Harvest Monday: November 10, 2014 - Jerusalem Artichokes and a Recipe for White Bean, Bread, and Tomato Skillet Casserole

I decided to pull some jerusalem artichoke yesterday - the first since I planted it two years ago.  I have left it alone to spread out.  The first 10 plants became about 40-50 this year; naturally they are very close together.  I want to have a field (well, a partial field) of them eventually as the flowers can be pretty when seen in large bunches (rather plain individually).  Mind you, it will probably only take a few more years at the rate they multiply.


Unfortunately, they didn't even flower this year.  And the tubers themselves aren't looking too great.  As I mentioned above, I only pulled a few and didn't really dig too deep - they are very small!  I don't eat a lot of these but it would be nice to take advantage of them now and then, especially once they really start to multiply as I'll need to dig them up to control the spread.




I am used to them being larger.  The ones in the picture below were from our farm a few years ago.  Maybe a different variety?

 

Mind you, the patch of jerusalem artichokes there was probably 3 feet wide and 15-20 feet long.  And the soil was not at all as compact as mine is here.

Jerusalem Artichoke - McDonald's Corners 2011

I think I'll dig around the current patch and loosen up the soil a bit to see if I can improve things for next year.  And I suppose they could use some additional nutrition although what I'm not sure (will google that unless anyone has ideas?).

And that is my limited contribution to the weekly harvest topic at Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday collection.  Stop by to see what other gardeners are up to.

The rest of the post is what I've done with a previous harvest - Tarbais beans.  This dish includes so many of my favourite combinations (tomatoes and bread, beans and cheese, bread and cheese, tomatoes and cheese!!) I couldn't help but love it.

BUT ... I have to admit the Tarbais beans were a bit bland.  These were the beans I harvested earlier this year.  Does anyone know if Tarbais beans are always so bland?  It is the first time I have grown them.  I realize most beans don't have a ton of flavour on their own, but the borlotti beans are considerably tastier.  I'm just not sure that I want to devote the space for Tarbais next year ...

The dish is delicious either way but I might try another bean (cannellini comes to mind) the next time.   As for the rest of the Tarbais bean harvest, I've seen the beans used in dessert recipes where the sugar can help with the bland flavour.

Read on for the casserole recipe.

Harvest Monday: November 3, 2014 - Fresh Horseradish and Aged Cheddar Dip

Here is my weekly harvest report for Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday.  It is a great way to learn from other gardeners and see what they have going on in their gardens each week.

I've been away from home quite a bit lately so not much time around the garden (or in the kitchen).  But I suppose it was good timing as there hasn't been much to harvest anyway. 

The brassicas are still on their way .. brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower.  Hopefully the weather will hold out long enough to get something worthy of a meal (well, just a side dish would be nice!) although it was already below zero a few nights recently.

In the meantime, this week's harvest consists of a few horseradish roots (also a brassica) that I pulled out of the pot I grow it in.  I grow it to keep around potatoes as it is supposed to keep the bugs away. But because it can be invasive, I grow only a small amount in a pot - its effectiveness as a deterrent for potato beetles is questionable to begin with and I suspect the small amount I have is not much use, but I have had no potato bugs the past couple of years.

After peeling the skinny little roots, it was grated then made into a veggie dip / cracker spread.  Delicious!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cream cheese
3 Tbsp aged cheddar spread (I used Balderson 3 year aged spreadable cheddar)
1 1/2 tsp freshly grated horseradish
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika

Whip the cheese together then stir in remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate a couple of hours then serve with veggies or crackers.

Pumpkin Waffles with Fresh Cranberries

Although the whole pumpkin spice everything craze seems a bit overboard to me, I have to admit I'm still loving the pumpkin flavours at home.   I've recently made Pumpkin and Maple Granola as well as Cranberry and Pumpkin Muffins.  Right around the same time as the muffins, I also made these waffles (hence the fresh cranberries on top).

I've been away from home quite a lot lately starting with a trip to Vancouver in early October - that is when my mom gave me a brand-new Cuisinart Waffle Iron!  Naturally, I had to try it immediately.

This recipe makes 5 or 6 of this style (my other waffle iron is much smaller so depends on what you have).

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup multi-blend and 1 cup unbleached white)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup less 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree

Place the first 6 (dry) ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Cover with plastic and set in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
  
Prepare your waffle iron.  When heated, brush surface lightly with oil/butter or use a cooking spray to coat.  Add 3/4 to 1 cup of batter.   Close lid and cook until indicator light turns green (or whatever your iron does to tell you it's ready!).

Serve with your fave toppings (I'm pretty simple with some fruit, butter and maple syrup).