A California Winter Garden

If you live in a climate that allows it and have never had a winter garden - you are missing out!
A winter garden in California is so simple and such an easy way to get some fresh produce in the winter. We have a cool enough winter without much frost.

3 young broccoli plants - volunteers from last year

We have grown broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and lettuce. Lettuce and broccoli have been the most successful for us. Both are super easy. You can usually find broccoli starts at the local hardware store (or you could start them by seed but we have better luck with starts) and lettuce seed is equally easy to find. We like to purchase the salad bowl seed packs that include a mix of varieties.

All we do is plant them, maybe fertilize them, cover them if a deep frost is coming (we have only done this twice ever) and harvest. :) Unless it gets super dry like the last year or so, we don't even water them. Sometimes I forget we even have them.

Healthy broccoli plants

For best results get your starts in the ground October 1st. Lettuce can be sown later and sown again mid winter for many, many harvests. Don't plant too much lettuce as you can't preserve it well. And don't be afraid to thin your lettuce early and thin heavily. We forgot to plant lettuce this year so no photos.

How about you - do you have a winter garden?

No excuses for no veggies - Ziploc Steam Bags

Like many of you, I'm a busy girl. I'm a mom, teach part time, consult part time, am launching a new business and busy with ranch/farm work. So dinner prep and cook time is limited. I've gotten creative to help this situation: weekly meal planning, crockpot meals, one pot dinners, etc. But this year I rediscovered the Ziplock Zip and Steam bag, and I'm crazy about it.

Note: I swear ziplock hasn't paid me or given me anything (but I would love more bags in more sizes should they want to send me something :) )

They are SO simple to use and steaming veggies takes less than 5 minutes. Load the bag up with veggies and stick it in the microwave. The bag suggests a cooking time, usually 2 - 3 minutes. Done. Some people use them for meat too and people also add seasonings. I do mine plain. I even buy pre-cut and rinsed veggies to make it super simple.

I love them so much that since my local stores don't carry them, I buy them online and pay for shipping. If you know me and know how cheap I am, you know that says something.

The finished product is perfectly steamed and ready to eat. Seriously these bags have been my secret to making sure we have fresh veggies with every meal. I love them! Try them out, I bet you will love them too!

Hunk of Meat Monday: Tenderized Round Steak

I have never cooked a tenderized round steak but I have been selling them at the market so my sister sent me home with some try figure out how to cook.  They sat in the freezer for a while until the first squash came out of the boyfriend's work garden (yes, they planted a garden at his work).  I decided to make fajitas. 

You may be thinking 'She is going to make fajitas with squash? Squash doesn't go in a fajita!' Well, that is what the boyfriend thought too (but he didn't tell me until after I made dinner).

So, onto my idea of fajitas . . . gather the ingredients (tortillas, onions, bell peppers (red and green for color), squash (zucchini, yellow, and crook-neck), tenderized round steak, fajita seasoning, and some cheese.

Cut up the squash.

Cut up the onions and bell peppers.

Get the tenderized round steak out . . .

Notice the 'cuts' in the meat - that is tenderized.  I don't know why the color looks so funky, but I assure you it wasn't this weird color in real life.

Cook the tenderized round steak. Put in the seasoning.

Remove from pan and cut into strips.

Put back in the pan and continue cooking with the seasoning.

Meanwhile . . . cook the squash.  I cooked the squash first with a little water at the bottom.

And cook the bell peppers and onions (I don't like bell peppers or onions so I cooked them after the squash and did not mix them with the squash).

Serve with warm tortillas.  This is my plate - I tried the bell peppers and onions and just to let you all know I still don't like bell peppers or onions.

That was simple enough right?  Well, I was not impressed!  If I do this again I would marinate the meat before I cook it and cut it up smaller.  Does anyone have any great ideas for preparing tenderized round steak?  I would love try something different next time!

Vegetable Spotlight – Asparagus

I don’t know about you but I love to know where my food comes from and how it is grow.  Asparagus is a springtime gem and is something we look forward to eating our share of!  On a recent trip (ok, ok, it was 2 months ago and I am just now getting around to posting this) to the grocery store I noticed that the bunches of asparagus had nutrition labels on them.  We all know about nutrition labels but I had never seen a label on produce.  So, inspiration for this post (and hopefully a series of posts) was born!

A bunch of asparagus - via

Nutritional Information:

Asparagus is low in calories and very low in sodium.  It is also an excellent source of folic acid and is a fairly significant source of Vitamin C, Thiamin, and Vitamin B6. Asparagus contains no cholesterol and is an important source of potassium and many micronutrients.  Asparagus also contains antioxidants! For information about these nutrients please see the nutrition information fact sheet

Asparagus Nutrition Label - via

Harvest Season:

In California fresh asparagus is available from January – May (depending of course on the weather) and a small amount is also harvested in September and October.  Larger spears tend to be more plentiful early in the season while smaller spears tend to close the season.   

Production Areas:

In California asparagus is grown in the San Joaquin Delta, the central coast, the Southern California desert, and the central valley.  70-80 percent of the nation’s crop of asparagus comes from California with the remaining crop coming from Washington, Michigan, and Mid-Atlantic states. 

Growth and Harvest:

Asparagus is the stem of a perennial plant.  Perennial means that it comes back every year.  The root mass (it is called a crown) is planted and given the right temperature, nutrients, sunlight, and water the asparagus grows.  After 2 years (yes, two whole years!) the stems can be harvested for the first time.  The stem needs to be about nine inches long and it is cut about two inches below the soil. 

The asparagus is then placed in 1 pound bunches and rubbed banded then shipped for us all to enjoy! 

Meanwhile the plants keep growing and producing until the end of the season.  Plants can last up to 20 years – which means those first two years of patience pay off in the long run!

If you are looking to grow asparagus at home you can buy crowns that are two years old so you don’t have to wait. 

Cooking:

There are many ways to enjoy asparagus!  I always used to boil it in water and enjoy it with mayonnaise (some people use butter instead – a friend of mine adds garlic to her melted butter - YUM).  But, lately I have been putting it in a bag with a little olive oil and garlic salt, shaking it, and putting in the grill – SO GOOD!!  I prefer asparagus as a side dish because I like the distinct flavor and don’t want it to get masked by other flavors. 

Links:

If you want more information about asparagus please go to the following websites for more information.
California Asparagus Commission - lots of great information about asparagus.
Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board - more information about asparagus.
Meet a grower - a fun little information sheet about the largest grower of asparagus in California.
Ag in the Classroom asparagus fact sheet - I LOVE this organization and there fact sheet may be my favorite!  Lots of information about asparagus including history - very interesting.  There are also some activities for kids (or adults).
Asparagus planting at Dixon Farms - a quick post on how asparagus is planted at a farm in Canada - it is a short post but the root mass (the crown) is interesting to see.
How to grow and care for asparagus - some information for the at home garden on how to grow and care for asparagus. 
The Stockton Asparagus Festival - The lovely Durrer Family (from the blog Life on a Real California Dairy Farm) took a trip to the asparagus festival.  This post makes me feel like I was there - well, almost there!

Hope you enjoying the information about asparagus!  Please share with us your favorite way to cook (and eat) asparagus!