FROMONLINE | 2013-07-10

  • Daphne Ros
  • July 10, 2013
  • 393
                        
Garden fresh, thank-you for your time Column Summary Memories of our homegrown garden days come back to me when I see my Amish neighbors weeding their gardens; can’t wait for their sign to go up. When my husband and I bought our five country acres some 27 years ago, we were anxious, as are most new homeowners with rural acreage, to plant our first garden. I recall the days of gardening when I was a child living in the country. Even before seeds and plants were planted there were garden chores; first marking off the ground in the yard, plowing with grandpa’s farm equipment, and then working the soil with hand tools to prep for the planting. That was dad work, us kids followed behind throwing out clumps of grass and pulled weeds and throwing rocks over the cliff bank to the creek below. Our garden was then planned with the help of some family friends, who joined us in work and harvest of our shared garden. We had pathways, and garden markers, it was like a vegetable department store. Playing in the garden was fun but as we were taking a path around one corn, mom would holler out, “While you’re down there weed the carrots!” I could have cared less about the carrots, well when they were cooked, but when pulled from the soil, the mystery of the carrot came to light. All that weeding, sun, and rain and this carrot is only a fat one-inch long? Three cheers for the carrots that needed a hand spade to release from the ground. Other days garden chores were check listed on a refrigerator post. Sometimes, weeding had to be done before our co-gardeners arrived. They were older and had no young children; we were not hired help we were expected to do our share. It wasn’t child labor it was all-in-the-family resident chores. So with excitement and eagerness to fill our own dinner table with sweet corn, Big Boy and cherry tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, sweet peas, green beans, and yes, some carrots, we planted it all. Soon, the cucumbers took over one end of the garden and I was selling crates of cukes to the restaurant where I waitressed. Our tomato plot became a tomato plant jungle. Harvest was a combat crawl picking. We learned more about gardening each year, and planted our tomatoes further apart every planting season till finally they were spaced perfectly. But as we learned more about gardening, our garden began to shrink in size. Gone were the carrots, no more cucumbers, sweet peas were too few for the work involved. Our garden was small but it was impressive with two varieties of sweet corn and tomatoes, of course. As the harvest seasons passed and spring planting came ‘round again, our garden dwindled down to nothing more than grass to be mowed. At this time I would like to thank my Amish neighbors for all their hard work, the numerous roadside stands on my way home from work, and the trust in me that I will pay the correct amount on the honesty policy. We have no more garden, but our dinner table is full with fresh produce all season long. The best weed-be-gone plan, don’t plant a garden, let your neighbors do it. And honk and wave as you drive by. Garden fresh, picked daily, great variety; how do you use up your produce? Send recipes to: Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, Ohio, 44691. Emails are always welcome; thewritecook@sssnet.com Hot Sautéed Cucumbers Salt and pepper to taste 4 large cucumbers, 8 ounces each 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel cucumbers, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut each half lengthwise into three pieces. Drop into boiling water, return to boil; blanch cucumbers for 2 minutes. Drain. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cucumbers and toss until tender and warmed through, approximately 2 minutes. Overcooking makes cucumbers taste bitter. Stir in mint, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately Best Broiled Tomatoes 3 large garden tomatoes 3 large garlic cloves cut into slivers 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Pepper, to taste 1/4 cup olive oil Heat broiler to 500 degrees. Cut the tomatoes crosswise in half and place them, cut-side up, on a shallow baking pan. Stick the garlic slivers into the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the rosemary, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with the oil. Broil about 3 inches from the heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until tomatoes release their juices and garlic begins to brown. Spoon the juices over the tomatoes before serving. A great side dish for any meal. Old Time Tomatoes and Beet Salad 2 medium red beets 2 medium golden beets 3 tablespoons chopped chives 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon 2 tablespoons chopped shallots 1 tablespoon capers 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Trim roots and stems from beets. Pierce beets with a fork, and wrap in foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Cool; peel beets and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Combine chives and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine cherry tomatoes and approximately 5 teaspoons mustard mixture; toss to coat. Arrange beets and tomatoes on a serving platter. Drizzle with remaining mustard mixture. Garnish platter with cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spicy-Sweet Cukes & Tomatoes 1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 whole dried red chilies 16 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Arrange half of cucumber in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with half of onion. Repeat procedure with remaining cucumber and onion. Combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Cover and marinate in refrigerator up to 4 days. Arrange tomato slices on a platter; sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Remove cucumber mixture from marinade with a slotted spoon; arrange over tomato slices. Cherry Tomatoes & Mozzarella 24 cherry tomatoes Salt and pepper 2 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 24 pieces 24 small basil leaves 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut tops off tomatoes; hollow out with a small spoon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn tomatoes upside down on sheet; let stand for 10 minutes. Turn tomatoes right side up. Place a piece of mozzarella and a basil leaf in each. Drizzle dressing on top and serve. Fried Fresh Cucumbers 4 small grow cucumbers (1 pound), cut into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 3/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup self-rising white cornmeal 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 3/4 cup Sprite soda 1 large egg, lightly beaten Vegetable oil Ranch dressing or spicy mayonnaise Arrange cucumber slices between layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and let stand 20 minutes. Combine cornstarch and next 3 ingredients. Stir in soft drink and egg. Dip cucumber slices into batter. Pour oil to depth of 1/2 inch into a large cast-iron or heavy skillet; heat to 375°. Fry cucumbers, 6 to 8 at a time, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, and serve immediately with dressing. Fried Green Tomatoes 4 large green tomatoes 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup self-rising cornmeal 3 cups vegetable oil Salt to taste Cut tomatoes into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices; place in a shallow dish. Pour buttermilk over tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine flour and cornmeal in a shallow dish or pie plate. Drag tomato slices in flour mixture. Fry tomatoes, in batches, in hot oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Fried Dill Pickles 3 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 15 dill pickle spears, well drained Oil for deep frying Garnish: Ranch or Thousand Island salad dressing Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl; mix bread crumbs and flour in a separate small bowl. Dip pickles into egg mixture; roll in crumb mixture to coat. Heat several inches oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer. Fry pickles 3 to 5 at a time until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with salad dressing for dipping. Makes 4 to 5 servings. Cheerio Squares (Rhonda Nolt, Shiloh) 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup corn syrup 1/3 cup butter 1/2 cup peanut butter 4 cups Cheerios 2 cups corn flakes 1 cup peanuts Combine the sugar, syrup and butter in a sauce pan and bring to boiling. Remove from heat; add peanut butter. Pour over cereals. Mix well. Pour into buttered pans. Cool and cut in squares.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load