Garden Gab

Continuing in our homegrown meal, what’s a dinner without drinks?  Perhaps you haven’t opted to grow indoors this year, so fresh produce isn’t an option.  You can still add a quick treat to your menu if you managed to freeze a few good things from the garden.  If you, like me, are over ambitious when it comes to preserving, chances are you have a bag of frozen berries that never made it to the canning process.  In January and February, when grocery prices for berries are sky high and even greenhouse berries can’t compare in taste, you can provide a tremendous luxury with that little frozen bag of berries.
I’m partial to strawberries, so that’s what I’m using today, but you can just as easily use raspberries or blueberries if that’s what you’ve got.

• 1 cup berries (if they are large and frozen like mine, try thawing a little bit and squishing lightly to measure, so you don’t have lots of air space)
• 1/4 Cup sugar (you can add more if you like, but the real star here is the fresh berries, don’t drown it in sugar!)
• Juice of 3-4 lemons
• 1 cup sugar
• Optional adds: chopped fresh mint from your garden or vodka for an adults only treat!

You will want to thaw your berries just enough to blend easily, this way you don’t have to use ice.  Blend all your ingredients together for a quick berry lemonade (or berry vodka sour).  You can top with whipped cream or ice cream if you like, but try to resist adding too much extra, let your berries (or homegrown lemons) shine through.  Since we were trying for a garden theme in this special meal (we really wanted to turn our thoughts to brighter spring), we served this drink from a beautiful, clean vase rather than a standard pitcher.  When pouring it into glasses, garnish with a fresh (frozen) strawberry and a lemon slice.

Up next: Dessert from a jar- a classic cookie recipe with a homemade flair.

In the last post we discussed creating a meal from scratch for loved ones.  We baked an herb bread in preparation for a light bruschetta.  In case you are not a baker or simply don’t have time for baking a double rise bread, this bruschetta recipe is easily translated into a pasta caprese recipe simply by serving this over warm pasta rather than bread.  Or if you have a pasta maker, you can make your own herbed pasta instead of bread, you lucky, lucky duck!

For either method you will need:

• 2-3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• Basil to taste
• 2-3 tblspns balsamic vinegar
• mozzarella, sliced for bruschetta, cubed small for pasta caprese
• diced chicken breast or small Maine shrimp (optional)

As you can probably see from my photo, I only managed to produce two fresh tomatoes from my indoor plant so far (it’s still early), so I’ve mixed a few store bought in.   This is ok, your own produce will have much more flavor and you can use grocery store veggies mixed in and not sacrifice that fresh, homegrown taste.

My tomatoes are mixed, my onions were a trade with another gardener and unfortunately, the lemons are store bought (oh how I long for a lemon tree!)

Once you have cooked your chicken or shrimp (or you can leave these out if you’d rather have a vegetarian version), mix it with your veggies, vinegar and seasonings and let it sit in the fridge about 45 minutes to give everything a chance to absorb the great flavors.  Ideally, you should use fresh just-picked basil for a really fresh taste, but if you have already dried yours, try adding a sprinkle of fresh parsley or cilantro, just to add a nice green taste.  In the meantime, cook your pasta or toast your bread.  If you are toasting bread, melt slices of mozzarella over the top (for pasta caprese the cheese is added at the last second).  For bruschetta, leave the mixture of veggies, meat and seasonings cold and pour gently over the warm bread.  For pasta caprese, quickly stirfry the cooked pasta and veggie mixture just to warm.  Throw in the mozzarella after turning off the heat (it will melt slowly).

our bruschetta (along with drink and dessert)

While you can, of course, make this dish any time from store bought produce and premade bread or pasta, I promise you and your loved ones will notice the difference when you make it yourself.  The taste, especially when it comes to comparing store bought to homegrown tomatoes isn’t even close.  You will appreciate the extra time and effort it takes to make this dish from scratch.

Up next? A drink from those frozen berries you harvested this year.

Preparing a special meal from your garden

Too often, despite my best intentions, the holiday season passes with a frenzy of activity and a whirlwind of guests.  I find, after all the excitement has passed, that the people that most deserve my attention during this special time, the people that live with me and support me every other day of the year, are often the people that become most neglected.  We can and should strive to reverse this, but many of us still emerge from the holidays with a sense of guilt or disappointment over our lack of time with loved ones.  So now that the flurry of guests is over and life is returning to normal, try treating those closest to you to a very special occasion, just for them.

I know many of us are keeping some sort of kitchen garden throughout the year, whether in a windowsill or in the dooryard and some folks who can’t seem to find time or space in winter months have preserved summer garden products by freezing, canning or drying.  What better way to show your family you care than to create a special meal that you grew with your own hands?  It will definitely brighten up those drab winter days.  For this meal we chose a lighter fare with three simple dishes and used dried seasonings, fresh vegetables and frozen berries all from our gardens.  The menu is easily adapted, however to what you have growing or preserved, simply choose your favorite recipes and try to include something fresh and homegrown.  I promise you will see a difference.

In this post we’ll cover an herb bread that can make the base for a homegrown bruschetta (as we did), a side starch, or become delicious croutons in a homegrown salad.  In the following posts we’ll put the bruschetta together, make jam filled heart cookies, a frozen strawberry lemonade and dress the table for a garden them that will bring a fresh feeling to your home.

For the base of this bread you will need:

• 1 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 and 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp alt
• 3 eggs + 1 egg white
• 6-8 cups of flour (all purpose or bread flour)

To make it your own you will want to choose a variety of your own herbs or savory vegetables.  We chose oregano, basil and some of this year’s garlic since we are making bruschetta with it.  You could easily add onion or green pepper, or you could choose another set of seasonings, such as rosemary, sage or even fennel.  The key is to choose something you have grown yourself.  We needed about a tablespoon of seasoning, however ours was already dried (our fresh stuff is looking leggy and sad right now)- if you are plucking straight from your plant you will need double the amount of seasoning (dried herbs are always about double strength of fresh). 

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and milk (these liquids should be hot to the touch but not scalding as it will kill the yeast.  Add the butter, sugar, salt and 3 eggs as well as half of the flour and mix until it becomes a sticky dough.  Add your seasonings or vegetables now (quick tip: if you are using homegrown garlic like us, soften it by microwaving or baking in a small bowl just covering the garlic with water.  Microwave about 3 minutes or bake at 350 about 10 minutes.  The garlic will be soft and crushable for easy incorporation rather than hard and chunky) and gradually add the other half of the flour while mixing until you have a smooth, non sticky dough.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about ten minutes.

see the small dark flecks? Those are herbs we grew ourselves and they pack a flavorful punch!

Coat a clean bowl with a thin layer of olive or vegetable oil and turn your dough in it.  Cover with a damp towel (this prevents cracking) and let rise for about an hour.  After the bread is risen punch it down (you know it’s risen enough when your handprint stays in the dough) and decide whether you would like rolls, a braided loaf (as we have done) or breadsticks.  Shape your bread and let it rise again about half an hour.  Meanwhile, beat an egg white with a tablespoon of water.  Brush the top of your bread with this to make it a golden brown when cooked (this is also an opportunity to add more great homegrown veggies or seasonings).  Bake at 350 degrees about half an hour or until the bread sounds hollow when you tap it with your finger. 

Nothing says love like home baked bread. Especially when you grew the seasonings yourself

Stay tuned on how to turn this bread into a beautiful, elegant entree featuring your own fresh produce!

With so many folks returning to gardening as a favorite hobby, it’s really not such a big surprise that in the past year the number one special request for new homebuyers has been for the addition of a potting room.  There is so much equipment: tools, seeds, soils, compost bins, etcetera, that potting, even for indoor plants has become a major part of gardening enjoyment.

Gardeners, like all artists, enjoy a creative space seperate from everyday chores and hassles.  A potting room is not an extravagant addon as it requires little space and only a few special features, so it makes sense that even in tough times, this little luxury is a much appreciated escape.

But for those homeowners who are not planning any renovations or additions, a potting room is still within your grasp.  One of the beauties of a potting room is that it can be comfortably housed in a multipurpose room like a craft or laundry room, garage, shed or even outdoors.

The main items you will want to highlight in any potting room are:

• Light.  Since you will probably be starting seedlings in your space, ample light, whether from a sunny window or provided artificially, is crucial.
• Shelf, bin and work table space.  Be creative: you don’t need a large sprawling area, utilise trellises to hang gardening tools or build pot shelves, create deep cabinets beneath your work station to roll large bins of soil, fertilizer or even your compost heap in and out.  If you are in a larger area, such as a garage or laundry room where the wall space is all full, build a rolling island instead, so you can easily move your station when needed.
• Non permeable floor.  This might be a challenge in older houses, but you have many options available.  A garage will most likely have a cement floor that only needs to be painted with a sealer so it can be quickly hosed off.  An indoor space can be tiled or laid with linoleum to provide a quick water proof floor for heavy duty use.
• Access to water.  Whether indoors or out, access to a sink or hose are crucial, and the closer you can bring the water source to your work station, the better.

These four simple things can create  a gardening oasis for you.  Most potting rooms center around the sink or water source, since it is usually the most immovable factor due to plumbing requirements.  Start with a large one- you will want one that you can submerge most of your pots in for quick watering or cleaning.  In the long run, a stainless steel sink will serve you better for heavy duty garden projects than other materials, but don’t skimp.  If you choose one extravagant thing about your potting room, let it be your sink- you’re going to be spending a lot of time there, so make it comfortable and attractive for yourself.

We like this utility sink from http://www.remodelista.com especially for it's width and double faucet feature (one for the hose, one for the sink!)

Build your room around this feature, adding shelf and storage spaces around it and in the same style.  Don’t forget the ceiling!  Hanging pots, shelving ladders or drying flowers and herbs from the ceiling can save you much needed ground space.  Remember, this is a creative space and needs to reflect your style and comfort level so you will want to come in and enjoy it.  Add a nice chair or stool (patio furniture works great for this, it’s a snap to clean up) and decorate your surroundings with garden tiles, photos from your garden, or vintage seed packets (we found some like these at an auction, but they are also available online).

Vintage Seed packets highlight beautiful artistic renderings of fruit and flowers

Finally, add a small cork board and magazine rack to keep your seed catalogs, future plans, a planting calendar and other bits of inspiration to keep your gardening art thriving.