Too Many Carrots

Carrot Cake Ice Cream.

Vanilla Ice Cream Base - pick your favorite
3 cups carrots, unpeeled, cooked until soft
2 cups shredded carrots
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1tsp vanilla
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Cook carrots until very soft, and puree when cold, using milk as needed to blend.

Grate an additional 2-3 cups (grated) carrots. Blanch carrots in hot water (i used a strainer) for a minute or so, then refrigerate.

Make a frosting using cream cheese vanilla, and powdered sugar (beat smooth). spread out on wax paper thinly and freeze. When frozen hard, make small cubes out of the frozen frosting, and keep frozen.

To vanilla ice cream base add carrot puree,nutmeg, and cinnamon and place in ice cream maker.

When ice cream is nearly done, fold in shredded carrots, cream cheese frosting cubes, and chopped nuts. Mix 1 minute in maker and transfer into bowl and then freeze until firm.

Update

No beans, cukes, or squash sprouts yet - been 8 days. We had some cool wet last week for 3 days - could be a factor.

Planting done

Peppers went in last week during the week. Planted green beans, cucumber, and squash from seed today. Only thing left is melons which are in the house in pots - primarily until I can make room in the garden and see how things are doing. I'll plant them in strategic locations so they acn expand when the lettuces, etc start to bolt.

Cartoon Carrot

Pulled December 28th.

Tomatos

Bought and planted my 'maters today. I bought 2 each of celebrity, 4th of July, Juliette, and a cherry type called.....sugarsomething. All were bought at Dennis' Farm Store in Denton. Of the standard tomato types, Celebrity do best here. The others I tried last year and all were prolific and great tasting, notwithstanding the heat. Definitely winners and worthy of the purchase.

Spring 2012

Tilled up everything this weekend. Picked 4 cabbages, made fresh slaw, picked more carrots. Planted lettuce, cilantro, arugula, spinach, radishes, more carrots from seed. Also planted lettuce and broccoli from starters, and more red and green cabbage from starters, and red and yellow onions from starters. Too early (heavy frost this morning, below freezing) for tomatos, peppers, etc although the ground was warm to the touch - not cold like a year ago. 2 weeks and the warm weather stuff goes in.

Winter Update

I planted radishes over i think 6 week intervals this fall, either weekly or bi-weekly. Still have some in the ground. I went out on a limb by starting things so early - seemed to work out. the broccoli was not in the stores until October, so the first harvest was about 2 weeks ago. What I have ready that otherwise would have waited till spring is the cabbage and carrots. Will probably pull the first head of cabbage for slaw this weekend. The lettuces, arugula, and spinach have all been at the ready for 2 months now. About 3 weeks ago it got down to about 17-18 and that hit the lettuces but not fatally. I did not cover them.

Back in November I pruned the berries, stuck some of the cuttings in the ground and gave the rest to a colleague.

Currently overloaded with arugula and cilantro for those who may want some.

This picture was from 2 weeks ago. The spinach was blanched w/ garlic.