Planning a Menu

As anyone that ever has people over for a meal knows, planning a “get together” is easy. That is until you get to the “what are we going to serve” part of the discussion, something the QT team does every month.

A fair amount of research goes into our planning, from frequent trips to the farmers market to make sure the things we are considering are in season, and to whole foods to order locally raised meat etc. It is a fun experience since the team brings a diverse perspective to the discussion.

For the first time in almost 2 years since we started QT, we planned a completely Indian meal to celebrate Diwali.

For those who are curious about what Diwali is, Diwali or Deepavali is also known as the “festival of lights” celebrates the triumph of good over evil. People light diyas (small oil lamps) to welcome the goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) into their homes. For the business people Diwali represents the start of the new financial year.

Regional traditions vary immensely when it comes to celebrating Diwali, however the one thing that is common is the celebratory feast prepared across the country. We had the tough task of planning a menu that represented the diverse cuisine of India withiin a finite number of courses.

We of course had a million things we wanted to make. Shortlisting dishes to make it both a menu we could pull off, and something our guests could finish within what would be acceptable as “dinner time” was tough. We were all really happy with what we finally came up with, and from the feedback, it looks like our guests really enjoyed it too.

Voila! The Menu!

Recipes to follow...

Fall & Winter Gardening

One of the nice things about living in this area is that we have 3 distinct growing seasons. Evidently it is very Mediterranean...

Many people plant a summer garden, and then think they need to wait till spring to start their garden back up. Not true. One of the nicest things about fall and winter gardens is the relaxed pace.

In summer, you are constantly at war with your garden, and with mother nature. Literally by the time you pick your vegetables and bring them in the house, there is that much more already ready to be picked. It is frantic! You are always trying to out-speed your garden by canning, pickling and preserving. Plus there are bugs and other creatures to contend with, and weeds growing at the same pace as your veggies.

Yes, mother nature does have a sense of humor, and she IS laughing at you!

Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures, and with that a much easier pace of gardening. You can actually enjoy the process, and your garden.

So, what actually grows when it is cold, wet and all round icky? Lots! Here are some things I have had success with:

Kale: I have only grown Tuscan kale. It is really yummy, you can harvest very young leaves to use fresh in salads or allow plants to mature and use as a cooked green. The larger leaves without the center rib can also be crisped in the oven for a yummy snack. Kale is especially good after a frost, and can be left in your summer garden as long as it is in a slightly cooler spot. It will bolt if too warm.

Cabbage: Savoy cabbage - thats the way to go. It is one of the prettiest and tastiest cabbages. It is great braised, stuffed, or raw. What makes it better than any other cabbage is that it lacks that characteristic odor regular cabbage has when cooked.

Cauliflower: The best variety I have found is snowball. The others I tried didn't look anything like what you get in the stores, the head wasn't compact and it tasted meh. The other trick that might have helped was that I grew it in the same box as my fava, so it was protected through the winter. The result, beautiful white, compact cauliflower!

Fava: Great ground cover for the cold weather! The easiest thing to grow, don't bother with seedlings, just go to the local store, but the dehydrated beans, soak overnight, and plant straight in the ground! The blossoms have a wonderful fragrance too. Sure prepping it is a little work, what with peeling the pods, cooking and then peeling the beans, but it is so worth the effort!

Carrots: Again, another easy veggie! Plant the seeds directly in the ground. 2 things to make sure (very, very sure) - (1) Turn the soil really well where you plant carrots so they can grow easily. If there is too much resistance from the soil, you will get misshapen or very small carrots. (2) Thin your seedlings regularly so the carrots have room to grow.

Onions: Bunching onions, torpedo onions, yellow, white, or red onions. They all are really easy to grow. Best if you can prevent them from bolting, though the flowers are really good to eat too! The resulting onion bulbs are just as tasty, though a lot smaller.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what you could plant in your garden over the next few months. When in doubt, just visit your local nursery and see what they have.

Happy gardening!