I'm not sure where the question was in your statement, but I think you say you have too much water in your growing medium? You didn't specify what that medium your growing in was? We need more information before we can help you.

Thx gals-- Sorry to remind you Annie but when you have a family the size of mine you have to start Early ! OK Monique-- here's the recipe from "The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving" 2nd edition Ellie Todd & Margaret Howard Sweet Onion & Fennel Relish 1 lrg sweet onion, such as Spanish or Vidalia ( about 8 oz/250g) 1 fennel bulb ( about 10 oz/275g) 1 sweet red pepper, sliced into thin strips 2 1/2 tsp pickling salt , divided ( 12mL ) 1 1/2 c. white wine vinegar ( 375 mL ) 1/2 c water ( 125 mL ) 1/4 c granulated sugar ( 50 mL ) 2 bay leaves 8 black peppercorns Slice onion in half lengthwise, then in very thin slices crosswise to form half circles. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise & remove core; thinly slice crosswise to form half circles. Place fennel, onion & red pepper in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with 2 tsp salt. Toss & let stand for 4 hrs. Rinse twice and drain thoroughly. Combine vinegar, water, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in lrg stainless or enamel saucepan Bring to a boil over high heat. Add vegetables & return just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Remove vegetables from liquid with a slotted spoon & pack into hot jars. Pour liquid over vegetables, leaving 1/2 head space. Add bay leaves & peppercorns. Process ( WBC) 10 min for 1/2 pts, 15 min for pts. makes 4 c. ( 1 L )

Mmmm...when it comes to veggies, I often think Indian: Rasedar (vegetables in cumin scented tomato gravy) 2 T ghee or vegetable oil 1 t cumin seeds 1 T peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger 1 T ground coriander 1 1/2 t ground cumin 3/4 t ground tumeric 1/2 t cayenne pepper 1 c (5 oz) peeled, chopped boiling potatoes 2 tomatoes, pureed 2 c chopped mixed veggies 2 c water or chicken stock 1 1/2 t salt, or to taste 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro Over a medium high heat, saute the cumin seeds until they turn dark brown (about 15 seconds). Stir in the ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric and cayenne. Stir for a few seconds and then add potatoes, tomatoes, vegetables, water or stock and salt. Bring to a boil over a high heat, reduce to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are quite soft, about 15 minutes. With the back of a spoon, crush some of the vegetables to thicken the sauce. Correct for seasonings, and serve sprinkled with cilantro...if you loathe cilantro, some parsley or mint would be nice...maybe fresh dill) (For your purposes, I would use a mixture of cauliflower, broccoli, yams and peppers for this dish) Punjabi Cabbage 1/2 onion, roughly chopped 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 1 or 2 green chili (such as serrano), seeded chopped (optional) 4 T ghee or veg oil 1 t cumin seeds 1 t ground tumeric 1 lb green cabbage, finely shredded 1 t salt 1/2 t black pepper 2 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1/4 t chili powder 1 T butter Put the onion, garlic, ginger and chilies in a food processor and chop until finely chopped but not a paste. Heat the ghee or oil over low heat and fry the onion mixture until it softens. Add the cumin seeds and turmeric to the pan and stir for one minute. Mix in the cabbage, and mix well. Add salt, pepper, ground cumin, coriander and chili powder. Stir to coat the cabbage, then cook for 10 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is soft. If the cabbage starts sticking to the pan you can add a tablespoon or so of water. Stir in the butter and add salt to taste. Radish Salad 1 1/2 c small radishes, quartered 1 T oil 1/4 t cumin seeds 1/4 t mustard seeds (preferably brown, but yellow is fine) pinch of asafoetida (you can sub a pinch of garlic powder) 1/4 t ground turmeric 1/4 t salt 1 T lemon juice 2/3 c roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped Heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds, cover and shake the saucepan until the seeds start to pop. Add the asafoetida, turmeric and salt to the pan and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and allow to cool. Just before serving, arrange the radishes and peanuts in a bowl, pour the dressing over and mix thoroughly. Radish Leaf Soup If your radish leaves are fresh, I would start with a cream of radish leaf soup. I don't really have a recipe as I just make it, but... Chop a smallish onion, a stick of celery and a large peeled potato, diced small in butter over a medium heat until the veggies soften and are just starting to turn golden. Add 4 c of chicken or vegetable stock, bring to a boil and reduce to a fast simmer. While the vegetables are simmering, sort your leaves, discarding any that are yellowed. Wash them very well and chop coarsely. If you don't have at least 2 cups of packed leaves, augment them with some frozen spinach or other green. You didn't say whether your carrots had greens, those would be ideal. When the veggies are soft, add the greens and cook until softened, but still bright green. Puree the mixture in a blender or with a stick blender and add a cup or two (to taste) of half and half or if you're feeling really decadent, heavy cream. Season with white pepper and salt to taste. This will not make a really thick soup, relying as it does on the potato and pureed veggies for thickening so if you really prefer cream soups to be thick, you can thicken it with roux at the stage just before you add the greens...you don't want to cook the greens too long and lose that fresh flavor. Pomegranate Raita 2 c good quality, plain yogurt (preferably NOT low fat) 1 or 2 pomegranates...depending on size. (You should have about 3/4 c seeds to mix in, a couple of tablespoons for garnish, and a couple more tablespoons to make a bit of juice.) 1/2 c thinly sliced green onions (or more or less, depending on your taste for onions) 1 t salt 1 t sugar Mix the pomegranate seeds, onions, salt and sugar with the yogurt, reserving the ones for garnish and juice. Squeeze the ones you reserved for juice carefully and add the juice to the raita (mostly to give it a nice, pink color). Sprinkle the reserved seeds on top. I often add julienne mint or cilantro to this raita, occasionally toasted cumin/mustard seeds. Some people add chilis to their raita, but I generally want it as a cooling agent when I serve spicy hot curries or dals so I leave that out. This raita will go well served on the side of your vegetables in the tomato gravy, especially if you make it spicy. By the way, in case you don't already know this...the easy way to take apart your pomegranates is in a large bowl of water. Under water, cut out the blossom end. Then using your thumbs in the hole, pull the fruit apart and start to break up the sections and push the seeds out. The good seeds will sink, and the membrane and pith float. Easier to separate them that way, and not as messy! How about some Carrot Halva for dessert? 2 lbs carrots, coarsely grated 4 c milk 1/3 c ghee or veg oil 1 c sugar 2/3 c raisins (I like dried cranberries for this) 1 t cardamom seeds, finely ground 1/2 c slivered almonds ground cardamom Simmer the carrots in the milk until the carrots are tender and the milk evaporates. This must be done slowly or the mixture will burn. Add the ghee or oil and cook until the carrots start to brown. Add sugar and cook until the mixture is thick and dry. Add raisins, cardamom and almonds. Serve hot in small bowls, with whipped cream or ice cream and sprinkle with ground cardamom. There, all you need is basmati rice on the side. I would probably add a simple dish of dal as well, since I have a hard time eating Indian food without it. Did I miss anything?

Here's a good one that I've made from the healthy GI diet cookbook: Cranberry-Almond Biscotti ************************* Makes about 20. Ingredients: Juice and zest of 1 orange - (my orange yielded 1/2 cup of juice) 1 TBSP Amaretto liqueur - ( I used 1 teasp almond extract) 1/2 cup (1 x 75 gram pack) dried cranberries 1 3/4 cups (250 grams) (9oz) wholewheat flour 1/2 cup (8 TBSP) sugar substitute (I use granulated fructose) 1 teasp cinnamon 1/2 teasp baking powder 1/2 teasp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) 1/4 teasp ground nutmeg 1 large egg 1 egg white 1/3 cup (50 grams) (2 oz) toasted almonds, chopped 1. Heat the orange juice, Amaretto and cranberries in a small saucepan just until hot. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the juice. 2. Preheat the oven to 350F (177C) (Gas 4) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. 3. Mix together in a large bowl the flour, sugar substitute, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg. 4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, egg white, orange zest and 2 TBSP of the reserved juice. Stir this into the dry mixture until combined, adding more juice if necessary to make the dough moist. Stir in the almonds and cranberries. 5. With lightly floured hands, shape into a 16 inch (40 cm) log, then flatten slightly. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm. Slide log onto a cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes while you reduce the oven to 320F (160C). 6. Cut the log diagonally into 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick slices. Place on the baking sheet, leaving a 1 inch (2 - 3 cm) space between each slice. (I didn't have room to do that...mine were touching.) Bake until golden brown and crunchy, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool on the rack. The Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week or wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. Source: Rick Gallop's GI Diet Greenlight Cookbook *************************************** SharonCb