Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Juicing The Garden
Last year was my first venture into gardening. I found so much enjoyment in harvesting groceries from my own backyard and juicing my garden each morning that I went hog wild with the greens this year. And well, as you can see, my greens have gone hog wild!
Beeeee-uuuuuuu-teeeeee-ful!
No chemicals here.
No chemicals here.
Ever see an organic head of lettuce like that in your grocery store?
How much do they charge you?
Grow, baby, grow! I have BIG plans for you.
Its so hard to find good help these days.
Im keeping this guy!
Daily morning elixir: fresh greeeeen juice from the garden.
Cheers!
Cheers!
How green does your garden grow?
What have you planted this year?
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Plant Your Own Herb Garden In Recycled Plastic Tubs
Fresh Herbs
Some herbs taste significantly different when dried and some dont. For example, I think dried dill tastes pretty good so when I grew fresh dill last year, I didnt think it was really worth all the garden space it took. But herbs like sweet basil, parsley and cilantro, to name a few, taste completely different when they are fresh. So if you want to use fresh herbs in your cuisine, you have two choices. Buy them or grow them.
Buying herbs presents several problems. You usually need a very small amount but must buy a lot more than you need and certainly more than you want to pay for (especially when they are organic). Its also very inconvenient to have to run to the store every time you need a sprig of parsley or a tablespoon of fresh cilantro. So I like to grow my own.
Grow Your Own Herbs
I have plenty of room for vegetable gardens but this year I decided to plant my herbs in plastic tubs. The biggest reason was convenience. My gardens are in the back yard, down a flight of stairs and a ways from the kitchen. I really like to have my herbs close to where I prepare food. So this year I took a bunch of plastic tubs Ive been saving (the ones you get when you buy organic spinach and salad greens), stabbed a few holes in them with a knife, filled them with organic potting soil and planted my favorite herbs. Best of all, they are a few feet from my kitchen door!
Another advantage of tubs is that it keeps some pervasive herbs, like mint, from taking over the entire garden.
Plant What You Actually Use
When I pick out herbs, I am always tempted to buy seeds or starts of every herb on the planet. And without fail, I use the basil, rosemary, parsley, mint, cilantro and thyme and watch the other herbs bolt. So now I try to control myself and only plant what I actually use.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Garden Fresh Green Beans with Garlic Lemon and Dill
Bush beans are prolific and do not require a trellis.
Fresh dill is easy to grow.
I planted bush beans this year instead of pole beans and Im really surprised just how many beautiful, large beans come from each little plant. So many, in fact, that I really need to come up with some clever ways to prepare them. Ive never really liked to can beans since canning makes them lose their snap and frozen beans just dont compare to fresh. So I guess well have to eat them all!
Heres my favorite way to prepare green beans. Its quick and easy and a perfect dish for entertaining since it can be served at room temperature. This dish can be made an hour or so before a meal and you dont have to worry about warming it. Im lucky to have almost all of these ingredients from my garden - beans, dill, garlic and lemons.
Green beans are great in any weight loss program. They are low in calories, high in fiber and are a very good source of vitamin A (through its content of beta-carotene), C, K, folate, iron, potassium and manganese. Green beans are also a good source of protein, the B vitamins Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2) and Niacin (B3) as well as important minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper. With its vitamin and mineral content, especially that of calcium and iron, its an important vegetable for vegans and vegetarians. It is even a good vegetarian source of omega 3 fatty acids.
As a vegan or vegetarian main dish, serve over brown rice. These green beans also make a great ingredient when building a vegetarian antipasto (see my June 22, 2009 post). They make a great side dish, especially when paired with omega 3 rich grilled salmon.
***
Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill [serves 6]
4 cups whole green beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon dried or 1/4 teaspoon fresh dill (more or less to taste)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper
Steam green beans until fork tender (do not over cook). Mix together olive oil, salt, dill, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour over cooked green beans and gently toss. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Per serving: 43.5 calories, 2.3 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1.3 g protein, 5.7 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 44 mg omega 3 and 236 g of omega 6 fatty acids.
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