In the Vegetable Garden – December 2019

By Patty Leander
Photos by Bruce Leander

Goodbye watermelon, hello grapefruit! Some fruits and vegetables are simply better eaten fresh and in season. Watermelon in the winter? No way. Grapefruit in December? Absolutely! Especially Texas grapefruit from the Rio Grande Valley. In 1993, the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas designated the Texas Red Grapefruit as the official State Fruit of Texas and now is the time to enjoy this seasonal Texas treat. Did you know that grapefruit is a cross between sweet orange and pummelo? And did you know that red grapefruit was first discovered as a chance mutation in 1929 by a citrus grower in McAllen? From that first red grapefruit came many new cultivars, including Ruby Red, Rio Star, Texas Star, Winter Sweetz and Rio Red, all containing lycopene, a heart-healthy phytochemical. Red grapefruits from Texas are plump, juicy, pleasantly tart with just the right amount of sweetness. And they make great Christmas gifts. Pittman and Davis (www.pittmandavis.com) and Crockett Farms (www.crockettfarms) both ship red grapefruit from South Texas, and I’ve been consistently pleased with their quality over the years.

December is a good time to take a break from garden chores, peruse seed catalogs, boost your meals with healthy seasonal vegetables, and enjoy the holidays. Below are two recipes for the winter season.

Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts have come a long way from stinky and mushy. These little jewels can be shredded for salad or slaw, thinly sliced for a quick sauté in butter or olive oil, or roasted to tender-crispy perfection. This is one of my favorite recipes for roasting. I love the slightly charred leaves and the sweet spicy flavor.

1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp sriracha sauce

Combine olive oil, vinegar, honey and sriracha and whisk to combine. Pour over Brussels sprouts, toss to coat evenly and season with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet, cut side down. Reserve sauce. Roast at 400° for 20-30 minutes, till golden and (or slightly charred, depending on your preference). Remove to serving bowl and drizzle with reserved sauce. Yield: 4 servings

Glazed Turnips and Apples
If you attended the November meeting you might remember Bruce talking about a dish I made to “hide turnips in the apples”. There was really no hiding, just harmonizing, in this tasty side dish.

2 slices bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb small turnips, peeled and sliced into wedges
1 cup apple cider
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 large apple, peeled and cut into ½” slices

Cook bacon till crisp; set aside to drain. In same skillet, pour off bacon fat and melt butter. Sauté turnips in butter 2-3 minutes. Add cider, sugar and salt. Simmer 8-10 minutes, until turnips are tender. Add apple slices and simmer till liquid is reduced, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon and season with pepper. Yield: 4 servings

Here is the vegetable gardener’s checklist for December:

Keep up with weeds while they are young, before they have a chance to put down roots. A sharp hoe or cultivator makes quick work in vegetable beds. Small weeds sprouting up in crushed granite take a little more effort to hoe but they can be easily dislodged with a few passes of a wide landscape rake. The key in both soil and granite is to go after weeds when they are small and do it regularly so they never have a chance to take root.
Continue to feed vegetables with fish emulsion or other water-soluble fertilizer every 2 weeks.
Water vegetable beds weekly so that plantings do not dry out.
Pay attention to the forecast. If temperatures are predicted to fall below 28° cover plants with row cover, securing edges with soil, bricks, rocks or pins.
Plant small flats of broccoli, cauliflower, kale, mustard, collards and cabbage for transplanting in mid-January.
Take advantage of mild winter days to tidy up the toolshed and the greenhouse.
Feed the birds and make sure they have a fresh source of water.
Check out the selection of potatoes at www.potatogarden.com or www.woodprairie.com and place your order soon for seed potatoes. Both of these businesses will ship at the proper time for our planting season in February.
Try cooking winter squash in a slow cooker. Simply rinse the squash, pierce several times with a sharp knife, lay it in the pot and cook on high low 6-8 hours or high 4-5 hours. Remove from pot and cool slightly. Cut in half and remove seeds. Use a large spoon to scrape flesh from skin.