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Opinion Columns From the publisher's desk: Square-foot gardening, continued
From the publisher's desk: Square-foot gardening, continued
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Wasn’t it Seinfeld who made the observation that all the news of the day seemed to fit perfectly into the newspaper? Behind the scenes, it’s not quite that easy. Some days we have space to use more photos and longer stories, and other days, we are short on space and things have to be cut.
That’s what happened last week when I submitted my column about square-foot gardening. There just wasn’t room to include these photos that illustrate the SFG technique in my back yard. Saturday I picked carrots I planted last October and they were crisp and sweet. I bought some butternut squash and leeks at the farmers market and made a wonderful soup to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving Monday. The recipe is below. .jpg "The raised bed Rick assembled last October. I planted carrots and lettuce in mid-October, then a few strawberries and cabbage in early spring.") The raised bed Rick assembled last October. I planted carrots and lettuce in mid-October, then a few strawberries and cabbage in early spring. .jpg "We’ve been eating carrots since January. Thinning them always gives me a few for salads. Lettuce from this bed was ready around Thanksgiving.") We’ve been eating carrots since January. Thinning them always gives me a few for salads. Lettuce from this bed was ready around Thanksgiving. .jpg "The second raised bed built last November taken three weeks ago. The pumpkin you see is ready to be a jack-o-lantern.") The second raised bed built last November taken three weeks ago. The pumpkin you see is ready to be a jack-o-lantern.
Fall squash soup (all ingredients are approximate as I improvised to make a big batch)
• a little bit of olive oil
• 5 small-medium size butternut squash • 4 leeks • 24 carrots (small-medium size) or maybe 12 large carrots  This is our third and final bed. We made space for it in the spring, after the other beds were producing so well. I planted more carrots, beets, some dill and pole beans. • salt and white pepper to taste • a couple of sage leaves if you have them look good on top of the soup when serving • cream or half and half can be stirred in for richness after the soup is blended, but I liked it better without Peel, clean and cube the squash. Chop up the leeks, just the white and light green parts. Peel and chop the carrots. In a very large pan that has a cover, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté squash, leeks and carrots for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add all the broth. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes or until the carrots and squash are very tender. Use a submersible blender (a handy gadget) to puree or blend in batches in food processor or blender. Makes about 16 cups, enough for dinner and plenty to freeze for a rainy day. Reach Michele Thomas, The Daily Triplicate’s publisher, at 464-2141, or stop by 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
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