Bouquet Garni for You from Me!

I’m coming up on halfway day (3 more weeks to go on crutches) which means I haven’t set foot in my kitchen for three weeks except to heat up all the wonderful goodies people have been bringing me. I must say, my friends sure can cook!

Never to be one to let guests leave empty handed, I put together an easy gift from my garden to show my appreciation for the nice thoughts and yummy food. I must have got this from my Grandma who used this maneuver to get us moving on our merry way. We would go for lunch and a visit and when she was over us being there, she would start to pack up food and treats for us to take thereby signaling to us it was time to leave.

Since I have a blossoming herb garden, it was easy for me to put together a few bouquets garnis for my visitors to take and use at home for their own meals. For those of you who don’t know, a bouquet garni is a small bundle of herbs that can include thyme, parsley, oregano, bay leaf, and the like. It is often tied in a cheesecloth bag (although I just tied mine with string) and used as flavoring for soups, stews, stuffing a chicken, etc.

If you don’t have an herb garden, you should. It doesn’t take much room or maintenance. You can have it inside or out. It can be in the ground or in pots or even in hanging pots. I can’t express enough how nice it is to have fresh herbs on hand. You could buy them but those small packages at the grocery store always cost $2-4 which is more than it would cost to plant the same thing that would last forever.

Fresh Bouquet Garni

Ingredients

1 branch oregano
1 branch parsley

1 branch thyme

1 branch rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 piece of string

Directions
Neatly stack the herbs so their stems match up. Take your string and tie the stems together. The end. You could do this with dried herbs and a cheesecloth bag and keep them on hand in the pantry for up to a year. The fresh ones will last about a week in the fridge.

I Have a Strawberry Patch and So Can You!

When I first bought my house, my goal was an edible yard. My first order of business was to clear out a planter in the front and convert it into a strawberry patch. Although the clearing of the planter took a little time (due to the unsightly and ridiculously large bush left in it by the previous owner), the prepping of the soil and planting of the berries only took about 30 minutes. Not only that, the upkeep is minimal and they produce pretty much year round here in California. I know that isn’t necessarily the case in other places but strawberries are very hardy and they do stay green year round most anywhere in the country so they never become an eye sore. They can even be used as ground cover since they send out shooters to reproduce, covering more ground and filling in gaps as time goes on.

Strawberries, like most outdoor plants, like a lot of sun so choose a spot that gets a lot of sun exposure. We're talking "all day long on the beach" exposure. The plants will need to be spaced 4-6” apart so select your location and decide how many plants you’ll need based on this. I personally wouldn’t plant less than 15-20 plants if you want to see any kind of return. The great thing I experienced was that my plants started producing berries within a month of being put in! Trust me, you will be happy you did this when you’re eating ripe, juicy berries straight off the vine this summer.

Ingredients:

Plot of land, area of yard, planter, or garden box to locate your patch
Good quality vegetable or patio soil (sold in large bags)
Strawberry plants
Shovel
Trowel (hand shovel)
Water

Directions:

Clear the location you’ve selected so there are no roots, weeds, grass, or any other things growing there. Use your shovel to upturn the ground. Cover with a couple inches of the good soil and mix it in by chopping the shovel into the dirt to break up the clumps and mix in the new soil. Set out the strawberry plants on top of the soil where you intend to place them. Make any needed adjustments then plant each one according to the directions on the package. You can use the trowel to dig the small holes for the plants. Once you have them in the ground, gently pack soil around them and soak each one with water for 15- 20 seconds. You should water them every day for the first three days; after that, you can reduce watering to every-other-day for a week. Once the plants have enjoyed their new home for 10 or so days, you can cut back on the watering and hit them once a week.

Pro tips:

- To keep weeds to a minimum, use the clippings from your lawn to pack around the base of the plants and to cover all the dirt in your patch.

- Pruning encourages plants to grow. Prune your strawberry plants by pulling off dead leaves from around the base and removing berries that have gone bad.

- Don’t be sad if you only get a few in the first season. Each season gets better and better so be patient.
- You will soon be picking a quart every-other-day (like me)!

Let the BBQ-ing Begin!

While I was sunning in the back yard, icing and elevating my knee (rehab is a B!!), my mom was busy as a bee tending to my yard. Amongst other things, she did all my spring planting and picked a few goodies for us to use in a Sunday afternoon BBQ. It just so happens that Summer BBQ-ing is the topic of my next cookbook (out this summer) and I decided to be nice and give you a preview by sharing one of its recipes with you today.

My mom planted and gathered many new and exciting items for my edible yard. The grape tomatoes, which come from the “miracle vine” that I planted almost a year ago, were skewered onto rosemary branches from my patio and grilled like kebabs. The thyme and chives from the herb garden along the west side of the house were mixed with lemon juice, olive oil, and red pepper flakes to form a marinade for grilled chicken. And, the parsley from the herb garden, strawberries from the small patch in the front (be on the lookout for a post later this week on how-to plant your own patch), and oranges from the tree in the back were used in a dressing for a grilled salad (see recipe below).

Grilled Fancy Lettuce Salad w/ Orange-Herb Vinaigrette

Ingredients
1 head radicchio, quartered
2 heads endive, cut in half
2 small oranges (or one large, half cubed and half juiced) reserve rind
1-2 tablespoons red onion, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch parsley, pretty finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Grill lettuces on all sides until they just begin to toast then remove from heat. It will only take a minute or two per side so you need to stay nearby. Make a chunky dressing (include onions and orange pieces) with the remaining ingredients by whisking them all together. Serve over warm, grilled lettuce and garnish with some of the orange rind zested over the top.