Results tagged “raspberries” from NoMuse

Earlier this year, I decided that we needed a garden. Our home included a 200 square foot flower bed that was moving steadily towards total reclamation by aggressive, thorn ridden, noxious plant life. People who know me weren't surprised by the weed cultivation -- I insisted for several years that the back yard was xeriscaped with native plant life prior to Nat ordering sod. I spent several weekends and evenings digging out the undesirable material, tilling in compost, busting sod, and removing galvanized sprinkler pipe with my trusty sidekick. We started with eleven 9 foot rows over approximately 24 feet of garden.

I discovered that I enjoy playing in the outside dirt almost as much as I love playing in the clean dirt of my (presently mostly hypothetical) studio (e.g., clay). I planted three varieties of lentils (calypso beans, kidney beans, and boston favorite beans), roma tomatoes, tomatillos, yukon gold potatoes, pumpkins (for Cole and Tate) and peppers (jalapenos, seranos, habaneros, cayenne, and red bell). With one thing and another, I seized another 200 square foot section of the southwest corner of our lot for berries. I dithered on the berry decision long enough to miss out on the supply of blackberries at my local garden stores. I planted red raspberries, black raspberries, and boysenberries. We will get blackberries next year along with a couple of fruit trees. I will likely expand the garden to the edge of the driveway before I finish for the year. And, I have started thinking about a compost bin.

Before I started, I chatted with Jeremy of the Rockin' E Country Store and the fellow who runs the East Farms CSA. I knew almost nothing about vegetable gardening. Jeremy gave me some pointers for getting started and recommended a drip irrigation system. Once my berries and vegetables were planted, I spent a vacation day trenching across the backyard and plumbing in an irrigation water spigot at the garden. My sister-in-law is connected with Orbit Irrigation and got me a couple of their vegetable garden kits (Thanks, Mel!). I also set bamboo posts and purchased hemp twine for trellising my vines. I don't know how well the bamboo is going to work, but I like how it looks. If/when it fails, I'll explore other options.

I view the garden as the natural evolution of my lifestyle change back in January 2005. Michael Pollan's books "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "The Botany of Desire" influenced my thinking as did my research into community supported agriculture (CSA information: USDA National Agriculture Library and Wikipedia's CSA entry) and the local CSA programs (Borski Organic Farms, East Farms, Ranui Gardens, and Zoe's Organic Garden). I was also influenced by discussions with my buddy Jean Wylie -- she's an adept gardner who tells me that the load of shit steer manure she received was the best possible house warming gift her friend Ivan could have given (Jean moved to Colorado at the start of the year to be closer to her children. And probably Ivan. I miss her something fierce.).

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus an 8-24 hour soak of the rice
Total time: About 2 and a half hours
Makes: about 8 servings

1 cup brown rice (or short grain, sweet rice for those with fewer dietary challenges)
2 cans coconut milk
5 cups nonfat milk
1 pint raspberries
3 tablespoons Splenda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Rinse the rice using your fingers as a rake. Cover with water and allow to soak overnight.

Drain the rice. Combine the rice, coconut milk, and nonfat milk in a heavy pan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Stir occasionally. Continue cooking until the mixture achieves a pudding or porridge like consistency. Using brown rice, the cook time was about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Cooking times may vary with other rice varieties.

Server warm or cool. Spoon a portion into a serving dish, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (3 tablespoons Splenda and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, in my case) and a portion of the raspberries.

I modified this recipe from Nina Simonds "A Spoonful of Ginger." Nina calls for a cinnamon sugar recipe consisting of 1 tablespoon brown or palm sugar, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

I found this congee to be quite tasty, especially when topped with sugar and raspberries. I don't eat any sugar (honey, molasses, corn syrup, etc.) these days, and I'm told my tastes have adjusted to my new lifestyle. Nat, LaRayne, AnnMarie, and Jake all confirmed the congee was a tasty treat. I may, however, try the recipe next with 1/4 cup Splenda added during the cooking process and 1 teaspoon vanilla before cooling for something more closely resembling a western rice pudding.