Radish, mustard greens, and jam for winter

Mustard greens

The victory garden had an usually dry and warm winter season.   The warm sun and the dry weather did not stop the mustard greens.  The cool air helped keep the mustard greens tall and lush while keeping the ground moist.  I did not water the winter crops this season.  I wanted to test the winter rains and soil.  The greens loved the solitude and kept on growing.  We could not eat them fast enough and we still have more to harvest.  These greens are great in soup, hot pot, and stir-fry.  I plan on planting many more winter greens next season.

Long crispy Minowase radish

The Monowase radishes grew well too.  I started with seeds and like magic the longest radish reached 17 inches. Most of the time you never know the length of the radish.  In addition the green leafy tops can also be misleading.  Only harvest your radishes when the tops of the radish stick out of the ground and are roughly 1/2 - 1 inch in diameter.  You can then gently pull the radish from the ground and enjoy the crunchy texture and spicy nutty flavor.  Once the radishes in the my victory garden reach a size my family likes, we picked, cleaned, and chopped each one.

marinated radish

My family enjoys marinated vegetables. Dried radishes are fantastic sponges and great for soaking up flavorful marinades.  Here is how my mother and I make this tasty and crunchy side dish.  After 24-48 hours in the dehydrator, radish dry very fast, you will take all of the dry bits and place them into jars/containers.  My mom uses old plastic containers but canning jars will work too.  Fill each container half-way.  This will allow the radish to expand.  Remember radish are like sponges and will expand while soaking up the marinade.  The sauce is what makes the dish.  I suggest trying out a few types of sauces in smaller batches if this is your first experience with marinated radishes.  You can find recipes online or in a variety of cookbooks too.  My family's recipe consists of water, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar.  My vegetarian version uses water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and brown sugar.  Depending on the taste you want you can add a more or less of each ingredient.  The goal with the marinade is to fill the jar.  You want to give the radish every opportunity to soak up the flavors of the marinade.  Cover the jar and place the filled jar into the fridge.  Within 24 hours you will have a tasty side dish for any breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Thai Dragon Chili Pepper Jelly

Pepper jelly was the favorite item in my holiday bags this year.  I decide to make this batch of pepper jelly using the Thai Dragon Chili peppers from the victory garden.  I have friends and a mother who loves HOT HOT HOT food.  This was my special treat for each of them.  I followed a previously discussed Pepper Jelly recipe but canned the jelly in smaller decorative 6 oz. jars. My previous batches were made in pint and recycled jars.  The small red and white jars were a hit and many of neighbors were pleased with the spicy sweet flavor.

Rest in Compost (RIC): There are always casualties in any garden and the odd winter weather brought a few.  The only item that did not prosper and grow was the Brussels sprouts.  They need lots of water and there was little to no rain this season.  The carrots loved the cold weather too but did not fair well in the dry winter soil.  The lack of water gave the carrots a rubbery texture.  RIC dear Brussels sprouts and carrots, until we meet again.