2014 Garden

Finally here the time has come. Just a few months ago from seedlings into the ground they go just a wee plant to nourish our bodies, minds, and soul. 

What's growing?

Tomatoes grown indoors hydroponically.

Eastern Garden Vegetable Soup

A hearty blend of garden vegetables simmered in stock seasoned with garlic and a unique spice blend. (Medium Spicy - Spicy)
This soup has a surprising flavor when you think of a traditional vegetable soup. It's delicious!   


Ingredients: 

onion

garlic
celery
carrots
potatoes, 

asparagus, 
parsnips, 
yellow squash
red bell pepper
pealed stewed tomato 
brussels sprouts (whole)
cabbage (shredded)
baby spinach

butter
olive oil
tomato paste

stock 

flour

red wine vinegar
sea salt
pepper
garlic powder
ginger powder
curry powder
turmeric powder

Juicing OJ & Sprouts

JUICING ORANGES

After watching a video on youtube about the flavor packs put into 100% natural OJ I decided to try and make our own as often as possible. Since we both have family in the sunshine state how blessed are we. 

Here's a typical amount needed to fill a full carafe. We have blood oranges and tangerines. I prefer mine at room temp because you can taste more of the flavor than when it's been in the fridge for some time. I love the colors in this photo I took in the kitchen. Window lighting is my best friend and I suggest all new photographers experiment using it to meet their goals. 

SPROUTS

Easiest way to have healthy greens all year long. 

I'm a big fan and have been sprouting non-stop for the past two months with all kinds a seeds.

I use the jarring method and usually have 1 - 3 sitting on the counter top at a time. 

We put them on salads and sandwiches. Healthy... yummy... Grow your Food!!!  

  

Two tablespoons of a mixed salad blend and they are bulging out ready for eating at any stage you prefer. On this day I made salads for lunch so here they are hulls and all, and I just pinched a bit off the top, and used the salad spinner. Fast no hassle, you could actually eat the hulls with no problem. 

adding and .....

Voilà,  Bon Appetít!

Oh... here's some lentils too. 

different day... different meal still fantastic. 

Re-Growing Food From Scraps

KALE STEM

I had to add kale to this list below of an article I found today. We've been doing this experiment with the stem of the kale I posted a few weeks ago. 

After using the long leaves I place the 8" long stem into a mason jar with some water out on the porch. When it began growing leaves I pulled those and ate them and planted the stem into a bed that gets about 2hrs of sun/day. Today I went down and took this photo. 

The article below reveals 4 other examples for you to try but I'm sure there are more. Enjoy!

4 Foods That'll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps

Written by Lacy Boggs Renner

You recycle your bottles and newspapers, you upcycle thrift store finds into decor treasures, and you reuse all your plastic bags. But do you upcycle your food scraps?  We're not talking compost here, we're talking re-growing food from scraps you might have tossed.

Turns out, several odds and ends you might have tossed can be re-grown into more food!

Scallions

When your recipe only calls for the green part of the scallions, don't toss the white end with the roots. Stick it in aglass jar with a little water and the greens will grow back. You can just snip off what you need as you go. This also works with leeks.

Lemongrass

This delicious, aromatic herb is really just a grass and will grow well in a pot in a sunny spot. Take the root ends (after you've used the rest in a recipe) and put in a jar of water in a sunny spot. After a week or so, you'll start to see roots appearing. Once the roots look healthy, transplant your lemongrass to a pot and let it grow. You can start harvesting when the stalks get to be a foot or more tall.

Celery

The next time you're chopping a bunch of celery, save the root end! Place it in a shallow bowl of water, and after a few days, you should start to see roots and new leaves appear. As soon as you see these, you can plant the celery—leaving the leaves just above the soil.  The plant will continue to grow, and soon you'll have a whole new head of celery!

Ginger

Did you know that ginger makes a beautiful (and useful) houseplant? If you've got a piece of fresh ginger going spare in your fridge, you can plant it in potting soil. Ginger is a root, and before long, you'll notice a lovely plant sprouting from it. Once the plant is big enough, you can actually pull it up, whack off a piece of the root, and replant it whenever you need fresh ginger—or just enjoy your culinary houseplant.

another pizza obsession

Is this getting creepy?  Is it just me? 
I know I have a bit of an obsession for pizza but really just one in particular. . . 
The simple Margarita Pizza.... When you get down to the real thing watch out!! 
What do I mean? I can't tell you how many Sunday night's we've enjoyed that melted, cheesy & saucy mix on perfect dough this spring already. The warmer months provide a nice variety of fresh herbs and tomatoes that send my salivary glads into a bliss you either know or don't and should try very very hard to get to.
Now, PLEASE don't even think about your typical American delivery pizza okay... that would be an insult. I'm talking just a few ingredients, and a nice glass of wine. 


Dough: 

• water
• yeast
• flour
• salt
• olive oil

Sauce: 


1 - 8 oz. can pure tomato sauce (no additives, no flavor) *
salt
pepper
olive oil


Use fresh WHOLE milk mozzarella. I use a proper amount because I'm a bit crazy in love.  Drizzle with olive oil, and top with fresh basil. Don't be afraid to add the olive oil. It's fun. 
I also sometimes add oregano but that's optional.
The simpler the better. God food comes from simple whole ingredients.
Normally, I don't have my camera around for this. It's rare because by the time I've gone through the entire process I'm ready to eat and not take photos. This was taken one afternoon recently when on a whim I wanted pizza for lunch. That's why they are so small - they are individual pizza. (click on photo to see in full size)  So that's it. Thanks for stopping by.

*Why tomato in a can? Because ours from the garden aren't ready yet!
Note: chefs prefer San Marzano tomatoes.

So... This is how I like to get into the mood. This guy has some fancy moves. 

It's all in the wrist my dear. Enjoy, and till next time. 

Perfect NYC Pizza

I used this recipe, no mixer, and tweak it a bit from use to use depending on how much time I have. It always comes out delicious.

Yields: 1 large or 2 small pizzas

Prep Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 teaspoon (1 package) instant dry active yeast
• 1 cup warm water (not hot!)
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 cups bread flour, or as needed
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. Add the water, yeast, sugar, and a 1/2 cup of the flour into a mixing bowl. Stir well and let sit for 20 minutes. It will get bubbly.
2. Add olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour, and mix with a wooden spoon until it's together enough to turn out on to a lightly floured work surface to knead.
3. Knead for about 10 minutes, while adding more flour a little at a time, to produce a soft, elastic and slightly sticky dough. Do not add too much flour, just enough to keep it from sticking to the work surface as you knead.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Drizzle a few drops of oil and coat the top of dough to prevent the surface from becoming dry.
5. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
6. Punch down the dough and divide into 2 balls and place in large zip lock plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.
7. When ready to use, remove from fridge, and let the dough come up to room temperature before using. 

The Right to Know - A Message From LabelGMOs.org

http://labelgmos.org - Label GMOs, Committee for the Right to Know, is a grassroots political action group that strives to bring awareness to the public regarding genetically modified (GMO) foods. There is an upcoming ballot initiative in California to require companies to label foods that contain GMO products.

Back to the start, Chipolte Cultivate Foundation

Uploaded by chipotle on Aug 25, 2011

Coldplay's haunting classic 'The Scientist' is performed by country music legend Willie Nelson for the soundtrack of the short film entitled, "Back to the Start." Download the song now available on iTunes. Label and proceeds benefit The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.

Chickweed Salad

(click image to enlarge, look closely you'll see the flower)

Chickweed Salad 

Over Thanksgiving it was pointed out that I have tons of chickweed (an edible leaf) growing all over the new property. Today I made a salad and threw a bunch in for fun. Free food - who doesn't love that idea? 

Give it a good rinse and there you go. 

Ingredients: 

• red leaf lettuce 
• chickweed
• avocado 
• cilantro
• onion
• green pepper
• sunflower seeds
• shiitake sesame dressing :)

I've learned there are medicinal benefits to eating this common weed. It tastes a bit like corn but I also felt some kick as in a peppery flavor. Well last month Fox News showed a clip from Central Park NYC. with Steve Brill on foraging, and yes chickweed was a part of the many natural plants they found. 

Here's the link to watch: 

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/10/health-benefits-chickweed/

 Let me know if you find some outside your door. Don't be afraid to try some. ;) 

Fresh Fall Bruschetta for lunch.

All the ingredients came from the last post. DELICIOUS!