Frost Hardy Lettuce Thrives in the Winter Garden

Each winter I'm amazed at the hardiness of lettuce. You would expect this delicate leafy vegetable to shrivel and die at the first hint of frost, but I'm always surprised and charmed by its hardiness. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area we've been getting regular frosts and I've learned that lettuce survives this quite well.

The photo above shows one of my favorite lettuces: Yugoslavian Butterhead, completely frosted in the morning. It looked as if it had been candied in sugar. This lettuce is both beautiful and delicious for salads, and most welcome in the winter months.

The photo below shows this variety as grown the spring in my front yard beds:

Beautiful and elegant Yugoslavian Butterhead lettuce

Other lettuces I enjoy growing and eating are: the unusual Cracoviensis with striking bronze foliage, tender Three Heart lettuce, an heirloom I recently trialed for Seed Savers Exchange (now available through them), and Merveille de Quatre Saisons, another butterhead type (Marvel of Four Seasons- why use the original French name? So that we can trace its history and can correctly identify it in the future).

Cracoviensis (left) and Three Heart in my trial bed last spring

I leave you with this lovely photo of my frosted ornamental kale:

Share your lettuce tips: are you growing lettuce this winter? what varieites perform best in your area? in the ground or under cover?

Photos: Patricia Larenas, Urban Artichoke

Celebrate the Season with Stuffed Heirloom Squash

Winter squashes are something I look forward to each year, especially after I began growing my favorite variety - the gorgeous Stella Blue Hokkaido (pictured above, center). It has a curiously blue- green skin and delicious, dense, rich orange flesh. 

I made quite a gorgeous and festive dish for the holidays by stuffing the squash with a tasty rice preparation that works very well when made ahead of time, then assembled and heated for your dinner.

Tips for Success with Stuffed Squash
The trick is to roast the squash as prepared above in the photo, before you stuff it. Carefully cut the top off to form a bowl, and score the inside. Rub lightly with olive oil or butter to keep it moist.

I baked mine at 400 F for about 30 minutes. The squash meat should be just tender - not mushy. Take care to check it while roasting so that it doesn't get too soft and collapse. 

While the squash is in the oven, a simple and versatile stuffing can be made with cooked rice (I used brown rice mixed with wild rice) flavored with sauteed onions, celery, herbs, (thyme, rosemary) and mushrooms. Saute the onions and additions separately then mix with the rice in a bowl. Adding chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts and a handful of raisins creates a tasty dish appropriate for holidays celebrations.

Spoon the mixture into your partially baked squash, then return to the oven at about 350 F for 30 minutes to heat it thoroughly before serving.

Growing Winter Squashes

A beautiful harvest of Stella Blue Hokkaido, pictured below. Squashes are easy to start from seed, and by growing your own you'll have the best choice of heirloom varieties. 

Although direct planting into a prepared mound is often recommended (with good compost or organic fertilizer), I've had success starting my seeds in containers and transplanting the seedlings after they have developed leaves and are about four inches high.

Plant in spring as soon as the temperatures at night are in the 50's F and the soil has warmed, so that you get as much warm weather growing time as possible. They like regular water and grow quickly with a sprawling habit, so give them room on the ground or let them climb up a trellis. If you let them climb, you'll have to provide support when the squashes develop so they don't fall off!

Check Seed Saver's Exchange and Seeds of Change for seeds.

The beautiful Stella Blue Hokkaido squash is my favorite

Photos: Patricia Larenas, Urban Artichoke

Kale Season at the Chez TJ Potager

This fall I'm obsessing over kale. It began when I tasted a shredded raw kale salad made right out in the garden last spring. It was simply dressed with lemon, tamari, and sesame seeds. Strawberries added a bright garnish and flavor. It made an impression on me, so when fall approached I planned to test a few different varieties, and sowed some flats for seedlings.

Kale Likes it Cool
Kale is a cool weather crop that can be grown fall through spring in the temperate San Francisco Bay Area. It tolerates frost, as does lettuce, broccoli, cabbage and Swiss chard. Plant these in the early fall to enjoy over the winter. Cold weather and frost are said to contribute to better flavor and texture for kale.

A Rainbow of Kale 
At the Chez TJ kitchen potager, I harvested our first Lacinato Rainbow kale crop for the kitchen a few days ago. The seedlings were planted in September and they grew quickly. This pretty kale has beautiful purple-pink stems and tender frilly leaves; it's a handsome plant for the winter garden. 

I discovered that it is a hybrid made by Frank Morton who crossed Tuscan kale, (also known as Lacinato or Dinosaur kale) with Redbor kale. It looks very much like Red Russian kale. This caused some confusion, as at first I thought it had been mislabeled!

Lacinato Rainbow Kale is a cross between Tuscan and Redbor kales 

This weekend I added Tuscan kale to the garden (Dinosaur kale) that I grew from seeds at home. 

Tuscan kale is also called Dinosaur or Lacinato kale

Tuscan kale has evenly dark green, elongated leaves that have a pebbly suface. It's tender and flavorful - a popular item at my farmer's market.

Ornamental kale 

The beautiful purple, pink, and gray-green ornamental kale above is planted in my front yard bed among lettuce, onions and Red Russian kale - it makes a striking centerpiece. Ornamental kale is edible, but don't eat it if it wasn't grown organically, as it may have been sprayed with pesticides and cultivated with synthetic fertilizers.

Simple Kale Saute
A simple way to enjoy kale is to saute it in olive oil over low heat:
1. Thinly slice a bunch of kale (that has been rinsed in water  first) crosswise, leaving the stems for the compost pile.

2. Saute a clove of chopped garlic for a few minutes in the olive oil, then add the sliced kale. Toss it gently while cooking to make sure it cooks evenly. Taste after a few minutes to test if it's done enough to your liking. 

3. Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt, and add a few drops of lemon or balsamic vinegar before serving, if desired. 

You can also toss the sauteed kale with cooked pasta or rice and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. This dish is good cold or warm, and thinly sliced red sweet pepper is a nice addition for color and bright fresh flavor. Or serve tender white beans on a bed of sauteed kale (below).

Sauteed kale with Italian Butter beans

Photos: Patricia Larenas, Urban Artichoke