market.
I will soon have to pull out my seed box and inventory what I have leftover from last year.  So many things will do just fine the second year from storage.  I grew parsnips this year and have some leftover seed from 2012.  I have read this is one seed that is worth the new purchase every year.  Germination falls off considerably with this crop.
Jung Seed Company is a Wisconsin based catalog which I am going to give a bit more business to this year.  I have been happy with their seeds, but they tend to be more generous than I need for my small plots.  I may have to work out a seed exchange with someone else to avoid the excess.  Their stores are not too far from places I travel.  I have made stops and bought off the rack.  I tend to buy more than I need on impulse purchases.
Pine Tree Gardens has been a good source for seed as they tend to have fewer seeds with a lower price.  This last year had a less reliable germination rate than years past, even with the new seed.  Not sure what happened there.
I also plan on sitting down with my oldest daughter this year to do a bit of planning.  She and her fiance are planning a small wedding, much to the displeasure of extended family members who will not be invited to attend.  She would like me to do the flowers.  I was shying away from the prospect, but was inspired to give it a go after watching an episode of Growing a Greener World.  They talked about buying local and organic flowers.  I had done this for a niece several years ago on a little bit larger scale.  I think I can do this for my daughter.  A fall date presents a bit of a challenge to plant things that will make it through a possible frost and be blooming their best.
Enjoy the perfect garden that can only be a dream of winter. Make lists and then narrow the choices to what will work in your yard.  The time is now to really enjoy the planning.

Christmas Cookies

A gardener has down time come winter and this gives me time for another of my passions...baking.  Christmas is the time that I get out the old family favorites and the Electric Company cookbooks and go to town!  I haven't picked up a copy of this year's book, but the miracle of the internet makes it possible to share with anyone with a connection.  Go to http://www.we-energies.com/recipes/index.htm to see this years book as well as past year's on file. 

Clock wise from top: Pecan/sesame wafers, caramel cookies, cherry winks, sandbakkels, Oreo balls, cream cheese pillows, poppy seed rugelach, currant surprises, date-pinwheels, coconut balls, pecan/chocolate wafer cookies. Center: nutty fingers, pfernusse, cathedral cookies

I am going to share a few of the recipes that I did not get from the Electric Co Book (1969 and 1966).

Cherry Winks                                                                5 dozen

4 C corn flakes crushed                                     ¾ C  butter or margarine

2 ¼  C flour                                                         1 C  sugar

1 t  baking powder                                              2 eggs

½ t  baking soda                                                 2 T  milk

½ t  salt                                                                1 t  vanilla

1 C  chopped nuts

1 C finely chopped dates

1/3 C  finely cut maraschino cherries

18 maraschino cherries cut to 1/4's

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well.  Stir in milk and vanilla.  Sift together flour, b powder, b soda, salt, nuts, dates, and finely chopped cherries.  Mix into creamed butter slowly until mixed well.

Shape 1 T dough into ball.  Roll in crushed corn flakes.  Place on greased baking sheet and top with ¼ cherry.  Bake 375 degrees about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove immediately from pans and cool on racks.

Cathedral Cookies                                                       5 dozen

2 C  semi-sweet chips

¼ C  butter

2 eggs

1   10 oz package colored mini marshmallows

¾ C chopped nuts

Melt chocolate and butter over heat, stir to blend.  Stir in eggs until smooth.  Pour over marshmallows, mix until coated.  Chill bowl about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Form into 3 rolls about 11” long on waxed paper.  Chill about 30 minutes.  Roll in nuts.  Wrap in waxed paper and chill overnight.  Cut into slices about 1/3” thick.  Keep refrigerated.      

Chocolate-Pecan Cookies (formerly Starlite Mint Surprises)   6 dozen

1 C butter                     2 eggs                             3 C sifted flour                    

1C sugar                       1 T water                        1 t baking soda          

½ C brown sugar         1 t vanilla                         ½ t salt

½ # chocolate wafer (candy making type)

6 dozen pecan halves

Cream butter & sugar together; add eggs, water, & vanilla.  Sift together flour, soda & salt in separate bowl.  Slowly add to butter mixture.  Cover & chill dough for 2 hours.

Use 1 T dough (smallest cookie scoop) to form around one chocolate wafer.  Place on ungreased cookie about 2” apart.  Put pecan on top of each cookie. 

Bake 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on rack.

Coconut-Date Balls  (we like to double this one)

¾ C white sugar

2 eggs well beaten

1 C chopped dates

2 C rice krispies cereal

1 C chopped nuts

1 t vanilla

coconut

Cook sugar, eggs & dates over low heat until it turns darker.   Add vanilla.  Add rice krispies and nuts.  Stir until well coated.  Shape into balls while still warm and roll in a plate of coconut to cover.

Nutty Fingers

7 T  margarine or butter (softened)

2 T powdered sugar

1 t  vanilla

½ t  water

1 ¼ C  flour

2/3 C  pecan halves

Cream margarine, sugar, water, & vanilla.  Add flour & mix well to a smooth dough.  Place about 1 t  of dough in palm of hand; press out flat; place pecan in center and form dough around nut to cover.  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until light brown.  While warm roll in additional powdered sugar or colored sugar.

Sesame-Pecan Wafers                            Better Homes & Gardens   5 dozen

1 C  butter                                        ½ C  sesame seeds

2/3 C  sugar                                     ½ C  ground pecans or almonds

1 t vanilla                                          2 oz semisweet chocolate

1 ¾  C flour                                      ½ t  shortening

Beat butter high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and vanilla, beat until combined.  Slowly add flour, sesame seed, nuts.  Dough will be crumbly.  If dough is sticky wrap and chill for 1 hour.  Roll out on floured surface to 1/8” .  I prefer to cut in strips with pizza cutter into 1”-2” pieces.  Place 1” apart on ungreased sheet.  Bake 375 degrees 7-8 minutes.  Transfer to brown paper to cool.  When all coolies are baked and cooled drizzle with chocolate that has been melted with shortening.  Let cookies stand until chocolate sets.

Do not try to double this recipe.

Rugelach                                                             4 dozen

2 C  flour                                                    1 large egg separated

½ C  butter                                                 sugar

4 oz cream cheese, softened                  ½ t ground cinnamon

1 cup canned poppy seed filling (or other flavor)

In large bowl measure flour, butter, cream cheese, egg yolk and 3 T sugar.  Knead ingredients together.  Shape dough into ball.  Wrap and refrigerate dough if too sticky to work with.

Roll out ¼ dough to 1/8” thick and about 10” round.  Spread dough round with ¼ C poppy seed filling.  Cut into 12 equal wedges.  Roll from wide edge to middle point to form crescent.  Place on greased cookie sheets.  Brush with egg white beaten with 2 t water.  Mix 2 T sugar with ½ t cinnamon.  Sprinkle on top lightly.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake cookies 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes or until golden.  Cool on racks.  Store in airtight container.

Making a batch and a half will use one can of poppy seed filling and also is a good amount for Christmas giving.

Oreo balls

1 package Double Stuff Oreos

1 8oz package cream cheese softened

White chocolate about 1 pound

Crush Oreos and blend with cream cheese in food processor until blended well.  Make into 1" balls and chill in freezer for 20 minutes. Melt chocolate and dip chilled balls to coat.  Re-chill and double dip if desired.

Merry Christmas and happy baking!

Urban gardens in Milwaukee public spaces

Milwaukee is a big part of the urban garden scene.  Not the biggest, but we have Will Allen and Growing Power who have sparked garden movement which has been far reaching.  The vegetable beds in front of the municipal building are planted and maintained through city resources, but it was Allen who got the project going with his design.
Milwaukee is one of hundreds of cities facing the foreclosure crisis which has left many homes empty.  Banks may or may not maintain these properties.  Sometimes people just walk away from homes.  Sometimes these empty homes fall into disrepair.  Sometimes empty homes attract scrap collectors and the valuable pipes, wiring, siding, and even vintage woodwork is taken from the homes.  Empty homes become empty shells.  If these homes become part of city owned properties, they may end up demolished if found beyond repair.  The empty lots are returned to a seeded state and then it becomes my job to monitor them.
There are almost 3,000 vacant lots within the City of Milwaukee.  Most of them are in central city locations, sometimes whole blocks of parcels have become one big vacant lot.  People use these lots for all kinds of unattractive things which makes our job essential to keeping them from becoming garbage heaps filled with weeds.  The handful of inspectors who watch over these lots are in charge of making sure the garbage is picked up and large items taken away by sanitation crews.  Inspectors also make sure contractors are keeping up with mowing during the summer and snow removal on adjacent public walks during the winter.  If there are trees and shrubs left on the property after demolition, the health and safety of those plants also has to be watched.  I am one of the chosen few who get to keep track of vacant lot activity.
There is one aspect of vacant lots in the City of Milwaukee program that is closer to my heart than picking up trash.  The city has a garden permit process which allows people or groups to obtain a permit to use the lot for urban gardens.  There are several lots within the city on publicly and privately owned parcels.  Some are big and some are many are small.  They provide a neighborhood a place to gather and grow fresh vegetable and fruit within walking distance of their homes and apartments.  See link below for how to obtain a permit for a lot in your neighborhood.
I do not know the total number of gardens on city lots, but I do know that out of the 174 lots I watch, there are six lots being used as garden permit lots.  Some are just adjacent homeowners just getting a few things directly in the ground. Without a soil test, this is not the recommended route if you are growing food crops due to residual heavy metals from prior construction materials.  Most are groups that put raised beds and fresh soil for growing edible crops.  
There are a few of the lots which also sponsor health and wellness classes on sites.  I have seen art classes for kids and yoga for adults.  Some of the larger community gardens have cooking lessons to teach people how to use the vegetables they have grown.  The parcels that were once a blight in the neighborhood have become positive places for the community to come together.  I wish more of these parcels were being used for this purpose.  
If you are interested in knowing more about obtaining a permit for a city owned vacant lot go to:

http://city.milwaukee.gov/CityRealEstate/Neighborhood-Gardens.htm

I hope to see more vacant lots as a positive place in our community.

City garden on Burnham St near Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Milwaukee

Fall is keeping me busy...

Fall is a busy time.  I haven't been on the computer much let alone writing about all the stuff I have been getting done out in the yard and kitchen.  Rather than try to document it all in separate postings, I decided I have to do it in one so I can keep track of my activities for next year.
TO CLEAN OR NOT TO CLEAN...
Different people have different ideas about whether or not you should clean out your gardens in fall.  I clean mine out for many reasons.  First, I collect seeds and it is easier to do if I collect as I go.  This way I can get down to the small stuff and collect that as well as the tall stuff.  I save seed from several annuals.  Asters, zinnias, marigolds, larkspur, love-in-the-mist, thunbergia, and nasturtiums are the usual suspects.  I collect them in envelopes and hang them in my basement with clothes pins on hangers.  I also shake out the plants to direct seed for next spring, allysum and love-in-the-mist are good for this as well as larkspur and cosmos.  You have to be patient next spring to give them time to bloom.  Another reason for cleaning out the garden is to take advantage of the city pick up of some of the vegetation like the old tomato vines and such.  They only do this in the fall so that is when you have to get it to the curb.  Leaves and such find their home at the municipal nursery.  I used to work there and it was always interesting to see what was going to pop out off the leaf covered fields the next year.  Several things still remain standing especially the flowering kale which still stops people in their tracks.
HARVEST, BUY, PRESERVE, AND DO IT AGAIN...
I was on a mission this fall to really take advantage of what I could from the local farm markets.  I share this with my daughters who are both out of the house.  I get some help from them in return with all the cutting, peeling, and canning to get it all done.  We also were able to get half a steer from a local farmer.  My husband and daughter were both successful in the Wisconsin deer season this year.  You have to make hay while the sun shines.
FALL CAMPING...
I have missed many years of fall camping because school and sport schedules didn't allow us the freedom to flee.  This year we got out of town on a regular basis to state parks, private campgrounds, and family cottages as the weather got colder and wetter.  Empty nesting has been very, very good for us.
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE...
We went out and cut our tree in the next county this past weekend.  I also have been collecting trimmings and grapevines to hanging up and string lights.  Next on the list is cookie baking and eventually, I will have to shop...I hate shopping.  I want to get some cards out, if only I can find the stamps I bought last month.
DARKNESS HAS FALLEN...
The days have gotten so short that I feel like I am cramming several hours worth of work into the limited daylight hours.  After all that, I sit down and fall asleep.  My children love to tease me about my ability to zone out immediately.  I try to motivate myself, but it just ain't happening.

Merry Christmas to one and all!