Gardening 2012: Summer Wrapup

Today's Goodies: Peppers, Carrots, Swiss Chard

It's the first day of Autumn so I thought I'd look back over the produce page and add up what we got from our 80 square feet of garden space this year.

• 19.5 lb of Tomatoes
• 17 lb of Eggplant
• 15.5 lb Zucchini
• 4 lb Peppers (so far - there's a lot still on the plants that sontinues to ripen)
• All Thyme, Parsley, and Basil we need

We also harvested about 6 servings (maybe 3 lb. or so) of Cima di Rapa and have lots of Swiss Chard that will keep producing well into winter. There's even 2 eggplants still producing. We have about 60 carrots we'll be pulling as well as new plantings of beets, Cima di Rapa, spinach and radishes. And there are loads more peppers. We're going to pickle a couple pounds this weekend.

The big mistake this year was underestimating just how hot and dry summer was going to be. We could easily have had 100 lbs of San Marzano Tomatoes if I had put in the drip irrigation system last spring. By the time I finally installed it the tomato plants were already badly stressed and beginning to succumb to (I think) fusarium wilt. Next year we'll have the drip system in place and we'll plant more than one variety.

We like eggplant a lot but next year I think we'll go with maybe three plants. We'll also grow a mix of sweet and hot peppers and stick with no more that 2 or 3 zucchini.

I've learned you can start beets indoors so next year we'll give that a try. We'll also plant way more peas. They're easy to grow, delicious, and simple to freeze.

The Alley - Future Home of Spring Peas

I think we can take advantage of a narrow strip of ground on east side of the alley behind our house. It's about a foot wide and I can use the 40 feet of it that's "ours" as a long narrow row. The old chain link fence on top of the retaining wall will support the plants.

Retirement Planning: The Trip to Guardia Sanframondi

We did it! The planning is done, reservations made, and even with months to go, the nervous excitement is building. So what does a trip from Philadelphia to Guardia Sanframondi look like?

• Day 1 Monday: Overnight flight Philadelphia to Fiumicino Airport
• Day 2 Tuesday: Overnight stay at the Airport Hilton
• Day 3 Wednesday: Pick up rental car and drive to Guardia Sanframondi (about 2.5 hours)
• Day 3-7 (Wed - Sun): Explore Guardia Sanframondi and check out the houses
• Day 7 Sunday: Return to Fiumicino and drop off car, shuttle to Termini, check into Hotel Sonya
• Day 7-11 (Sunday - Thursday): Enjoy Rome
• Day 12 (Friday) - Return flight to Philadelphia

Day 2 - While we will get to Fiumicino in plenty of time to drive to Guardia Sanframondi we know that we'll be tired and cranky from the flight. So we're going to invest in our comfort and sanity and just camp out overnight at the Airport Hilton. It's very likely we'll head into the city for lunch at least. There are plenty of transportation options including the Hilton's free shuttle bus, Terravision and SIT busses (€4.00/ €8.00) and a couple different trains.

View Larger Map

Day 3 - The Drive. Most of the drive is on the A1 autostrada so this doesn't look too tricky. We've got both a printed map and a GPS loaded with a map of Italy (and Greece) so we shouldn't have any trouble. We've also got a Europe enabled cell phone lined up so we'll be able to call for help or advice if we need it.

Day 3-7 - Guardia Sanframondi. Of course we're staying at Arthouse Guardia. Our goal is to get a feel for the town and the available housing. If you're planning a trip, and want to stay at the Arthouse book it ASAP - it looks like the calendar is filling up rather quickly.

Day 7-11 - Rome. After we return the car at the aiport we'll take the train in to Termini. We're staying at Hotel Sonya, favorite of  Rick Steves and his followers and only a few blocks from the train station. It's advantage this trip is that it's a relatively inexpensive place in an area where we want to spend some time. Some of my most popular blog posts have been on under appreciated but historically important areas like the Forum Boarium. I'm going to be gathering material for a few more posts like that (you'd be amazed at all the stuff over by Termini). 

In terms of "must see" things, Beth hasn't been to Galleria Borghese - that's the only event that must be scheduled for this trip. We're going to try to visit as many underground sites as we can. Most are below churches and are either free or cost just a couple euro to visit.

Day 12 - Return flight to Philadelphia.

Mario's Sicilian Pizza

Mario's Sicilian Pizza

Recipe by Mario Batali

We caught this recipe on The Chew the other day and decided to adapt it for a 2 person household. I used the wonderful all purpose pizza bianca dough recipe from Gabriele Bonci and cut the other ingredients back proportionately. We also used the tuna we canned a couple months back.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Recipe Pizza Bianca dough
• 1 cup Crushed tomatoes
• 4 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, sliced thin
• 1 Tbs Salt Packed Capers, rinsed
• 1/2 cup Sicilian Olives, chopped
• 1/2 cup Tuna packed in oil
• Oregano
• Red Pepper Flakes

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
2. Make the pizza dough according to the recipe and allow to rise for about an hour.
3. When the oven is heated, turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper and spread it carefully into a large oblong. 



4. Spread the tomatoes evenly over the dough then add the other ingredients: tuna, olives, capers, mozzarella, oregano.
5. Slide the pizza into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until it's nicely browned.
6. Slice and serve!

As mentioned we used the tuna we canned a few weeks back on this pizza. If you can possibly do it can your own tuna! The big chunks were firm and moist and the oil, rather surprisingly was not overwhelmed by the tuna. It was a complete success.

We also opened a jar of the melanzane sott'olio from last week and it too was wonderful. The strips of eggplant were tender, with just a hint of acid from the vinegar boil, a breath of garlic and tiny hint of heat from the peperoncino.