Fresh Garden Salsa

Judy made this season’s first salsa yesterday.  It’s about as local as you can get. Everything in it is from the garden except the lime. Here’s the recipe: 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes – red, yellow, orange – most any tomato will work, but the cherry tomatoes, especially the orange Sungolds, give it a particular zing. ¼ c. chopped red onion 3 cloves garlic – chopped finely 1 T. hot pepper (or to taste) – chopped finely ½ c. cilantro – chopped 1 lime –...

Summer Veggie Harvest

We spent an extra long weekend in Pittsburgh for the Garden Writers’ Conference, touring public and private gardens, learning what garden writers learn when they go to school, and connecting with old friends and making new ones. When we came back last Tuesday the garden was bursting with produce. The big bowl above is just  a small portion of what we’ve harvested in the last couple of days. Of course, I had to make our favorite summer casserole which uses up...

Garlic Scapes

For years we grew soft neck garlic – because that’s what we got started with. It’s only been about the past 5 years that we switched to mainly hard neck types. We found a lot of different hard neck varieties at farmers’ markets and garlic festivals that looked intriguing, from small to huge, red to tan and mild to spicy.  Each garlic type has an individual flavor.  It’s been fun to grow the different types but we’re certainly not connoisseurs. When cooking I’d...

Plumcot Crisp

A few years ago, I planted a plumcot tree in my front yard.  A plumcot is a cross between a plum and an apricot.  Two years ago I had a moderate harvest, and last year nothing.  But this year, I have an abundance of fruit that I have been eating, preserving, cooking, and giving away. So far, I’ve had minimal bird damage and almost no other pest damage, but I know from past experience that birds and possums can ruin the crop overnight.  So I’ve been...

Garlic Roasted Potatoes with Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

We had a nice picking of parsnips this spring so I’ve been doing some experimenting. This morning for brunch I mixed the old with the new, so to speak. Using last year’s potatoes, garlic, and sweet potatoes I added in new parsnips and topped the roasted veggies with freshly picked and chopped spring onions. It was absolutely scrumptious! Here’s how: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2 cups diced potatoes 1 cup diced sweet potatoes 1 cup diced parsnips 5 cloves garlic,...

Asparagus Parsnip Sauté

Last night’s repurposed meal was accompanied by an asparagus parsnip sauté. The main course was left over chili and leftover rice mixed together, topped with shredded cheese and rolled up in corn tortillas. The little burritos were heated in the microwave for a couple of minutes and topped with salsa and cilantro. Now, on to the sauté. Tis the season for asparagus and this was our second little picking. It was not quite enough for two so I peeled and chopped a...

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