Garden Hiatus

What could possibly be more therapeutic than gardening?  Ahhh, the feel and smell of fresh dirt.  The knowing that soon cute sprouts will be popping up and making new life.  And the satisfaction that my produce will be far less pricey than the store-bought variety!  Pure pleasure!

Tonight I decided to take a break from my writing and studies and RELAX!  I had prepped my garden spot a couple weeks ago, but have not been able to commit time to dig and sow my seeds.  I felt guilty just thinking about it.  One of my garden areas is already established (I got to it before the chaos began).  In that spot I have:

• Beef Steak Tomatoes (they survived the winter!)
• Roma & Grape Tomatoes (gifts from my compost)
• Basil
• Thai Basil
• Parsley, curly & Italian (I enjoy both!)
• Lemon Thyme
• Romaine Lettuce
• Rosemary
• Mint (in a POT)
• Lavendar
• Bell Peppers
• Jalapenos

Tonight I planted the following (so excited!):

• Purple Carrots
• Beets
• Mizuna (I have recipes for this great green, too) 
• Pole Green Beans
• Purple Lettuce
• Golden Carrots
• Cilantro
• Fennel
• Mammoth Dill
• Varieties of Sunflowers (so pretty cut and they feed my finches!)

We'll see how my garden grows!  Send me well wishes and love for my babies.  I'll be sure to whip you something up with my bounty if you come for a visit!   I hope you decide to plant your garden.  My book of choice is Mel Bartholomew's Square Food Gardening and my favorite helpful website is the classic Farmer's Almanac.  

Cheers to Dirty Nails~

Wendy Jo

Spring is in the Air & in my Garden!

For the past two weeks I have been traveling, and haven't had a chance to sit down and post a blog. My apologies! But, after some requests I feel it's time to share some spring ideas to help your mouth ready for the succulent treats of spring!

Spring Salad--Inspired by a Cooking Light recipe in April 2009
Ingredients:
5 radishes, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 carrots, use a vegetable peel to make long slices
4 cups lettuce--your choice! Arugula & Mizuna worked fabulously in this recipe
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tb. mint, chopped*
2 Tb. parsley, chopped*
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 Tb. olive oil
1/2 ts. kosher or sea salt
5-6 grinds on a pepper mill
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:
In a large bowl toss all vegetables together. Top with herbs, then lemon zest and juice, and finish with olive oil. Toss again. Sprinkle with S&P and crumble goat cheese over top. Serve!
*Note, any fresh herbs can work--this is just some of what I grow; thus, it's what I used! Cilantro, basil, thyme, or dill could all work in this!

Along side of this fabulous salad I served Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa! YUM!
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, skinless & boneless
3 limes, juiced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 ts. salt
3 Tb. olive oil
Directions:
Marinate chicken breasts in above mixture for at least 30 minutes, and no more than 4 hours. Grill on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes on each side. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165*F on a meat thermometer.

Mango Salsa
Ingredients:
1 mango, cut into small cubes
1/4 red onion, minced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 avocado, cubed
1/2 jalapeno (or more who like heat), minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt to taste
Directions:
Mix & immediately serve over chicken breasts!

My whole meal was Spring Salad, Chicken breasts with Mango Salsa, Black Beans, & Brown Rice. The above serves 4 and took about an hour to pull together! Enjoy!
Oh, and my camera broke; thus, I will post pics when I can!

Mizuna Madness

I can't get enough of this green! Too bad you cannot find it in every market. You often find it hidden in "Mixed Greens," but it's rare to find it on its own. Mizuna is packed with Vitamin A, Folate, and other fabulous phytochemicals (cancer fighting chemicals) such as glucosinolates. For those of us in San Diego, Mizuna grows year round! Inspired to try something new tonight I pulled out my goodie bag from the CSA and prepared sauteed carrots over mizuna with herbed goat cheese! WOW! I pulled an orange from my tree and squeezed out some juice and topped it off with a splash of olive oil! Get inspired by fabulous flavors and the world is yours!

Edible Box of Organic Goodies

My senses overwhelm me every time I pick up my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box of goodies. My mind quickly wanders through my internal cookbook and begins calculating delicious treats for the week ahead. This week might have some unusual vegetables for some; thus, I thought I'd give you some ideas on ways to make these delectable greens work for you.

Click the picture for greater detail

Mizuna has almost a citrus flavor; so, I generally roughly chop it and toss it with either lemon or lime juice (whatever I have handy), olive oil, French Feta (different from Greek) or Goat Cheese, and cracked pepper. My taste buds are already craving this!

Dandelion Greens is similar to spinach; thus, you can do a flash saute or add it to a soup or in place of spinach or tradition greens.

Broccoli Greens, yes, the entire plant is edible and delicious. Broccoli greens taste similar to cabbage. They make a great addition to a lasagna, spaghetti sauce, or braised in chicken broth.

Beets are also completely edible. To keep them fresh avoid cutting off the leaves. Beets are fabulous roasted or boiled and then tossed in a salad with fennel and fresh herbs for a fabulous salad. Beet greens are also similar to greens or spinach and pair well with a citrus sauce or orange segments, fresh garlic, and crumbled goat cheese. Try it~you may surprise yourself and your family!

Although the remaining vegetables are familiar I will share what I plan to create with them:
Zucchini Muffins with orange zest and cranberries
Grilled potatoes with lemon zest
Caprese salad (tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella)
Fall salad (apples, peppers, lettuce, orange segments, cheddar cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil)
Carrots are my dog's, Jake & Hilly, favorite treats; so, the bulk of those gorgeous carrots are for them. It's a great dose of fiber and carotenes for them, too!

Feel free to post me a comment or email me if you would enjoy a specific recipe for any of the above treats or if you need more inspiration in your kitchen. For more great ideas check out some of my favorite web-based recipe boxes:
http://www.epicurious.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
http://www.allrecipes.com/