recipe Archives - Gardenerd

Mint adds brightness to this delicious appetizer or side dish.

Recipe: Fava Bean Crostini

What do you do with all those fava beans from your winter cover crop? The possibilities are endless, but when you're in the mood for something sophisticated, try this fava bean crostini for a bright spring delight. It is based on a recipe from Susie Middleton's Eat Your Spring Veggies: Five Fresh Dishes in Oregon Live. Instead of shallots, we used some of our freshly harvested, young green garlic. Check out this satisfying treat: Ingredients - for 2 Kosher salt 1 pounds…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 7, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

Colorful watermelon radishes enliven this salad

Recipe: Watermelon Radish & Goat Cheese Salad

Just to be clear, it's not a watermelon and a radish in this salad, it's two Watermelon Radishes. If you haven't grown them, put them on your list of "musts" for this season. Watermelon radishes look boring on the outside; their whitish-green exterior doesn't lend much excitement to a dish. Cut them open, however, and you'll find jewel pink centers that make other vegetables jealous. There's a trick to growing watermelon radishes though: you have to let them get large--about…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 12, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Kale Salad ready for scarfing.

Recipe: Northern Spy Kale Salad

For winter gardeners, kale is a staple crop that we have the pleasure of harvesting all season long. It grows well in spring in cooler climates, so for those covered in snow, you have that to look forward to. While there is no shortage of kale recipes to try, the goal, in fact, is to try as many as possible. Salads, soups, stews and main dishes; the possibilities are endless. This week we made the Northern Spy Kale Salad from…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 13, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Finished Citrus Salt, ready for gifts.

Making Citrus Salt

This holiday season we gave gifts from the garden, which came primarily from our citrus trees. Sunset Magazine featured an easy home made gift idea that struck a chord: citrus salt. Sprinkle it on salads, meats, and in soups to brighten flavors just before serving. Here's how we did it. Ingredients 1 cup course flake salt (we used Penzeys - our favorite spice company) 3 Tbsp. citrus zest, any kind (we used lemon, lime and orange, divided) How-to: Combine salt…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 15, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:7 Comments

Parsnips, carrots, a purple sweet potato and Yukon potato

Roasted Winter Vegetable Jambalaya

Looking for a delicious way to cook up those winter vegetables? Look no further. This recipe from the November 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine cooks up a savory, satisfying jambalaya that rivals any meat version. Smoked paprika, cayenne and chili powder make it spicy, but not too hot. Roasted Winter Vegetable Jamabalaya -Serves 6 1 cup long-grain brown rice (we used short grain - worked fine) 2 large carrots, diced 2 medium parsnips, diced 1 small sweet potato, diced…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 9, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:4 Comments

Pine needles for tea?

Oh Christmas Tree (+a Book Giveaway!)

This week we have a great guest blog post from Kami McBride, author of The Herbal Kitchen. I met Kami at the Heirloom Expo, where she was sharing her knowledge of healing remedies from the garden. Today Kami presents an interesting twist on the Christmas tree. Take it away Kami... Healing Qualities of the Evergreen Trees Decorating the Christmas tree is an ancient tradition from a time when various trees and plants were honored at different times of the year.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:December 12, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:14 Comments

One of two Cinderella Pumpkins grown in 2012

Making Pumpkin Puree

Did you know that most pumpkin puree sold in a can is not actually pumpkin? It's some other kind of squash masquerading as pumpkin. There's only one way to know for sure that you have the genuine article, and that's to make it yourself. It's easy, and not very time consuming. We harvested 2 pumpkins this year (sad, but still something to show for the season). One of those beauties was massacred in the street on Halloween night. The other…

Post author:Christy
Post published:November 28, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:4 Comments

Frittata fresh from the oven with blobs of goat cheese

Sweet Potato & Kale Frittata with Goat Cheese

As the weather cools down, the urge to turn on the oven increases. This new recipe from Selma Brown Morrow appeared in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times and captures the essence of cold-weather comfort food. It comes together in 30 minutes, but if you choose not to nuke your sweet potatoes as instructed, add about 15 minutes to the process. Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata with Goat Cheese 1 med sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces 8…

Post author:Christy
Post published:November 13, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

Chives in abundance

What to Do with All Those Chives?

I love chives, but let's face it--a little bit goes a long way. If I use more than two or three stems (or scapes) at a time, it's a rarity. So what do we do with this fragrant, romantic herb besides snipping a few stems over baked potatoes? Let's explore. Toss with salads -Mark Bittman suggests using copious amounts in a chive salad, with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Chive pesto - make this pesto from Mariquita Farm and…

Post author:Christy
Post published:November 6, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

Home Grown Sweet Potatoes

Home Grown Sweet Potato Recipe

The sweet potato is the jewel of fall and winter. This year we grew our own, and now it's time to serve them up in a savory recipe. There are far too many recipes which add sugar or maple syrup to sweet potatoes, which IMHO is a disservice to the tuber. Why not enjoy them in their natural state? Here's our favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes. Aren't they gorgeous!? They cook up beautifully too. We used our one and…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 24, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments