COOKING FROM MY GARDEN

One of our jalapeno peppers

Although plants are my passion and my profession...I'm also an avid follower of all things food.  My DVR Que is loaded with programs like No Reservations, Check Please, Avec Eric and so on.  I also drive my family nuts because food is all I can talk about...I'm constantly asking them what they want for dinner right after we finish breakfast.  I know, it's annoying.

But being a planner I want to make certain I have everything on hand to prepare a delish home cooked meal efficiently without having to run to the store because I overlooked an ingredient.  What has really been nice as of late is the abundant crop of vegetables sprouting up in our garden. 

It provides us with inexpensive healthy organic options that taste ten times better than you can get at any store, or any farmers market for that matter.  It also allows me the opportunity to flex my creative skills.  My meal plan is more reliant on what I see when I walk out into the garden at night and less on a shopping list.

It is amazing what you can come up with if you say to yourself, "I'm limiting myself to what is in the garden and what is in my pantry and that's it."  I've wowed my family with tomato, basil and mozzarella pizza on the grill (thanks to my husband for the grilling part), zucchini, red pepper and spinach frittata and a surprise hit...cucumber, quinoa and wild rice salad.

Tonight I'm going to experiment with my favorite medium for vegetables, risotto.  I make a mean risotto (anyone can, it is mind-numbingly simple), but tonight I'm going to try zucchini, feta with a hint of basil.  We'll see.

What makes this all possible is that we have surrendered our largest perennial bed to a raised bed vegetable garden.  It is the single most exciting fulfilling thing we have done in our yard.  When it is too hot to piddle around in the flower beds, you can harvest the actual fruits of your labor. 

It is fairly simple to get started...you just need an area with good soil and lots of sun.  Here are a list of plants you can incorporate into your existing beds if you want to put your toe in the vegetable gardening water.

DONNA's RECOMMENDATIONS
Tomatoes - one grape variety and one slicing variety
Peppers - one Jalapeno, one green bell and one red bell
Zucchini - you need some space, but you get not only the zucchini but the blossoms which are great battered and fried
Cucumber - all you need is a trellis and harvesting is a breeze

Bush Beans - we plant four plants and it yields enough all summer for my family