Cooking with YOUR garden

[user 22118]

How many of us on here also do some personal gardening? I have for the last few years started gardening and have thuroughly enjoyed the spoils of my work. Nothing better than your own tomatoes, basil, zuchini, beats, peppers and so much more. This year is the first time that I got into the leafy greens and a couple of mellons.

It is awesome to also have some food in March that have your homegrown tomato sauce in it, or pesto from last summer that was frozen. We just had a Basil, Dill, Mint pesto sauce on some spaghetti and man was it awesome.

Basil Dill Mint Pesto

2 parts Basil Leaves
1 part Dill
1 part Mint
1 clove garlic
olive oil
salt
1/4-1/2 cup nuts (pine, walnut, almond (my fav))

If making for immediate use, then add one part pecorino cheese as well. If freezing for storage, don't add the cheese. Don't use a blender as they don't have a flat bottom and so the mixture doesn't like to blend very well. I always start with the salt and garlic and a little bit of oil. Then add in the herbs and some more oil and salt and nuts. The oil shouild then be added until it is somewhat liquid, but not soupy. The color changes from darker to a little lighter. This is such a great alternative to the regular basil pesto. I freeze in quart sized ziplocs and lay them flat so that I get a thin brick of pesto that I can just break off a chunk to liven a sauce or for a quick spread on toast.


I just put some habaneros, jalepenos, anaheim, italian sweet, orange bell and Del Diablo peppers into the ground. Three kinds of squash, seven types of tomatoes, cantelope, basil, eggplant, beans, peas, and some chard. I can't wait for summer and the zuchini are already starting to flower so I should have some in another two weeks or so. :rockin:

 

[McKBrew]

I'm doing a bit of container gardening this year. Tomatoes, peppers, peas, lettuce and a few others.

I even built a couple of those upside down tomato pots out of 2 gallon buckets. They seem to be doing pretty well.

 

[flyangler18]

I have a small garden - several different types of tomatoes, hot banana and jalapenos as well as a stock of herbs: parsley, cilantro, basil and rosemary.

 

[user 22118]

There are so many smoker threads, I have a huge rosemary plant that I cut off a limb and toss it on the coals while grilling or queing, great addition to flavor.

 

[jgln]

How many of us on here also do some personal gardening? I have for the last few years started gardening and have thuroughly enjoyed the spoils of my work. Nothing better than your own tomatoes, basil, zuchini, beats, peppers and so much more. This year is the first time that I got into the leafy greens and a couple of mellons.

It is awesome to also have some food in March that have your homegrown tomato sauce in it, or pesto from last summer that was frozen. We just had a Basil, Dill, Mint pesto sauce on some spaghetti and man was it awesome.

Basil Dill Mint Pesto

2 parts Basil Leaves
1 part Dill
1 part Mint
1 clove garlic
olive oil
salt
1/4-1/2 cup nuts (pine, walnut, almond (my fav))

If making for immediate use, then add one part pecorino cheese as well. If freezing for storage, don't add the cheese. Don't use a blender as they don't have a flat bottom and so the mixture doesn't like to blend very well. I always start with the salt and garlic and a little bit of oil. Then add in the herbs and some more oil and salt and nuts. The oil shouild then be added until it is somewhat liquid, but not soupy. The color changes from darker to a little lighter. This is such a great alternative to the regular basil pesto. I freeze in quart sized ziplocs and lay them flat so that I get a thin brick of pesto that I can just break off a chunk to liven a sauce or for a quick spread on toast.


I just put some habaneros, jalepenos, anaheim, italian sweet, orange bell and Del Diablo peppers into the ground. Three kinds of squash, seven types of tomatoes, cantelope, basil, eggplant, beans, peas, and some chard. I can't wait for summer and the zuchini are already starting to flower so I should have some in another two weeks or so. :rockin:

Where do you get seeds for beats? :cross:

We have a vegetable garden about 30' x 60' and try to grow just about everything but run out of room so we plant some stuff in our other gardens. We start most all our tomato and pepper plants from seed and have 50-60 of each. Problem we are having now is turkeys eating the leaves off our small tomato plants. We put up some deer netting on the side they enter and that seems to be keeping them out or at least confused or alarmed. Poor tomato plants looking like trees in winter. Good thing tomatoes are pretty tough and will grow new leaves and branches.

 

[Mutilated1]

I even built a couple of those upside down tomato pots out of 2 gallon buckets. They seem to be doing pretty well.

I'm building those this weekend. I already have a couple of authentic topsy-turveys, but I'm not paying $40+S&H for the kind with 3 holes instead of one hole when I've got buckets and materials to make them myself.

My plan is to put an 8 Foot 2x4 over the two southern most corners of my dog-pen's 8ft fence. Then I'm going to screw them down to the fence top where they won't blow off and put some hooks to hang the buckets down from the 2x4s. Going to plant peppers, squash, cucumbers, and possibly one more tomato plant in the holes at the bottom of the buckets, and plant herbs in the top.

That way I will have hanging veggies out in the sunny part of the yard, and it will double as shade for my dog if she has to be in her pen.

I have my topsy turveys on the front porch with tomoatoes and they're already loaded up with green tomatoes, it will be way more than we can eat when they get ripe.

But my garden squash doesn't seem to want to grow where I have it, I think its not sunny enough, so I'm going to try it in my homemade hanging bucket garden this weekend.

And since this is a recipe thread, here is my favorite garden recipe for Rattatoullie.

Ingredients:
2 Large Bell Peppers any color
4-5 small yellow squash
4-5 small zuchinni squash
3 med-large tomatoes
1 medium sized eggplant
1 clove garlic
fresh basil, fresh oragano


Cut the Peppers in four pieces, remove the seeds, and cut off the pithy part on the inside. Then put the peppers skin side up under a broiler and roast them for a few minutes till they turn black and brown. Remove them from the oven. When they've cooled enough to touch, peel off the burned skin and dice the peppers.

Saute the pepper dices with a little garlic on low, dice up one of the tomatos and saute it as well. Sometimes I substitute a can of stewed tomato. Season with basil and oragano. Keep cooking till on low heat till you've got what looks like something between tomato sauce and tomato paste.

Then put the contents of the sauce pan in the bottom of a large cassarole dish, and chop of the squash, eggplant, and other tomatoes. Add it all to the cassarole dish on top of the paste, cover it with foil and then put it in the oven for 3 hours at 275.

After 3 hours take it out and serve it with warm french bread and a nice Saison or Summer Ale.

 

[user 22118]

Where do you get seeds for beats? :cross:

We have a vegetable garden about 30' x 60' and try to grow just about everything but run out of room so we plant some stuff in our other gardens. We start most all our tomato and pepper plants from seed and have 50-60 of each. Problem we are having now is turkeys eating the leaves off our small tomato plants. We put up some deer netting on the side they enter and that seems to be keeping them out or at least confused or alarmed. Poor tomato plants looking like trees in winter. Good thing tomatoes are pretty tough and will grow new leaves and branches.

Buy a packet of the seeds for the beets. Any gardening store or home depot, lowes or walmart should have them. They grow really well and easily. Just make sure to spread them about four inches apart in order to allow the bulb to grow.

Chicken wire is your friend. We have turkeys, pigs and deer. A little fence helps keep them mostly at bay. The gophers are the real problem here though.

 

[jgln]

Buy a packet of the seeds for the beets. Any gardening store or home depot, lowes or walmart should have them. They grow really well and easily. Just make sure to spread them about four inches apart in order to allow the bulb to grow.

Chicken wire is your friend. We have turkeys, pigs and deer. A little fence helps keep them mostly at bay. The gophers are the real problem here though.

It was a joke on your typo. We actually have beets growing in the garden now. Rabbits seem to love the leaves of them the most, but if we spray them with a mixture of egg, water and habanero pepper (let sit in sun for a few days) that keeps them away.

Speaking of beets, we have very good luck with turnips and rutabagas here.

 

[Yooper]

We have a big garden (but I am NOT the gardener). We had frost last night, and it's expected for the next two nights, so the garden is mostly covered right now.

Yesterday, I was driving down a side road and saw a huge (tall) 6x8 foot green house for sale. So, I bought it. It's being delivered Thursday night. I'll post a picture when we have it set up. I spent last night putting down 6x6s for the foundation and leveling the site.

We eat a ton of fresh produce, but I make just the usual recipes from our produce. I don't do anything unusual, so I like seeing others' recipes.

 

[EoinMag]

One of my favourites is courgettes, or zuchinnis as you guys would call them.
They grow almost overnight once they're in season and taste fantastic.
Simple recipe with zuchinnis for pasta.

Chopped garlic to taste.
Sliced courgette, depending on the amount you want to make.
Salt
Cream
A handful of grated parmesan.
Olive oil

Pasta, boiled as per usual.

Gently fry the sliced courgettes in the pan with the olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt on a gentle sizzle, you don't want to brown them at all, gently. Fry until the courgette is total mush, then use a wooden spoon to mash it further. Add a tablespoon or two of cream, again to the amount, you don't want much, mix it through and then reduce a few minutes. Add a handful of parmesan to the pan, mix it through and then mix the pasta through this mix. Serve with fresh parmesan, tastes great and is really simple.

 

[jgln]

We have a big garden (but I am NOT the gardener). We had frost last night, and it's expected for the next two nights, so the garden is mostly covered right now.

Yesterday, I was driving down a side road and saw a huge (tall) 6x8 foot green house for sale. So, I bought it. It's being delivered Thursday night. I'll post a picture when we have it set up. I spent last night putting down 6x6s for the foundation and leveling the site.

We eat a ton of fresh produce, but I make just the usual recipes from our produce. I don't do anything unusual, so I like seeing others' recipes.

I read about the greenhouse in the other thread too. We brought a new house 2 years ago and the plan was to add a big heated greenhouse like 12 x 20 directly onto the house with a door so we can enter from the living room. Problem is our jobs are not as secure now, raises have been frozen for years and I had to take a step back into a lower position to avoid losing my job (was in management). So we are now looking at that option but the greenhouse we wanted was for keeping plants alive during winter. Right now we have to move about 60 plants out in the spring and back inside in the fall and that is a lot of work as some are getting quite large. It would also have come in handy for starting seedlings for the garden. Nice find.

 

[flyangler18]

I don't do anything unusual, so I like seeing others' recipes.

Nothing beats a simple Margherita salad as far as I'm concerned. Vine-fresh tomatoes, a couple torn basil leaves and homemade mozzarella tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and crushed red pepper flakes.

 

[user 22118]

Check out this vinegar as a dressing vinegar. Sonomic is the stuff that dreams are made of. It is like an aged balsamic and I have tried a couple of those. For a tenth the price!

Pics of the garden

Artichokes

Tomatoes

Zuchini, Crookneck and Butternut squash

Peppers

Mint (my nemesis) and a little bug on it

Rows of maters

 

[jgln]

Check out this vinegar as a dressing vinegar. Sonomic is the stuff that dreams are made of. It is like an aged balsamic and I have tried a couple of those. For a tenth the price!

Pics of the garden

Artichokes

Tomatoes

Zuchini, Crookneck and Butternut squash

Peppers

Mint (my nemesis) and a little bug on it

Rows of maters

Artichokes, we tried growing them here but the season is just too short, neat.

 

[user 22118]

The season shouldn't be too short. We get like five harvests from one plant each year. The first is the big artichokes and each after gets progressively smaller. I was always told to put them into a burlap sack for the roots to be unnafected by pests and they last multiple years. Since you have to cold, I would say that you might want to look into a large pot or half barrel to store it in.

 

[jgln]

The season shouldn't be too short. We get like five harvests from one plant each year. The first is the big artichokes and each after gets progressively smaller. I was always told to put them into a burlap sack for the roots to be unnafected by pests and they last multiple years. Since you have to cold, I would say that you might want to look into a large pot or half barrel to store it in.

Right that is what I mean, we had them in the ground and they froze and died over the winter. Never got mature enough the first year to produce anything. We started them from seed indoors and that still was not long enough. Maybe if we got older plants but they don't sell them in these parts.

 

[Homercidal]

I'd like to have a nice garden, but I got two things going against me. One, the ground here doesn't seem to be condusive to good growing, and I have no idea why.

Two, I usually start late (again this year) and don't put enough effort into it during the growing season.

I tilled once, and then loaned out the tiller and still have to till once more now before planting.

Just the usuals: Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash. I'd like to plant more beans this year and peas are a favorite, but the planting season is pretty much over for peas here I think. We used to plant them early when I was a kid.

Most root vegetables don't grow for crap here. I think the ground stays too wet.

 

[user 22118]

Making pizza tonight and will make a napolitana with mint instead of basil. Should be quite interesting and delicious. The mint is trying to take over the garden, so I need to stop the coup somehow.

 

[david_42]

I've done some gardening in the past, but until this year, I haven't tried much in Oregon. The soil is useless (without a lot of work) for anything other than thistles, blackberries and fir trees. Got inspired by "Square Foot Gardening" this year, so I dug some trenches and back-filled with a compost/peatmoss/vermiculite mix. No native soil at all.