Summer Cucumbers

In March I tried to grow my favorite cucumbers but there

were no bees to pollinate them, and I wasn't successful

hand pollinating as the flowers were so small.

Katrina

Harvested 40 days from seed

Then I remembered there are parthenocarpic F1 hybrid

cucumbers and zucchini that are self-pollinating and developed

for growing in greenhouses. Since cucumbers need full sun

and I don't have sun until March, I trialed Katrina

as it was advertised as being heat tolerant.

First Flowers at 30 Days

On the first day of summer

I planted Katrina seeds in May and I was skeptical about

the plants surviving into the summer months. 

In 5 weeks, and at 87 degree days, I harvested the first

cucumber. Katrinas look similar to Persian cucumbers.

As long as the flowers remain unpollinated they

won't produce seeds. They were really good

and not at all bitter after they're peeled.

The only drawback about hybrid cucumbers is that

seeds, with the exception of Diva, are pricey and aren't

 widely available. I grew Diva in 2010 but they're

not a heat tolerant variety and won't survive

the months when I have sun.

The largest selection of parthenocrpic hybrid cucumbers

are available from Johnny Selected Seeds

I found some of the parthenocarpic seeds at

Amazon and etsy. I suggest searching - 

"F1 self-pollinating cucumber seeds"

"cucumber seeds for greenhouses"

Paste Tomato Super Stars

Roma

Starting to ripen in July

Since 2009, I've trialed numerous paste tomatoes and Roma

was a super star. So far, Romas were the only tomato that

 grew during the summer, enduring the intense sun and

upper 80-degree temps. They've always been the last

of my tomato plants to stop producing.

Marzano Fire

Ripening in June

This year I trialed Marzano Fire. In the past, I've had very poor

results with the Marzanos, even when planted during the most

ideal months of the year. Marzano Fire was the first variety that

produced an abundance of fruit, was very resistant to powdery

mildew and fruited through the rising temps of late spring

Marzano Fire

Marzano Fire were the largest paste tomatoes I've grown.

They began to ripen at 4 months and averaged

around 3 inches long and 2.5 to 3.5 oz.

Roma and Marzano Fire were perfect for balcony container

gardens. They're determinate varieties and grew around 4 ft

tall in a container. These plants were prolific, the fruit

weren't mealy and didn't show any signs of cracking.

After I moved in 2021, it took two years before I figured out that

tomato plants really do need full sun. Since I have a small garden

space now, and limited months of full sun, I've found that early

to mid-season determinate tomato varieties are ideal.

Maglia Rosa & Marzano Fire in May

Maglia Rosa and Marzano Fire were planted in 15 inch containers.

In the photos there are two plants in each container. This helps

shade the fruit from baking in scorching sun all afternoon.

By late spring, the plants need to be fully watered every day.

They also need generous twice monthly applications of an

all-purpose fertilizer and agricultural epsom salt as

paste tomatoes are prone to blossom end rot.

Roma seeds are widely available. Marzano Fire was

developed by Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds and can

be sourced from Bene Seeds, Etsy and Ebay.

To keep my wood deck from being water damaged, I use 13 inch

plant caddies under the containers. Since shade cloth isn't an

option, these also work great for moving some of the

containers in and out of the afternoon sun.

Maglia Rosa Tomatoes

Maglia Rosa

Ripening at 3 months

Now that I have a small garden, if I had to choose just one

tomato Maglia Rosa would be the one. Although they're

classified as a cherry tomato they look more like a

small paste tomato.

Maglia Rosa is a determinate and when planted in a 15 inch

container the plants grow to around 3 ft tall. They grew really

well in my garden bed in Maui Meadows and when planted

in the ground the plants grew taller and bushier.

The First Ripe Tomatoes

Harvested in late May

Maglia is an early variety with good powdery mildew resistance.

The plants are prolific and produce an abundance of variegated

fruits. They're delicious and great in salads as well as

roasted, sauteed or dehydrated.

Maglia Rosa was developed by Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds.

Seeds are available on Etsy, Ebay and at Reimer Seeds

Most of the cherry tomatoes I've planted can tolerate the Kihei 

spring sun and temps in the low to mid 80's. I planted these

seeds in March and the temps were in the low 80's in May.

For Artisan Tomato Seed Fans

 

Pink Bumble Bee and Sunrise Bumble Bee

Sadly, Fred Hempel owner and breeder of Artisan Seeds passed away a few months ago.  A short bio can be found at this link Artisan Seeds

Prior to his passing he created Bene Seeds.

Unfortunately, Bene Seeds isn't currently a source for some of my absolute favorite Artisan tomato seeds - Pink Bumble Bee, Sunrise Bumble Bee and Maglia Rosa. However, they do have Marzano Fire available.

Maglia Rosa

(the cylindrical tomatoes in the photo)

The Bumble Bee tomato seeds can be purchased from

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

I did find a few online sources, including on Etsy, for Maglia Rosa, Marzano Fire, Spike and Taste Patio. These tomatoes are so ono!

Nickel French - My Favorite Filet Bean

Nickel French is a slender 3- to 4-inch heirloom filet bean.

Harvested before the bean seeds begin to develop, they'll require minimal sautéing. These are my favorite green bean for making Salad Nicoise.

This is a good bean to grow in a limited garden space as the plants are compact and easily grown in small containers. When started from seed, they begin to produce pods at around 60 days.

Nickel French seeds are not widely distributed. My most recent purchase was from Renee's Garden. However, in the past I've found them on Etsy and a few other online seed sellers.

Nickel French Filet Bean Seeds 

Tips on growing beans in Kihei

Growing French and Italian Heirloom Beans

A Classic Roast Duck with Fennel Pollen

 This is an easy preparation for duck or chicken

to make at any time of the year.

A typical duck weighs around 5lbs and feeds 3 to 4 people.

Fennel Pollen

Fennel pollen adds a delicious but subtle flavor to poultry

and it won't taste noticeably like fennel.

Growing Bulbing Fennel in Kihei

I plant fennel in my fall/winter garden and leave at least two plants

to flower and produce pollen and seeds during the summer.

Since I only have fennel pollen during the summer,

I also purchase dried fennel pollen on Amazon.

Organic Pollen Ranch Fennel Pollen

Growing Garlic in Kihei

 

After many failed attempts, I finally figured out how to grow garlic.

Rosemary

This is an easy plant to grow in Kihei. My container grown rosemary

plant usually last two years before it out grows the container.

I rub the duck with:

Texas Hill Country Lemon Infused Olive Oil

Any olive oil is fine but lemon olive oil is so ono.

Then, season with salt, pepper and fennel pollen.

Mary's Ducks, from Whole Foods, are my favorite. They're available at

Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes they have them at other

times during the year. I usually keep an extra duck in my freezer.

. 

Ingredients

peeled lemons

rosemary sprigs

garlic bulb(s)

fennel pollen

olive oil

a quality salt

white or black pepper

trimmed but unpeeled shallot cloves

salted or unsalted butter for basting

click here to copy or print the recipe

Cooking From My Garden

In 2008 my business was severely impacted by the economic

meltdown. I had a lot of free time and I created my garden blogs.

As my business returned, I had less and less time to work on them.

The current economic policies have severely impacted my business

again. And, now I will have more time to devote to my blogs.

I love to cook and most of my new blog posts will include

recipes with some of the ingredients sourced from my garden.

However I have, in my opinion, improved and/or modified some

great recipes from my cookbooks and online sources

that I will also be sharing.

Sauce Tomato Super Stars

Lisos Grandes
Harvested the 2nd week of May

Lisos Grandes is a large, elliptical tomato bred in Spain. The plants grow to a very manageable height of 5 ft and the fruit average about 10 oz.

Lisos is one of the few varieties I've trailed that grows well in my garden bed. They're prolific, flavorful, never mealy and can handle the Kihei sun and higher spring temps with minimal cracking. Cracking has been a major problem with growing the larger tomatoes in Kihei during our cooler months. Of course cracking is a given from May through September.

Above are five plants that were spaced 2 ft from the fence and 3 ft apart. All were planted within a standard size wire cage. In Kihei, the best time to plant Lisos seeds is from October through the end of December. They begin to ripen at 4.5 months.

When the plants are full grown they'll be at or above the top of the fence. These five plants will produce a huge crop of tomatoes. They're great for everything but I mainly use them to make sauce that I freeze and use throughout the year.

Lisos Grandes seeds are available through Seed Savers Exchange online catalog. Since this is a rare variety in the US I usually have extra saved seeds that I can share or trade.

Rose d'Berne

Rose d'Berne is a round medium size Swiss variety that averages about 6 oz. They're so sweet and flavorful are great in salads and make delicious sauce. They're never mealy and also do well in the rising temps of spring. The tomatoes in the photo were harvested the last week of April with minimal cracking.

Indeterminate Tomatoes at 3 Months
Growing in Smart Pots Behind the Peppers

I plant Rose d'Berne in 15 gallon Smart Pots and they grow to at least 7 ft. The best time to plant seeds in Kihei is from October through the end of December. These tomatoes will begin to ripen at 4 months.

Rose d'Berne seeds are widely available including on ebay.

I use a hand crank Passata Machine I purchased at Seeds From Italy to extract the juice but most electric juicers should work.

Passata Machines can be purchased on Amazon under various names:
Tomato Food Strainer and Sauce Maker

I run the pulp through the machine three times to get as much juice as possible. Then I simmer the juice to reduce it to a sauce consistency and put 2 cups into 1 quart zip-lock bags. I freeze the bags flat so they're easy to stack and store in my freezer.

Chocolate for Breakfast

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 Egyptian & Chioggia Beets

 



 Chocolate Beet Cake

What I love the most about Valentines Day is that it's the one day of the year when it's acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast.

 

 

This morning I made Nigel Slater's Chocolate Beet Cake in a KitchenAid silicon heart-shaped pan. When I bake this cake I use a sugar substitute - Just Like Sugar. It turned out so much better baked in the silicon pan than a spring-form pan. And, the recipe filled the pan perfectly.

 

I use Egyptian beets when I make Chocolate Beet Cake. I cook and freeze them after they're harvested which makes it really convenient.

 

The beets aren't detectible after the cake is baked.

Chocolate Beet Cake isn't super sweet and crème fraiche pairs nicely. Although it's great with whipped cream and fresh strawberries too.

Homemade crème fraiche is easy to make. Its thicker, creamier and half the price of store bought. All you need is a pint of whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of either yogurt or kefir.

Pour the cream into a glass jar. Mix the yogurt or kefir into the cream. Cover with a coffee filter or paper towel secured by a rubber band. Leave it out on a counter-top for 2 days, or until it's set.

Because the cake isn't sugary sweet it's actually perfect
 for breakfast - especially with an espresso.

Eating Dark Chocolate for Breakfast Can Improve Your Health

Just Checking In

Brad's Black Heart

The first tomato of the season.

 

Harvest season is just beginning in my garden.

 

I apologize for being MIA for months - I've been very busy with work which is a good problem to have in today's fragile economy. I've written several posts which need food photos but I'm...well...a terrible food photographer so at this time they remain unfinished.

 

I promise to have some new garden posts very soon! 

Pimientos del Piquillo

   

Piquillo peppers are a popular tapas menu item in Spain. The peppers are traditionally fire roasted, peeled and stuffed with goat cheese or seafood.

Piquillo means "little beak" in Spanish and the bright red fruit have a distinguishing crevice at the tip that looks like a beak.

 Piquillos are a 4 inch long capsicum annum pepper. Annums are difficult to grow in Kihei due to the heat and bugs. They're a late variety and take about 6 months until they ripen. I couldn't grow Piquillos in Keonekai but I was able to grow them in Maiu Meadows.

 Piquillos are sweet and flavorful. Although fire roasting presents another taste dimension it's not essential as the peppers are delicious just roasted in the oven. The skin isn't as thick as a bell pepper so they're a bit tedious to peel and keep intact for stuffing. But the peppers are also used chopped or layered into sandwiches.

My favorite ways to prepare Piquillos is to stuff them with a soft chevre cheese mixed with fresh herbs from my garden, Buf mozzarella or a harder artisan cheese and seared in a skillet. They are also great stuffed with crab meat.

Crab Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
 Cheesy Avocado Crab Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

Piquillo seeds are available on amazon, ebay and Trade Winds Fruit. If you live in Maui Meadows, or at a similar elevation in the islands, I recommend planting Piquillo seeds in December so the fruit will ripen prior to the hot summer months.

Winter Shell Bean Favorites of 2013

Last winter I received these wonderful beans in a trade.
Mahalo Jana for the seeds!
 

 

Petaluma Gold Rush

 

Petaluma Gold Rush is a cranberry bean. They originated in Peru and look similar to one of my favorite Italian cranberry beans - Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco. The plants were prolific and more heat tolerant than Borlatto Lingua. They were ready to begin harvesting as shell beans in 75 days.

Petaluma Gold Rush seeds are available from
 Natural Gardening Company.

True Red Cranberry

True Red Cranberry is not a cranberry bean like Petaluma Gold Rush - they just look like a cranberry. They were ready to harvest as shell beans in 75 days. The origin of True Red is the Abenaki tribe of Maine and they have a colorful history.

True Red Cranberry is available from
Seed Savers Exchange.

 

 

Gigante Lima

 

Gigante Lima was the largest bean I've grown. They flowered in 45 days and I was harvesting shell beans around 100 days. The pods were huge - the vines were huge and they needed a lot of space. Gigante was a prolific producer of big beautiful flat white beans.

 

Gigante are also called Gigandes - they're popular in Greek cuisine and native to Central America. Seeds are available from

Double Helix Farms.

 

When searching the web, I found sites noting Gigantes as limas and others noting them as runner beans. When I read the detailed post about growing Gigantes on From Seed To Table I realized there really are two types and both produce huge plants with huge white beans. The limas have small pale lavender flowers and the runners have large white flowers. Lima cotyledons germinate above the soil and runners remain in the soil eventually forming a tuberous root.

 

Greek Inspired Gigandes

 Twice Cooked Gigante Beans

Fresh shell beans don't take long to cook and they're so delicious.
They can also be blanched and frozen.
 

Fennel Pollen - A Culinary Adventure

Fennel pollen is known as spice of the angels in Tuscany cuisine.

A Wild Fennel Plant

In September of 2011, I planted wild fennel. It slowly grew 4 ft tall and in June of 2012 a few graceful flower stocks emerged but the plants didn't last through the hot summer.

A Flowering Fennel Bulb

In June of 2012, I left one of the fennel bulbs bolt and flower for pollen and seed saving. Over 7 months later it's still producing flowering side-shoots full of pollen.

Although the fennel pollen used in Tuscany cuisine is said to come from wild fennel, I didn't notice any difference between the wild fennel and bulbing fennel pollens.

 I've been harvesting fennel pollen at various stages. It doesn't detach from the flower heads very easily until it's dry. But when the pollen just begins to form seeds it's easy to remove.
  

Last week I harvested a lot of Suyo cucumbers and I had enough to experiment with different pickling recipes. I have a great recipe for
Citrus Pickled Onions
I modified it just a bit for the cucumbers and it was really ono.

Citrus & Fennel Pollen Pickled Cucumbers

2 cups of sliced cucumbers 

3/4 cup of citrus juice (I used 2 tangerines, 1 lime and 1/2 lemon)

1/4 cup of champagne vinegar
1/4 tsp of fresh fennel pollen
1 fresh bay or allspice leaf

salt and pepper (optional)

These refrigerator pickles are best when consumed within a week.

More information about fennel pollen:
Playing With Fennel
Edible Foraging in Hawaii - Fennel

Cima di Rapa - Riccia di S. Marzano

Queen of the

cima di rapa - broccoli rabe - rapini

Riccia di S. Marzano

65 days

 

Cima di rapa is popular in Italy where it's usually cooked and often tossed with pasta. The plants produce a center flower-stalk and side-shoots that look similar to broccoli but taste like an unspicy mustard green.

 

It's so easy to grow during our coolest weather and it's not bothered by the cabbageworms that plague my garden during the winter.

Last year I grew a quarantina (40 day) and a novantina (90 day). This year I added Riccia di S. Marzano, a lovely sessantina (60 day). Each one had distinctly different characteristics.
 

 

At 65 days, the Riccia di S. Marzano were 3 ft tall and producing a center flower-stalk and slender side-shoots with delicately curled leaves.

I had just made the first batch of kimchi of the year when I harvested the first Riccia di S. Marzano so I substituted it for the broccoli when I made
 

Enoki, Broccoli & Kimchi Wraps

This is a simple recipe where I can feature some of my garden harvests - even black sesame seeds that I grew last summer.

Purple Peacock broccoli is perfect for this recipe as it's sweet and tender. And cima di rapa - it's for the more adventurous.

For growing information see my post -
Cima di Rapa - Broccoli Rabe



The Summer Beans of 2012

After 4 years of gardening in Kihei
I didn't think there was such a thing as summer beans.

 In July and August I plant cover crops and this year I used my reject bean seeds. These were seeds that weren't heat tolerant or that I knew I would never get around to planting. Although beans don't grow well in the summer, some will grow well enough to be turned under as a cover crop.

Great Northern Pole Beans

I had a large package of Great Northern "bush" beans. It takes a lot of bush bean plants to yield a 1/2 lb of shell or dry beans and there's just not enough room in my garden to plant that many.

The origin of Great Northern is the Hidatsu and Mandan tribes of North Dakota. It would seem to be the most unlikely bean for growing in the 90 degree subtropics. It was bred to be drought tolerant but I've learned that doesn't mean heat tolerant.

A Shell Bean Harvest in September

To my surprise they were a pole bean and grew beautifully in July and August with minimal bug damage. I had a lot of Great Northern beans - I planted them everywhere - let them grow and had a nice harvest of delicious shell beans on the autumn equinox.

Great Northern bean seeds are available on ebay.

Aji Amarillo - A Spectacular Hot Pepper

.Aji Amarillo

A medium hot capsicum baccatum

Imagine a dried apricot crossed with a moderately hot pepper.
Aji Amarillo is a spectacular dried pepper. No wonder
 they're so popular with chili-heads.

The bright orange fruit were 5 to 6 in. long. They turn "amarillo"when roasted or cooked but retain the orange coloration when dried. Aji Amarillo are commonly used in Peruvian cuisine.

 These are the largest pepper plants I've grown - over 6 ft tall - in reality they're too large to plant in a container. They take about 4 months to flower and 6 to 7 months to produce ripe orange peppers.

  Seeds are widely available online.

 

Edible Art

Yellow Furry Boar

I love the tomatoes from

Wild Boar Farms

They're delicious works of art.

Yellow Furry Boar make an incredible salsa

 with a sweet citrus like flavor.

A Winter Squash Super Star of 2011

 

Waltham Butternut Squash, Redventure Celery
Rio Zape Shell Beans

In 2011, I trailed five winter squash I hadn't grown before and Waltham Butternut was the only one that was sweet and flavorful. Waltham was as tasty as my 2010 favorites - Greek Sweet Red and Sweet Kikuza.

Waltham were not large squash - they averaged 2 to 3 lbs with 2 to 3 fruit per plant. I planted the seeds in July and this variety was hardy enough to tolerate the intense summer sun.

Kiawe (mesquite) grows in the fields around my neighborhood and I pick up the small dried branches and use them on my grill. I grilled sliced Waltham Butternut with kiawe chips and made this very tasty soup:

Wood Grilled Butternut Squash Puree

I also grilled sliced Waltham Butternut when grilling cedar planked salmon and the cedar added a delicious flavor too.