Garlic and Tomatoes

Well, there is a definite turn toward a fall garden now. I have been enriching my garlic beds with compost in preparation for the fall planting. I also planted a bed of spinach yesterday. Hope I have found the happy medium between sprout and bolt.

Yesterday morning Anne and I prepared the last of the cured garlic. We trimmed and took wrappers off nearly 180 bulbs. That process reveals much about the success or lack thereof in a particular strain. Here are the ones I would definitely plant next year.

Rocambole- Spanish Roja
Purple Striped- Chesnok Red
Porcelain- Music Pink, Romanian Red
Artichoke- Susanville, Lukak, Oregon Blue

My only silverskin was a Nootka Rose. Half of them developed a stalk under stress and so are not braidable.

I made another pasta sauce yesterday and put it in the freezer.

Here’s the recipe

Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Herbs

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ Tbsp olive oil
½ lb mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp red wine
2 ¾ lbs Italian plum tomatoes cut into eighths or regular tomatoes skinned and seeded
1 ½ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp fresh oregano or ¼ tsp dried
2 Tbsp lightly chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh marjoram
½ tsp salt

In a heavy 2 quart saucepan sauté the garlic and onion in the oil for 2-3 minutes until the onions have become soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and wine and cook for 5 minutes over low heat.

Add tomatoes to the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Puree in a blender 1/3 of the sauce. Return to heat. Add the red pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram and salt, and cook for 5 minutes more.