by jphilo | May 12, 2014 | Daily Life
Our herb garden has been planted! Not an easy feat on a weekend sprinkled with rain showers to dodge and graduation parties to attend. Add to that a mystery that needed to be solved before the planting to begin, and the accomplishment seems almost miraculous.
The mystery sprouted in the container pot that housed thyme, oregano, and rosemary. The shape of the seedlings immediately eliminated rosemary as a suspect. My inclination was to declare last year’s thyme the culprit, but decided to sleuth a little before making any accusations. So I did the first thing any good detective does in this day and age. I searched the internet for pictures of herb seedlings…and discovered they look a lot alike.
So I did the second thing any good plant detective does. I crushed one of the seedlings, gave it a good sniff an compared the scent to the scents of the dried oregano and thyme in my spice cabinet. The results of the test were ambiguous, so I repeated the experiment. At which point my allergies kicked in, and I couldn’t smell a thing.
So I did the third thing any good plant detective does. I drove to the nursery for an herb pot line up. Lo and behold, the German thyme was a dead ringer for the suspects back home. Determined to not declare thyme guilty without indisputable proof, I gave the suspect a sniff. The scent was a perfect match. I had proved without a doubt in the world that the pot at home contained all the thyme in the world.
Then, I did the fourth thing a good plant detective does. I purchased a pot each of rosemary and oregano, went home, and started planting. Which was when this detective discovered she’d wasted a whole lot of thyme time planting cilantro a few weeks back. Last year’s crop had seeded itself in the sidewalk cracks as prolifically as the time thyme had seeded it its pot.
Which goes to show I have a lot to learn before being considered a herb gardening expert. But with all the thyme in the world at my disposal, I have plenty of time to get there.
by jphilo | Jun 22, 2012 | Daily Life
The resident man of steel is on the mend after his back surgery on June 12. But, he’s still feeling a bit rusty, so he’s obeying the surgeon’s orders: no driving, no extra bending, no twisting, and no lifting anything more than five pounds.
Hiram’s back pain is preventing us from launching any new yard projects this summer. Thankfully, the heavy lifting for the container herb garden on the south side of the house was done before the man of steel’s back went wacky. This warm spring encouraged the herbs (oregano and rosemary in the far pot, basil in the middle one, chives and thyme in the near one, parsley and cilantro in a fourth pot not pictured) to grow faster than expected.
The basil’s already had one haircut which yielded a good-sized batch of pesto. (The recipe for a non-dairy version coming next Wednesday.) As the picture shows, the basil’s ready for another haircut this weekend. Some of the rosemary and chives spiced up a batch of grilled potatoes and onions, and the oregano put in an appearance in last week’s grilled red onions recipe. But this wannabe spice chef can’t cook fast enough to keep up with the other spices. The best I can do is trim the ends before everything begins to blossom.
So if you have good recipes that require copious amounts of fresh herbs, please leave a suggestion, a recipe, or a link in the comment box. If you like, comment on the artistically arranged vintage bicycle, too. The resident man of steel thinks it’s kinda crazy, but I like it!
by jphilo | Jun 20, 2012 | Reviews
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) season is here, so every week we pick up a bag of fresh picked veggies and fruits at Wilber’s Northside Market. Last week’s bag contained 4 ears of sweet corn, sugar snap peas, 2 quarts of strawberries, a bag of lettuce, and a half dozen, medium-sized onions. The CSA weekly newsletter ran a recipe for grilled red onions, which Hiram and I tested on Father’s Day. The results were delicious, so I’m sharing my adaptation of the side dish with you today.
Grilled Red Onions
4 large red onions
4 bacon strips
8 garlic cloves, peeled
6 oregano sprigs
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cut red onions into wedges and quarter 8 bacon strips. Place in medium bowl and toss with remaining ingredients.
Divide between 2 large pieces of foil; seal into flat packets.
Grill over high heat, 15 minutes. Let rest before opening.
The grilled onions were delicious, though I think we cooked them a little longer than necessary. Next time we make them, I’ll skip the olive oil, as the bacon provides enough fat to keep the veggies from sticking to the foil. Also, I may use some of the other spices in my kitchen garden – rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley – to see how the flavors change.
What variations do you suggest? Leave a comment
