The Garden: From Seeds to Starter Plants

This year we started getting our 2010 garden ready back in mid-February.  We decided to start some of the plants from the seed stage and grow them large enough to be planted in our garden a couple of months later.  By following a chart that lists the planting dates for our area, we were able to plant several types of vegetables as early as February.  There are several types of plants that we can still start from the seed stage now and have them ready to plant when we get our garden planted by the end of May.

Although there are several ways you could organize your planting process, I will share what has worked well for us.  We call it our Planting Map.

The Lemon Cucumber

Let me introduce you to a lesser-known cucumber, but an oh-so-tasty one: The Lemon Cucumber.

We've planted cucumbers in our garden each year since I was a kid and my Mom has always made fresh pickled cucumbers every summer for our family. Over the last several years we've planted a heirloom cucumber variety called Lemon Cucumbers. These cucumbers are round and are about the size of a baseball. Despite the name, Lemon Cucumbers don't taste like lemons, but can take on a yellow coloring that is similar to the yellow of a lemon. As you can see from the picture, there is a slight yellow hue, but to me they are more of a light green. Also, they taste very much like other cucumber varieties, and for a bonus, they are crunchier, which I love and they taste delicious, especially when pickled.



Today when my Mom came in with a dozen of them, just picked from the garden--I knew she was going to make them into the homemade pickles--so yummy! If you want to make something that is cool and refreshing and only takes about 10 minutes of prep time and then an hour till it's ready, then this recipe is the one for you.

Quick & Easy Cucumber Pickles

Lemon Cucumbers (or any variety of your favorite cucumber)
Walla Walla Onions (these are a milder onion with a sweeter flavor, but yellow onions will also work)
2 parts vinegar
1 part water

1) Peel and slice cucumbers.

2) Peel and thinly slice onion (keep them in a circle shape, not chopped).

3) Put cucumber-onion mixture into bowl or jar (large enough that the vegetables are immersed when liquids are added).

4) Add vinegar and water (adjust to taste; if it's too sharp, add more water).

5) Cover bowl/jar and refrigerate at least 1 hour, before serving.

*Eat as a snack, with a meal or add to your favorite summer garden salad.

Lavender Inspired Cupcakes

I like experimenting with cupcake flavors.

The flavor combinations are endless--so many possibilities! Cupcakes are quick and easy to make, you don't have to feel guilty by eating an entire cupcake in one sitting (see you can't say that about eating an entire cake) and with the right recipe they are oh-so-tasty!

Ideas or inspiration can come from different sources. Today it was the direct approach when my Mom made the comment "You should make lavender cupcakes," because I had some extra lavender-colored buttercream from a Birthday Gift Cake I had made for a client earlier today.



And as it just so happens, we grow lavender in several varieties, including English Lavender, which is the best one for baking (aka Culinary Lavender).



After doing some quick research online and reading about the different ways you can incorporate the lavender, I decided to use the lavender we had gathered in bunches and hung from a rod to dry out (we have this in a very small closet-like space which stays warm and is perfect for drying out flowers and herbs).



Next, I used a small coffee grinder that I use solely for grinding herbs and spices and it worked perfectly. I wanted the lavender seeds to be small, but not too small that it turned to a powder. I made my favorite white cake recipe, adding some lemon zest, lemon juice and towards the end of mixing, I added the ground lavender. I also tinted the batter a pale lavender color.

As I mentioned before, I had a White Chocolate-Vanilla Buttercream to frost the cupcakes with and I added some freshly cut lavender for decoration. Ta da!

*Although I love the smell of lavender, when it comes to incorporating it in my food, I tend to appreciate just a hint of lavender flavor, rather than it being the main focus. I added about 1 Tbsp. of the ground lavender for 1 dozen cupcakes, and for me, it was perfect. If you like a stronger flavor, I would maybe double or triple that amount.

Monday Must Have: Home Grown Food

During the summer our family loves to eat most meals straight from the garden and right now the lettuce is plentiful and the zucchini is just coming into season. Because of this, we tend to eat many salads and it's always good to have different types to choose from, so we don't get sick of eating the same thing.

Last week we had some friends visit from out-of-town and because we were having such a great time, we had them stay for lunch and this was the perfect meal to make, as it is so quick and easy.

My Mom created this DELICIOUS summer salad, which I will call "Mamma-Jo's Summer Salad" (Mamma-Jo is a nick name that really has nothing to do with her real name, but years ago my sister and I started calling her that and it just stuck).

Mamma-Jo's Summer Salad
*Yields: 1 very large salad, enough to feed 7-10 people & enough for seconds too.

2-3 varieties of lettuce (we like Red Romaine, Green Romaine & Curly Leaf)
1 or 2 small zucchini's sliced
2-3 small tomatoes (Heirloom, Roma, or whatever kind you have in your garden)
1 can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
2 Tbsp. minced onion (dried)
1 small can sliced black or green olives
1 avocado
sunflower seeds
1 pkg. lean ground beef, cooked with your choice of spices (we like minced onion, salt, pepper and lemon seasoning)

Directions:

1) Mix all four types of beans with minced onions, cut up tomatoes & zucchini.
2) Add cut up lettuce and toss with bean mixture.
3) Have ground beef, sliced avocado, sliced olives and sunflower seeds set aside in separate bowls (in case there is leftover salad, then these ingredients won't brown or make the salad soggy).
4) Build your salad and use your choice of dressing.
5) Eat, enjoy, repeat.

I wish I had a picture of the finished salad, but we started eating before I even thought about it. But you'll just have to trust me when I say that we all enjoyed this salad and went back for more. When you use fresh ingredients, especially produce from your own garden, you'll never be disappointed.