Hey, you Eskimos up North

Village Idiot

How long before you can plant this? This was so tiring, I'm going to go have a Mint Julep and rest awhile. :laugh:

Carolina Q

ha


ha


ha

tenntom

So how is the weather in Texas--cause I know we will have it in Tenn in a couple of days.--it looks good-the garden that is

Village Idiot

64° at 3:30pm. S'pose to get down to about 50° at my house tonight. I can live with that.

Carolina Q

Hi in the 40's, lo in 20's around here, but we're having a warm spell. I don't even think about planting anything til about Memorial Day. I did see the first crocus in my yard this afternoon.

Now stop gloating!

Village Idiot

Sorry Michael. You can gloat at me in August when it's 104° and 90% humidity here. You can gloat at me in the fall when you have awesome colors and crisp nights, while we're wondering whether to turn on the heater or the air conditioner. It's always one of the two.

Doug in Eggmonton

About 70 days. Then we make up for it by have 18 hours of daylight over the heart of the growing season. Still well below freezing at night here.

Doug

LoneStarEgg

Being a little ornery today? Nice looking garden. I don't usually plant here in north Texas til after March 15th. And not to add insult to injury to the Eskimos, but it is 68 here this afternoon.

Cory430

You sooooooooooooooo suck!!!!!!!!!!! :laugh: Got a couple more months here before we get into our gardening season.

Carolina Q

Fall? Yes. August, no cuz it's 95/95 here!! At that point, ain't much difference!

Grandpas Grub

 
... kind of question is that. You can't be doing that, it just isn't fair.

8" of fresh snow this morning and I am not up north.


GG

Car Wash Mike

Anytime with heat lamps, not that I have any. It is official short weather for me.
Balmy 48.

Mike

Unknown

Since we shared our snow with you this year, the least you can do is send us some warm temps.

It's supposed to be 50 degrees and sunny this weekend - amazing. Time to take the Christmas lights down.

We won't be able to plant anything until after the May 24th Victoria Day long weekend. It's a Canadian long weekend, eh!

All the Eskimos come out of their Igloos, put on our shorts and T's, shake out the cobb webs, jump in a cold lake, go camping and polish off a few 24's. It's our way of welcoming summer!

Michael

tenntom

it was in the high 40's this am, and got upto 60-65 today---tomorrow 65 to 70

Big'un

Dayum, that's kinda mean. :( I would say more but I've got to go put some aloe on my sunburn from today's sunny weather. :blink:

cookn biker

That's just wrong Gary...worng I say!!

Beli

Gary....you've got epazote..........yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :laugh:

Found this for you!!

As you learn about epazote the age-old question, "What's in a name?" may occur to you. While epazote sounds somewhat exotic, the other names for this Mexican herb are less appealing. Consider skunkweed, pig weed, wormseed or goosefoot. And then there is the fact that the word epazote comes from the Aztec words 'epatl' and 'tzotl' meaning smelly animal. Mexican tea is a nicer name as is the botanical Chenopodium ambrosioides. Let's just stick with epazote (say eh-pa-zo-tay) for this discussion.

Native to Central America, especially Mexico and Guatemala, epazote is common to those cuisines. It is most often used fresh in these regions to flavor beans, corn and fish. The strongly scented herb is said to help avoid the gastric discomfort that sometimes occurs after eating beans. Ancient Aztecs used epazote both medicinally and as a culinary herb.

The taste is strong as well, slightly bitter with hints of lemon. It is often compared to cilantro as both are acquired tastes. Epazote has no comparable substitute but we have found using Mexican oregano in its place provides pleasing results. Simply omitting it from a recipe is another option.

You might find fresh epazote for sale at Mexican grocery stores. Mexican food guru Rick Bayless notes in his book Mexico: One Plate at a Time that although the fresh herb may appear wilted, it is still okay for cooking. He also recommends storing the fresh stems in a glass of water, like a bouquet of flowers, or refrigerated wrapped in damp paper towels.

Dried epazote is available chopped or as whole stems. Recipes will occasionally call for a stem of epazote--roughly equal to a teaspoon of the dried chopped product.

It is easy to grow your own epazote if you like it enough to want a steady supply. The shrubby plant is an annual that grows about three or four feet high. Leaves are large and pointed with serrated edges while the flowers are tiny clusters of green balls. The crushed leaves are said to send ants scattering if placed in their path.

If you buy dried epazote for your own kitchen you may notice that some pieces seem rather woody. You can pick these tough stems out or try pulverizing it further with a mortar and pestle. The dried herb does soften plenty with extended cooking.

Try epazote in soups, with shellfish and eggs or as an ingredient in quesadillas. It is especially popular for flavoring beans of any kind. Epazote combines well with other Mexican seasonings like oregano, cumin and chiles.

You should be aware that this pungent herb is poisonous in large quantities but don't let that stop you from experimenting with a pinch or two.



Corn and Black Bean Salad with Tortilla Strip Croutons
For maximum flavor, make this salad the day before. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. This salad also works as a salsa.
2 cups frozen corn kernels, cooked according to package directions and drained

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chiles

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 medium tomato, cored and diced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped dried epazote

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Tortilla strip croutons, recipe follows

Place the corn, black beans, green chiles, garlic and tomato into a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with the coriander and toss well.

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, epazote, salt and pepper; pour over the corn and bean mixture. Toss well. If time allows, cover and place in refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To serve, mound on a salad plate and scatter the tortilla croutons over the top.

Yield: six 1/2 cup servings

Tortilla Strip Croutons
6 six-inch corn tortillas

Canola oil for frying

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Cut the tortillas in half, stack and slice into half-inch strips. Heat 1/2 inch of the oil in a deep, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Oil is ready when a test tortilla strip dipped into it sizzles heartily. Carefully drop about one-third of the strips into the hot oil; keep them moving with a slotted spoon and fry until crisp, about 4 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, carefully transfer to drain on layers of paper towels. Repeat two more times with remaining tortilla strips.

Mix together the salt and ground cumin. Sprinkle this mixture over the warm tortilla strips and toss lightly to coat

Village Idiot

Beli, notice I planted it in a planter box. It grows and spreads like a weed and I wanted to contain it.

thechief96

It's 54 at 6:45 here. Started to put the plants in the ground.

Little Steven

Gary,

May 24th weekend if we are lucky

Steve

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

If all goes well....The first week of June!

Misippi Egger

Gary,

I bought 8 Earthboxes (www.earthbox.com) this winter and I am waiting for the first weekend in April to get started. According to all the data, that's when the chance of the last frost has significantly passed. I do have 2 boxes with broccoli and cauliflower that are about 6-7" tall, growing now.