It's best to harvest zucchini before it gets too big

The squash is growing like mad—one of the frustrating things about living over 50 kilometres away from the trial garden at West Creek Farms. Lately a few Gaia college students from the Growing Food in the City course have been coming to harvest and share it amongst their friends.

The beautiful yellow zucchini pictured above is butterstick F1, seed from Renee's Garden. This one has gotten too big. Though not always easy, it's best to harvest zucchini when they are under 7". If you let them get too big, seeds form in the cavity, the taste changes from sweet to mealy, with a watery texture, and the plant will stop producing flowers and fruit since its mandate is to reproduce itself. Pick 'em small.

But if the inevitable happens and you end up with overgrown zukes or squash, don't worry. I have a great zucchini tomato gratin recipe that will help use up lots of them in one delicious go. GET THE RECIPE >>

If they really get out of hand (baseball bat size), just compost them – they have little flavour and a mealy texture.

Have too many zucchini on hand? Here's a great recipe to use them up quick

It's best to harvest zucchini when they are under 7". If you let them get too big, seeds form in the cavity, the taste changes from sweet to mealy, with a watery texture, and the plant will stop producing flowers and fruit since its mandate is to reproduce itself. Pick 'em small.

If the inevitable happens and you end up with overgrown zukes, though, here's a recipe to use up lots of zucchini. If they really get out of hand (baseball bat size), just compost them—they have little flavour and a mealy texture.

Make this delicious zucchini recipe to wow your guests

Please read the recipe through one time before starting.

What you'll need

• 4 or 5 X 8-9” zucchini sliced on the diagonal quite thinly
• Olive oil
• 2-3 slices or chunks of good quality bread
• fresh basil leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic cloves
• 200g (1.5 c.) cheese (more or less). Cheddar, asiago, pecorino, gruyere, feta, goat cheese – all work well in this gratin.
• 4-5 large large tomatoes thinly sliced
• thyme and/or anchovies – both optional

The crumb layers will prevent the gratin from getting watery. You can play with additions to the crumbs—try different herbs, or shallots.

Quantities are estimated as the recipe is forgiving.

What to do

Grease a heavy ovenproof dish about 9–10" in diameter and at least 2.5" high. I like to use an oval one but any shape is OK.

Line the pan with with zucchini slices, overlapping them.

Into a food processor put the bread, basil, thyme (if desired), leaves removed from woody stem, salt and pepper, 2-4 cloves garlic. Pulse on and off 10-15 seconds until crumb-like texture is achieved.

Position rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to about 400F.

Strew 1/3 of the crumb mixture over first layer of zucchini, drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add another layer of zucchini, 1/3 more of the crumbs, and so on. Three layers usually works well. If you are going to add the anchovies, do this now before tomato layer.

Cover with sliced tomatoes – overlapping them looks nice and doesn’t take any more time. By the way, if you have lots of smaller tomatoes or cherry types in your garden go ahead and use them.

Drizzle with olive oil. Bake 35-40 minutes then remove from oven briefly. While gratin bakes, grate the cheese (or crumble if you use feta or goat). A mixture of cheeses works well. Sprinkle this all over the top of the gratin. Bake about 10 minutes more until cheese is bubbling. Allow to cool for 1/2 hr before eating.

The Turk's Turban

The joy of squash

This fall is going to be a celebration of squash at West Creek Farms. We have them growing in giant hills, perhaps a couple of yards of soil in each. They were slow to start but as soon as the weather warmed (and General Manager Frederick Munn put a watering system into the hills!), they began to ramble all over. Above is the Turk's Turban, photographed August 7, 2010.

This Buttercup squash loves to ramble up both sides and across the top of the wooden 'teepee' supports that Frederick made. One of the Gaia students wondered if it wasn't too hard on the squash—for them to hold themselves up—and if they needed to be supported. In fact, the more they have to work at holding themselves up, the thicker their stems get, and the bigger they grow. It seems that even in the world of veggies there is a payoff for being tough and resilient.

(I have seen people put supports almost like bras underneath squash and pumpkins, but it is not necessary!)

There must be 40 or more of these hefty, gorgeous, nutrition-filled buttercup squash with deep orange interior growing from this hill, with spaghetti squash rambling all over from the other side.

Here's a closer look at Mr. Buttercup Squash.

Not all the squash chose to ramble up and around and across Frederick's teepee contraptions! Some tried to make a getaway along the ground.

Visit West Creek Farms in Fort Langley, BC

If you ever feel moved to come and visit and view the trial grounds, here's how.

Drive to Fort Langley—you'll be on Glover Road. Turn right on Mavis Avenue by the IGA. Go two blocks and veer left onto River Road. Continue until you see the government sign for the actual West Creek, then shortly after you'll see the entrance to West Creek Farm.

If you'd like to pick up some of the "organic concoction" soil, there is plenty in the bays—also nice fir bark mulch and really well-aged mushroom compost. Bring your truck!

Frederick tends to be outside singing "E-I-E-I-O" rather than inside checking email.  Being a new gardener, he is experiencing how much energy it takes to grow food, but he is also in seventh heaven—and loves to talk about all his beautiful veggies, dahlias and other stuff.

Finally, an update on what's been going on out in Fort Langley at West Creek Farms, now with 42 raised beds

Those boys just won't stop building 'em!

In the photo above are the savoy and purple cabbage transplants on June 3, 2010.

Et voila! The same cabbage bed on August 7! Aren't they beautiful?

I have never grown a proper big cabbage in my life so needless to say, I am thrilled. They look too beautiful to eat, and who knows how big they will get? I can already taste the cabbage rolls or white bean and savoy cabbage soup with some kind of yummy sausage.

These were planted in "Frederick's Organic Concoction," which is an evolving blend of all kinds of good stuff, sans added NPK or trace minerals. Instead, things like kelp meal, fish and/or feather meal, worm castings, rock phosphate etc. are added. As we try different recipes, we keep learning more.

We are learning in these trials that organic amendments work much more slowly than chemically enhanced soils, but these results about 60 days later are pretty decent. This soil will improve with age, as well; topping it up with organic matter once a year or so will keep it rich and producing, as long as you rotate crops.

Here is the lovely lettuce bed in early June:

The first row: "Merveille de Quatre Saisons"
The favourite at our Garden Party/introduction of the trial ground on June 26. It's a butterhead type which gets huge and holds well, not bolting for an extended period.

The seed was introduced by the seed company Vilmorin a long time ago (over 100 years I believe). Vilmorin is one of the oldest seed producers in the world, and is still going—and hopefully will for a long time. West Coast Seeds and Renee's Garden sell this variety, which is also known as 'Continuity.'

The second row: red and green butterhead
These produced like crazy. Not sure about the source.

The back row: 'Sea of Red'
This is a 2010 introduction from Renee's. Intense black-red in colour—so dark you need something lighter to set them off! They look great in my own garden grown next to 'Empress of India' nasturtiums with grey/green leaves and psychedelic coral-red flowers.

All would look great in the flower bed, too.

Sharon says if your tomato plants are already showing blight this spring, throw them out immediately!

Last year, my garden remained blight-free. One reason: choosing tomato varieties that produce early—mostly small tomatoes—and, well, who knows? Maybe it was just luck; last year was particularly hot and dry. Not so this summer.

This just in: Some tomatoes are already showing symptoms of blight this spring. The picture above shows the discoloured, brownish-gray areas on the stem and wilted/yellowing leaves.

These poor Roma II plants were bought at Choices on 16th Avenue a couple of weeks ago, but it's likely the plants were infected in the nursery. One Sungold I had in the greenhouse was also affected, probably because it was sitting beside the Roma IIs. Not sure. I will be speaking to the folks at Choices and letting them know.

One tomato grower (who does not supply Choices Markets, by the way) commented that late blight did affect some of their tomatoes very early this year while still seedlings, in the greenhouses.

And in fact, though we generally associate blight with rain and moist conditions in late summer, it actually can occur any time. Our spring weather this year has been super conducive for these diseases to flourish: warm and then cool, moist and humid.

So, if you notice a browning on the stem and a slight wilting of leaves on your tomatoes, throw them out immediately. Please do not put them in your home compost (never put any part of tomato plants in compost) or even in the city compost. Best to put them in the garbage. 

Sharon shares a favourite leeks recipe

Besides being good for soil, leeks are wonderful in the kitchen. Here’s my favourite recipe:

RECIPE: Leeks Nicoise

(from Greene on Greens, Workman Publishing, NY, 1984)
The lemon juice, allspice and basil work together to create a most amazing taste, so don’t skip them.

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil (more or less)
About 1.5 lbs leeks, trimmed of green tops, washed (about 6 large or more that are smaller, about ½” thick)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add leeks in one layer. As oil starts to bubble, turn the leeks over. Sprinkle with salt and cayenne. Cook 1 minute; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, until leeks are tender about 10 minutes.

Transfer leeks to a serving dish temporarily.

Add tomatoes to skillet and cook over medium high heat 1 minute, then add allspice, basil and garlic. Cook 1 minute longer. Add the lemon juice and 1 tbsp of the parsley. Stir to mix, and spoon over the leeks. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve hot or cold.

Serves 4—but I’ve been known to eat the whole thing on my own.

Start leeks now using these easy-to-follow instructions from Sharon Hanna

Now through early May is a peachy time to start leeks from seed. Sow thinly in seedling containers or pots—and by thinly, I mean no more than 12–16 seeds in a 4-inch pot or 4-by-6-inch plastic cell pack. Use seed-starter mix; do not use soil from your own garden.
 
Try to sow seeds evenly spaced. This is never easy, but the more space between seeds, the longer they’ll be able to stay in the pots and the larger they can grow. Barely water (as usual), and give them bottom heat, which all members of the onion family love, especially at first. (They prefer cooler temperatures after, but warm at the beginning—another similarity to human infants ☺)

Expect your leeks to take a while to germinate. When they do emerge, they come out as cute little bent over grassy seedlings which finally unfold and grow straight up, with the seed stuck to the end. Bringing them indoors and outdoors—out if the weather is warm, inside to your kitchen in the evenings—will make them grow faster.

Leeks are heavy feeders. If you have a pinch of alfalfa meal, kelp meal, etc. add some of that, or water with liquid kelp or fish once they get larger. Transplant to LARGE containers (they won’t work in small ones, in my experience anyway) or to good rich soil in at least half a day of sun.

Refer to the West Coast Seeds catalogue or the Internet for transplanting instructions.

Leeks do great things for the soil...

Leeks do great things for the soil—making it “friable,” which is another word for well-worked and luscious with lots of air spaces to hold oxygen, which is good for plant roots. They’ll also grow in less than perfect areas such as ones with part sun. They will not grow in heavy shade or in the dark.

Give leeks a try this year. Many will overwinter on the coast. For fall and winter use, start more in early June.

Sharon

Sharon Hanna notes how the blooms of early-spring bulbs encourage us to slow down and appreciate the moment

Thanks to all the kind folks in my neighbourhood (and other neighbourhoods, too) who take the time to create beauty in out-of-the-way corners, under boulevard trees, and in laneways for others to appreciate.

I think these unexpected plantings bring joy to passersby and spread good feelings. The little crocus seems to have minds of their own—who knows how they get from one spot to another?

Crocus 'Tommasinianus', aka "Tommies," are the early-blooming ones with smaller, harder dark yellow corms. They're the ones you can plant in your lawn. The later, larger-flowered ones have big-netted corms and don't spread like the Tommies, necessarily... but attract a zillion early bees when they open in the sunshine.

Anyway, 'nuff said.

Bulbs that naturalize to throw in here, there and everywhere:

If you have any more ideas of things to tuck in unexpected places, let me know!

Happy spring, everyone!

I had the bright idea to start spinach, arugula and other greens inside my unheated greenhouse in a big wooden box. Why not?

Everything started to come up nicely... and then...

Sharon Hanna takes a trip out to West Creek Farms in search of good, high quality organic soil

Last spring I wanted to take my Gaia ‘Growing Food In the City’ program class somewhere to see how soil was “made.” There seemed to be a real problem finding a source of organic soil for people to grow food—even amongst all kinds of people involved in programs all over the Lower Mainland. It struck me as odd that you can buy 50 million different kinds of useless things every time you turn around, but sourcing good soil seemed a mystery, even for professionals.

Years back when I worked with Odessa Bromley at her nursery in Southlands, we used a beautiful, high-quality gritty potting mix to pot up the field-grown perennials. Turns out it had come from West Creek—that’s all I knew, so I gave the place a call.

West Creek Farms in Fort Langley

So I took my class out to Fort Langley to check out West Creek Farms, which involved a beautiful drive out in the country on a sunny Sunday in May. About 30 of us showed up for a tour, led by Frederick Munn, co-owner of the company.

Those of us in love with soil and soil amendments were led swooning around the huge area, smelling the mile-high piles of bark mulch being aerated with pipes—like aged tobacco or fine Cabernet—as well as big cargo containers of organic rice hulls and other stuff in various stages of mellowing.

The experiment: Which soil mix for what veggie

Frederick and I struck up a soil-based friendship and began a conversation about trialing various soil mixes to see which grew what veggie best. For example, I’ve always had a hard time growing beets at home—so we’re going to try beets in all the mixes to see which one yields the best.

Truck driver Rob King, a jack of all trades, whipped up six raised beds, 4 feet by 12 feet. We thought we’d try three “organic” and three “conventional” types of soil mixes, and garlic seed was planted in mid-October.

Operations manager Tommy Floyd got too way enthusiastic—carried away even—and arranged to do 18 more beds for 24 in total! So there’s lots of room for growing food this year. Looks like West Creek will have a demonstration garden ready for viewing sometime this summer… Right, Frederick? ☺

The aisles between, I said to Frederick, were way too wide: “such a waste in all that full sun.” So “we” have decided to plant lots of pumpkins and squash in those wide swaths, allowing them to run all over the place and using the lasagna garden method of building up an instant garden. It will be no problem getting the organic material for all the layers.

Frederick attended the workshop I had the pleasure of leading for landscapers last Friday, put on by the BCLNA. Not having been a grower of food up until this point, Frederick has a steep learning curve ahead of him but I think he’s up to it.

“I am very excited to launch this project as it provides an opportunity to use our experiences, skills and creativity and at the same time gain additional knowledge about soils,” he says. “Working with Sharon has been a rewarding experience and I look forward to making a contribution to the further development of organics!”

'Frederick's Organic Concoction' soil mix recipe

Here’s the recipe for “Frederick’s Organic Concoction,” one of the three being trialed:

“…A blend of mushroom, duck and other composts. Includes kelp, fish meal, worm castings, red wiggler worms (actual worms) and more.”

Stay tuned—I hope to do a few more postings about how this pans out…