eG Foodblog: Jackal10 III - Smoking Bacon and a May Week picnic

[jackal10]

12 is young dill. See the ferny leaves? The strap like leaves are the seed leaves.

15 is Sweet Cicely. Its a 3ft high bush. Aniseed flavoured, used to be used to reduce the amount of sugar in, say, stewed rhubarb.

Exam marking does my head in. All those people telling you earnestly the somewhat wrong answer, each one wrong differently...It makes me think I can't teach, then there is the occasional answer that just gets it all right. Usually they are the legible ones as well. First rule of exams: if the examiner can't read it, its not worth writing.

Supper tonight will be take-out curry, since neither of us feels like cooking, and there is a local quite decent curry house that delivers. Apparently Chicken Tikka is the most popular meal in the UK. Todays wine is an Anjou, Domine des Forges 2003. Does what it says on the bottle

Edited June 8, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[little ms foodie]

Thanks for the wine info. And the shots of your oven are awesome!!!

[Toliver]

#3 - Rosemary?

#5 - Chives?

#9 - Lemon Grass?

#14 - Lemon Balm?

#19 - Chervil?

#27 - Chicory or Dandelion?

#30 - Basil

[jackal10]

20:30 Smoking nicely. Temperature steady at 67F

[jackal10]

Answers interspersed

#3 - Rosemary? Yes

#5 - Chives?      Yes

#9 - Lemon Grass? Lemon yes, grass no

#14 - Lemon Balm? No

#19 - Chervil? No! Leaf shape is distinctive. Used as a tisane,  A sacred herb

#27 - Chicory or Dandelion? The thing is 4ft tall! a bitter herb, with a hot root

#30 - Basil Yes!

←

Bleudeauverge has most right so far...how long do you want before I give the answers?

[Smithy]

#30: basil (as Toliver already proposed)

#24: purple basil

#14: Sweet William?

#16: burnet?

#8: bay?

#31 looks like mint to me

#6 looks like spearmint. #11 also looks like a mint, but you stated above that there's only one photo per family, so I'm probably mistaken on that.

#26 looks like celery coming up, but I don't think of that as an herb, so...but...I don't know what else it could be...I'll find out!

#10: nettles?

#4 I wouldn't have identified as thyme, but I'm thinking #32 is a long shot of thyme. Well, maybe a creeping rosemary.

Now I'm starting to hedge my bets and second guess myself, so I'll stop. ("String, or nothing!")

You referred to the thermometer as wireless, but those look like thermocouple probes at one end and plugs going into the display at the other end. By 'wireless' do you mean there's a remote transmitter involved somehow?

I feel for you at exams time. When I was teaching, I was always surprised at the difference between what I'd intended by a question and what the students thought I'd meant by it. Then there's that tiresome business of trying to assign points for partial credit. Is that an issue for you, or is each answer graded as right or wrong only?

Edited June 8, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[Smithy]

Any demand for more growing pix? Vegetables, fruit, edible flowers etc, with or without captions?

←

Edible flowers, with names and descriptions of how you use them, would be lovely. If you want to withhold the names for now and let us guess, that would be fun fine for the moment.

I remember being so surprised at my first sight of England. It was summer, I was from California, and I was amazed at the green. Your photos are bringing it all back.

[jackal10]

Doing well.

#30: basil (as Toliver already proposed) Yes Lettuce leafed Basil

#24: purple basil Yes!

#14: Sweet William?  NO. Young, but will be about 2 ft high, blue flowers, cucumber flavour, associated with Pimms..

#16: burnet? Yes! well done!

#8: bay? Yes!

#31 looks like mint to me Close. Black Peppermint.

#6 looks like spearmint.   Ordinary mint, a variety called Brunswick mint, meant to be the best flavour for mint tea or mint sauce

#11 also looks like a mint, but you stated above that there's only one photo per family, so I'm probably mistaken on that. You are mistaken, think pizza

#26 looks like celery coming up, but I don't think of that as an herb, so...but...I don't know what else it could be...I'll find out!  Some say the flavour is similar. Used for Maggi soups. This is a young plant, usually much bigger

#10: nettles? No, but also an invasive weed. Seeds like crazy. Plenty of nettles in the garden, both live and dead, but not in these pix#4 I wouldn't have identified as thyme, Its seeding. Remember the Simon and Garfunkel album?

I'm thinking #32 is a long shot of thyme.  Well, maybe a creeping rosemary. Thymes on the oven roof. 

The thermometer is the transmit end. The recieve end sits in the deep litter that is my desk. I believe they are made for US BBQ smokers.

Edited June 8, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[tejon]

#14 - borage

#26 - lovage

Edited June 8, 2005 by tejon (log)

[Behemoth]

23 is woodruff. 27 looks like sorrel. My mom would know this stuff. My gardening skills are limited to purslane. Yes, I know it is a weed. Oh, and you've mentioned previously that the stuff on top of your oven is thyme. My mom uses it as groundcover.

Edited June 8, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[jackal10]

At the top of the garden is the vegetable patch, fenced against the rabbits.

Actually there are two.

Potatoes. These are an old first early "Arran Pilot". Gone out of favour as not very disease resistant, but I think they have a fantastic flavour, and they do well on my heavy alkaline clay. Delicious this size, when you can still rub the skins off, plain boiled with a little butter.

On the right are garlics, including a giant garlic really a garlic leek, but lovely mashed. Please ignore the weeds. I suffer from bindweed (convolvulus) couch grass and creeping buttercup. Also shallots.

The come broad (Fava) beans. This is white flowered, red seeded variety called Epicure. Later we'll meet a purple flowered variety, with green seeds. Must pick out the tops to prevent blackfly, who like the tender leaves. You can use the tops like a spinach.

Not shown are flowers for cutting: gladioli, dahlias, sunflowers etc.

Then come outdoor tomatos: Gardeners Delight (small red) Sungold (sweet small yellow) and Brandywine (Heirloom red). Interspersed are gherkins and small squash.

Courgettes (zucchini), mainly for the flower. However some always escape and turn immediately to marrows. I've tried cooking them, but my conclusion is the best thing to do with them is to put them on the compost directly they are picked, which is why they are convenient of the powerhouse of the garden, the compost bins. The bins are made from old pallets, tied together.

On the left are semi-permanent things. Cardoons, like globe artichokes, escept you eat the blanched young stems. I never get the timing right to blanch them, but they are very decorative. Asparagus. The bed is quite young, so we only got a few spears this year, and let the rest go to fern.

Edited June 8, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[jackal10]

23 is woodruff. 27 looks like sorrel. My mom would know this stuff. My gardening skills are limited to purslane. Yes, I know it is a weed. Oh, and you've mentioned previously that the stuff on top of your oven is thyme. My mom uses it as groundcover.

←

23 is indeed woodruff. 28 is Sorrel, 27 is Horseradish.

[jackal10]

#14 - borage

#26 - lovage

←

Yes and Yes! well done

[jackal10]

Next vegetable patch

In the foreground are more potatoes - Pink Fir Apple (late, salad) and Purple (early salad, purple all the way though. A heirloom variety). Radishes intercropped with the potatoes.

The Bulls Blood Beetroot, (heirloom) Can use the leaves for salad or like spinach, and good dark red roots. Not shown as still very small are a row of golden beets

Rainbow chard. Last years running to seed, and this years coming

Baby carrots, arugula

Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)

Runner (pole) beans (so thats where I left the rake!), with to the left space for pumpkins and squash

to grow

Then comes one of the greenhouses. This one is unheated, and had most of the seeds. It also has carnations, mosly heirloom Malmaison varieties.

The other greenhouse has the strawberries, and tomotoes (same varieties as outside, just earlier). Also cucumbers.

[cdh]

here's my stab at the quiz:

1 Parsley

2 Sage

3 Rosemary?

4 Thyme

5 Chives

6 Peppermint

7 Lavendar

8 Bay

9 ?

10 Lemon Balm

11 Oregano/Marjoram

12 disclosed as Dill

13 Sage

14 Borage

15 - 20 ?

21 Looks like yellow cilantro

22?

23 Sweet Woodruff

24 Purple Basil

25 ?

26 Lovage

27 -29 ?

30 Basil

31 Mint

32 Thyme

Edited June 8, 2005 by cdh (log)

[jackal10]

The other side of the greenhouse is the fruit cage. Actually it is a polytunnel, with the polythene replaced with netting. It protects against both rabbits and pigeons.

4 varieties of lettuce

Seedling Buttercrunch lettuce to plant out or eat as baby leaves. Must sow sucession

Seedling leeks to follow the early potatoes

Seedling purple brussel sprouts

Purple flowered Broad (fava) beans, just coming, Can eat them whole in the pod at this stage

Purple peas, either as purple mangetout or English peas (green). Slugs like Buttercrunch lettuce

Purple sprouting Broccoli (Broccotini). Now almost over and going to seed. Note the typical yellow brassica flowers. However a delicious vegtable and useful to fill a gap between winter and spring.

My attempt at Hopee Indian permaculture garden, Sweet corn, underplanted with small pumpkin, and with beans to climb up them.

Spare Atlantic Giant pumpkins. Probably end up on the plant stall at the MDA garden party, or given to the local school.

Edited June 8, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[little ms foodie]

Jack, How many people tend these gardens?? This is a huge job and obviously quite time consuming no? The pictures are fantastic!

[jackal10]

I'm impressed.

here's my stab at the quiz:

1 Parsley  Yes

2 Sage      Yes

3 Rosemary?  Yes

4 Thyme Yes, Remember the Simon and Garfunkel album, Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme?

5 Chives  Yes

6 Peppermint No, ordinary "Brunswick" mint

7 Lavendar Yes

8 Bay Yes

9 ? Check the vegetable garden pix

10 Lemon Balm Yes

11 Oregano/Marjoram Yes

12 disclosed as Dill Yes

13 Sage  With bell shaped pink and purple flowers, and big hairy leaves? NO

14 Borage Yes

15 - 20 ? 15 Sweet Cicely, 16 Salad Burnet as already been said. 17-20 all begin with V.

21 Looks like yellow cilantro No, smaller. It is a source of natural asprin

22? Gold version of a common herb. The other one from 11

23 Sweet Woodruff Yes

24 Purple Basil Yes

25 ? Tea, cakes, dye, yellow flowers

26 Lovage Yes

27 -29 ? 27 Horseradish, 28 Sorrel as has already been guessed. 28 is old, obscure and used to flavour ale before hops (hint) Bitter mint flavour

30 Basil Yes, lettuce leafed

31 Mint  Black peppermint

32 Thyme Yes

←

[jackal10]

Jack, How many people tend these gardens?? This is a huge job and obviously quite time consuming no? The pictures are fantastic!

←

Me and a gardener, the excellent Chubby, who comes one day a week. I get enthusiastic in the spring, and taper off by late summer. That is why there are so many weeds and rough places... Machinery, like a small tractor, helps. My partner Jill does most of the weeding in herb garden and round the house. I cut the grass

Its past midnight and I'm going to head for bed. We'll do soft fruit, and edible flowers tomorrow, and if anybody asks, a tour of the roses (lots).

The smoker is fine, running at 73F Up a little, but I guess that's because I've not been opening the door to take pictures as much.

Edited June 8, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[tejon]

Love the Three Sisters planting How well does corn grow in your area?

[redfox]

What a brilliant idea, growing those greenhouse plants right in the bags of compost! Is that where you start them as seeds, or do you transplant seedlings in? And what proportion of your harvest would you say you wind up eating yourselves?

[Abra]

Fabulous garden! Uhm, are you eating at all?

[petite tête de chou]

My guesses at a few of the remaining plants-

13. Comfrey

17. Violets

18. Vervain

21. Lady's Mantle

22. Golden Oregano

25. Yarrow

28. Pennyroyal

edited to add... it's killing me! Are any of the plants valerian?

Edited June 9, 2005 by petite tête de chou (log)

[jackal10]

Good morning!

A bit warmer, bright but hazy - the sun has not broken through yet.

Smoker is at 81F...not got out to look at it yet.

The pheasent males are fighting again outside my window.

Th herb quiz. You people have done incredibly well. It was really hard!

13. Comfrey Yes!

17. Violets    Yes!

18. Vervain  No, 19 is Valerian, 18 is Vervain

21. Lady's Mantle No, There is Lady's Mantle as a decorative plant in the main border, but not in these pix. This is a gold form of a bitter herb used as natural asprin. Said to particularly good for migraine. Small annua, self seedsl, daisy-like flowers.22. Golden Oregano Yes though I have it as golden Marjoram

25. Yarrow No. There is some elsewhere - I must get a snap.

28. Pennyroyal No Sorrel. Pennyroyal is a small and creeping mint. This is 3ft high. 29 (if thats what you meant) is a black peppermint

The full list is

1 Parsley	(end of last seasons; this season still seedlings)
2 Sage	(three sorts: ordinary, purple and three colour)
3 Rosemary (Mrs Jekylls Upright)
4 Thyme (seeding; plant need renewing by digging up and panting much deeper)
5 Chives (flowering; two sorts: ordinary and garlic)
6 Mint     (Bunswick, but ther is some spearmin in there too)
7 Lavender (bit early so no flowers yet, and  also an old bush that needs renewing)8 Bay (young and old leaves)
9 Garlic (giant in foreground)	
10 Lemon balm (Varigated, but reverts. A menace as seeds everywhere)
11. Varigated Oregano/Marjoram
12 Dill (seedling)
13 Comfrey	
14 Borage  (young)
15 Sweet Cicely  
16 Salad Burnet (native round here)
17 Violet	
18 Valerian	
19 Vervaine	
20 Verbena
21 Feverfew golden	
22 Gold Marjoram	
23 Woodruff	
24 Purple Basil
25 Tansy	
26 Lovage (young)	
27 Horseradish	
28 Sorrel
29 Alewort  
30 Lettuce leaf Basil	
31 Peppermint	
32 Thymes

We do eat most of the produce, using it as an outdoor larder. I guess we are self-sufficient in veg for about half the year. Its not worth growing anything that you can buy in as good a quality, and that is not better when picked fresh. Some we swap with our neighbors informally for fresh eggs and occaisonal beef - the farm next door raises a few Dexter cattle. A lot of the tomatos get bottled for pasta sauce and the like, or end up as as green tomato chutney at the end of the season.

I use bags of potting compost since they are almost the same price as growbags, and the quality is much higher. The local garden centre sells them at four for £10.

I sow the seed conventionally. I usually use "jiffy" pellets. http://www.jiffyproducts.com/indexpage.cfm...tegory=Forestry

The greenhouse tomatoes grow in a semi-hydroponic system adapted from the the "Easigrow" system from http://www.bulrush.co.uk/. Its a real lazy gardeners way of growing tomatos, peppers, cucumbers and the like.

If you look at the greenhouse tomato picture you will see that the compost bags are sitting on polystyrene boxes - the sort they ship fish in. These have a polythene liner (garbage bag), and three holes in the top with a pipe, like a 3 inch plastic drain pipe, going up into the compost. You put the bag of compost on top, cut a hole and push the compost down into the pipe, which then acts as a wick. Fill the box with water and diluted tomato food, and you need only top it up once a week.

[jackal10]

Smoker looking good, and scenting the air round it. Cherry wood is a particularly sweet smoke. Note that the sawdust has burnt about half way, and also about half way round. Must emphasise this is cold smoking.

Yarrow (gold) and Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla)

)

Tomato growing box

Must go do some work. Exam marking, and interview a candidate for the post of VP Business Development for one of my companies.

Each question is marked out of 20. I usually set a four part question, so each part is out of five, but its up to the individual examiner. Its not as much fun as it used to be, since nowdays when you set a question you also have to provide a model answer and a mark scheme, so you can't set impossible questions anymore. My marking is then checked by another examiner, and the whole overseen by an external examiner. The marks are then correlated and a statistical analysis is done to check for anomolies, or any over high or over low marking, which are then checked again. In practice since the output grades are pretty crude (first, upper second, lower second, third, fail), most candidates fall into one or other of the categories, and its only the few on the borderlines that need scrutiny. In doubtful cases the examiners can call the candidate in for viva (oral exam), but its rare.

Edited June 9, 2005 by jackal10 (log)