Vegetables to plant in our
So. California gardens now
Beets
Be sure to thin plants to about 3″ apart and harvest when they are small for a sweet flavor. Leaves and stems are edible, steam lightly or add to a salad.
To cook, place in a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in a 450° oven for about 10-15 min. or until tender. Rub skin off with a towel
Broccoli/Cauliflower
Buy transplants in the fall and bury the stem up above second row of leaves. Try roasting these vegetables in a 450° oven. Place cut up pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and any other seasoning you may like (red pepper flakes, garlic powder, lemon juice. Roast for 10 -15 minutes or until tender.
Cabbage
Cabbage is in the same family as broccoli and cauliflower. Homemade sauerkraut is the best! Cut out the fore of the cabbage and thinly slice the leaves into shreds. Place in a large bowl, add 1 1/2 Tb. kosher or canning salt and knead or massage the salt into the cabbage until it releases it’s liquid. Pack into a quart jar with a wide mouth and pour all liquid over the cabbage. Make a brine of 1 cup water and 1 Tb. kosher salt, stir to dissolve salt and then pour it all into a quart freezer bag, place this on top on the cabbage and place a piece of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar, tie down with string or a rubber band and place in a cool, dark place on your counter. The second day, remove bag and press down on the cabbage to see if it will release more moisture. It should ideally cover the cabbage, if it doesn’t add more brine by either adding the ingredients in the freezer bag or make a new brine by stirring together 1 cup water and 1 tea. kosher salt. cover the cabbage and let stand for 3 -10 days. Begin tasting sauerkraut on the 3rd day, when it reaches the flavor you want, place a cap on the jar and store in your refrigerator.
Carrots
Make sure you have nice loose soil so the carrots can grow long and deep. Thin them when they sprout to give them room to grow, add the thinnings to your salad, soup or stew. Slow roast carrots as you would the broccoli or cauliflower. Drizzle with honey after roasting.
Leafy Greens
Lettuces, spinach, chard, mustard and kale all grow very well over the winter but plant at 2 -3 week intervals for a staggered supply of greens instead of harvesting all at once. Many greens can be lightly sautéed or eaten raw.
Onions & Garlic
Plant onions from ‘starts’ rather than from seeds. Pick short day varieties for best harvest. Scallions that are succession planted can be harvested over the winter/spring season.
Plant garlic from bulbs, plant pointed end up and cut off any green that is sprouting from the top.
Peas
Fall & Spring harvested peas are sweet and easy to grow. Plant a variety from English peas or shelling peas to sugar snap peas. Give them a trellis or cage to grown on and harvest daily for a continued harvest.
Peas and pea pods are lovely lightly steamed or even raw.
You can still plant sweet peas this month for spring flowering
