GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

  • New Favorite Hot Weather Cool Downs

    It’s only the first week of August and it’s been Hot. Very hot. Hot marked with pockets of dumping rain and mosquitoes. One can’t drink beer all day long to stay cool and still function. I’ve been drinking buckets of iced tea.

    Now I’m not a commercial iced tea fan. I don’t like the sickly sweet stuff with fake lemon flavor. I like the astringent taste of black tea and just a ton of fresh mint and herbs. I brew my iced tea just like I brew regular tea, by using a tea pot. Depending what is growing in my yard, I’ll shove it in the pot with a couple of tea bags and let it seep. Then I’ll pour the tea over ice in a very large glass. Today was a combination of mint leaves, sage, rosemary, dragon wart, I mean tarragon, and lavender. I’ll toss in two bags of black tea and two bags of a lemon herb tea.

    It’s very tasty stuff and I can vary it as I feel. Fresh sliced peaches would be very good with the iced tea!

    I had stumbled across a post about Mexican Ice Pops or Paletas. They are a less sweet version of a popsicle using fresh. One recipe stuck out at me. Cucumber Lime Chile Pops. ingredients
    They are just a sweet, sour, spicy explosion! Which is good because I found Rocket Pop Models in which to make them.

    I added a healthy handful of basil and didn’t peel the cucumber. It’s one of those pops that you can’t stop eating. Just spicy enough to force you to keep chomping on them and cooling enough to beat the heat.

    I’m going to try the peach ginger ones when i get around to it. Or I’ll just sit in the yard with a big glass of ice tea and try not to melt!

  • And I Pointed My Antenna to Milwaukee : GardenFork Radio

    Why did Mike point his antenna to Milwaukee? You’ll have to listen to this week’s GardenFork Radio to find out. Tyler , CEO of Allison House, joins us. Then we talk about Facebook Privacy, pole beans and peas, sink toilets, insect attractant plants, canning and applesauce, apple butter, and Carbon Monoxide detectors.

    Tyler’s blog is www.mychicagogarden.com

    an article on Facebook Privacy here

    Marisa’s blog post about her blueberry butter recipe is here

    You can watch a how to video and applesauce recipe, and learn how to can applesauce on GardenFork.TV

    Caroma’s Sink Toilet, learn more on their site

    antenna photo by wallyir

  • Heirloom Rattlesnake Pole Beans work well in summer heat

    I usually don’t plant pole beans, but this year I realized that pole beans are more space efficient than bush beans from a square foot gardening perspective.

    I planted Rattlesnake Pole Beans I bought from Fedco Seeds, they took a while to start, but then ran up the trellis quite fast. They stood up well to the high summer heat we’ve had this year.

    rattlesnake pole beans from fedco seeds
    rattlesnake pole beans from fedco seeds

    The Rattlesnake beans have purple lines in the pods which add a neat look to them in the garden and in a salad.

    Rattlesnake pole beans
    we use sticks and scrap wood to make a trellis

    The beans taste good, and even better, they still taste good when they have grown too large and knobby. Most beans, when let to grow large, get all woody tasting. These pole beans kept their flavor and tenderness.

    I’ve started a second sowing of these beans in the greenhouse, and will plant them out when these plants start to wane.

    What kind of beans are your growing? any suggestions.

  • Japanese Beetle Attractant Plant saves the garden

    I was pulling weeds in the vegetable garden this weekend, and came across this weed in the basil patch. I was about to pull it when I realized it was full of Japanese beetles, and there were no Japanese beetles on the basil.

    organic japanese beetle control
    This weed is a good japanese beetle control

    This weed was functioning as a Japanese Beetle Attractant Plant, and a neat way to not use Japanese Beetle pesticides and traps. This is one of those simple organic Japanese Beetle controls one can use to deal with the beetles.

    I have yet to identify the weed, as the weed identification sites I have visited have yet to yield an answer.

    But think twice before pulling up a plant that is full of garden pests, its probably keeping those pests from your vegetable plants.

  • The Hungry Pedaler, Daniel Delaney’s new show : GardenFork Radio

    I met Daniel Delaney when he was first starting to produce Vendr.TV, his street food video show which has become super popular. Daniel and I get together weekly to talk about stuff, and he always is generous with his knowledge of the web and social media, and has helped me greatly in making GardenFork.TV better.

    Miko and Daniel Delaney of The Hungry Pedaler
    Miko and Daniel Delaney of The Hungry Pedaler

    Now Daniel is launching a new video show, The Hungry Pedaler, and to fund the first season, he is raising funds on Kickstarter. Today Mike and I talk to Daniel about his new show, how one can use Kickstarter, and watering plants on your balcony in Brooklyn.

    Help fund Daniel’s new show with Kickstarter here.

    Watch Vendr.TV here

  • They actually have good food there! : GardenFork Radio

    Mike and Eric try recording on a Monday night this week, where we talk about food, oatmeal, granola, BBQ, and the human potential.

    links from the show

    Early Bird Foods, who sell amazing granola made with olive oil.

    PM BBQ in St Louis, MO has great pulled pork sandwiches

    Captain Richard Phillips on Fresh Air

    NPR story on Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    Sauce Magazine

  • Indiana Swiftly Responds : GardenFork Radio

    It wasn’t very long before Indiana rose up to defend itself against the comments made on GardenFork Radio. Listen as co-host Mike tries desperately to distance himself from Eric’s penchant for talking before thinking. And we learn how to buy a sailboat cheap.

    morguefile photo

    Eric got the great idea of using a mason jar metal ring for poaching eggs from Elise of Simply Recipes

    We talk about podcasts we like, here is Eric’s list

    Why We Cook hosted by Chef Eric Wides

    LineCook415

    Spilled Milk

    Ken Druse Real Dirt Radio

    The Wiggly Wigglers

    Mike’s picks:

    The Splendid Table NPR

    The Silver Ball Podcast

    Prairie Home Companion

    Weird Things Podcast

    This American Life

    Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me

  • Washing Machine Woes

    here’s what bruce did today , he left this comment on the GF Radio episode, “Why did I do that dumb thing”

    I thought about the “why did I do that dumb thing” Saturday morning. I got up and my wife announced that the washing machine wasn’t agitating the clothes, even though the motor was still making noise.

    I thought to myself, “this might be something I could fix.” So within an hour of getting-up and without any coffee in my system, I went down to the basement to access the situation. The washer tub was full of water and when I turned the washer on no movement from the agitator. Why do men have to confirm what their wives tell them?

    The next step proved that taking the time to consider each movement is very important. I pulled the washer away from the wall to see if I could take the back panel off the machine so I could look inside. It moved fairly easily considering the tub was filled with water. And I was watching to make sure the water hoses had plenty of slack as I coaxed the washer further out.

    Then we heard a loud breaking sound. I had failed to consider the washer drain hose that was in the pvc drain pipe. I broke the drain pipe after one forceful pull on the washer, causing water to drain from the washer all over the basement floor. After a few tense husband/wife moments we came to our senses and placed the washer hose in the washer tub, stopping the drainage. Thankfully, our basement has a concrete floor.

    We did look at the back panel though. After a few attempts, we decided that perhaps a professional will be needed. Our landlord will have to fix the drain pipe before we can use the washer anyways.:)

    Clearly, this was a “why did I do that dumb thing” moment. Think I’ll stick to cooking, taking care of my backyard birds, and smoking.

  • Blueberries, learning how to grow them

    I have two mature blueberry bushes in our yard, and a few years back I added some blueberry saplings I bought from a catalog. The saplings are not doing well. Then last week I saw at a local store small blueberry bushes on sale for $9 each. I bought a few. I then surfed the web to see if I could plant these new blueberry bushes properly this time. Here is what I learned.

    • don’t fertilize them when you plant them, and in the future , don’t use regular plant fertilizer, use on that specifically says for blueberries

    • blueberries like acid soil

    • blueberry bushes like wood chip mulch.

    I got a bunch of woodchips from the town garage, they have a huge pile there, and mulched all my blueberry bushes.

    Is there anything you can add to this so I can learn how to do this right? let me know below:

  • Supper Club, how to host your own : GardenFork Radio

    I got an email from Aimee, one of the hosts of Reeltasty, a supper club in Brooklyn, inviting me to come to one of their dinners. I have not attended yet, but I did get Aimee and her dinner partner Jason on Skype for a GardenFork Radio interview on their version of how to host a supper club. ( we woke up jason on an early saturday morning )  You can check out their dinner and a movie supper club in Brooklyn here

    Ted And Amy’s Supper Club in brooklyn info is here

    A site that lists supper clubs, Ghetto Gourmet, is here.

  • Charlie pup bothering Henry in @prospectpark

  • Labradors Henry & Charlie Brooklyn Mud Puddle photo

  • Poached Egg, Bacon & Escarole Salad Recipe : GardenFork.TV

    Its been on my mind for awhile to make this Salad Lyonnaise recipe, the Eric way. We had this dish at Franny’s a while back, then out of no where, Mark Bittman puts it in the Food Section of the NY Times. So it was time for us to show you all the GardenFork Salad Lyonnaise Recipe. watch out!

    Do you have a version of this you do? Or another salad that uses egg as a dressing? Tell us below, thx!

  • If you hear a chainsaw, that’s my neighbor : GardenFork Radio

    Painting apartments and cars start off this week’s GardenFork Radio show with Eric Rochow and Mike. Then we digress into the 11 Best Foods to Eat, according to the NY Times. Eric makes a sardine sandwich on a boat, Ocean Friendly fish list by the Blue Ocean Institute, then we move to Supper Clubs, Pick Your Own orchards, Marissa McClellan’s canning blog FoodInJars.com . And of course, Viewer Mail.

    the links:

    Eric’s Sardine Recipe while canoeing

    Marissa’s food blog www.foodinjars.com Marissa uses an old style slow cooker to make fruit butters
    http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/06/25/june-can-jam-slow-cooker-blueberry-butter/

    11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating from the NY Times

    Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood

    U Pick Orchards and Farms listing PickYourOwn.org

    Trevor and Sally’s catering company in the UK is Tresal Catering

    ———-

    Tyler, our severe weather reporter and GF sponsor, writes about his U Pick adventures on his personal blog, My Chicago Garden . [ added after Tyler’s comment below ]

  • Grilled Cheese and Chicken Sandwich & Apple Salad

    I am a huge consumer of grilled cheese sandwiches. ok? That said, I always make variations to the basic grilled cheese recipe, and this time I had some roast chicken left over. The lightbulb went off in my head to make this a Grilled Chicken and Cheese sandwich recipe. Not much rocket science here, but it tastes great.

    grilled cheese recipe on www.gardenfork.tv
    Grilled Cheese yum.
    recipes and gardening on www.gardenfork.tv
    cast iron or a thick bottomed pan work best for this, i think.

    I like to use Cabot Sharp Cheddar, as its owned by a dairy cooperative, you could be decadent here and drop in some blue cheese as well.

    grilled cheese recipe on www.gardenfork.tv
    flipping a large grilled cheese sandwich can be tricky. careful.

    I usually use olive oil in the pan, and swirl the bread around in the small pool of olive oil. Or you can get one of those Misto oil sprayers, which is more economical with the use of oil. I like my grilled cheese grilled well, as you can see.

    super easy salad recipe on www.gardenfork.tv
    use what you've got to make a salad, i do.

    I’m all about simple salad. I kinda don’t get most salad recipes, I just use what I have in the fridge. I had some Macoun apples, so i sliced them up and in they go. Apples taste great with cheese, so blue cheese or goat cheese would be great here.

    So there you go, a great lunch that probably cost $2 sandwich. Do you have a fun simple lunch, or your version of grilled cheese? Let us know below in the comments:

  • Yellow Labs in their tubs pic

  • Jacques Torres, chocolatier with a wrench.

    The first time I checked out Jacques Torres’ chocolate store in Dumbo Brooklyn, I could see Jacques behind this big glass window that allowed people to see the chocolate being made.

    He had an adjustable wrench and was whacking some sort of machine with it.

    I decided immediately: ‘i like this guy’

    jacques torres chocolate
    Pick up these chocolates, make everyone happy.

    I have since bought a bunch of chocolate from him. He makes these small chocolate squares in a ton of ever changing varieties, and you can select which ones you want to make up a box. These boxes of chocolates make great gifts. Anybody I give them to loves them. ( you can order them online here )

    Jacques and Jaden Hair invited me to an evening at Jacques’ Manhattan store last week with some other food bloggers. It was very nice being in chocolate heaven. Jacques provided the food, and Taittinger Champagne & The Seeker Wines provided the drinks. Jacques is one of those guys with an infectious personality, he likes food and likes to share it with others, and a big thank you to him for sharing it with me. ( we talk about my visit on GardenFork Radio here )

    Kinda decadent, chocolate and nice wine, hanging out in NYC. But decadent in a good way.

  • Sardines, perfect portable food.

    Take the Labradors, a canoe,  some sardines, and you have the perfect afternoon. Today we talk about sardines and have a sardine sandwich while watching the Labradors enjoy the water.

    How do you use sardines? please tell us  below: