Not So Fast — Summer is Still Here!
Everything is screaming summer from the weather to bounty of corn, tomatoes, stone fruit and watermelon at the local farmers market. Looks like the dog days of summer are far from over for Southern California residents. To stay sane and manage my winter garden fever, here is what I am up to :
In my garden
Soil Management - Keeping the soil moist in my raised beds so that both moisture and air will always be sufficiently available when the plant roots need them.
Shade - Keeping shading devices installed because the heat and sun is relentless
Pausing planting or transplanting - Let's face it folks. Anything you put in the ground now, won’t last with the chronic swings in temperature. Planting and transplanting are stressful enough for plants, without the additional heat stress issues.
Weeding my heart out - Weeds thrive on temperature extremes and compete with garden plants for water and nutrients. So I am declaring an unofficial war on the weeds in my garden till I can get plants in the ground. And I am also foraging them for food. In fact I am teaching a free class on Edible Weeds & Ways To Incorporate Them Into Your Diet on September 24th. Get the deets below in opportunities.
It’s not a sexy chore list, but it's honestly the best thing we can do till late October/November.
In my kitchen
Fall Pantry Clean out - I seasonally clean out my pantry. People might find this crazy but I find it beneficial because I hoard food and condiments. After cooking classes or catering jobs, I fret to discard good products. The downside is I end up duplicates and sometimes triples of products. Pantries are like "closets for food" and like closets, we hide things in our pantries. So as an attempt to curb my hoarding tendencies, I purge. Plus, make space for the upcoming holiday season.
All Things Salad & Tin Fished - Seriously, it's too hot and too chaotic in September to turn on the stove. So pre-made salads in mason jars and tinned fish have been saving me.
Plotting on Preserves - The endless bounty of plums at the farmers market have inspired me to make mini batches of preserve gifts for the holiday season. Check out the recipes below for my all time favorite recipes.
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Food For Thought
Words, songs, inspiration and lessons I saved, read, wrote down, and savored this month.
READ - Is the future of farming inside? We visit Compton’s indoor farm to find out
LISTEN - My friend Kiano Moju has a really cookbook called Afri-Cali
Words, Lessons & Inspiration
Opportunities
I like to press “pause” when plums are at their peak and preserve them by pickling or making jams. Here is a round up of my top five favorite recipes.
COOK & PRESERVE