Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Shelly
The lack of activity on this blog, in no way, coincides with a lack of activity in my kitchen. Seeing as how we all have to eat, I imagine that it's the same for all of you. . . unless everyone in the world has suddenly converted to fast food junkies, which, knowing all of you, seems highly doubtful. Often, I am too lazy to dig out my camera, or things get too messy to even imagine taking a photo. (After all, who wants to take a picture when their hands are covered with raw chicken germs?) Regardless, from time to time, there does come a peaceful, germ free moment in the kitchen when you may pause and ask yourself, why am I not taking a picture of this dish? It looks so beautiful. I went to so much trouble to get to this point, etc. So, I am encouraging you. . . go forth and multiply. . . or, umm, go forth and photograph? I'm trying to make myself cook new recipes every week, and I need ideas! Especially tried and true ideas.

Now, in order to avoid being a hypocrite, I'm posting some photos from last night's salsa endeavor. Before I begin with the recipe, I want to make a special note that when preserving food, you should be cautious, make sure that everything is sterile, and all of that jazz. . . So, start with some clean jars!

And here's the recipe:

2 c. tomatoes (chopped)
1 c. onions (chopped)
1/2 c. bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 c. or more jalepenos (chopped) *
4 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
a bunch of fresh corriander or about 1 T. dried corriander
1/2 T. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a pot, and cook on medium high heat until the mixture starts to boil. Lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer for 25 minutes. Spoon into jars, leaving about 1/2 inch unfilled at the top of the jar. Being certain to wipe the jars and rims clean, close the jars, and place in boiling water for twenty more minutes. Carefully remove from the water, and allow to cool. More importantly, be sure to follow any manufacturer's directions regarding the sealing of your jars! Safety first.

* I used 1/2 c. of jalepenos and wished that I had used much more. The recipe, as is, is mild at best. If you want to make salsa to give out as gifts, to people who might not like spicy food, this recipe is pretty ideal, but if you're making it for yourself, and you like it hot. . . definitely add more!

Sarah Ferstel

Tabbouleh here I come!

About a year ago, I moved into a very cute apartment in a very cute part of town. I live on the second floor of a small apartment building (12 units in all) set around a pretty courtyard with a garden. My landlord tends to the garden in the courtyard and it's filled with beautiful flowers and plants, many of which I've never seen before. I guess all that flora got to me and for the first time in my life I decided to start my own little garden this past spring.

I didn't really have a game plan, per se. I started off with one of those garden herb kits you can get at any mega store (Super Target is my 'local business destroyer' of choice), and was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to grow basil, chives, and parsley on my kitchen windowsill. For those of you who are discouraged by the cost of fresh herbs at the grocery store, I highly recommend growing your own. It's very simple (I bought a child's kit, to be honest), and cheap. By now, I've probably grown over $50 worth of herbs, and I paid less than $10 for the kit.

Feeling confident, I decided to branch out from herbs and venture into the world of veggies and flowers. I went to Clegg's, my local nursery, and bought a few pots of varying sizes, seeds, dirt, and some fertilizer. Using the windowsill in my living room, I started a mini green house growing cherry tomatoes, morning glories, snap peas, and sweet peas (the flower) from seed. After they reached a certain height, I moved them to bigger pots outside on my landing.

As you can see, the morning glories have done a great job of taking over the railing. The tomatoes have also grown much larger than I anticipated (one of the plants is taller than me!), but the snap peas couldn't take the harsh morning sun and the sweet pea died off, too. But I wasn't discouraged. I went to my local farmer's market and bought plants that like baking in the sun: rosemary, black-eyed Susans, and some other flowering plants with names I can't recall.

Unbeknownst to me, there is a whole container garden movement. I'm not surprised as it took very little effort or gardening knowledge to get my plants going. If yuppies and hipsters in NYC can grow plants, then there is no reason a gal from Louisiana can't! Sure, I wasn't always successful, but I managed a sweet little garden.

I'm pretty proud of these plants. I'm nice to them, and, in return, they make yummy things for me to eat and pretty flowers for me to look at.

PS- Bonus points to whoever can guess the origins of the quote in the post title.