(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 19:27 - A Garden Book, A Garden Recipe and a Garden Pup [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-07-08 Welcome everyone! We are a friendly and active bunch, our diaries a verdant palate cleanser from the heavier fare in the the world. Please share your stories, anecdotes and photos. Ask questions, or simply introduce yourself. Shout Out to the lurkers too! This Garden Blog is published every Saturday at 9AM EST, year round. We comment throughout the week and have some funny content for the group each Sunday. Thank you all for stopping by this week and we hope to see you next Saturday as well! Black Hollyhock 2023 South Dakota hosts a weekly Garden Hour during the growing season. There are a rotating crew of experts, two of which are the entomologist and arborist for the state. Other questions are answered by professors from South Dakota State University College of Agriculture. Thanks to the resources discussed by these local SME's (Subject Matter Experts), I am versed on degree days, transplant based on reliable soil temperature information and get fast answers to my questions about garden pests. Whether being able to ask directly for an immediate answer during the garden hour, or submitting an email to an SME with an answer in a few days, it's amazing to me how accessible good information can be had. Learning about Growing Degree Days has been a game changer with regard to the health of my plants. The rabbits might kill my plants, but the codling moth won't! *nerd alert* Having the state entomologist share your bug video during a garden hour is pretty cool, for me anyway. I encourage all garden-curious to find the Extension for your area. The advice and resources are targeted to your locale. Below is mine. SDSU Extension Apparently South Dakota has a vinegar museum? ~ During a Garden Hour last year, the book Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden ~Gilbert L. Wilson was recommended. I read it this past January, and quite enjoyed the window into how the women of the North Dakota Hidatsa tribe tended their gardens. The book has sketches of the family food plots and anecdotes about the life of Maxidiwiac (b.1839) and her fellow native peoples. "We cared for our corn in those days as we would care for a child; for we Indian people loved our gardens, just as a mother loves her children; and we thought that our growing corn liked to hear us sing, just as children like to hear their mother sing to them" [p.27] Book: Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden ~Gilbert L. Wilson There is a helpful section on effective hoeing and directions to make your own scrotum basket for collecting tobacco blossoms. They used buffalo scrotum, but I am sure you can use whatever animal you prefer (not desire). [p.127] Variegated Celosia early July 2023 — Yup, I’ll be collecting the seeds. Speaking of smiling and singing in the garden, I am a singing plant mama. The four huge construction rigs parked outside as I write this (Thursday) are currently feeding cable underneath my east garden. Yes, friends, UNDERNEATH. The crew got out the backhoe and tore up my boulevard (don't care) and a corner of our property next to the fences (don't care). They were able to use the existing cable tunnel. But not in the garden. My melons are safe! This hill is alive with the awful noise of me thanking the universe for this blessing. The harvest continues. The beans are in! Harvest! Note the proper eggplant. I am harvesting smaller tomatoes now, got to get a taste of the Dwarf tomato Fat Frog. It's pretty good! I'll have a taste test video up for it soon. Fat Frog dwarf tomatoes — love the unique color. Garlic is almost ready, another week or so. And eggplant! I wonder what I can make with those three ingredients. Short Story Time. Germany, around year 2000. Hubs The First and I have a very weird and fascinating friend (the best kind), TG, who wanted to make us dinner. Eggplant Parmesan. Me, a grown adult having never eaten eggplant and being a practiced picky eater with a rural Midwestern palate, turned up my nose at the idea. Thankfully, I was overruled and my ungracious comments and RBF ignored. My grandmother would have been appalled with me. Again. Not only did I fall in love with the recipe, TG was kind enough to teach me how to make it. I'm still not the biggest fan of eggplant, unless it is this recipe. I've made a few tweaks to the original, to make it my own. I use more garlic, only use thin-skinned Asian or European eggplant and I slice the eggplant thinner. I do not thin the wet mix with milk either, I like a thick crispy breading. But you can. TG used the usual American eggplant, but it's far inferior to other eggplant varieties imo. Eggplant Parmesan Recipe Frying these delicious garden babies. Here is the quick and dirty recipe because lazy: 2-3 Long Eggplants sliced in 1/4" thick rounds or strips. Skin left on because these babies are being fried soft. No need to do the salted eggplant routine. The hot oil will use the scant moisture in the eggplant to essentially cook the eggplant on the inside in those few short minutes. Wet dip - 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 C Sour Cream, 1 large egg. BEAT IT. Let the slices sit in the wet mix for an hour or three (fridge). When ready to prep, heat fry oil (I use peanut) to low simmer/350 degrees F. Pan fry or deep fry. Whatevs. As the oil heats... Dry breading - 2/3 C Italian seasoned bread crumbs, 2/3 C Fine grated parmesan. MIX IT. Shake off excess wet dip off the slices with a quick slap on the side of the bowl and coat the slices in the dry breading. Set them on a plate to await death by hot oil. Once the breading is done and oil is ready, fry the slices in a flat layer (see sexy pic). Once browned on both sides, usually about 3-4 min for side one and 2-3 minutes for side two, transfer to a paper towel or draining rack to let oil wick off. Give the slices a very light salt shake, unless you went heavy on the parmesan, as most parmesan is plenty salty. Bask in the scent of your kitchen. EAT IT. Oh, sorry do NOT eat all the fried eggplant, just a few. Ok, eat half of them. And wait til they cool down. In an oven safe pan, put a small bit of your preferred marinara on the bottom. I use homemade (just tomato, garlic, salt and basil) or Agromonte brand. Layer up the remaining fried eggplant on the marinara. Put a thin layer of more marinara on your eggplant on top of the layers. Cover with mozzarella and/or provolone cheese. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for about 15 minutes or so, the browning melty cheese will tell you when it’s ready. Get your pasta ready at some point. Angel hair, thin spaghetti, bucatini and regular ol’ spaghetti works best. As always, salt the pasta water well. Serve the cheesy eggplant over a bed of your preferred pasta. I usually toss the pasta in a bit of garlic oil and marinara. Once plated, give it a few (too many) grates of some good parm. Eat again. PROTIP: Fry up some zucchini using the same mix and eat that as the fried snack so more eggplant is left for the baked dish. Any questions about the recipe, happy to answer in the comments. My Eggplant Parmesan with garden fresh beans and peas, last week. My Garden video below. We got RAIN!! Only .3", but we drought people will take anything, right AnnieJo? Less than 2 minute video. Here is a photo of my dog again. Because him so cute! Full Name Django Chicharron Mr. Dookie Eff Tom Brady. DJ for short Wordle: My new word I needed to change to (because it was First) two months ago was the first word on July 4th! That’s two this year! So I have a new set of words again. Audio and Stern. Herb Spiral early July I wish everyone a fantastic garden week! May the weather gods bless you all. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/8/2179039/-Saturday-Morning-Garden-Blogging-Vol-19-27-A-Garden-Book-A-Garden-Recipe-and-a-Garden-Pup Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/