Althouse: Mid-November... and the first shoots of the garlic crop appear...

November 15, 2012

Mid-November... and the first shoots of the garlic crop appear...

... on the Meadhouse farmland...

45 comments:

Farmer said...: We grew our first vegetable garden this year. Voles got at the zucchini and squash. Got a ton of tomatoes and broccoli. Still waiting on the brussels sprouts. Next year - garlic.; 11/15/12, 1:07 PM
Jim in St Louis said...: Very Pretty-
Autumn sunlight is so special, something about the earth tilt angle.
People forget that light slants too- but photographers know.; 11/15/12, 1:31 PM
Bart Hall (Kansas, USA) said...: Mulch them any old time now.; 11/15/12, 1:40 PM
edutcher said...: I can just see Meade and his three, um, well..., two, uh, his wife just galloping across the range.; 11/15/12, 1:45 PM
Toad Trend said...: I concur with Jim, the sunlight in the fall is 'extra sparkly' due to the angle(s). Has a totally different feel.

I love grass.; 11/15/12, 1:57 PM
Anonymous said...: Everything is still green here in North Florida. We have all the seasons - 6 months of summer and a truncated 2 months for each of the others. It's our dormant season but the farmers markets are still full. And the bougainvillea is in bloom...; 11/15/12, 2:11 PM
Dante said...: Nice. Wonderful. Thrilled.

I'm trying to make some sense of this article printed in the UK.

The Denny's franchise owner is going to raise his prices, with a 5% surcharge on customers, and identify it as the Obamacare costs.

Then this guys says, about it:

'Instead of indirectly charging customers by raising prices, he is directly charging and making a political statement,' said Paul Fronstin, director of the health research program at the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington.

'Potentially 43 percent of this person's customers may find the explicit charge a turnoff, and vote with their feet and their money and choose not to eat there.'

Why would that be? If you are for Obamacare, you ought to be happy to pay the price. That's what you wanted, right? It's just information. But ironically, the guy agrees:

Despite this, Metz has admitted he is willing to take the heat should the decision backfire on him.

'We're trying to get more restaurant operators rallied around the concept of adding a 5 percent surcharge to their bill to cover the costs of Obamacare as opposed to raising prices,' he said.

As opposed to raising prices? What is the guy saying? He is raising prices? Now if I could deduct this regressive tax on my income tax return, it would be one thing. But this is one of those hidden, non-deductible taxes.; 11/15/12, 2:15 PM
Anonymous said...: The private gardens along the sidewalks in the lovely, hidden little town of Fernandina were particularly beautiful last week. Especially around the Florida House Bed & Breakfast. Oh well, off to Wisconsin and Lake Geneva next week to move some more of the girlfriends stuff back down by U-Haul. Road trip to the Old Northwest!; 11/15/12, 2:20 PM
KCFleming said...: @Dante

Just came from one of the saddest and ugliest financial meetings in my entire career.

If we survive, the next 2 years are going to be devastating. If we survive.

Thank you, Obamacare.; 11/15/12, 2:20 PM
Meade said...: Allium sativum ophioscorodon.
I'm a strong proponent of intercropping.; 11/15/12, 2:21 PM
Alex said...: This is a good message to all conservatives. Eat plenty of green vegetables and of the onion genus(onions, leeks, garlic). Keep stress levels down and get plenty of sleep & exercise.; 11/15/12, 2:21 PM
Dante said...: @pogo:

Actually, as I think about it, Obamacare may be good for the unemployment rate. Businesses will cut down on hours, and so will require more people to do the work.

Naturally, people will make less money, but more will be employed. That's good, right? It hits the middle class.

I suppose we will have to wait and see how this complex new legislation works out.; 11/15/12, 2:30 PM
Cedarford said...: Sort of overlooked is the election of the 2nd most powerful man regarding what happens to America in the next 4 years.

The Chinese Communist Party just elected Xi Jingping to replace Hu Jintao for a 10-year term "to continue China's glorious rise"..; 11/15/12, 2:31 PM
Meade said...: That reminds me: most garlic consumed in America now comes from China where, reportedly, much of it is grown in soils polluted by heavy metals. The Chinese garlic crop is rarely tested. That includes garlic labelled by the USDA as "organic".; 11/15/12, 2:39 PM
Alex said...: Meade - I only buy garlic grown in Gilroy, CA.; 11/15/12, 2:44 PM
Meade said...: The highest quality garlic comes from latitudes north of Gilroy, Alex. Washington State, Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Upstate New York...; 11/15/12, 2:52 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "That reminds me: most garlic consumed in America now comes from China where, reportedly, much of it is grown in soils polluted by heavy metals. The Chinese garlic crop is rarely tested. That includes garlic labelled by the USDA as "organic"."

Now, I'm afraid to eat in restaurants.; 11/15/12, 3:04 PM
Cedarford said...: Meade said...
That reminds me: most garlic consumed in America now comes from China where, reportedly, much of it is grown in soils polluted by heavy metals. The Chinese garlic crop is rarely tested. That includes garlic labelled by the USDA as "organic".
====================
China is also the source of most apple juice concentrate made into "healthy nutritious drinks" sold in stores or given free to ObamaPhone mommas and their kids. Fortified of course with loads of high fructose corn syrup we sold them.
They also are starting to dominate dried spices markets like oregano, onion powder, dried garlic of course..
And have a 30% market share in America for seafood and 20% share of processed shellfish (Thailand, Indonesia account for another 45%).
And things even the Chinese refuse to eat, and that is saying a lot, is made into pet food exported to the US, inc. industrial and construction waste "adders".; 11/15/12, 3:28 PM
Jim in St Louis said...: Meade and his Chinese garlic baiting, oh you old fashioned boy.
I suggest everyone switch to horseradish- better flavor than garlic, more versatile, and not stinky. Yeah, there I said it! Garlic and Garlic lovers are S-T-I-N-K-Y; 11/15/12, 3:31 PM
Anonymous said...: We buy locally grown garlic for sure... Georgia is holding the good stuff.; 11/15/12, 3:53 PM
Some Seppo said...: The Marquis De Sod has been busy.; 11/15/12, 4:16 PM
AllenS said...: I'm waiting for a nice article about how someone beat his plowshares into swords.; 11/15/12, 4:25 PM
garage mahal said...: I was watching the Badger game last Saturday at the local watering hole, and the guy next to me ate a whole skewer of pickled garlic cloves with his bloody mary. Along a a skewer of pepperjack cheese squares, and a skewer of pickled onions. That's rugged.; 11/15/12, 4:35 PM
Rusty said...: Don't Tread 2012 said...
I concur with Jim, the sunlight in the fall is 'extra sparkly' due to the angle(s). Has a totally different feel.

I love grass.

I think it has a more yellow quality to it.; 11/15/12, 4:54 PM
Rusty said...: garage mahal said...
I was watching the Badger game last Saturday at the local watering hole, and the guy next to me ate a whole skewer of pickled garlic cloves with his bloody mary. Along a a skewer of pepperjack cheese squares, and a skewer of pickled onions. That's rugged.

You don't want to be sitting there when that mess starts working its way through his system.; 11/15/12, 4:59 PM
AllenS said...: garage mahal said...
I was watching the Badger game last Saturday at the local watering hole, and the guy next to me ate a whole skewer of pickled garlic cloves with his bloody mary. Along a a skewer of pepperjack cheese squares, and a skewer of pickled onions. That's rugged.

Where I live, it's called pre-game.; 11/15/12, 5:13 PM
garage mahal said...: Visual proof. I forgot about the beef sticks. He had a skewer of those too.; 11/15/12, 5:20 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: There is an 'official' Althouse remedy for garlic breath.; 11/15/12, 6:07 PM
Meade said...: Ha ha. Actually, the remedy for garlic breath is to get everyone to enjoy eating garlic. But not too much. Moderation in all things. Garage's friend is a little extreme. Plus, pickling is a waste of good garlic. Raw or lightly sautéed is the way to go. Respect my garlic authoriTAY!

Nice photo stream, Lem. Love the shots of Gordy and Pinto.; 11/15/12, 6:26 PM
Meade said...: Angel Olsen "The Sky Opened Up"; 11/15/12, 6:31 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Meade, I'm with you on the use of good garlic. The quickest saute in olive oil, add a bunch of good tomatos, and saute just long enough to make it hot. Season, of course, and serve with angel hair. Yum!

Another favorite: Shrimp Adriatico.; 11/15/12, 6:48 PM
Meade said...: Shrimp Adriatico looks delicious. We will be making that sometime soon.; 11/15/12, 6:54 PM
Unknown said...: We lived in Gilroy in the early 70's. In the summer with the cannery processing tomatoes and the garlic being processed it was like living in a large pizza. There was a local guy that made frozen ravioli and sauce that was amazing. Can't get it any more. He got shut down at some point because of regulations. Now Gilroy is just part of the huge metro area around San Jose. Outlet stores and freeway.; 11/15/12, 7:12 PM
Icepick said...: Pogo, I wish you and your company good luck.

...

Also, the shirtless photo of that FBI agent has hit the intertubes. It's funny as Hell, obviously a gag, and makes me wonder who was spinning the original version of that story.

Check it out!; 11/15/12, 7:27 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/15/12, 7:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Tincture of cilantro in a glass of water will help to detox heavy metals.

So, after that lovely Italian meal with lots of garlic from regions unknown, have a bit of cilantro tincture in water upon your return home.; 11/15/12, 8:20 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Thanks Meade.; 11/15/12, 9:02 PM
jimdooger said...: And I just planted my garlic a week ago (in Montana).; 11/15/12, 11:20 PM
jimdooger said...: And I just planted my garlic a week ago (in Montana).; 11/15/12, 11:21 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: I went to a restaurant on Sunday and had a meatball. That was considered a starter.

The meat was tight as hell. Sauce, eh, okay. I thought, "I can do better than this with straight hamburger and tinned tomato." So I did.

I happened to have a pound of ground beef.

The thing the meatball was missing was breadcrumbs. Stale bread soaked in milk. This alters the texture of ground meats.

* egg
* old breadcrumb soaked in milk. It's a thing.
* Worcestershire sauce. This has tamarind and anchovy. If you'd rather, try adding straight tamarind and straight anchovy, why not.
* hot catsup or catsup and cayenne, something hot
* chopped onions, fried to make them shrink first
* smashed garlic, this is the element that makes this comment relevant to the photograph heading the post
* squish the meat totally smashed.
* form into balls and if too loose then adjust with increments of crushed dry crackers.

Broil. When browned on the surface drop into sauce. The longer they soak in the sauce the more they become one with the sauce. It can go too far and end up soft.

Sauce: Tinned Heinz chunky tomato.

Start butter and your favorite seasonings in a pot. I used bay leaf, coriander, cumin, oregano, fresh rosemary because mine was starting to turn brown so I wanted to get rid of it, garlic, there's that garlic again the meatball and sauce would be nothing without it, and the meatball at the restaurant lacked garlic, onion. All this totaled amounts to a about a tablespoon material. Then tomato paste, 1/4 tiny tin or squeeze from a tube, mine was frozen from a tin used before. Then the tin of tomatoes. I also added beef broth instead of water.

A single meatball with some sauce is a meal by itself. So naturally I had two. Three times. and there's two left.

And by meal I mean the sort of meal you can have while thinking about what you're having next.

The roasted Brussels sprouts in balsamic vinegar I could make better too, have in fact, and the roasted chicken thighs I could have done better myself too, have in fact. So all three things I could have done better and have in fact done, no brag here, just fact, it ain't all that being a cook.; 11/15/12, 11:42 PM
kentuckyliz said...: The shirtless pic is funny. The guy has a sense of humor.

Alex 2:21: so only conservatives need to eat garlic?

Why is that?

To keep the bloodsucking vampires, er, Democrats, away?

(God I wish we had strikethrough.); 11/16/12, 6:06 AM
kentuckyliz said...: Re the garlic garden pics: methinks these are the only green shoots we are going to see in a while.

Nice to know Mother Nature keeps on doing her thang regardless of the idiocies of men.

(Universal men, including women. Yeah, I know, sexxxxxxxxist. But it's punchier and more poetic to use the generic men. The effect is then ruined with the explanation. So eff y'all.); 11/16/12, 6:08 AM
kentuckyliz said...: Another pet peeve while I'm at it--haven't sipped enough coffee yet to get over the crankies.

Using "individual" when you mean "person." It is dehumanizing. You might as well call a person a unit. Individual can refer to an animal or inaminate object.

Who started this and what was his or her agenda?

There, I was gender inclusive. Although in most likelihood it was a him. If I didn't type out or her you'd all call me sexxxxxxist.

I can't be sexist, I'm a gyno-American. I elect Presidents. I am woman, watch me vote...in numbers large enough to smote.; 11/16/12, 6:13 AM
Meade said...: "Who started this and what was his or her agenda?"

I did. My agenda: 1. differentiate rugged from just plain everyday run of the mill individualists, 2. ruffle kentuckyhizrher's feathers before she gets that first cup of coffee in her and becomes too big to ignore.; 11/16/12, 7:20 AM
Jim in St Louis said...: kentuckyliz: And another thing...

Why do people say "Someone left their coffee mug on my desk?" Their is plural and its obviously only one person who left his mug.

Is it to avoid saying "his mug" and offending if it was really "her mug" ?; 11/16/12, 8:41 AM