Simple Summer Squash Salad

A beautiful dish with fresh, homegrown produce. Use small summer squash, picked very young. It will be the star of this simple, summery, side or light supper! 

Summer Salad Poetry

Use one small squash per person 

(if serving as a light dinner) 

and slice very thinly on a mandolin

(Mine were as thin as the tine of my fork is flat.) 

Add a handful of fresh mint leaves 

(per serving) 

cut into chiffonade 

(Roll up a stack of leaves and cut crosswise into thin strips)

Toast a handful of pine nuts per serving

(over high, in a seasoned, cast iron pan-  must have)

Until golden brown and fragarant

Make a simple dressing with the magic formula

(for each serving)

1 1/2 tsp acid (here vinegar- infused with chives perhaps?)

1/2 tsp of mustard

(Dijon: Grey Poupon)

Salt & Pepper; a pinch and a pinch

Whisk now for a moment... 

          &  then slowly whisk in 1 1/2 Tb oil

Toss together the squash slices, mint chiffonade 

(oh how fancy you are)

pine nuts and dressing

A few curls of parmesan

(with a vegetable peeler)

And the flavors of summer join hands in

The End

Garden Update... Summer Lovin'

This spring was perfect for gardening; warm start, good amount of rain, happy plants.

My proudest accomplishment so far is my tomato "jungle." The 8 tomato plants (4 varieties) that I started from seed are doing amazing!!

So far I have harvested and eaten all the peas; tore them down last weekend, they were shading and encroaching on the tomatoes. We also had a great early harvest of radishes, with which I made quick pickled radishes.

We've had one Baby Gonzalez cabbage, with quite a few more to come soon.

Even had one beautiful Chioggia beet!

Onions are starting to look almost big enough to pick! And I had so many that some I planted really close and have been using like scallions, cutting the green parts as needed! 

Onions forming nice bulbs!

This bed has (left-right) Onions, Carrots (f), Beets (b) Golden and Chioggia, Cabbages, Cauliflower, Swiss Chard & Basil (not visible), some interplanted lettuce

Tomatoes :)

Green Beans
(Bush on left, Pole on right) 

Tomato Jungle, Peppers, Eggplants,
Cucumbers, Round Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Sugar Pumpkins

Yes, the tomato plants are taller than me!

 Looking forward to some delicious harvests coming soon! All ready picking beans everyday!

Quinoa Sweet Potato Burgers with

Carrot Slaw

Recipe modified from ://www.insockmonkeyslippers.com/quinoa-sweet-potato-burgers-with-snow-pea-slaw  - photo credit to above)

Serves 2 to 4

Carrot Slaw

3 carrots- shredded

1 small bunch scallions, diced

2 Tbs orange juice

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs sesame oil

1 tsp honey or mirin

1 tsp fresh grated or ½ tsp powdered ginger

pinch salt and pepper

Burgers

1 cup water or veg. broth

1/2 cup quinoa (any color or mix, rinsed)

1 sweet potato- shredded and squeezed dry

2 eggs- beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs (plus more if needed)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp dried coriander

pinch cinnamon

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil or cooking spray

Plain, non-fat yogurt

Bring water or broth to a boil. Add rinsed quinoa and cook 10-12 minutes until water is absorbed and quinoa is done. Drain any excess liquid and allow to cool.

Mix all slaw ingredients (except carrots and scallions) together. Toss dressing with shredded carrots and scallions. Set aside and allow to marinate slightly.

Once quinoa has cooled slightly, mix together with beaten eggs, bread crumbs, shredded sweet potato and spices/s&p. Form into 4 patties.

Cook patties in cast iron skillet or on griddle with a bit of oil or spray for about 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat until hot through and browned on both sides.

To serve: Place 2 Tbs yogurt on bottom of plates. Place patty over yogurt and top with a few spoonfulls of carrot slaw.

Early Spring

So, spring has sprung, and quickly!! I've been in garden mode since late winter, planning, re-planning! I've been using my newly acquired Excel skills to make spreadsheets (not the intended goal, but it's coming in handy!)

Here's a screenshot of my planting guide:

And here's my garden layout:

With the beautiful weather we've had Ben & I have all ready taken a few nice hikes. Last night we had a salad of daylilly shoots, garlic mustard greens and dandelion greens all foraged from a hike yesterday! I'll add a picture when Ben gets home with the camera! I am actually hoping for a little rain as I reminisce about the wonderful Morels I found last year!

As far as the gardening goes.... I started seedlings indoors in Feb and March. Eggplants, peppers (Cubannell and Cherry), tomatoes (five varieties), cabbage (Baby Gonzales) and cauliflower (Rainbow Mix). They're doing well and growing fast now that it's warmer in the basement under their lights!

Here they are on March 16:

And here on March 22:

Outside, our two 4'x8' beds were installed and prepared last fall:

 I added a little compost and ash (for potassium) and got to planting on St. Patrick's Day! Peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard and beets are in! 

Here are the radish sprouts:

And my newly made pea trellis:

Yesterday I got my onion sets in:

And even a few pretty flowers are coming up from the bulbs:

Stay tuned for more, I'm growing, foraging and cooking up a feast this year!

Foraging!

It's been 24 hours and we're not dead yet!

Positively identified these Oyster mushrooms! Ben and I found them on a dead tree in a flooded bog on a hike on Sunday and cooked up some Wild Oyster Mushroom Risotto last night... and survived to tell about it! This was my second mushroom find since the morels I found this spring!

Wild Mushroom Risotto adapted from Epicurious,com

Two servings as a main dish

about 28 oz beef stock (or veggie or chicken... your preference)

1.5 Tb Butter (unsalted)

1 Tb EVOO

1 Shallot, chopped

1/2 Lb Wild Mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup Arborio Rice

1/4 cup dry White Wine ( or water with 1 Tsp white wine vinegar in a pinch)

1/2 tsp fresh Thyme

2 Tb EVOO or melted butter

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat stock over low heat until hot but not simmering, keep hot.

Head butter and oil over med heat and sauté shallots about 30 seconds. 

Add mushrooms and sauté until juices are released, about 8 minutes.

Add rice and stir to coat thoroughly, cook about 2 minutes until hot but not browning.

Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost completely absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup of stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost completely absorbed (rice should be beginning to stick).

Continue adding stock 3/4 cup, then decreasing the amount after the first few minutes to about 1/2 cup at a time until rice is cooked through and tender. This may take up to 20 minutes, but start checking after 14. The last addition of stock should leave the rice slightly loose.

Remove from heat, mix in vigorously oil and Parm. 

Add thyme, season with S&P.and stir.

Enjoy :)

I would put up a picture of the Risotto finished but it's pretty brown! Really tasty though!

Would you eat mushrooms you found in the woods? If you learn enough about it first it's worth a try!

Lack of posting...

So sorry for the lack of garden updates! The weather is giving the garden a run for its money... most of the tomatoes are cracking, and things just aren't pretty enough for pictures... maybe when the sun comes out I can get a few!

Green beans have been pretty productive. I'd recommend the "Top Crop" heirloom. They have given me two huge crops and some pretty nice seeds I'm saving for next year!

The "Sungold Cherry" is a amazingly productive plant with tasty little orange tomatoes. This one has done better than the other 3 varieties I've tried this year.

My pumpkins and zucchini have been murdered by Squash Vine Borers... icky little things. I think I salvaged the big pumpkin plant- but it only has one pumpkin on it! Otherwise I had one each of sugar pumpkin and round zucchini...

I did start a new herb garden out behind my kitchen. The chives, thyme, oregano, catnip and mint that I started in pots from seed seem to like their new home there.

I planted sage and rosemary in pots to bring in for the winter, both are looking happy as well.

Carrots and potatoes have, by far, been the easiest thing to grow. Although the carrots took a few tries to get germinated (kept starting too early- crazy spring heat waves then freezing temps killed a few rounds of planting) but once they took hold they grew like mad with no bugs bothering them. The potatoes (storebought Yukon Golds that sprouted in the compost) are all ready died back and as soon as things dry out I'll be knocking over the tub to harvest! I did dig in to see what was under there and found a few big round things that look like potatoes!!

So... hopefully things will turn around a bit and I'll have some new pics for you soon!

A few pics... More to come :)

 Cucumbers!

 Swiss Chard and Pole Beans (Growing on Fence)

 Pumpkin Patch! No babies yet...

 All ready harvested this Round Zucchini! It got about 1" wider.

 Cubanells, my favorite peppers! Also have had a few jalapenos all ready!

 Sun Gold Cherry doing GREAT!

 Heirloom Tomatoes!

Carrots, just starting to peek their shoulders up... will have a close up soon!


PS: Please read about the Oak Park Michigan case!
Oak Park Front Yard Garden...