Pea Dumplings/ Ravioli

Last winter we made sweet potato dumplings which were very good. This spring I saw a few recipes around for pea ravioli and so we've improvised two recipes based on others in the past month.

The first time we made them in ravioli shape, using egg roll wrappers.
To my best recollection, the filling was about two cups frozen peas, lightly cooked and drained, then pureed with 1 chopped shallot. Then we stirred in about 1/2 cup of fresh soft cheese.

We put four small spoonfuls onto one egg roll wrapper. Then we brushed it with egg wash and put another wrapper on top.
After smoothing the places where the dough met, we cut them into four ravioli.
We boiled them until they were done and then tossed them into a pan with melted butter to crisp up a bit. We found that the size was a bit large and made it difficult to handle. We served them with a drizzle of fresh yogurt. For our second version this weekend, we had some ramps from the farmers market to experiment with. We decided to make a ramp and pea filling for the wrappers, but this time fold them like dumplings and pan fry them. We sauteed the ramps in bacon fat. Then we made a puree in the food processor with about 1 1/2 cups of peas, the zest of one lemon, salt, & pepper. We stirred in about 4 oz of goat cheese. This time we cut each egg roll wrapper into fourths. We put a spoonful of filling on and folded it into a triangle.
We found that this shape is more manageable, especially for pan frying. We fried them in olive oil and dipped them in yogurt. They were very good. In both cases, there were extras which we froze on a cookie sheet and then later put into a freezer bag. So we'll be enjoying these again soon.

Tomato Transplants Update

The very good news is that my tomato seedling have finally started to show true leaves. You can read about my problems here. Transplanting, less water, and better light seem to be the solution. Our new lights seem to be really making a difference as the seedlings inside have done better than the ones outside. I've also be giving the ones inside as much light as I can, just shutting them off when I go to bed, and then the timer comes back on at 4 in the morning.

So here is the progress. Last week's photo is on the left, this weeks on the right.
The set that has been inside under the grow lights:

The set that has been outside in the cold frame:

I guess since the seedlings are doing better under the lights, I should bring in the set from the cold frame. Since almost all my seeds sprouted both seeds I planted and I only wanted one of most varieties, I may have enough healthy seedlings to be able to give some away!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

In participation of May' Dreams Garden Blogger Bloom Day, here's what is currently blooming.

Blooming in the yard today:

Apple and Crab Apple Trees

Flowering Quince Bush

Lilacs

The ubiquitous Dandelion
An unknown yellow/green ground cover
Wild Strawberries and Chives

And my favorite, the Lily of the Valley.
Blooming in the forest this week:

Red Trillium

Jack in the Pulpit

Sprouting Fiddlehead ferns

Yellow and Purple Violets

First Harvest

On Monday, I impatiently harvested some of the first greens of the season.
I picked (clockwise from top) two radishes, chives, freckles romaine lettuce, arugula, kale, and chard. With store-bought spinach at the bottom of the bowl, the greens turned into two colorful to go with our dinner. I can't wait for more!

Tomato Transplants

On Saturday we did two things to help the tomato plants, which seem to have been stuck at the seed leave stage for the past month. First of all, we replaced the florescent lamps in the seed starting set up. We bought one plant/aquarium bulb which is at the red end of the spectrum and one natural daylight bulb in the blue end of the spectrum. I also transplanted the seedlings into larger cups. I split up the pairs of seedlings of each variety. One will remain inside under the lights, and the other will go out into cold frame. I'll know the lights helped if the ones inside do at least as well as the ones outside.

I may have to resort to planting seedlings from a friend and give up on mine if they don't take off soon.

Garden Update 5/7

This week's rain and moderate temperatures have allowed the garden to really get growing. It's amazing when compared to last week's pictures. The early-transplanted seedlings have really adjusted and taken off. As you can also see, the weeds have too. I need to get out there and start pulling.
Here's the kale,
spinach,
arugula, and freckles romaine lettuce.

The radishes are also enjoying all the moisture. I may be able to pick a few soon.
The carrots have begun to get their true leaves. These are my Chantenny Red Cores.
Here is one of my two peas. I need to re-seed again. My broccoli raab have mostly all sprouted and already show signs of starting true leaves.

In the cold frame, the tatsoi(far left) is looking like there's a bit too much moisture. Also some pest has been attacking its leaves. The golden beets (center) and the sesame plants (right) are doing well. I also have yellow chard starting as well as radishes, cosmos, dill and over-wintered onions in the ground.

Inside is another story. I gave my tomatoes a sun-burn last week and they still haven't moved beyond the seed-leaf stage. I read online that this may be caused by over-watering. I'm guilty of that. I'm trying to leave them alone for a while. Luckily a few of the seeds recently sprouted and are looking better. I may loose the first batch of started seeds. Also under the lights are basil, sesame, oregano, thyme, summer savory and two peppers. Last weekend I started cucumbers and zucchini, but no sprouts yet.

Hopefully the rain will abate on Saturday and I can get some more gardening in.