Herbs, Spices and Other Tasty Items

             I am having my doubts about my garden this year due to the invasion of squirrels who have voracious appetites. My beets are completely gone, the green beans are decimated, the sorrel was nibbled away to stems, and I’m just waiting to see what they will attack next. Last year they ate every bell pepper plant I put in the ground, but they are much worse this year. I’ve tried cayenne, fake owls (oh yeah, that worked…they ate the plants right under the owl’s tail feathers!!),  pungent garlic/onion/cayenne spray, etc., nothing seems to work. I have, however, just borrowed a pellet rifle fro a friend and hope to rid myself of the vermin this weekend.  Squirrel stew anyone??  J

            The upside is that they don’t seem to be interested in my herbs thank goodness.  I have thyme, oregano, lemon balm, rosemary, dill, fennel, basil, onions and garlic all growing like weeds and no one/thing seems to be interested in eating them.  This is a good thing.  I will harvest bunches on Friday night and sell them at the corner on Saturday morning, plus will be putting bunches on the dehydrators this weekend.  I keep myself well supplied with fresh herbs during the summer and dried herbs all winter long, plus share with friends and family. Son Erik and wife Debbie moved to New Mexico last year, and when we went to visit, I took them every dried herb I had in the cupboard to stock up their new home and Erik, the cook guy, was so pleased. So when I get a new batch done, will be sending some along.

            Herbs are so fabulous for adding zip and zing to dishes and they help boost flavor when you are watching the sodium/salt content in your food making dishes less bland and more palatable.  I love fresh sorrel, basil, thyme, and fennel in salads. I also enjoy going out and picking fresh herbs and bringing them in to use I recipes…fresh oregano and tomatoes put into piping hot cooked pasta and drizzled with a little olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, and parmesan is a fabulous quick, filling, easy, and budget friendly recipe and everyone loves it.

            One of the favorite recipes using herbs in our house is Dilly Bread.  It uses dill seed and cottage cheese for a unique and very pleasing taste.  It’s easy to make, I’ve never had it fail, slices nicely for sandwiches, and can be served in chunks with a stick of soft butter to go with bread and salads to round them out and make a great meal. I have not perfected a gluten free recipe yet, but am working on it and will post as soon as I get it up to standard.

            So enjoy those fresh herbs of summer, and bake up some of this fresh and tasty bread to enjoy with salads and soups of the season….really good with the Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup recipe posted a couple days ago!

DILLY BREAD

¼ c. warm water                               1 dry yeast package                        1 T. sugar

1 c. cottage cheese                          2 T chopped onion                          2 T. melted butter

1 egg                                                1 t. salt                                            2 ¼ c. flour

¼ c. wheat germ                               1 T  dill seed

1 egg   1 T. water

 Pour water into blender stirring in yeast and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Blend 10 seconds. Add cottage cheese, onion, butter, egg & salt. Mix 10 seconds.  Combine flour, wheat germ & dill in large bowl. Pour in liquid from blender. Stir with wooden spoon until pulls from sides. Grease large bowl. Place dough on floured board and knead then put into greased bowl. Let rise until double. Grease 2 loaf pans…punch down dough and divide in half. Shape and place in pans. Let double.  Preheat oven to 350…mix egg and water and brush on loaves. Bake until brown about 35-40 minutes.

Cabbages, Collards, and Crucifers

Gardening is a hit n miss proposition as far as I’m concerned. This year I planted many different seeds and plants to get an idea what would be a good profitable crop and what would be better purchased in bulk at low season prices and canned, dehydrated or otherwise preserved to enjoy throughout the winter and keep the food budget down. I estimate the cost of food has gone up approximately 20% in the last year—so much for economists saying recover is in the air. Roy was shocked to hear this, as I do couponing,make most of our food from scratch (healthier and less costly) but it’s still not been easy on the budget. The weather has been less than inspirational. A prolonged winter, with freezing temps well into the end of May, curbed the growth of many crops and actually ruined others. And then there are the squirrels, chipmunks, skunks, rabbits and other furry little monsters that nibble away growth and my hopes for a bountiful harvest.

But today, at last, I was able to do some harvesting. The Chinese cabbages, collards, kohlrabi greens, and a few spring onions were actually harvested.  Also, much needed weeding was done in the cucumber, basil, jalapeno/green bean, and cabbages beds.  Way past due, but now they look fabulous!  Also gathered more oregano, thyme, lemon balm, and even a few red luscious tomatoes…nothing tastes better fresh from the garden…along with another small bag full of snow peas.  This makes me happy. In no way does it make up for the costs of soil amendments (all organic), planters,  compost, seeds, plants and especially water, but I know where it came from, how it was grown, what was (not) put on it, etc. And hopefully there will be more to come as poblanos, jalapenos, garlic, onions, leeks (getting munched badly by the bunnies), red peppers (for roasting), peas, beans, cilantro, coriander seeds, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, Asian greens, radishes, dill, fennel and other crops ripen and are harvested to enjoy fresh and crisp, and put away for their delicious tastes in mid-winter.

So the experiment continues. I’m not sure I can draw conclusions from this year’s plantings, due to weather conditions/extremes, and having to spend quite a bit getting the beds built up and amended with good soil, but if we stay here for 2 more years at least, and I continue to plant, compost, and keep the beds going, I’m hoping for fresh delicious vegetables at a fraction of the cost of this year.  Plus, the assurance that if the economy truly takes a dive, we have a home that is mortgage free, and a bit of land where we can grow at least a little bit of our own food to supplement our lives. And that of the fat little squirrels which live in the boulders at Spiaggia nel Massi!  Ciao.