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MASTER GARDENERS Dig It! October 2016 Hi Gardeners! With autumn here, if your containers, like mine, are looking a little worse for the wear, you may want to spice things up a little with some plants and decorations that say “fall”. Chrysanthemums are always a favorite, and for good reason; they come in so many colors and forms and are at their best this time of year! Other plants you might want to consider are flowering kale, foliage plants such as licorice plant, Vinca vine, English ivy, Sprengeri fern, and dusty miller because they stay looking nice well into the fall. In addition to live plants, you can add interest with dried flowers, seed pods, pumpkins, gourds, grapevine, indian corn or even sprigs of straw. According to Martha Smith, Extension Educator, When you are picking gourds or pumpkins, wipe them down first with a household disinfectant or a weak bleach solution to kill any organisms that might cause rot. In this issue of Dig It! Sughandi is sharing her experience with growing yard long beans. Rita has researched Purslane and explains that it is indeed more than a weed! While Sherry contemplates the reasons that we take up gardening in the first place. Learn & Enjoy! Val P.S. If you enjoy writing, learning and sharing gardening information, consider joining the Dig It staff. You can work at your own schedule and research topics that interest you. Your time spent researching can be counted as education hours or volunteer hours—your choice. If interested, contact Val Waring. For program information or to register for events: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/hmrs/ For additional events and up to date information: Master Gardener Calendar 1 Purslane: Weed or Food Source? By Rita Brautigam Purslane sprouts from sidewalk cracks, invades gardens and earns contempt from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which classifies it as a "noxious weed." It also happens to be a "superfood" high in heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and beta carotene, one tasty enough to be found in farmers' markets and fancy restaurants. For most of us, it comes as an unwelcome guest. Formally known as Portulaca oleracea, and informally as little hogweed, purslane looks like a miniature jade plant. It has fleshy succulent leaves and stems with yellow flowers. Purslane is native to India and Persia and has spread throughout the world as an edible plant and as a weed. Many cultures embrace purslane as a food. While it has long been considered a weed, it is increasingly showing up for sale in bunches at farmers markets. Mexicans have known about its healthful properties for hundreds of years and they eat it both raw and cooked. In Mexico it's called verdolagas. Cooking mellows its tang and shrinks it, which means you can eat more of it! Paired with avocado and a tomato relish, this is a superhealthy vegetarian snack or main dish. Early Americans appreciated it, too. Martha Washington had a recipe for pickled "pursland" in the “Booke of Cookery and Booke of Sweetmeats”, the collection of hand-written family recipes she received as a wedding gift, according to mountvernon.org The stems lay flat on the ground as they radiate from a single taproot sometimes forming large mats of leaves. It is closely related to Rose Moss, Portulaca grandiflora, grown as a "not so weedy" ornamental. Check out University of Illinois' Midwestern Turfgrass Weed Identification website for some great pictures of purslane. Purslane is an annual reproducing from seeds and from stem pieces. Seeds of purslane have been known to stay viable for 40 years in the soil! You may find that fact either depressing or exciting. If you are trying to control purslane the number one rule is don't let it go to seed. About three weeks after you notice seedlings, the flowers and seeds will be produced. Also plants or plant 2 Purslane cont. pieces that are uprooted but not removed can root back into the soil. Again depressing or exciting depending on your point of view! Running a tiller through purslane is also known as purslane multiplication. Purslane grows just about anywhere from fertile garden soil to the poorest arid soils. A rock driveway is nirvana to purslane. It's succulent characteristic makes it very drought tolerant. Purslane prefers the fine textured soils of seedbeds as in vegetable gardens or open soil areas in paths. It doesn't germinate well when seeds are more than 1/2 inch deep. Tilling brings seeds to the surface where they quickly germinate. Mulching will help to control purslane. Purslane seeds germinate best with soil temperatures of 90 degrees, so mulching may again help to control it. Since it germinates in high soil temperatures also means it doesn't appear until June when pre-emergent herbicides may have lost their effectiveness. Now if you are in the "if you can't beat 'em then eat 'em" category, you won't go hungry this year! There are plenty of purslane plants out there and I'm sure your neighbors would love to share theirs with you. But please be very careful that there have been no pesticides sprayed on or near the plants you will be eating! If you are a connoisseur, you can also purchase purslane seeds. The cultivated forms offer better flavor and easier harvesting. They tend to grow more upright than the wild types. With purslane aficionados the preference is in eating fresh young plants, and especially young leaves and tender stem tips. The taste is similar to watercress or spinach. Use purslane in salads or on sandwiches instead of lettuce or pickles. Purslane can also be cooked as a potherb, steamed, stir-fried or pureed. It tends to get a bit slimy if overcooked. It can be substituted for spinach in many recipes. Seeds are also edible. Before grazing in your yard though make sure that no pesticides have been used in the area and be sure to wash the purslane thoroughly. As with any new food, don't over indulge. Following are a couple of recipes you may want to consider trying . 3 Purslane cont. RECIPE Purslane and Avocado Tacos with Pico de Gallo Ingredients For Pico de Gallo: 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered 1/2 cup chopped white onion 1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste 2 teaspoons minced fresh Serrano chile, or to taste 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Salt Freshly ground pepper For Tacos: 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 lb purslane, including tender upper stems, chopped (about 6 cups) 8 fresh corn tortillas 2 avocados 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese (about 3 ounces), or to taste cilantro sprigs and lime wedges for serving Preparation 1. Make Pico de Gallo: Combine tomatoes, onion, lime juice, chile, and cilantro in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let it stand while assembling the tacos. 2. Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until pale golden. Add purslane with salt to taste and cook, stirring, until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a sieve set over a bowl and let it drain. 3. Have a folded kitchen towel ready for the tortillas. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, then heat a tortilla, keeping the others covered, flipping it occasionally with tongs, until it puffs slightly and gets brown in spots, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer tortilla, as toasted, to towel, enclosing it, and repeat with remaining tortillas. Keep them warm in towel. 4. Quarter avocados lengthwise and remove pit, then peel. Cut each section into thin slices (lengthwise or crosswise, it doesn't matter) and season with salt. 5. Assemble tacos by spooning some purslane into a folded taco and topping it with avocado slices, cotija cheese, cilantro sprigs, and pico de gallo. Serve with lime wedges. 4 Purslane cont. Recipe Verdagas with salsa verde tacos. Ingredients 1/4 large white onion, cut into 3-4 pieces 2 tomatillos, tops sliced off 1 serrano pepper, top sliced off 3 cloves garlic, minced 3-4 cups purslane, washed and chopped* Feta cheese Salt and Pepper to taste Corn tortillas Directions Put onion, tomatillos, serrano pepper, and garlic in a blender and blend until ingredients reach a salsa-like consistency. You may need to add a water to help it blend. Set aside. Simmer purslane in water on stovetop for 5-10 minutes. Drain. Take purslane, wash it well, chop it into 2 or 3 inch pieces and boil it for about 10 minutes. Drain. Pour tomatillo mixture into a sauté pan, add purslane, and sauté for about 5 more minutes, or until purslane is soft. Add salt and pepper. Serve mixture on corn tortillas, sprinkling a bit of cheese on top. Or try this even easier version: Steam the purslane, drain it, then put it in an oil-slicked pan with minced garlic, a chopped onion, a chopped tomato and a chile pepper. Stir in some crumbled queso fresco. Now stir in a couple of beaten eggs and scramble them very loosely. Fold into tortillas and eat. . Sources : Sandra Mason, Extension Educator, Horticulture,University of Illinois Linda Naeve, Horticulture, Iowa State University Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, Iowa State University By: Sherry Holmstrom 5 Reasons We Have Gardens Sitting by our garden with a cup of coffee, I’m pondering why we gardeners love to grow things and the reasons people decide to have a garden. It is early and the chickens have been fed along with the ducks and they are all leisurely walking around. They are happy and don’t have a care in the world. Our border collie Banderas is sitting protectively next to me with his happiest possession which is a blue-handled ball. The only care he has right now is every once in a while he gives a fierce warning “stare” to our Rooster ( King Tut- who gets extremely irate if anyone comes to “his” garden). Our six barn cats (actually, much to my husband’s dismay, heated garage cats!) come to see what is going on. Lucy rubs against me while Butterscotch, Moon-foot, and Lola half-heartedly look for varmints and Augie just sits around lazy and fat and bored with the world. His only care is what he will have for his next meal. I notice the zinnias look beautiful with the mixture of colors and I see a praying mantis on one of the rose plants. All the plants look so still and serene. That’s when I realized one of the reasons I have this garden and why a lot of people have them is for a little bit of serenity!!! In just a few minutes time, our home office phone will start ringing, the kids will be getting ready for school, and the men will be here in the yard with the roar and beeping of farm machines that signals harvest has begun! The more thinking I do, I realize there is never a time when I am in my garden that I don’t think of my grandparents Dorothy and Joe. They were farmers and the seeds of gardening were planted in my growing mind when I was quite young. My parents divorced when my siblings and I were quite small. Our mother worked a lot and my mom’s parents became a very important part of our lives. I can still smell the peonies, lilacs, and rose bushes that Dorothy had all over her yard. I still remember that defining moment when Grandpa Joe took my brother and I past that amazing apple orchard, holding onto our hands to view his garden. I still remember the awe I felt when I saw those tomatoes and the strawberries and they were not in the grocery store! They were in his yard!!! That’s when I truly became a gardener! That’s also why I and maybe others love having a garden. It brings back happy memories! Perhaps the most obvious and wonderful reason people have gardens is for harvesting and putting to use what they have grown. All of the weeding and hard work have paid off and there are endless things you can do with your harvest! Gardening is sustaining and a healthy way of nourishment. It is aromatic and comforting. Following are some bath and body ideas and recipes for some of the plants we grow in our gardens. 6 Reasons We Have Gardens cont. Lavender Essential Oil Things you will need: coffee filters lavender buds grain alcohol/vodka mortar and pestle/bowl and spoon two jars, one with a tight-fitting lid To Make: Place Lavender into mortar(or bowl) and use the pestle(or back of spoon) to crush the lavender buds. This releases the oil. Add crushed lavender into jar and cover with alcohol. Screw the lid on tightly. Shake the jar a few times a day for several days. The longer the lavender steeps, the more oil you will extract. Use a coffee filter or cheesecloth to strain the liquid from the lavender into the second jar. Let this sit undisturbed to allow the alcohol to completely evaporate from the jar. This can take about a week or so. When all of the alcohol has evaporated, you now have your essential oil! Lavender Tub Tea large, empty tea bags & string (there are reusable as well as disposable varieties) epsom salt ½ cup lavender petals ½ cup ground oats 2 TB. rose petals 10 drops lavender essential oil Mix all ingredients in a bowl and fill tea bags. Toss into your hot bath. 7 Reasons We Have Gardens cont. Garden Steam Bowl You Will Need: 1 handful dried rose petals 1 handful dried chamomile 1 handful dried lavender 1 handful dried calendula flowers 2 sprigs fresh rosemary To Make: Combine herbs in a basin and pour hot water over them. You can do this by heating water in a tea kettle on the stove and pouring it over the herbs in a shallow bowl. Position the bowl of steaming herbs so that you can comfortably sit over them for 20 or 30 minutes. This is helpful to do before bedtime! Once you finish steaming, you can strain the herbs and compost them! Bath Salt Scrub You will need: ½ cup lavender, fresh 2 TB. lavender buds, dried 1 TB. mint, finely chopped 1/3 cup olive oil coffee filter ½ cup epsom salt ½ cup sea salt essential oil glass jar w/ lid computer generated label To Make: Wash fresh lavender and mint; pat dry. Chop lavender stems and flowers and set aside. Pour oil into saucepan and slowly heat stirring occasionally. Do not let the oil boil. Stir in the chopped lavender and ¾ of the mint. Let the mixture cool, and then place a coffee filter over the jar. Gently pour the oil into the coffee filter and strain all of the lavender and mint pieces out. Mix in the Epsom salt and sea salt. Add 8 -10 drops of essential oils and stir together. Gently fold in the mint and lavender buds. Place the mixture in a glass jar with a lid and adhere the label to the jar. 8 Here are a few recipes for cooking with garden harvests: Reasons We Have Gardens cont. Mushroom Salad ¼ lb. chopped mushrooms 1 lettuce 4 sticks celery chopped small 2 tbls. fresh chopped lemon balm leaves ½ cup cheese, grated finely 2 chopped apples a little finely chopped onion salt a little finely chopped sweet red pepper Mix apples, mushrooms and salt with celery and onion. Place on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle cheese and a little chopped sweet red pepper over the top, and garnish with lemon balm leaves. Thyme Vinegar (for marinades, salads, and sauces) 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 1 sprig thyme 2 ½ cups white wine vinegar Crush the thyme leaves in a mortar. Heat the vinegar to almost boiling point ( do not allow to boil) and pour over the leaves. Pour into a wide-necked bottle, seal tightly and stand in a dark place for 2-3 weeks. Strain into a clean bottle, add a sprig of thyme and stopper the bottle with a cork. Herb vinegars make ideal gifts as well. Chive Butter ½ cup butter 4 tbls. chopped chives 1 tbls. lemon juice salt and pepper Cream the chives and softened butter together until they are well mixed. Beat in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cool the butter in the refrigerator until ready to use. It will keep for several days. 9 Reasons We Have Gardens cont. Cucumber, Yogurt, and Mint Dip ½ cucumber, peeled seeded, and finely chopped 10 fresh mint leaves, preferably spearmint, very finely chopped 1 ¾ cups yogurt Salt In a bowl, mix together the cucumber, mint leaves, and yogurt. Season to taste with salt and serve with pita bread as an hors d’voeuvre. Potatoes with Bay Leaves olive oil 2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices 2 large garlic cloves, chopped 4 large bay leaves Salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 cups chicken stock Brush a shallow, flameproof casserole with olive oil. Make a layer of half the potatoes, garlic and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, garlic, bay leaves, and 2 tbsp. olive oil, and salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook, covered, over low heat until the potatoes are tender and the liquid is absorbed, 25-30 minutes. If any liquid remains, pour it off. Discard the bay leaves before serving. Bay leaves should be shredded before use. There are many reasons people decide to grow gardens. When you have a garden you not only grow plants but you can also grow ideas! I often think that if you have a garden to sit by in the early morning and a great cup of coffee, you can handle anything that the day brings your way! Sources: Willow and Sage Homemade Bath and Body (volume 2, issue 1 summer 2015, and volume 2, issue 3, winter 2016. The encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, and Flavorings/Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz, The Macmillan Treasury of Herbs/Ann Bonar 10 Yard Long Beans By Sugandhi Sivakumar Vigna unguiculata subsp. Sesquipedalis is a legume cultivated to be eaten as green pods. It is known as the yardlong bean, long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, pea bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean. Despite the common name, the pods are actually only about half a yard long; the subspecies name sesquipedalis (one-and-a-half-foot-long) is closer to the name representation. For the last 4 years, we have planted three different varieties in our garden – a pale green, a deep maroon/purple and a dark green variety. The pale green and the purple varieties are about 12 – 15 inches long whereas the dark green variety can be over 24 inches. This plant is of a different genus from the common bean. It is a subtropical, vigorous climbing annual vine most widely grown in the warmer parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and southern China. A variety of the cowpea, it is grown primarily for its strikingly long (35to 75-cm) immature pods and has uses very similar to that of the green bean. The many varieties of yardlong beans are usually distinguished by the different colors of their mature seeds. The plant attracts many pollinators, specifically various types of yellow jackets and ants. The pods, which can begin to form just 60 days after sowing, hang in groups of two or more. They are best for vegetable use if picked before they reach full maturity; however, overlooked pods can be used like dry beans in soups. When harvesting, it is important not to pick the buds which are above the beans, since the plant will set many more beans on the same stem. The plants take longer to reach maturity than bush beans, but once producing, the beans are quick-growing and daily checking/harvesting is often a necessity. The plants produce beans until frost. The crisp, tender pods are eaten both fresh and cooked. They are at their best when young and slender. They are sometimes cut into short sections for cooking uses. The plant is easy to grow in areas with hot and humid summers where other green bean varieties may succumb to heat damage in summer, and as such is worthy of more cultivation in these areas. It does very well in our warm, humid, Midwest summers. It actually thrives in July-August when the bush beans start dwindling due to the heat. They are a good source of protein vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source for vitamin C, folate, magnesium and manganese. 11 Yard Long Beans cont. You can use the long beans in Chinese stir fries with other vegetables or by itself. They are good in Thai dishes cooked in coconut milk. Below is a simple South Indian recipe. Recipe: Mixed vegetables in a Coconut-Yogurt sauce Ingredients: Long Beans – cut into 1” pieces (1 cup) Carrots – cut into 1” long thin strips (1/2 cup) Potato – cut into 1” long thin strips (1/4 cup) Desiccated or Frozen coconut – ¼ cup Jalapeno or serrano peppers – 1 or 2 (based on spice requirement) Plain yogurt or fat free sour cream — ½ cup Method: 1. In a sauce pan add the long beans and ½ cup of water. Cook till half done. 2. Now add the carrots and potatoes. 3. Cook till the vegetables are almost fully cooked. 4. Grind together coconut, hot peppers and yogurt/sour cream. 5. Add the ground mixture to the cooked vegetables. 6. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Do not overcook as the yogurt sauce will curdle. References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigna_unguiculata_subsp._sesquipedalis https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_viuns2.pdf http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/seriously-asian-the-yardlong-bean.html Check out this lindk for buying seeds – http://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/beans/long-beans/ 12 Dig It! Newsletter Staff: Rita Brautigam, Julie Hanger, Sherry Holmstrom, Alice Maslanka, Sugandhi Sivakumar Facilitator, Val Waring County Director Jenny Garner Horticulture Educator Martha Smith Program Coordinator Tracy Jo Mulliken RI Cnty Master Gardeners Officers President Lanny Leppo Vice Presidents Jayne Booth Secretaries Barb Skinner (AM) Julie Keehn (PM) University of Illinois Extension Rock Island County 321 W. 2nd Avenue Milan, IL 61264 309-756-9978 web.extension.illinois.edu/hmrs 309.756.9978 Fax: 309.756.9987 If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in an Extension program, please contact Rock Island County Extension at (309) 756-9978. University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. University of Illinois-USDA-Local Extension Councils Cooperating 13