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Fennel Pollen: Spice of the Angels

Fennel Blossom

When was the last time a stroll through the garden refreshed your spirit and awakened your soul? Did early morning dew falling gently on the roses capture your senses? Brushing up against the cinnamon basil were you soothed by the spicy essence of cinnamon filling the air? Or did the mild, anise-like flavor of freshly snipped French tarragon inspire you to use it on a special fish dish?

Gardens have the ability to shower us with those divine moments. Nature blesses us as we take time to pause and allow silent expressions from the garden to fill our senses with joy and peace. For me, a quiet place of summer pleasure is found in the fennel bed. Grasping a small branch filled with feathery fennel leaves is an on-the-spot chewy taste experience I find very refreshing. A little “pop” of those delicate, tiny yellow blossoms makes for a grand finale!

Just a few weeks ago, a most surprising “fennel” find caught my attention. Located in the spice area of our local grocery store, a small, turban shaped jar of Fennel & Salt intrigued me. Reading the list of ingredients was like a trip to the garden; 90% Italian sea salt mixed with fennel seeds, black pepper, oregano, white pepper, laurel, grass pepper, curry, thyme, juniper, pimento and organic fennel pollen. (I especially liked the marketing description; Every jar contains an intensely aromatic blend of Italian sea salt and organic fennel pollen.)

At $16.99 a jar, I was hesitant for only a moment before adding it to my shopping cart. The Alexander Family Reunion was just days away and I had already planned for one of our evening buffet menus to include a large tray of sliced east Texas tomatoes. Little did I know until all 43 family members lined up for dinner on the second night, was that the culinary highlight of the entire gathering would be that tomato dish.

An hour before the dinner over fifteen vine ripened, heirloom east Texas tomatoes were thickly sliced, drizzled with a lovely bottle of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena then lightly sprinkled with my new discovery, the small jar of Fennel & Salt. Freshly harvested basil from my garden was cut, chiffonade-style, and strewn generously over the entire tray. It was irresistible!

During dinner that evening, and for the next few days, everyone kept commenting on how unbelievably tasty those tomatoes were. Knowing, secretly, that the enchanting powers of a special “fairy dust” had transformed the dynamic of an otherwise ordinary dish, my explanation was simple. “Yes, it was indeed a heavenly experience thanks to a highly coveted item affectionately known as… fennel pollen, “the spice of angels!”  Like fennel seed, it has an anise-like licorice flavor with notes of citrus and honey that is perfect for enhancing sweet and savory dishes alike. 

Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008

Video by Starla Willis, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2011

Tomatoes Will Break Your Heart

I will listen to anything anyone has to say about about growing tomatoes. I have a tomato app on my phone. I’ve taken meticulous notes at many a tomato class. And what I have learned through experience is that tomatoes will break your heart in a new way every year. So select your varieties carefully- heirlooms for flavor, hybrids for disease resistance – and don’t even try the gigantic beefsteak ones you remember from your youth. Too much will go wrong before they are ready. Okay, try a big flavorful heirloom but hedge your bet with Sun Golds and Early Girls.

This year in the north garden we are going to try the Florida weave trellising technique to get the vines off the ground and improve the air circulation. The tomatoes in the how-to diagrams look very well behaved. I’m anticipating an amorphous blob of vines unless we prune daily, which will become a test of faith by the middle of April.

My best tip for obtaining delicious tomatoes for your BLTs is to make friends with someone’s uncle who has been growing tomatoes for a hundred years. Then one day your friend will say her uncle died and you will say you are so sorry to hear that while thinking, “I hope it wasn’t the one who grew tomatoes.”

Beverly Allen, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2018


You will manage to get some tomatoes at least this far. If your tomatoes tend to vanish in the night, harvest at the first hint of pink and ripen indoors.

Hornworms are not uncommon and will defoliate your tomatoes. If you let them live they will develop into beautiful sphinx moths. Thank you, tomatoes, for this dilemma.

Raincatcher’s Plant Sale, April 26, 2018

Our annual plant sale will be held in conjunction with the April 26, 2018 meeting of the Dallas
County Master Gardener Association. Before the meeting: 10:00 – 11:30 After the meeting:
1:00 – 2:00

 

Come shop the great variety of plants we have to offer!! We have divided our perennials,
potted volunteers, started seeds, taken cuttings, dug bulbs..

We have herbs, succulents,
bulbs, houseplants, Louisiana iris, annuals, perennials, natives and adapted plants as well as
ornamental plant markers and other garden items.

 

Don’t forget our tomato and pepper plants, ready to go home with you!

 

Cash or Check preferred….Credit Cards accepted

11001 Midway Road, Dallas, Texas

It’s Fall at the Garden, Maybe you Didn’t Realize

Celebrity Tomatoes on the Vine

Celebrity Tomatoes on the Vine

It’s been a good year for tomatoes in Dallas. Dorothy, one of our veggie garden experts, talks about her tomatoes as if they were her best friends. “The Celebrities, the Cherokees and Zebras have been fabulous. I couldn’t pick a favorite.  The Zebras and Cherokees are heirloom, which usually just give me one good round, but with this weather, they have stayed covered. ”

So imagine my surprise when Dorothy told me to radically cut back my tomato plants now and prepare for fall!  She leaves only the limbs bearing large tomatoes, all others are cut to a height of 3 feet.  The smaller tomatoes literally go into the skillet to become fried green tomatoes.

She recommends foliar feeding with fish emulsion every two or three weeks to help the  tomato plants rebound for fall.

Trash the  dead or diseased tomato plants,  they are not worth saving.

What else is Dorothy doing about fall?  Seeds of Carrots, Beets, Kale, Contender and Gold Rush Green Beans, and Oats are being planted at The Raincatcher’s Garden. A few new tomato transplants will be added and  hope abounds for the tomato plants who endured the harsh pruning.

When it gets a little cooler; lettuce, spinach and snow pea seeds along with broccoli and Brussel sprout transplants will be added.

Thank you, Dorothy, now what time is that dinner of friend green tomatoes?

Ann

Pictures by Starla

Hoemgrown Tomato Atop a Bed of Rosemary

Homegrown Tomato Atop a Bed of Rosemary

Fall back on some of our good advice: Fall, What’s not to Love and Fall Crops for Dallas Veggie Gardens 

 

 

May Recipes from the Master Gardener Meeting

Linda, Evelyn, and Judy and Tarts

Linda, Evelyn, and Judy and Tarts

Heirloom-Tomato-And Goat-Cheese Tartlets

Ingredients:

Black-Pepper Crusts (see below)

Pesto (see below)

3 cups heirloom tomatoes, cut in half

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (4-ounce) package goat-cheese crumbles

Garnish: fresh oregano and microbasil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place prepared Black-Pepper Tartlet Crusts on baking sheet. Spoon about 3 tablespoons Pesto into bottom of each crust. Fill each tartlet with tomatoes, and season evenly with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle cheese over tomatoes, and bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is slightly browned.
  3. Garnish with oregano and microbasil, if desired. Serve immediately.

Black- Pepper Tartlet Crusts

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup unsalted butter

¾ cup sour cream

Directions:

In the work bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and pepper; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until crumbled.  Add sour cream, and pulse until mixture comes together.  Remove mixture and form into a disk; wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut 6 (5-inch) rounds from dough.  Place a round in bottom and up sides of each of 6 (4-inch) tartlet pans.  Line tartlet crusts with parchment paper to cover bottoms and sides, and top with pie weights.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; cool slightly.  Remove pie weights and parchment paper.  Return to oven, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven, and cool.

Pesto

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup grated fresh Asiago cheese

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

½ teaspoon coarse salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

⅓ cup olive oil

Directions:

  1. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine basil, oregano, lemon juice, garlic, cheese, and pine nuts; pulse until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add salt, pepper, and olive oil; pulse until smooth.  Prepared pesto can be stored, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 3 days

Lettuce Prep for Butterhead Lettuce Salad

Lettuce Prep for Butterhead Lettuce Salad

Butterhead Lettuce and Spring Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

5 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 heads butterhead lettuce, washed and dried

6 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips

2 ounces alfalfa sprouts

Jane with Sprouts!

Jane with Sprouts!

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper.
  2. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces and add to bowl along with radishes and carrots. Toss; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Divide salad equally among four plates and top each with sprouts. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Asparagus Ready to Eat

Asparagus Ready to Eat

Parmesan Asparagus Roll-Ups with Lemon Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 package phyllo dough

½ – 1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 stick butter, melted

30 asparagus spears, washed, woody ends cut and dried

Lemon Dipping Sauce

Directions:

Take pastry out of box and unfold one package of sheets. Cover sheets with a just barely damp paper towel when not using.

  1. Remove one sheet of phyllo and put on a work surface. Brush the entire sheet with butter; put another sheet of phyllo on top, brush second sheet with butter.
  2. Cut pastry sheets into six even strips, cutting from one short end to another.
  3. Sprinkle each phyllo strip with Parmesan cheese.
  4. Wind one phyllo strip around each asparagus in a spiral manner starting at the base.
  5. Repeat with phyllo until all the asparagus is rolled up.
  6. Brush the tops of the phyllo dough with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan.
  7. Put the asparagus on 2 parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes, until the phyllo is light golden brown.

Lemon Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

½ cup sour cream

½ cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Dash of hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put all ingredient s in a bowl and mix well. Serve with asparagus.  Chill if not using right away.

Linda

May 2015 Master Gardener Meeting 036

And what about those Blackberry Pie Bars? Click here!

 

 

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