Manzanita. Ink and watercolor. 8″ by 12″. Sharyn Dimmick.
I am obsessed with the garden. Johnny has taken to calling me “Farm Girl” (I have never lived on a farm although I had great uncles and grandparents who farmed). Since I last wrote I have planted both Teddy Bear Sunflowers and Mexican sunflowers, plus the blue sweet peas. The first sunflower leaves are just breaking through the soil and the sweet peas are what I call “invisible plants” — that means “I know they are there even if you can’t see them. Please water them, honey.”
The monstrous Sun Gold tomato plant is gargantuan now and full of blossoms and small green tomatoes: I do not know when they will begin to turn orange, but the heat wave we are having now might help them along. Soon they will have sibling tomato plants, which are hardening off in the garden as I write. I planted Amish paste tomato seeds and Principe Borghese seeds, but I did not label them, so I will not be able to tell the plants apart until they fruit. The leaves, however, are different colors, so I can be assured I have two different kinds.
So far I have been unable to produce peppers or Russian tarragon from seed in three tries and one of my varieties of basil failed to germinate. When the basil plants get bigger I’ll be able to tell which one I have and I will plant some more somewhere. I will also plant more lettuce in the shade of other plants.
The scarlet runner beans have begun to climb up their improvised tepee, but nothing is in flower yet except the tomato plant. The butternut squash have their first real leaves. The cabbages are much larger, beginning to crowd one another, but there is no sign of heads forming. I have not grown cabbage before.
One of these days I will have an herb-planting day and put in dill, oregano and chives. I will also add some green beans to fill in the gaps in the bean rows. I want to plant more and more, but I am watering by hand and it already takes almost an hour to get around the garden with my tea kettles and milk bottles.
MK’s Breakfast Strata. 12″ x 12″ gouache and watercolor pencil. Sharyn Dimmick.
When I am not in the garden (I don’t sleep there!) or fussing over seedlings I still busk, cook, sketch, etc. I recently left the plants to Johnny’s care and some fortuitously-timed rain and went for a long weekend in the lower elevations of the Sierra Nevada. The event was called Ballads on the Mountain, hosted by a friend who likes to call herself “Mary Kingsley.” Twelve women assembled to sing traditional ballads from the Francis James Child collection and to eat up a storm. Kingsley’s red kitchen produced meal after meal. One of my favorites was new to me: breakfast strata, a savory concoction of eggs, cheese, sourdough bread cubes, meat and vegetables. We had a wonderful one with chicken apple sausage and mushrooms, which I’m going to share with you here and then cook for Johnny when the weather cools off again. I don’t have any problem with eating this dish for lunch, brunch or supper either, believing in breakfast served all day.
Mary Kingsley’s Breakfast Strata (adapted)
12 slices dry sourdough bread, cubed
8 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded cheese
2 cups sliced mushrooms
12 oz sliced chicken apple sausage
3 Tbsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne
olive oil for greasing pan
Toast your bread cubes in a 250 oven until dry and perhaps a little golden in spots. While the bread toasts you can saute your mushrooms. Set aside bread, then bump your oven up to 325. Lightly oil or butter a 3 quart rectangular baking dish. Place half of bread cubes in baking dish. Top with half of the mushrooms and half of the cheese. Top with half the sliced sausage. Repeat layers of bread, mushrooms, cheese and sausage.
Whisk cayenne, mustard and salt into beaten eggs. Pour eggs over other ingredients. Press down with the back of a wooden spoon to make sure all bread gets moistened.
Bake uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes until puffed and set. Enjoy.
Food notes: The recipe MK sent me included variations, one with sun-dried tomatoes and asparagus. When I saw this, I immediately wanted to incorporate sun-dried tomatoes into my own strata. I would also like it with peppers. MK actually made one with mushrooms and leftover broccoli for a vegetarian. The original recipe also calls for 3 cups of milk, which MK eliminated. Since I didn’t miss it, I have eliminated it, too. If you add it, you’ll probably get a more custardy texture, rather than the firm, dry, one that I enjoyed, with crunch from the bread crumbs.
Painting notes: When I wasn’t eating, sleeping, or singing, I was staring out the window at a manzanita. Hence the painting. The other painting attempts to capture the strata and some of the many reds in MK’s kitchen.
thekalechronicles 
Great post. Sounds like your garden is doing very well Sharyn. I’m getting very excited by my seedlings popping up and trying desperately to protect them from the neighbourhood cats. I love the sound of your strata recipe too. I will have to give this a go with my hot pot sourdough! Unfortunately my husband doesn’t like mushrooms… can you suggest an alternative vegetable please? Thank you!
I think roasted red peppers would make a wonderful substitution for mushrooms, Lauren. Or sun-dried tomatoes. Or even chard.
That sounds delicious! Thanks Sharyn x
Totally understand your garden obsession Sharyn..me too, and it needs that attention, no matter how small or large, no matter what is planted…I know from experience that connection between planted and planter. It is real and results prove it is real. I talk to my plants as I do to my paintings. It’s so good to hear from you and so wonderful to hear from you as a partner…you have challenges still but have someone…that is precious magic…
I don’t talk to the plants, John, but I try to take time to just sit near them and look at them, although many days it’s all I can do to get them watered in the evening. Yesterday I put four new tomato seedlings in the ground for May Day and the first of my sweet pea plants popped out of the soil. We are having a heat wave in the high eighties so the garden is only tolerable after 7 PM.
The vegetarian strata was not really vegetarian–since it has eggs. (I’m pointing this out only because somebody is bound to eventually.) I’m the semi-veg that ate the mushrooms and broccoli strata and it was a hit!
It can be difficult when you are a semi-veg because vegetarians and carnivores alike eye you suspiciously.
–which is okay 🙂
Vegetarians eat eggs. Vegans don’t.
Reading your post wants me to start a veggie patch! We had one a few years ago, but the season was rainy and cold, and our produce languished. I fear this year will be the same (we had ice and snow last week), but may take a chance on the ever popular zucchini plant, as it seems to produce copious quantities of fruit no matter what the conditions!!
It is hard to grow vegetables with nothing but rain and cold — if you have light, sandy soil you can grow potatoes. I used to live in the fog where nothing would grow. Now I live with abundant sun but California is having one of its periodic droughts.
Your garden is coming along nicely, your sun gold tomatoes will be ready pretty soon. I am intrigued by the chicken apple sausage, never tasted this before, should pay attention next time I am at the food market. I could have that strata for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I am waiting for the first sign that the tomatoes are turning color, Norma. I thought I would have ripe ones by the end of May. We’ll see. We have plenty of sun and the plant is full of both blossoms and green tomatoes.
It sounds like the garden is keeping you busy Sharyn, it’s a busy time of year getting the seedlings off to a good start in life!
Yes. I have far too many seedlings and have been giving some away. And I waver between wanting to plant more stuff and not wanting to spend any more time watering.