Test Harvests: One Successful, One Not So Much

I was checking some crops for "readiness" this past week.  First up was the Golden Bantam corn.  Now this is my first year growing corn, so I don't really know what I'm doing.  I've read about when corn should be ready, but I'm a bit anxious to get it picked before the critters get wind of it.  Like this guy here who I caught on my trail camera (night shot, hard to see, I know) - to be honest, I was checking for the very large groundhog that I spotted in my garden a couple of weeks ago but no sight of that one since.  I already knew I had a skunk as my trail camera had snapped it near the compost earlier this season.

So back to the corn.  I picked an ear.  It felt a bit small (like the husks weren't quite full) but I was actually not expecting it to be ready, I just wanted to take a look.  And what the heck, the kernels looked pretty plump to me! 

So then I cooked it.  Still looked okay.

Then I took a bite.  Blech ... mushy and tasteless.

I mentioned it to a gardener friend.  He told me I was too early - like a few weeks.  He said I would know when it was ready ... the stalks would all be knocked over and there would be nothing left because the critters will know it's ready before I do.  Ha ha.  Thanks Paul!

But my next trial was a success.  I picked one of the dried pods of the Black Turtle beans I am growing (also a first for me).  And they look just like I would expect them to.

But I picked a pod earlier in the week and the beans inside were still pretty purple.  However, after sitting on my table for a few days, they have continued to mature and are looking pretty reasonable as well. 

So, yay, I think I'll probably being pulling the beans this weekend but I'll check a few more to be sure.  I'm very excited about these beans which are definitely the bean I use the most, so I'm really looking forward to that harvest time.

If you have any advice on either the corn or the beans, I'd be happy to hear about it!  And here's a funny parting shot that was also snapped on my trail camera last week ... nothing but neck and head.

Avocado, Black Bean and Wilted Greens Quesadilla

This isn't so much a recipe as throwing together a bunch of great ingredients for a very quick meal.  A healthy and delicious meal!  I love the greens added just after the quesadillas are removed from the pan so they are only very slightly wilted and still have some good texture. 

Makes 6-10 tortillas (folded in half).

Ingredients:
1/2 medium white onion, sliced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Avocado slices
Cheddar cheese, grated
Greens (I used arugula and baby spinach)
Salsa
Lime
Corn Tortillas
Sour Cream

Saute the onions until softened then add the black beans and heat through.  Add a squeeze or two of lime juice for flavour plus a pinch of salt.

In a fry pan, heat a small amount of oil.  Prepare the tortilla by layering (on one half) some avocado slices (salt lightly), black bean/onion mixture, grated cheese and a teaspoon or so of salsa.   Fold the tortilla in half and place in fry pan. Lightly brown on each side and ensure the cheese is melted.

As soon as the quesadilla is removed from the pan, add a small amount of the mixed greens.  The cheese will still be hot so it should easily pull apart to add the greens.  Then fold it back together and the greens will very lightly wilt from the heat.

Serve with sour cream and more salsa.

Cilantro-Lime Black Beans (and some thoughts on Cilantro)

Cilantro is one of the world's most widely used herbs.  It is commonly used in Chinese and Indian cuisines; those two countries alone account for 36% of the world's population.  And, of course, there is Latin food (not sure if gourmets would consider Tex-Mex to be Latin cuisine?).

I never liked cilantro when I was younger.  In my mid-twenties I lived in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver, just a few blocks from Las Margaritas Mexican Restaurant on 4th Avenue.  A friend absolutely LOVED this restaurant, so every time she came for a visit that is where we went.  They served freshly made tortilla chips and salsa.  The salsa was heavily laden with cilantro and I had a hard time eating it.  I know a lot of people find cilantro has a soapy smell and so it was for me.  I suspect it was after I fell in love with Indian food that my tastes changed, although I still find the roots smell soapy.

Cilantro is reasonably easy to grow, but it has its challenges.  Unless you have grown cilantro before, you may not realize that when you purchase a bunch of cilantro at the store, you are actually buying a dozen or so entire "plants"!  Same with parsley - if you cook with it a lot, you need quite a lot of plants, so it is best to start seeds every few weeks.  The challenge then becomes using it.  If you have many plants, and don't keep up with them, they will bolt or "go to seed".   If I'm not cooking with it enough, I'll just clip some off anyway to avoid bolting and encourage new growth.

The seeds, of course, are referred to as coriander.  At some point, I intentionally allow the plants to bolt so I can harvest the seeds.  Dry the seeds, then store in a jar for year-round use.

Cilantro-Lime Black Beans:

3/4 cup onion, medium dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
19 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Salt


Saute the onions and garlic.  Add black beans.  Cook for about 20 minutes until beans begin to soften, adding a tablespoon or two of water as needed.  For texture, I used an immersion blender at this point on about half the mixture.  Stir in the cilantro and lime, and season to taste.  Continue cooking another 5-10 minutes to ensure flavours are well blended.


This makes a great vegetarian filling for fajitas, or just as a side dish.  It can also be served cold or warm as a dip - just blend the entire mixture, adding a bit of water to create a smoother texture (or more lime juice for a tart dip).






For this fajita meal, I also made a fresh salsa using the same general recipe as I used for the Grilled Tilapia Tacos but this time I added in some hot peppers.

I forgot to buy jalapenos, but managed to scrounge a baby jalapeno and a Hungarian Hot Wax pepper off plants in the greenhouse.

And Happy Father's Day!