It's a big deal.
This year Mark and I will have our garden on our property, which means greater success and less water to lug (dragging 30 gallons a day over two miles to our last site started to feel more like a chore than glorious growing).
We made a trip out to Murray Farms Greenhouse in Concord last weekend and had to cut ourselves off after 6 heirloom tomato varieties, a handful of eggplants and more jalapenos than you can shake a stick at.
Hello, lovelies.
I find Japanese eggplant varieties to have some of the most beautiful foliage.
Don't you agree?
So, it isn't safe to put anything in the ground yet. Which is frustrating, because I just want to start gardening already! In the mean time I've been trying to get my veggie fix in new and different ways. Asparagus has been almost an every day thing in my world, which is great because the stuff is delicious. For a client of mine who is adverse to peas, I've used it as the veggie in my Spring Pasta with Chicken to great success:
Spring Pasta with Chicken
Serves 4 (give or take, I eye-ball everything)
One bunch of asparagus, cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
4 Chicken Breasts
1 cup of frozen peas (optional)
1/2 cup diced Pancetta
2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups whole wheat pasta
Salt and Pepper to taste
First things first: season and brown the chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet with a quick spray of canola oil. Finish them in a 350 degree oven until cooked through. Cube and set aside.
While the chicken is cooking, start a pot of boiling water and cook pasta according to box directions.
To the skillet, add the pancetta. Removed the cooked bits and set aside. Add the cut asparagus to the skillet and cook until bright green. Add the asparagus to the chicken. By this time your pasta should be finished. Add the pasta to the asparagus and chicken, with a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Mix together.
Next add the parmesan cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for garnish. Add the heavy cream and mix it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish the pasta dish with remaining cheese and the pancetta bits.
This stuff is a knock out and it's super easy to throw together.
Something that also happened recently- I hung out at Cole Gardens for an afternoon helping CYPN with a Lunch and Learn event. I gabbed about pantry items to keep on hand in preparation for drowning in veggies come July and August. I also handed out a bunch of recipes to folks that can help them make the most of their harvest. And here they are:
Basil
Pesto
2 to 3 cups basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup extra-version olive oil,
divided
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Combine first three ingredients in a food processor
and pulse until coarsely combined. Add ½ cup of the oil and process until
smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
While processor runs, add remaining oil until a smooth consistency is
achieved. Transfer to a serving bowl and combine with parmesan cheese.
Pesto is easily frozen in ice cube trays and can
last up to 90 days in your freezer!
Quick
Cherry Tomato Sauce
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced or
minced
Flavor enhancer: anchovies,
pancetta, sweet bell pepper, hot chili pepper, whatever you have on hand.
Enough cherry tomatoes- cut in
half- to fill a large sauté pan.
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Additional garden veggies of your
choice- the sky is the limit.
Saute garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Before
the garlic browns, add any flavor enhancers you want. Anchovies are a great
idea for a salty and savory sauce, as is pancetta. For a sweeter sauce, red
bell peppers help. Allow your flavor enhancer to cook for a few minutes before
adding the cherry tomatoes. After the tomatoes simmer long enough to start to
break down, add any additional vegetables you would like in the sauce. Allow to
simmer for a few more minutes, and then add herbs to finish. Enjoy with pasta,
chicken, fish, really anything you want an acidic and delicious kick with.
Tarragon Grilled Shrimp
Dozen
Jumbo Shrimp, shells on
Juice
of one lime
¼
cup Olive Oil
2
Tbs Tarragon
2
cloves of garlic, minced
Salt
and Pepper to taste
Allow
shrimp to marinate in mixture for at least two hours, tossing once to recoat
the shrimp. Grill shrimp on a hot grill until just pink on either side. Serve
with lots of napkins. This appetizer is delicious, but very messy!
Tzatziki
Sauce
1 cup of plain yogurt
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 small garden cucumber, diced
1 Tbs fresh dill, mint, or parsley,
chopped
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or run
over a microplane
Salt and pepper to taste.
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and allow
the mixture to sit in the fridge for an hour. Serve with meat, vegetables, pita
bread … this sauce is good on everything!
Zucchini
Pasta with Fennel
2 lbs zucchini squash
I bulb of fennel, thinly sliced,
with one table spoon of fronds saved, chopped
Juice of one lemon and 1 Tbs lemon
zest
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice zucchini to
produce pasta like strands. Transfer pasta strands to bowl and combine with
remainder of ingredients. Toss together and serve.
BAM! There you have it, more recipes than I've ever posted before! And just in time for you to pull on the gardening gloves, pick up your favorite shovel, and start dreaming of all the delicious things you can grow.
When in doubt, start an herb garden. Not sure how to go about it? Call me. I'll set you up for $60, plus the cost of herbs. Then you can pretty much ignore them for the rest of the summer and reap the amazing benefits.
Trust me. It's worth it.
Another thing I wanted to mention: the fantastic annual Merrimack County Savings Bank Rock 'N Race for Concord Hospital's Payson Center for Cancer Care. This was my fourth or fifth year participating and I have to say it just gets bigger and better every year. I finished in 29 minutes, which isn't my best time, but it also isn't my worst. Truly, I was hoping for better. There is always time. My future goals are to run farther distances. I could use some LSD in my life (Long Slow Distance). I consider running my time to meditate and it has helped me keep my mind and body right among the stresses of starting and maintaining a business. So far, so good. So happy, so healthy.
Reach for the sun, ya'll. And happy Friday! xo
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