Beetroot Risotto

I love any kind of risotto (with the traditional short-grained rice but also with pearled barley).  I have made this beetroot version a number of times but the last time I made it, it was an unappealing pinkish colour.  

So best to use lots of grated fresh beetroot - you can't really have too much!  In the version I made this week, I also used red wine instead of the usual white wine (or lemon juice if you prefer not to cook with alcohol) which really enhanced the colour.

The beets I used had been harvested a week or two ago from my garden, so there were no beet greens left.  But they are a nice addition - just stir them in a minute or two before serving.  And roast some extra beets if you have any on hand and toss them in as well.

Ingredients:
1 large shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
2 medium beetroot, grated (1 1/2-2 cups)
2/3 cup red wine
5 cups vegetable stock
1 lemon
Parmesan cheese (or aged cheddar)


Saute shallots and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Add the rice and stir to coat.  Toast the rice for one minute.  Add the wine and grated beetroot.  The wine will deglaze the pan so take this opportunity to scrape up any shallot bits that might have stuck to the pan.

Start adding the stock at about a 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir between additions just enough to incorporate the rice with the liquids.  When the rice is cooked, add another 1/2 cup of liquid to keep the overall texture creamy and loose. 

Squeeze in some lemon juice and stir in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or to taste) and maybe a dab of butter if you want it extra creamy.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with extra parmesan cheese or sour cream, if desired.

The New Greenhouse - Finally!

It is finally up and ready for use.  It took the contractor longer than I had hoped to get it done.  But he did a nice job.  I bought it from Lexis Greenhouses out of Ottawa - it comes shipped in heavy duty wooden creates so no worries about damage.

I went with the smallest standard model because it was the only one I could afford.  But bigger models have a better value (per square foot).  And since they are DIY kits (or in my case, a contractor "did it"), you can add onto the length at any time.  The panes are twin-wall polycarbonate - not good enough for 4 seasons, but I don't see myself being out there much in January or February anyway!

The foundation is two 6"x6" beams with some waterproof barrier in between the beams and between the top beam and the frame.  Holes were drilled every couple of feet with rebar pounded through the beams into the ground.

Then I had some help moving in the gravel up to the first beam.  I'll need some sort of ramp or stairs, but I can worry about that in the spring as well.

I put in the paving stones myself - I didn't do the best job in the world but it's ok.

I was going to re-use the old tables from the original greenhouse, but even the smallest would take up a lot of space ... I went from a 1440 sq feet commercial size greenhouse (was here when I bought the property) to barely 100 sq ft.  So I have no tables or equipment in it yet.  I don't want to rush; I might just think about it through winter and decide what I really need.

I love it.  It's new and shiny!  And it is really all the space I want and much more manageable than my previous one.  It will mostly be used for starting plants in the spring and maybe extending the season for a few container plants in the fall.

It has windows that open when it gets too hot! 

Now to get some of the mess cleaned up from the old greenhouse.  I still have piles of plastic that I want to put away (for coldframes and such) but it keeps raining and it never dries out enough for me to fold it ...

Harvest Monday: September 1, 2014

I would love to hear how other gardener's identify their plants.  I mean varieties - I can tell the difference between swiss chard and a tomato - but what kind of tomato?!?

Every spring when I am starting plants from seed, I use plastic or wooden markers to keep track of what's what.  This year, I planted four different types of sweet peppers to see which ones grew the best.   But the plastic / wooden markers have all faded in the sun (or washed off with the rain) and now I don't know which is which.

I planted ancho peppers - I know those for sure.  But I had three different varieties of red peppers ... Super Red Pimento, Ace Hybrid and a pack of some generic red peppers that I picked up last year.  The ones in the main photo above are Super Red Pimento - but I only know that because I googled an image of them and they look the same.

As for these peppers below, no idea!!

Ah well, I don't suppose it matters.  Now that I have the seeds, I'll grow them all again next year.  But I really need a better system.

Check out Daphne's Dandelions to see what goodies home gardener's are harvesting this week.  And here is the rest of mine ...

Spaghetti Squash

Mixed bag ... I mean mixed basket

I have so many potatoes this year!!!

I got 4 cups of borlotti beans from 7 lbs

Amish Paste (I think :))

Swiss Chard