Basil Fest-o

basil, basil, basil. it's right on up there with suntans, lakes, and lightning bugs about what i looove about summertime. first, the basil gospel:

1) trim often
2) fertilize sparingly
3) water lushly
4) full sun makes a happy basil

i have crammed in basil all over my yard (including this weird sunny spot behind my tomatoes, against the fence) but i keep a pot of purple basil and a pot of regular (Genovese) basil right outside my backdoor. a pair of scissors usually is lurking close by.  if you have the herbs you use the most close by your kitchen, you're much more likely to use them, and often. this makes for happy cooks, happy dinner guests, and happy herbs. (the more you snip herbs, the fuller and bushier they become.)

one of the things i struggled with most when i was transitioning from mainly flower gardening to more edible gardening was ways to use my produce. and by ways to use it, i mean normal easy ways to make simple fast dishes that don't require weird ingredients and a hundred gourmet kitchen implements. (there's no way i could ever see myself stuffing a chicken with tarragon, nor do i own a garlic press and olive pitter.) so, on that note, two things i did with my basil today:

Basil "Pounded" Pesto (pesto literally translates as 'pounded'....i took this to an extreme level by testing this recipe with my mortar and pestle rather than food processor. you could do either, but there is a weirdly satisfying feeling to using a mortar and pestle for anything in the kitchen- speaking of weird kitchen implements....bahaha.)

for every large handful of washed, dried, and torn basil leaves: approximately 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1-2 tsp parmesan cheese, drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil to desired consistency, pinch sea salt and cracked ground black pepper. some folks add pine nuts also. puree (or pound) to your personal preference of consistency. serve drizzled over penne pasta with more EVOO and feta cheese.

 (above): all the raw ingredients, ready to get pounded!

(above): adding the parmesan cheese and mushing it up some more. took about two minutes to this point.

 the finished product, ready to get turned into my lunch! basil folklore: it is believed to be incredibly good for your digestive system, and the chlorophyll in all those green leaves makes your cells very happy!


another easy basil meal:  
Basil Grilled Cheese:
evoo on two slices whole grain bread, 6-7 washed and dried basil leaves, a couple slices colby jack cheese. grill on both sides over medium heat in a skillet until melted and brown; serve immediately.

if you have too much basil, start harvesting now and pureeing it in a food processor with olive oil and freeze in ice cube trays. store frozen cubes in freezer ziplocs to use in the winter to make fresh pesto. yumm!

on a completely unrelated yet very important side note: my dog is extremely cute.

and that's all for now. next blog: lemongrass, how to grow it, how to use it.

wilty squash and tiny carrots

happy end of july! the summer growing season is half over and everything is probably either out of control humongous (photos of my tomato "tree" to come soon) or dried up and brown. i am checking all my veggies every day to pick anything that is ripe or close to ripe. with weather this hot and sunny, a cucumber could be two inches one day and two feet the next.....very jack-in-the-beanstalk like. start thinking about cool weather crops soon....in the next few blogs over a week or so, i'm going to cover a few specific growing needs and tips for some delicious, easy to grow cool weather veggies. just as your cukes and tomatoes will be winding down, you'll have tender baby spinach, arugula, and radishes popping up again.

my squash in a burlap bag.....my best creative planting idea, my delicious zephyr squashies, my free plant i was so proud to acquire.....succumbed to wilt while i was vacationing. my mom watched my plants so i know it was in good hands, but still....im very sad! what exactly is wilt? well, what it sounds like. the plants wilts up and dies, from too much heat and humidity. squash and the like are especially sensitive to it. i think the humidity especially had a lot to do with it.

pulled up some of my adorable Tonda Di Parigi carrots. They are a heirloom seed from 19th century France, and the MOST PRECIOUS carrots you will ever see. if you have kids and they don't eat veggies....well i bet they'd eat these. check out the photo:

i love them! they are also delicious (bonus!), sweet, crunchy, perfect carrot heaven! will write more tomorrow. :)

HOT...

hot enough to drive even me indoors. not a whole lot to update right now; it's really too hot to be planting anything else in the ground. keep your containers watered every day (i forgot a basket of petunias once and they are still not recovered a week later...); alternatively, i've moved some containers into shadier parts of the yard. even sun-lovers need a little break every once in a while.

pick produce as soon as it's ready to keep it coming. cucumbers, peas, squash, beans, all need to be regularly harvested to keep producing new veggies. keep your tomatoes consistently watered to keep from splitting their skins. a weekly fertilizing isn't a bad idea, especially for anything in containers, as things are growing fast this time of year and may have exhausted all the nutrients in their potting mix. use organic--i get a dilutable fish-based organic fertilizer at lowe's. cut herbs frequently to keep them bushy and full, instead of letting them grow leggy and not as leafy.

this is the time of year to sit back and start enjoying all your hard work! keep things trimmed and watered and everything else will pretty much take care of itself.

another note: vacation. there is no need to let all your plants you've been taking care of for months dry out and die now! i worry more about leaving my plants than i do my pets. (kidding. sort of.) everything that can be moved (pots, windowboxes, wall planters, hanging baskets, everything!) i cram as tightly as possible under a shade tree. give a THOROUGH watering and mulch the tops if you have the time. set up an automatic sprinkler so water the section of plants every day. start this a few days before you leave to make sure it is working and no plant is getting left out. all the things in the ground should be okay if mulched heavily and well-established (i.e. not newly planted). cross your fingers, water before you leave, and pray for rain.

houseplants that will need water before you get back can be stood in saucers of water to draw it up as they need it, use watering balls (really nifty glass globes with a stem on the end that you fill with water, poke into your soil, and let the water slowly leak out as the dirt dries up), or coerce a housesitter to water them for you. (not the best option in my opinion, as i have come home to dead plants every time i have someone "plantsit" for me). i find that my house is cool enough, and the air moist enough, that most of my houseplants are okay for a week while i'm gone if watered thoroughly before i go.

on that note, go get some lemonade and enjoy your plants outside in the sun...oh, wait, it's a hundred degrees in louisville, kentucky, in july...maybe just sit in the air-conditioning and look at them through the window. :)