Here at my Bedford, New York farm, this week's temperatures are a bit cooler, but excellent for planting more vegetables in the garden.
Yesterday, my gardeners planted the season's crops of onions, shallots, and leeks which were all started from seed in my greenhouse. The seeds came from Johnny's Selected Seeds, a source I've been using for years. Onions, shallots, and leeks are all part of the Allium family. They are hardy, thrive in full sun, and are easy to grow in a variety of soils and climates.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This day was perfect for planting our onions, shallots, and leeks. Here, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, measures the bed for proper placement of the plants.
For the leeks, the rows should be at least 12-inches apart. This bed is able to accommodate four long rows equally spaced.
Here, Ryan creates the long rows using this bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows.
Brian makes the furrows a bit deeper using a hoe. Deeper planting will create more drought-resistant plants. These trenches are about eight-inches deep.
Here are the leek seedlings ready to be planted. To thrive, leeks need lots of nitrogen and consistent soil moisture.
Brian takes out a clump of leek seedlings and carefully separates each one.
He places the plants in the furrow where they should be planted – at least six-inches away from each other. Space is always precious in the garden, so proper spacing is crucial.
Leeks have shallow root systems. Unlike onions, leeks don’t form much of a bulb on the end of the root. Instead, they remain cylindrical, with perhaps a slight bulge at the end.
Phurba uses a dibber to make the holes for each plant right at the spot where they are positioned.
A dibber or dibble or dibbler is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so that seeds, seedlings or small bulbs can be planted. Dibbers come in a variety of shapes including the straight dibber, the T-handled dibber like this one, the trowel dibber, and the L-shaped dibber.
As Brian places the plant, Phurba follows and pushes it carefully into the soil.
Meanwhile, Ryan creates the furrows for the shallots.
Similar to leeks and onions, shallots are flavor-building vegetables in the allium family. Here, they are placed in a separate bed where they should be planted – at least four-inches apart.
These plants are delicate and also have shallow root systems. They prefer a soil pH of 5.0 to 6.8.
When planting, Phurba grasps the plant with the root end down and pushes it into the soil about two-inches deep until all the roots are well covered.
We always plant a good number of onions. Ryan prepares two beds for onions – red onions, white onions, yellow and brown onions.
The onion, Allium cepa, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. Onions should be planted in spring when temperatures are still a bit cool once they start to grow, and then warm when they begin to mature. Early planting gives the onions time to develop tops and store energy for the bulbs.
Onions are also categorized in two growing types: long-day and short-day. Long-day onions begin sprouting in late spring to summer when days are between 14 and 16 hours long. Short-day onions begin sprouting when days are between 10 and 12 hours in length – winter and early spring.
Here, Brian shows the onion seed still attached to the plant where it pushed through while germinating.
Once the plant is in the ground, Brian firms up the soil around it. Be sure the onion roots are well covered with soil, and that the top of the plant’s neck isn’t covered too deeply. If too much of the plant is buried, the growth of the onion will be reduced and constricted.
All the onions, shallots, and leeks are planted. Next, they’ll all get a good drink of water. There is still lots to plant, but this new garden is already looking so excellent. We’re all looking forward to our first bounty of fresh vegetables.
Every week, I receive several meal kits to test in my kitchen. I test as many recipes as possible to ensure we're sharing the best ones with all of you. Last week while I was away on a business trip, I gave some of the kits away. My gardener, Brian O'Kelly, loves to cook, and was excited to take home one of our time-saving meals - Honey BBQ Chicken Thighs with Broccoli & Creamed Corn. It was a huge hit. Brian, his roommate, and their friends loved every bite. Plus, just as promised on the recipe card, the entire dish was done in less than 40-minutes. Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon features so many inspiring recipes and cooking ideas, and you can customize the menu and choose the recipes that best fit your tastes. If you have a busy schedule like mine, and haven't yet tried Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, please go to the website for more information on how you can subscribe today. You'll love it!
Enjoy these photos.
Here is the large recipe card for the Honey BBQ Chicken Thighs with Broccoli & Creamed Corn. Every Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon kit comes with this large recipe card complete with a photo of the finished dish on one side…
… And on the other, the complete how-to, step-by-step instructions and detailed photos to match. These photos help so much when preparing any meal – we make sure there are only six main steps for every dish. We work hard to develop every Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kit recipe so it is time-saving, easy to make, and most of all delicious.
To start, Brian takes out all the ingredients from the box. Our Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kits are great. All the ingredients are sourced to local quality purveyors and growers – just choose the dishes the week before, and pick the day of delivery – it’s that easy! We provide all the ingredients except salt, pepper, oil, butter, flour and milk – items one usually has right at home.
The first step after Brian pre-heats the broiler, is to prepare the chicken. The meals come with all the ingredients to make a meal for two or four hungry eaters. The chicken is placed onto a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkled with salt and pepper and then drizzled with oil. Then Brian puts the chicken into the oven until it starts to get brown. – about seven minutes.
Then, Brian prepares the BBQ glaze. He combines all the provided honey, tamari, barbecue sauce, and two teaspoons of garlic.
And then instead of stirring in a bowl, he uses a jar and shakes all the ingredients together to mix.
Doing this is just as easy as combining in a small bowl.
Next, Brian cuts the broccoli into one-inch florets.
And then tosses the broccoli with salt, pepper and two tablespoons of oil.
Once the chicken is out of the broiler, Brian uses half of the barbecue glaze and coats each piece of chicken.
Brian spreads the broccoli onto the same baking sheet and returns it to the broiler. It is cooked for another seven minutes depending on the oven – until the chicken is cooked through, the glaze is browned in spots, and the broccoli is lightly charred.
Brian then makes the creamed corn. He melts four tablespoons butter into a large saucepan over medium heat and adds all the corn.
Here, Brian adds the necessary flour and cooks for under a minute.
He adds cream cheese and a cup of milk and a cup of water.
Brian then mixes everything until it is thick and creamy.
Next, he stirs in Parmesan cheese and mixes to combine.
Lastly, Brian slices the chives and uses it to garnish the corn.
The chicken thighs and broccoli florets are fresh from the oven and looking so delicious. The chicken is brushed with any remaining barbecue sauce and then served.
And here is a plateful – just like the photo on the recipe card. The entire meal was cooked in about a half hour. It was easy to prepare and everyone said they’d definitely eat it again. Subscribe to Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon now.
So much is growing around my Bedford, New York farm - this week, the tulips are in full bloom.
Every year, I always plant a variety of tulips in my garden. For this season, I planted a small selection in rows specifically for cutting. Tulips, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are perennial plants that open up each spring. They're grown for their graceful leaves and bright, cheery blooms. Some are traditional and cup-shaped, some have fringed petals, others have pointed ones, and some are full of fanciful ruffles. Yesterday, we cut trays of gorgeous tulip flowers to display in my home.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Tulips normally begin emerging from the ground in late winter or early spring. If mild winter weather causes premature growth, the danger is not as great as it may seem. Tulips are quite tolerant. I have some tulips growing in my flower cutting garden, in one section of a garden behind my main greenhouse, and on the side of my greenhouse where I previously grew some strawberries.
Tulip bulbs are planted in the autumn before the ground freezes. And always plant them in a sunny area with well-drained soil.
These are ‘Silver Parrot’ tulips with silver-white and flamboyant fuchsia-pink petal edges and highlights. Parrot tulips have showy, fringed, and scalloped plumage.
Early in the morning, Enma and Elvira cut the tulip flowers and carefully placed them on sheet pans. Tulips have a fascinating history. Although closely associated with Holland, tulips were first cultivated in Turkey. The name tulip is believed to be derived from the Turkish word for turbans, “tulbend,” because of their resemblance. They gained popularity in Europe in the 17th century, peaking in 1636 to 1637.
Look at all the gorgeous cut flowers. Most tulip plants range between six to 24 inches tall.
All the full trays are then placed in the back of my Polaris Ranger ready to be taken up to my Winter House.
Right away, the cut flowers are brought into the servery where they can be trimmed and placed into vases. There are currently more than 3,000 registered varieties of tulips – separated in about 15 divisions based on shape, form, origin, and bloom time.
Tulips have been hybridized in just about every color except blue. Most tulips have one flower per stem, but there are some multi-flowered varieties.
Enma and Elvira cut the stems at a 45-degree angles so they don’t sit flat in the vase. They also remove any leaves under the water line to prevent any rotting.
To remove the leaves, gently pull them back and peel them away from the stem. The broad, strappy leaves of tulips have a waxy coating that gives them a blue-green color. There are usually two to six leaves per plant.
I like to keep like colors and same varieties together, but tulips can be mixed depending on preference.
Here, Enma places all the ‘Silver Parrots’ in a vase. When cutting, select those that are just about to open fully, when they have about 75-percent of their full color.
This vase of ‘Silver Parrot’ tulips were cut this weekend by my granddaughter Jude. They opened perfectly.
Here’s an all white arrangement – gorgeous pure white tulips, one cannot even see the vessel in which they are displayed.
Inside, a touch of soft yellow.
Once the flowers are in a vase, Elvira carefully pours the water. Tulips last longer in shallow water, so no need to fill to the very top.
These yellow tulips with bright red streaks are striking for cut arrangements.
They are now displayed in my sitting room on a table. They stand out beautifully in this room. Keep cut flowers in a cool area as heat reduces the bloom time.
These tulips are in my entrance hall. And do you know… tulips follow the sun even when they’re in a vase? Watch them. Tulips also continue to grow even after they’ve been cut.
These tulips are on the counter in my servery, where I can see them every morning on my way to my kitchen. What tulips are in your garden? What colors are your favorites? Share with me in the comments section below.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
