Grow What You Eat: Rosemary

I love rosemary. The problem is that I don't know what to do with it.

My staple recipe for rosemary is to add it to a skillet of sauteed onions, green peppers and feta cheese, then serve it with pita bread. Besides that, I've been at a loss this year for what to do with this beautiful herb.

I bought a rosemary plant in a 4-inch pot from the Franklin Park Conservatory on May 14, 2011 for approximately $3. I potted it in a medium-sized clay pot and ignored everything I read about using sandy soil because of laziness.

June 9, 2011

It didn't seem to mind.

August 27, 2011

I don't think I harvested anything from it until mid-September.

September 5, 2011

Since it seemed to be doing well and I checked to make sure it wasn't on the ASPCA's list of plants that are toxic to cats, I brought it inside for the winter.

October 24, 2011

Things I'll do differently next year: Find more recipes that call for rosemary.

Grow What You Eat: Basil

I bought two basil plants at Westerville Farmer's Market for approximately $2.50 for a 4-inch potted plant.

Note: All of the books I read suggested buying 4-inch plants because they will be less scrawny and will bush out better over time.

May 25, 2011

I potted each plant in a separate plastic hanging plant container that I'd saved from previous summers.

The plants started out fairly small and compact, but they grew quickly.

June 9, 2011

I started harvesting basil within a month, though I could have probably done so sooner.

A large batch of basil, harvested on June 23, 2011

I ended up making several huge batches of pesto over the course of the summer, using lemon juice, garlic cloves, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and slivered almonds, all of which I mixed together in a mini food processor.

Basil in mini food processor

Frozen in an ice cube tray then placed in freezer bags, ready to use

After a while, I found that I got lazy and stopped harvesting the basil on a regular basis. It started to lose some of its vibrant green color and when I researched the problem, I found that it was due to my lack of constant pruning.

July 9, 2011

So I tried to harvest on bi-weekly basis, and though the leaves at the bottom of the plants never bounced back, the plants started to slowly regain their color.

July 29, 2011

By the end of August the plants were looking a bit worse for the ware...

August 27, 2011

And by the beginning of September, they were all but done for the season.

September 5, 2011

Things I'll do differently next year:

Really, I think the only thing I would change for next year is to harvest more often to prevent the plant from losing its color, a la Bunnicula style.

Everything else, including the soil, pot, location and frequency of watering seemed to work well.

Grow What You Eat: Cucumbers

I heart cucumbers. They are one of the easiest, most refreshing vegetables of the summer.


(Note: This picture was taken by my sis, of Photo Kitchen fame. You will easily be able to tell the difference between her pics and mine throughout this blog, as mine are very matter-of-fact and hers are magical.)

I picked up a cucumber plant at Raisin Rack on May 18 for approximately $4. It came with only a hand-written tag that said "AC Picking Cucumber", which, after a half-hearted Google search, I assume means this?



By June 9, I could see tiny cucumbers beginning to grow. Though there were 3 or 4 babies on the plant at a time, usually only one of them grew into a full-fledged cucumber. According to this article, the shriveled baby cucumbers are due to lack of pollination. Oops.



I harvested the first cucumber on June 23. It was beautiful.



Some of the cucumbers were a bit misshapen, but still just as tasty.

I realized a bit too late that the plant was yellowing because there was a cucumber hanging out of sight over the edge of the deck. I think if I would have noticed it and picked it sooner, the plant would have started to send its nutrients to the rest of its limbs.



But the real death of the plant came with a raccoon attack. The roots were dug up and exposed. Though I tried to replant it, it soon shriveled and died.



In the end, I was able to harvest 5 cucumbers throughout the summer.

Though this variety is meant for pickling, I was too lazy to learn how, so I just ate them in my staple summer salad consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, red wine vinegar, olive oil and feta cheese.

Things I'll Do Differently Next Year:

• Try to keep the raccoons from digging up the plant (though I'm not quite sure how yet.)
• Buy more than one plant.
  
• Actually attempt to pollinate the plant by following these instructions.
  
• Try pickling?
  

CSA Diary: The Long Winter Months

So, I stockpiled some squash and other keep-long veggies for the winter. Acorn and butternut, mostly, but some delicata and spaghetti squash, too. Onions, turnips and potatoes included.

I'm not big on playing up the sweet flavors of squash, so I am always looking for more savory alternatives.



I have now found a combination that works perfectly for my salt-seeking needs:

• Squash, sauteed or cooked with broth or baked
  
• Onion, sauteed with olive oil
  
• Fake sausage, such as Soyrizo, Field Roast brand or Tofurky brand, sauteed
• Cheese, if desired

Hint to anyone who would like to learn from my mistakes: Do not ever try to peel an acorn squash. It is a bad bad idea. I wasted a good hour of my life to this effort. Slice in half and bake in the oven. Really. Unless it's the apocalypse and there is literally no fuel to spare. Butternut squash is a perfectly acceptable squash to peel, however.

CSA Diary: Winding Down

This provides a highlight of the things I've been making over the past month or so with my CSA veggies, minus the mundane and utter failures.

What I Got

• Acorn Squash
• Beets (with Greens)
• Field Greens
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Onions
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
  
• Turnips (with Greens)

What I Made

• Sausage Jumble: Boiled some Yukon Gold potatoes*. Sauteed turnips, radishes and leeks in olive oil until soft. Added Gimme Lean sausage until brown. Added turnip greens, beet greens and a can of tomatoes. Put sausage mixture on top of potatoes, then topped with mozzarella cheese and gobbled it up.
• Butternut Squash Soup: A large & very phallic-looking butternut squash, garlic, Honeyrun Farm's honey, salt, pepper, carrots, onions, celery, olive oil, Not-Chick'n Bouillon Cubes, 1% milk. (Not the best soup I've ever made, I'll have to admit.)
  
• Sweet & Tangy Salad: Tossed together field greens, dried figs, Trader Joe's Stilton apricot cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper, almonds.
• Bubbles & Squeakish: Boiled some Yukon Gold potatoes*. Sauteed leeks, turnip greens and cabbage. Added Morningstar's sausage crumbles and topped with a slice of Swiss cheese.
• Rutabaga & Broccoli Mash: Boiled rutabaga and broccoli stalks. Ran them through the food processor with butter, salt, pepper and thyme until smooth. Tastes like a very sweet version of mashed potatoes.
• Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup: Sauteed onion, celery, garlic. Added butternut squash, white wine, veggie broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, cloves and boiled until soft. Added whipping cream, oregano, salt, pepper, Great Northern beans. (A much improved soup in comparison to the soup listed above!)
• Green Spaghetti: Spaghetti with Newman's Own Cabernet Marina sauce and Morningstar Grillers Crumbles with sauteed green onions, beet greens and kale.
  

* From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA Diary: Week ???

Ok, confession time: I've had some recent CSA failures. A botched attempt at greening up some Campbell's tomato soup, a fake chicken noodle soup that had a lot of celery and not a lot else, some burned remakes of earlier concoctions...But here are a few of the not-so-bad inventions from the past couple of weeks.

What I Got

• Butternut squash
• Celery
• Edamame
  
• Radishes
• Turnips (with greens)

What I Made

• Edamame: I love to snack on edamame. Just boil them up for a few minutes and pop them out of their pods. It's important to note that the pods are not like snow pea or snap pea pods. They're tough and furry and don't feel too good going down!
• Rainbow Pasta: Chop and saute turnips, radishes, turnip greens, cherry tomatoes (that I grew!) and green onions* with olive oil until tender. Add pesto** and toss with spaghetti.
• Chimichurri Rice, Enhanced: Sauteed celery, turnips and radishes in olive oil. Added Trader Joe's chimchurri rice and Meijer organic kidney beans until warm. Topped with cheddar cheese.
  
• Pearsauce: Tried out a recipe that my sister has successfully made many times, Pear Soup. However, mine turned out more like a pear version of applesauce. Good, but not as good as Cath's! Used pears from Lynd's Fruit Farm, Wholesome Sweeteners' brown sugar from Raisin Rack and sage from Cath's garden.
• Apple Crisp: Used apples from Lynd's Fruit Farm and the Simple Apple Crisp recipe from Recipezaar, but added some rolled oats to give it some more crunch.
  

*From Clintonville Farmer's Market
**I made this pesto over a year ago. Took basil, garlic, lemon juice, almonds, olive oil and Parmesan cheese and blended in a food processor. Poured into an ice cube tray and froze. Once frozen, dumped the cubes into a plastic freezer bag and it's held up for the past year!

CSA Diary: Week Seventeen

What I Got:

• Banana Peppers
• Cantaloupe
  
• Edamame
• Green Beans
• Green(ish) Peppers
  
• Purple Onion
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
  

What I Made:

• Yellow Wax Beans* & Green Beans: Steamed the beans with butter and garlic salt.
• Veggie Omelette: Omelet filled with green pepper, banana peppers, diced tomatoes and garlic. Topped with cheddar cheese.
  
• Fake Chicken Noodle Soup: Boiled edamame and de-podded, then set aside. Boiled white carrots** with non-chicken bouillon cubes, added celery***, mixed in sauteed red pepper, garlic and onion and edamame. Added Amish egg noodles.**** Cooked until tender.
  
• Cantaloupe: Ate it plain. Yum.
  

*Courtesy of Mandy!
**Courtesy of Angie!
***From the Clintonville Farmer's Market
****From Worthington Farmer's Market

CSA Diary: Week Fourteen, Fifteen & Sixteen

Well, I think I must have hit the summer rut. I've just been making repeats of tried-and-trues for weeks now. But here's a bit of it, just in case you're dying to know what I've been putting in my belly...

What I Got:

• Edamame (pictured below)
  
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Green Peppers
  
• Hot Peppers
• Sweet Corn
  
• Yellow Tomatoes (pictured below)
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Salsa Tacos: Sauteed fake meat with finely chopped zucchini and yellow squash and packet of taco seasoning. Served in a taco shell with a crapload of fresh yellow tomato salsa (tastes the same as red tomato salsa!), some cheddar cheese and some sour cream.
  
• Green Beans: Steamed green beans with butter and garlic salt. Simple, but oddly satisfying.
  
• Colorful Veggie Pasta: Sauteed hot peppers, green pepper, garlic, edamame (boiled and de-podded first), zucchini, yellow squash, sweet corn and green beans. Tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. Topped with chopped tomatoes, slivered almonds and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
  
• Eggplant Randomness: Eggplant sauteed with hot peppers, garlic, basil, yellow squash. Tossed with marinara sauce and spaghetti. Topped with slivered almonds and feta cheese.
  

CSA Diary: Week Thirteen

What I Got:

• Garlic
• Green Beans
  
• Green Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Yellow Squash
  
• Zucchini
  

What I Made:

• Tomato & Cheese Sandwiches: White bread, toasted. Sliced tomatoes. Provolone cheese, sliced. Veganaise. Repeat many times over many days.
  
• Fried Egg on Bed of Salsa: Lots of salsa (tomatoes, green peppers, ancho peppers, garlic, onion and lemon juice.) to be eaten! This week's made a nice bed for my sad and pathetic attempts at frying an egg. Still tasty, though.
• Steamed Green Beans: Microwaved green beans for 2 minutes with garlic salt and a bit of butter. Super easy.
  
• Salty Smores: Not at all green, but oh so yummy! Graham crackers and World Market's Sea Salt Dark Chocolate, microwaved with two marshmallows for 9 seconds.
  

CSA Diary: Week Twelve

What I Got:

• Ancho Peppers
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Green Peppers
• Okra (That I pawned off onto to Susan!)
• Tomatoes (lots & lots of tomatoes!)
  

What I Made:

• Corn Salad: Green leaf lettuce tossed with corn*, tomatoes, cucumber* and salted pepitas. Topped with bleu cheese dressing (of course.)
  
• Salsa Mac: Leftover macaroni & cheese topped with fresh salsa (tomatoes, green peppers, ancho peppers, garlic, onion and lemon juice.)
• Cucumber Salad: Cucumber*, tomatoes, and white onion tossed with a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil. (I often add feta cheese to this, but was out of it, so I made the following instead:)
  
• Red, White & Green Provolone Sandwiches: White bread spread with Veganaise, layered with provolone cheese and cucumber salad as listed above.
  

CSA Diary: Week Eleven

So, I wanted to preface this post by saying that the "what I got" section of my CSA diary is a bit a-typical. This is my 4th(?) year with my CSA, and it has been a rough one. Weather has prevented our farmers from gleaning all that they had planned for in this year's harvest. This is why joining a CSA is so important to farmers. It makes it slightly less of a gamble for those using organic practices to weather out the bad years when they know that they have loyal clients who will continue to support them. It's difficult, knowing that my bounty isn't quite as plentiful as it has been in past years, but then again, it's given me an excuse to eat out more often!

What I Got:

• banana pepper
• basil
• eggplant
• garlic
• green pepper
• jalapeno pepper
• tomatoes (3 different kinds)

What I Made:

• Rainbow Salsa: I diced up the deep purple, cherry red and bright yellow tomatoes along with the green, banana and jalapeno peppers and a few cloves of garlic to make a tasty salsa. Throw in a bit of lemon and some diced onion and you're set!
• Eggplant Parmesan, Kinda: Diced up an eggplant and sauteed it with a few cloves of garlic and some olive oil. Added in some basil and some marinara sauce, then topped with almonds, mozzarella cheese and some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The almonds replaced the texture of the usual bread crumbs and added to the nuttiness of the cheese.
  

CSA Diary: Week Ten

What I Got:

• Cucumber
• Garlic
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Swiss Chard
  
• Tomatoes
• Watercress
• Yellow Squash

How I Used It:

• Polenta with Salsa: Topped Cath's super special polenta with tomato salsa from last week and fresh corn*. Yum!
  
• Cucumber: Sliced cucumber. Ate plain. Quite refreshing during these hot hot days.
• Swiss Chard Spaghetti, sans Spaghetti: Finely chopped yellow squash and garlic, sauteed, then added swiss chard until wilted. Added Morningstar Grillers, Newman's Own Marinara Sauce (both found at Target) until warm. Topped with mozzarella cheese.
• Swiss Cheese Sandwiches: White bread, mayo, Swiss cheese slices with sliced tomatoes and watercress.
  

*From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA DIary: Week Nine

What I Got:

• Cucumber
• Green Chile Pepper
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Green Pepper
  
• Onion
• Tomatillos
  
• Tomatoes
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Tomatillo Salsa: Boiled tomatillos until soft. Pureed in food processor. Diced green chile pepper, green pepper and onion. Minced garlic. Mixed together with lemon juice and cilantro. Ate with multigrain scoop tortilla chips.
  
• Tomato Salsa: Diced tomatoes, green chile pepper, green pepper and onion. Minced garlic clove. Mixed together with lemon juice and cilantro.
  
• Polenta with Yellow Squash & Cabbage: Sauteed onion, diced yellow squash and cabbage with two cloves garlic, salt and pepper until tender. Set aside. Sauteed Cath's super special polenta with olive oil until slightly crisp. Plated polenta and topped with yellow squash/cabbage, tomatoes and crumbled Morningstar bacon.
• Cucumber w/Dip: Sliced and ate with blue cheese dressing. Nothing fancy, but extremely refreshing on a 90+ degree day!
• Nuts & Such Salad: Tossed green leaf lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber, sliced almonds and blue cheese dressing.
  

CSA Diary: Week Eight

What I Got:

• Fennel
• Garlic
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Potato & Green Bean Stew: Sauteed onion* and garlic. Boiled sliced Yukon Gold potatoes (with skins) until soft. Drained, then added onion/garlic mix, 2 cups water, 2 Celifibr beef bouillon cubes**, sliced carrots*, diced zucchini and green beans*. Cooked until soft. Added peas*** and basil.
• Fennel Salad: Sliced fennel bulbs thin, then mixed with green grapes, dried figs, lemon juice and olive oil. Topped with Pecorino Romano cheese and slivered almonds.
• Almond & Cranberry Salad: Tossed green leaf lettuce & frisee with slivered almonds, dried cranberries and blue cheese dressing.
• Zucchini Muffins: Um, yeah, there's zucchini in it. Here's the recipe.
• Spaghettti without the Spaghetti: Morningstar Crumbles sauteed with kale and topped with Newman's Own marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

* From Clintonville Farmer's Market
**From Raisin Rack
***From Mandy's CSA, The Wayward Seed

CSA Diary: Week Seven

I got lazy this week and didn't cook very much. I blame the 95 degree weather and no air conditioning!



What I Got:

• Basil
• Cabbage
• Fennel
• Frisee (lettuce)
  
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Italian Sausage Scramble: Sauteed onion*, yellow squash, canned tomatoes, a bit of cabbage, Tofurky's Italian sausage and kale in a skillet. Topped with mozzarella cheese. (It's actually pepperjack in the above picture, which was just a tad too spicy.)
  
• Ramen Noodle Salad: Mixed lots of chopped cabbage with a package of crushed oriental-style ramen noodles. Mixed ramen noodle seasoning packet with olive oil and a bit of soy sauce to drizzle on top. Topped with some mixed nuts lying around the house.
• Frisee, Zucchini, Fennel & Basil: TBD
  

*From Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA Diary: Week Six

What I Got:

• Cabbage
• Garlic Scapes
• Kale
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Swiss Chard
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Zucchini & Swiss Chard Bulgar Mix: Sauteed onion*, garlic scapes, carrots*, zucchini and Swiss chard, then mixed with cooked bulgar. Then topped with shredded Parmesan and ranch dressing.
• Zucchini & Swiss Chard Omelet: Sauteed finely chopped green onions*, garlic scapes, zucchini, yellow squash and sugar snap peas with olive oil. Added eggs until cooked. Added Swiss chard until wilted. Seasoned with salt & pepper and topped with cheddar cheese, pepperjack cheese and canned tomatoes. (You may have noticed by now that I like canned tomatoes...)
  
• Ramen Noodle Salad: Mixed lots of chopped cabbage with a package of crushed oriental-style ramen noodles. Mixed ramen noodle seasoning packet with olive oil and a bit of soy sauce to drizzle on top. Would have added almonds if I had them.
• Kale: TBD
  

*From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

CSA Diary: Week Five

What I Got:

• Beets with Greens
• Cabbage
• Garlic Scapes
• Kale
• Mint
  
• Swiss Chard
• Sugar Snap Peas (not pictured, as I ate them immediately upon arrival)
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

What I Made:

• Taco Salad w/Bulgar: Sauteed grated zucchini & yellow squash with taco seasoning, minced onion & red pepper flakes. Added garlic scapes, kohlrabe greens and kale. Mixed in some canned tomatoes, Morningstar Grillers Crumbles and bulgar. Serve warm or cold.
• Chickpea & Greens Skillet Concoction: Sauteed garlic scapes, swiss chard and beet greens with olive oil. Tossed in artichoke hearts, chickpeas, canned tomatoes and Meadow Maid's feta cheese (from Worthington Farmer's Market). Added smoked sea salt (from Whole Foods) and oregano to taste.
• Cabbage Salad: Toss together chopped cabbage, mixed nuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Super simple and refreshing, but stay away if you don't like cabbage or nuts, because they are certainly not masked in this one!
• Beets: They make great presents.
  

CSA Diary: Week Four

What I Got:

• Garlic Scapes ♥ ♥ ♥
• Kohlrabe (with Greens)
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Swiss Chard

How I Used It:

• Faux-Italian Skillet Concoction: Sauteed garlic scapes and kohlrabe with pizza seasoning and minced onion until tender. Added kale and kohlrabe greens, then topped with canned tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
  
• Swiss Chard & Feta Quiche: Sauteed swiss chard and garlic scapes. Cooled and squeezed out excess water, then mixed with 6 room-temperature eggs, 2 cups unsweetened soy milk and 1/2 a brick of Meadow Maid's feta cheese. Poured mixture into pre-baked pie crust, then baked for 40 minutes at 350°F.
• Sugar Snap Peas: Easy. Dip peas in blue cheese dressing and devour.
  

CSA Diary: Week Three

What I Got:

• Spinach
• Escarole
• Green Leaf Lettuce (or Romaine?)
  
• Kale
• Field Greens

How I Used It:

• Spinach: Tossed in a salad with olive oil & red wine vinegar dressing, salty pepitas from Trader Joe's and dill cheddar curd from Blue Jacket Dairy.
• Spinach & Mint: Cooked up a box of Near East's Toasted Pine Nut Couscous, then mixed in half a can of pineapple and a bunch of chopped mint. Cooled to room temperature and served over a bed of spinach. (Thanks, Lynn for the idea!)
• Field Greens: Topped with cajun-seasoned peanuts and blue cheese dressing.
  
• Escarole: Sauteed with olive oil, minced onion and red pepper flakes. Tossed with spaghetti, artichoke hearts, a bit of mushroom broth and Meadow Maid's feta cheese (found at the Worthington Farmer's Market.)
• Kale: TBD
  

CSA Diary: Week Two

What I Got:

• Kale
• Green Onions
• Head Lettuce
• Bok Choy
  
• Spinach

How I Used It:

• Kale, Green Onions, Head Lettuce: Sauteed kale and green onions with olive oil. Added Morningstar Griller Crumbles, Simply Organic Southwest Taco Seasoning, red pepper flakes and canned tomatoes. Topped with shredded cheddar and head lettuce.
  
• Spinach: Tossed spinach with canned tomatoes, blue cheese dressing and cajun-seasoned peanuts.
• Head Lettuce: Tossed lettuce with canned tomatoes, blue cheese dressing and cajun-seasoned peanuts.
  
• Bok Choy & Green Onions: Sauteed green onions with olive oil, Tree of Life's firm tofu and San-J teriyaki sauce, then bok choy.
• Spinach: Microwaved leftover tofu, black beans, hominy, canned tomatoes, minced onion, red pepper flakes and taco seasoning. Topped with spinach and shredded cheddar cheese.
• Mint: Still TBD. Anyone have mint recipes that aren't drinks or desserts?