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A hotbed
gives seeds
a jumpstart
WENDY
SCHMIDT
BETWEEN THE ROWS
he other day my horse
looked at me and smiled.
Well, maybe not, but it
looked like it to me. She knows
how much she is helping my gar-
dening efforts by providing lots of
fertilizer.
Once I left fertilizer in the barn
in a big pile over by the door. I had
cleaned the floor and piled it by
the door, knowing that I would get
back later that day to pick it up.
Two days later, I saw it smoking
and about to catch fire. I could have
burned the barn down!
Shoveling it out rapidly, I
touched the shovel near my foot
and burned myself.
This action is the oxidation of
the ammonia component of the
manure. I guess that is why they
can make bombs using ammonia
compounds.
The oxidation in the pile in the
barn was accelerating from a slow
oxidation to a rapid one (fire is
rapid oxidation, which only hap-
pens when an oxygen supply is
available).
A hotbed is slow oxidation
because oxygen supply is limited,
so it is enough heat to take the chill
off of the soil — similar to using a
heat mat under potting soil to ger-
minate seeds more rapidly.
Build a hotbed using fresh
manure. We used horse manure.
Dig a deep hole and put a sub-
stantial amount in the bottom.
Add a deep layer of soil (this pre-
vents the manure from having free
access to oxygen), put a wooden
frame around it and cover it with a
window frame.
The window lets in light and
also keeps heat in. In the 1970s
that’s how I started tomatoes from
seed outdoors early in the season.
The slow oxidation puts out
enough heat to give the seedlings
a head start. Actual heat is given
off through the chemical reaction
of the manure ammonia breaking
down as it oxygenates. The
ammonia salts leach out slowly
with time and water.
All the organic fibers and nutri-
ents left in the manure from the
animal’s incomplete digestion
loosens up the soil and helps the
soil hold onto water. That’s why
“rich dirt” builds up around barns.
It’s a great idea to add manure
to a compost pile, as the plant
material needs nitrogen to decom-
pose. The heat from the manure
will kill bacteria, virus, or fungus
contained in the plant waste.
The whole reason that com-
post or manure is added to soil
is to loosen the soil so the tender
plant roots can get air. Nothing
will grow in compacted soil, not
even weeds.
Consider how a path forms:
many trips back and forth and the
air is pounded out of the soil. Com-
paction is one of the most dam-
aging things we can do to the fer-
tility of our soil.
Loosen your soil with: compost,
manure, spading, raking, hoeing
or using a spading fork; or con-
sider stepping stones and stay on
the path.
Maybe my whimsical black
mare had reason to smile, and
maybe if she’s very patient, I may
just catch on!
Living
• Prune fruit trees. Apples and
pears first. Peaches, nectarines,
and apricots should be pruned just
before they bloom.
• Seeds of slow-growing annuals
like ageratum, verbena, petunias,
geranium, coleus, impatiens, and
salvia may be started indoors.
• Sow seeds of larkspur, sweet
peas, Shirley poppies, and snap-
dragons where they are to grow
outdoors.
• Dormant sprays can be applied
to trees and shrubs. Do this on a
mild day when temps are above
freezing.
• Save grape vine prunings to
make attractive wreaths.
Happy gardening and thanks for
reading!
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Celebrate spring with
strawberry pie
T
Garden chores
B
By BEN MIMS
Los Angeles Times
A
lthough strawberries scream “summer” to
most people, to me they carry a lot of BSE:
Big Spring Energy. That’s because growing
up in the South, the first strawberries of the year hit
markets in early March. And while those early-season
berries weren’t as sweet as those that came at the start
of summer, I always loved them more. Their slightly
sulphuric, sour flavor made them ideal for baking since
it helped to cook them down with sugar so as to make
them as candy-like as their late-season siblings.
The early-spring strawberries are
now in Southern California, along
with all the mania that manifests
when everyone returns to a specific
fruit at the perfect time of year to
eat it. I mostly refuse to eat straw-
berries throughout the rest of the
year, waiting for those first berries
of spring to kick off the season that
lasts until the last super sweet ber-
ries leave in the summer. And right
now, all I want to do is bake things
with these new berries.
My current baking project
is a cold pie that incorpo-
rates the cooked-down
strawberries into a
“Black Forest”
flavor profile, a
request from my
partner. Instead
of using cher-
ries, which
I often find
need a lot of
help to coax
that enticing
“red” flavor
from within,
early-season
strawber-
ries have the
robust, tangy
flavor I want
— when cooked
and condensed, the
acidity balances all
the sugar and allows for
an exponentially greater ber-
ry-full flavor.
To complete the inspiration, I
spread a layer of chocolate pudding
over the jammy berries, followed
by a layer of whipped cream to cut
all the richness. In that last layer,
I use cornstarch and gelatinto help
set the whipped cream and prevent
weeping — when water separates
from the dairy fat — which can
happen as it sits. It’s a technique
— to help set the whipped cream
on the outside and keep it stable,
sliceable and soft — I learned from
making a traditional Black Forest
cake.
First you make a pudding by
cooking a small amount of milk
with cornstarch and sugar, then you
dissolve gelatin into the pudding
and, finally, fold it into the whipped
cream to stabilize it. It may seem
unnecessary, but when you work
so hard on a pie like this, you want
to ensure it sets up and comes out
looking beautiful with each slice —
now is not the time for those fash-
ionably floppy pie fillings.
The crust is an homage to choc-
olate-flavored Teddy Grahams
cookies, which have the perfect
lite-chocolate flavor I’m after, and
are balanced with the earthiness
of graham crackers. But because
they’re often difficult to find, I
came up with my own amalga-
mation of the cookies using plain
graham crackers and cocoa powder
to mimic the flavor. With all the
intense fillings above it, this crust
is refreshingly tame in comparison
and a cinch to make since rolling
out pastry would be overkill here.
To garnish, I use some simple
shaved bits of chocolate and, if I
want to really impress (I always
do), a sprinkling of ground freeze-
dried strawberries. It’s a luscious,
sensual pie using a berry that, for
now, is happy to play with other
strong flavors until it’s ready to
show its sweet
side.
Susana Sanchez/Los Angeles Times-TNS
The arrival of strawberry season calls for a
celebratory cold strawberry pie.
STRAWBERRY
FOREST PIE
Recipe by Ben Mims
Time: 2 hours
Yields: Serves 8
Tart, early-season strawberries replace
cherries in this creamy and cold “Black Forest”
pie. The jammy berries add brightness to the
rich chocolate pudding layer above, while the
cream layer offers a reprieve from the intense
flavors below. This pie uses gelatin and corn-
starch to set the cream layer so that it slices
cleanly and evenly with each serving. Serve
this pie chilled with extra fresh strawberries
on the side, if you like.
For the crust:
140 grams (1 1/4 cups) graham
cracker crumbs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
For the strawberry layer:
147 grams (12 ounces) strawberries,
hulled and quartered
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the chocolate pudding layer:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup whole milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
(preferably 70%), finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the cream layer:
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons
whole milk, divided
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Finely ground freeze-dried strawberries and/
or grated dark chocolate, to garnish
1. Make the crust: Heat the oven to 350
degrees. In a large bowl, add the cracker
crumbs, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and butter,
and mix with your fingers until evenly com-
bined. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch metal
pie pan and press evenly into the bottom
and sides of the pan. Bake until darkened a
shade lighter at the edges, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the crust to a wire rack and let cool
while you make the strawberry layer.
2. Make the strawberry layer: Combine
the strawberries, sugar and salt in a small
saucepan. Place over medium heat
and cook, stirring every minute
or so, until the strawberries
have mostly collapsed,
there are no rigidly solid
pieces left and there is
plenty of syrup around
them, about 10 min-
utes. Meanwhile,
in a small bowl,
stir together the
cornstarch and
water. Pour
the cornstarch
slurry into
the berries,
and contin-
ue cooking
until the liquid
thickens (some
of the berries will
break down into
the syrup), about 1
minute. Remove the pan
from the heat, and stir in the
vanilla. Scrape the strawberries
into the pie crust and spread into an
even layer. Let cool while you make the
chocolate pudding layer.
3. Make the chocolate pudding layer: In
a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar
and cornstarch, then mix in the egg yolks.
Add the milk, and stir until smooth. Place
the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring
constantly, until the pudding begins bub-
bling, about 4 minutes, then keep cooking,
stirring constantly, until the pudding is thick,
about 1 minute more. Remove the pan from
the heat, and stir in the chocolate and butter
until both are melted and smooth. Stir in the
vanilla and salt, then scrape the chocolate
pudding over the strawberry layer. Spread
into an even layer and let cool completely.
4. Make the cream layer: Sprinkle the
gelatin over the 2 tablespoons milk in a bowl;
let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.
Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a
small saucepan, then add the remaining 1/2
cup milk and place over medium heat. Cook,
stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to
the consistency of very thick pudding, 4 to 5
minutes, then remove the pan from the heat,
and stir in the gelatin mixture until it dis-
solves fully. Scrape the gelatin mixture into a
large bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally,
to room temperature.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream
and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Add one-
third of the whipped cream to the gelatin
mixture, and stir until smooth. Add the
remaining whipped cream, and gently fold
with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.
Scrape the whipped cream over the choco-
late layer, and smooth the top. Cover loosely
with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least
4 hours or overnight.
6. When ready to serve, sprinkle the top
with chocolate shavings and/or ground
freeze-dried strawberries. Serve immediately
while chilled.