Catching up with Spring

I'm running about two months behind where I was last year and I think the tomato seedlings are going to end up being just as leggy as they were when they went into the ground last year. Not to worry, though. I ended up with more tomatoes than we could possibly eat last year and I imagine we will again this summer. Except this time around I am growing five varieties of heirloom seeds. More on that as we get a bit closer to harvest; I don't want to jinx my little seedlings.

Part of the delay can be blamed on the company I ordered the seeds from, which took about eight weeks to get them to my door. That was a frustrating long wait, but once I got the seeds I planted them right away and even managed to not over-plant. The other reason I am running so late is my own (admirable, I'd argue) self-restraint. Last winter I had seeds in hand and was ready to begin gardening about a month after Christmas. I grew so many seedlings that I was still trying to give them away in mid-June. By the time August rolled around, I was so sick of gardening I didn't know what to do with myself.

This year I might have over-corrected a bit. Next year I'm thinking I need to split the difference, plant seedlings in mid-March and get a proper grow light so my little seedling buddies have a fighting chance.

This weekend we are planning to tear up most of the backyard, a task that Mike finds perfectly normal and I find slightly terrifying. The end result will be two beautiful raised beds for even more vegetable bounty.

Alas, my garden is not producing all that much yet. We have some of the perennial herbs coming up as well as some self-seeded arugula that went to seed already after last week's heat wave (but in the mean time provided a wonderful salad). This is the perfect time to take advantage of all that wonderful food we froze last summer. We still have a freezer-full, and while the garden isn't producing, we may as well eat our way to the bottom.

The better part of a pig is in there, most of which is simply labeled "pork roast". The packaging gives no indication at all as to which part of the pig this might come from or how it should be cooked. It seems that there is a lack of pork roast recipes out there anyway, so I went ahead and made up a recipe to use up these "roasts".


Roast Pork with Apricots, Currants and Onions

Mike and I have eaten this twice now and both times we have finished it before I had a chance to photograph it. It is a great combination of flavors that would probably go quite well with dark meat chicken as well. This is also an excellent way to take that slow cooker out for a final spin before putting it back in the cupboard for the summer.

1 pork roast, picnic shoulder or Boston butt (about 3-4 pounds)
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or Texas 1015), sliced
6-8 whole cloves of garlic
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup dried currants
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard or coarse country mustard
3/4 cup aromatic white wine*
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat, using a little olive oil if necessary. Rotate the meat to brown all sides, approximately 3 minutes on each side.

In a slow cooker, layer the onion on the bottom, add the garlic cloves, apricots and currants and place the browned roast on top.

In a small bowl, combine the wine and mustard and whisk to combine. Add this mixture to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with thyme.

Cook on the low setting for about 7 hours or until the meat is cooked completely and fork-tender.

(serves 4-6)

*I used a Muscat from Peller Estates in Niagara on the Lake for this recipe. It was a slightly sweet white wine. A good oakey Chardonnay would be wonderful in this. Be sure to use something you will want to drink since you will have most of the bottle left!