Handout for November
Before we get to end our year, do some reflecting about what went right and what went wrong. Honestly ask yourself what you think your big successes were and note where you ran off the rails.
Check the water on your plants if we get Santa Ana winds!
Keep all your seeds moist.
Keep all your freshly transplanted seeds moist as well.
If temperatures get really hot, cover lettuces and other sensitive plants with something to shade them in the hottest parts of the day – I've used an old screen someone threw away just resting on 18” stakes!
Continue to plant seeds of all cabbage family plants.
Experiment with
Even if you don't end up with a great harvest, you
Keep an eye on your root crops – will you need more than you thought or do you have it all in hand?
Look at last year's notes and decide on what you're thinking about for spring – already! Yes! Catalogs are arriving and we'll be wanting to think about last Summer's garden while it's still somewhat fresh. Grab a catalog, schedule some down time, and dream your way through all the listings of the stuff you can grow! With a couple of pieces of paper, make a list of what you like and on the other draw out your garden. Quickly you'll see you're over ordering and that should give you a pause, but it probably won't and like the rest of us, you'll order enough seeds for the entire community!
Start These In Containers Start These In The Ground Move to the Ground from Containers
More of the cabbage family! Fava beans Cabbage family members
Garbanzos Beets
Leafy salad veggies Carrots Fava beans
Lettuce Cilantro Leeks
Peas Fava beans
Garlic
Lettuce
Onions (from sets)
Other green leafy vegetables
Peas
Turnips
Refer to the text for exact dates.
Grilled Cabbage Wedges with Spicy Lime Dressing
This is a delightful way to return to your grill on a cooler California evening. The limes are not seasonal, but everything else fresh is – cabbage and cilantro – or soon will be. It's not your everyday cabbage, that's for sure!
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon sugar
1 head of cabbage – you might try mixing green with purple
Good olive oil
Preheat grill.
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the lime juice, olive oil, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, salt, cayenne and sugar and pulse or blend until the sauce is pale orange color in color. Set aside.
Remove the loosest, toughest outer leaves from the cabbage; cut into 8 evenly sized wedges. Do not remove the stalk or inner core. Lightly brush the wedges with canola oil.
Place the wedges on the grill and cover. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the edges of each layer are blackened and the cabbage is beginning to soften. Flip each wedge over, cover the grill, and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes on the other side. Remove the cabbage when it is beginning to wilt, but is still firm in the middle. If necessary, turn the heat down or move the wedges to a cooler part of the grill so they don't burn. Don't be afraid of the blackened edges; you want a lot of grill and char marks on the cabbage.
Take the cabbage off the grill and place on a serving plate. Pour the dressing over the top of the cabbage and serve immediately with wedges of lime.
