Fenton Friday: Broccoli & Blues

By Jaime Breeden

There is little in this world that cannot be cultivated with time, effort, and the right resources. This is not a mantra that I live by regularly, but it’s something that I try to have in the back of my head when trying new things. It helps to dull the blow of failure. 

I have regularly heard people say it’s hard to actually "fail" at gardening because you just learn from what went right and what didn’t. It’s also very possible that what takes out your plants was Mother Nature deciding to bring on the frost earlier than you’d anticipated. 

Since September, I’ve been the proud parent of a batch of golden Swiss Chard, grown within the relative safety of a container, and some Broccoli, planted in directly in the soil. And as of today, I am happy to report that despite everything I’ve said about my lack of experience over the past semester, I only managed to kill one of the plants I’d been growing.

Washington Gardener Magazine's editor Kathy Jentz has been an incredible coach, as I’m sure you could have guessed. Her willingness to put up with endless questions combined with her encyclopedic knowledge was invaluable to a newcomer like me. I figure I’d still be looking at a barren lot had

she not been around to guide me through my first real growing experience.

Honestly the most, challenging thing about growing these guys has been the time it takes to know

whether or not what you've got growing is going to actually bear fruit. Or, in this case, vegetables. Barring the idea of the cover cloth to protect the broccoli from the dangers of the menacing cabbage looper moth, a lot of my watering, and general care was intuitive.

To this day, the broccoli has only produced a single, small head. The size isn’t the issue, according to

Kathy, it’s supposed to be that small, but after several months of waiting for anything to come out of the crop, I’ll only be able to take home a single floret. There are other heads starting to form, but they likely won’t be ready for harvesting for another couple of weeks.

The Swiss Chard, on the other hand, didn’t give over any bounty. None of the seeds got beyond a few

small leaves, and while it may have technically been edible there wasn’t enough to do anything beyond topping a salad with the sprouts. I chalk it up to under-insulating the plant prior to the first frost, and an unknown foreign plant (some kind of red lettuce?) lurking beneath the soil. 

In all, I envy the rest of you gardeners, spending so many hours of your day watching such beautiful

things grow by your own hands. Had I the patience and "sticktoitiveness," I would surely try to get right back on the horse, but winter is upon us and now it is time to rest and learn.

About the Author: Jaime Breeden is a fourth-year journalism student at the University of Maryland, College Park and an intern this fall session with Washington Gardener.

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on the community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 11th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

TikTok Tuesday: Wilted Swiss Chard with Garlic

@wdcgardener

Harvesting Swiss Chard from the garden and preparing it wilted with garlic and shallots. ##gardendc ##garden101 ##recipe ##swisschard ##eathealthy

♬ original sound - Kathy Jentz

By Molly Cuddy

We harvested swiss chard from the garden yesterday and I wanted to make something simple, but flavorful. I had never had Swiss chard before, so I didn’t want to make anything that would mask its flavor, but instead compliment it. I found this recipe, which is an easy and quick one you can pair with any protein. I had just got home from work when I whipped this up, and it took less than 10 minutes to make, which is perfect after a long day. I also already had all of the ingredients on hand, and I’m sure you probably do too!

I made it for myself, so this recipe serves one. I added my own spin to it as well, so here’s my take on the recipe:

• About 2 whole Swiss chard leaves (they’re huge, if you’ve never seen them, so this is plenty!)

• 2 cloves of garlic 

• Olive oil

• Half a shallot

• Red pepper flakes (a lot of them if you like it spicy)

• Salt to taste

I cut the swiss chard leaves into more manageable strips and sautéed them with the garlic, shallots, and olive oil for about 5 minutes until the Swiss chard was wilted. You can see my exact steps for this recipe in the TikTok video posted here. 

If I make this again, I would use less garlic and shallot or add another Swiss chard leaf.

It was truly the perfect simple side dish and had so much flavor! I love garlic and spice, so if you do too, definitely try out this recipe for yourself.

About the Author

Molly Cuddy is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a campus tour guide and will be a teaching assistant for a professional writing class next semester.

Savory Sunday: Quick Warm Tortellini Salad with Chard (Beet Greens)

By Anastazja Kolodziej

After last week’s soup, I still had some chard (beet greens) left over for another meal. This recipe, warm tortellini salad with chard, is great for busy days—it’s ready in 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

·  Cheese tortellini (store-bought or homemade)

·  2 cloves of garlic, fresh chopped or in olive oil from a jar

·  3 tablespoons of pesto

·  2-3 bunches of Swiss chard or beet greens

·  2 tablespoons oil

·  Water

·  Salt

·  Shredded cheese

·  Basil

 

Steps:

·  Put chard stems into a pan with a few tablespoons of water and cook for 10 minutes. The stems take longer than the leaves and will be crunchy if you skip this step

·  Once the stems are soft, remove the remaining water and pour oil onto the pan. Add chard leaves and sauté for 3-5 minutes

·  Meanwhile, in a pot, boil salted water. Add tortellini and boil until cooked. I often use pre-cooked tortellini, which only needs to boil for 2-3 minutes

·  Once the tortellini is ready, drain it in a colander. Then, pour the tortellini into the pan with the chard

·  Add pesto and garlic and mix thoroughly

·  Top with basil and serve with shredded cheese. Mozzarella and parmesan work best

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

"Savory Sunday" is a weekly summer blog series with seasonal recipes from the garden.

About the Author:

 Anastazja Kolodziej is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, double majoring in multiplatform journalism and the classics (Ancient Greek and Latin). On campus, she serves as an assistant managing editor at The Diamondback.

Beet Reporter

Beet Seedlings

By Ashley O’Connor

I’ve never been inside a community garden prior to interning at the Washington Gardener, let alone grow something myself from seed. But this experience taught me everything from the importance of composting to the terror of finding a baby bunny in the plot.

With the guidance of editor and publisher Kathy Jentz, I decided to grow beets: a vegetable tempered for the cool-season. We later added a third row of Swiss chard for good measure.

I was forced to replant after a September day of heavy rains that washed away my seeds.  And a hailstorm in November froze portions of the Swiss Chard plants.

Swiss Chard

Because of the weather issues, the results weren’t extraordinary; many of the red variety didn’t grow beyond tiny roots. (The roots are still edible) But there were enough fully formed white beets and Swiss Chard greens to make a nutrient-packed salad, dressed with EVOO, salt, and pepper. Eating something that came from my own efforts—digging in the hot summer sun, watering in the cold fall winds—was truly special. In the future I would like to start a small garden of my own.

About the Author:
Ashley O’Connor, a senior multi-platform journalist at the University of Maryland. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

Fenton Friday: Cistern Drained

We've had a few frost days this past week, but the Basil is holding on - though a bit damaged.

It was time to drain our cistern and hoses, so we filled up several jugs and buckets to hold water for cool-season watering. It was my first time in charge of this community garden chore. Frustratingly, the last few inches of water in the cistern are below the spigot line. I tried to lower in a bucket on a rope and a jug, but that I only got a few drops out. Anyone able to lend a giant sponge? I assume those last few inches always sit there at the very bottom and will do no harm when they freeze and thaw.

In the plot, the Swiss Chard (pictured) and Beets are doing fine. We cut back the Garlic Chive flowers to stop it from seeding everywhere. I pulled out some more of the summer annual flowers and will try to get to the rest next week to clear out a spot for some cover crops.

What is growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 7th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.