Herbal Bouquets

There are classical recipes for Fines Herbes and Bouquets Garni but I'll brake with the classical and use what I have available in my garden or on my spice rack and just call them Herbal Bouquets.

For the Fines Herbes, the following fresh herbs are used finely chopped:  parsley, chives, chervil, and tarragon.  Some add thyme, marjoram, savory, and watercress to the mix.  When these herbs are tied into a neat bouquet, they are easy to be removed from soups or stews.

They may also be dried and stored in an airtight container and used some other time.

When using dry herbs, it's a good idea to tie them up in a cheese cloth or other cotton cloth.  Some folks will add crushed fennel to the dried herbs.  It adds a distinct sweet aroma to the mix.

The Bouquet Garni is rather simple to make and consist of fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf.  It is also easy to remove when tied.

I like to use the herbs from my garden.  There is the wispy dill, rosemary for my memory, parsley, and sweet basil.  I use them fresh but if there is too much, I let them dry.

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Grape Vines need Trimming

From time to time, my husband and I visit relatives in the Florida Panhandle and once we get onto Interstate 10, it is a nice but boring ride.  The road is lined with oaks, pines, and other ever green trees and bushes.

There is a strand of grape vines that have always caught my attention near Defuniak.  It is so neat and well kept. 

In he summer time, the leaves are green and lush and in the winter time the vines are neatly trimmed.  This is a well established vineyard.

We had to stop and take a closer look.  We wanted to find out how professionals trimmed their grape vines.

It is recommended that the vines be trimmed before the leaves start to sprout.

When we got home, we promptly went out to see what we had to trim.  It was obvious that we needed to drastically cut stems and branches to leave one main limb to climb the trellis.  From this main growth, other branches will grow and produce grapes.

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Field Peas and Pasta Salad

When the summer crop is harvested and we are in between seasons, if that is possible in NE Florida, we have been known to sow field peas or black eyed peas as ground cover to let the gardens rest and recuperate.

When the field peas are mature, we pick them, shell them, cook them, and eat them.  They also freeze well.  Some gardeners make no distinction between field peas and black eyed peas.

For a quick dish, I will open a can or two of field peas, rinse them, and dry them.  I will also cook a "cute" pasta, al dente, to mix with the beans.

I add some diced colorful peppers to the beans and pasta as well as halved cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced red onions.

In addition, chopped, cubed, chicken completes the dish. Serve with a red vinegar and oil vinaigrette.

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Edible Weeds or Not

A prominent edible weed is the Spanish Needles.  The flowers and young tender leaves are supposedly good in soups and salads.  It is a huge favorite among bees and other winged pollinators.



The Spanish Needles are also known as "hitchhikers" simply because the black needles will attach themselves to anything that will come in contact with them.  How often have you picked those needles out of your socks and pants?
(The Spanish Needles pic is borrowed from the Internet.)




Another edible weed is the lightly purple and plentiful Florida Betony that now has found its way to South Carolina too.  It's a kin to the mints.  It may be eaten raw or cooked.  The root resembles a rattlesnake's tail.  I will also leave this spring weed for the bees.
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The Virginia Spiderwort is a lily like weed with blue flowers and a favorite among the winged community.  The flowers and leaves are edible if you care to have them in a salad.

A few years ago, I went around the Back Forty and dug up many of these plants and discarded them.  It did pay off although I still have some coming back.

As you can see, I don't have to go far to forage for edible plants also known as weeds.

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Debris from the Yard

The sanitation workers who pick up debris once a week for our area once told us that we indeed kept them employed and we certainly have done so this spring.

We have sorely neglected the Back Forty but we have finally started to clean up after hurricane Irma who felled several trees in our yard and scattered debris all over the place.



We are supposed to bag debris or put it in containers.  The exception of course are tree limbs and shrubbery that are 4 feet; however, it should be neatly stacked.



For us who are retired it is unfortunate that the debris is scheduled for pick up on Mondays. 

In most cases, this means that the debris is out by he curb over the weekend.  For working people, this works fine; they apparently only have the weekends to tend their yards.

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Cabbage with Sausage and Tomatoes

The long lasting, nutritious, and economy friendly cabbage is still in the crisper waiting to be sliced and used in a delicious recipe.  Did I write that this recipe is so versatile?  Actually, use what you have available.

The basic recipe is as follows:

Thinly slice the cabbage and set aside
Stir fry diced Sausage with onions (peppers and celery are optional)
Use freshly sliced/diced tomatoes for this dish
Salt (garlic) and pepper to taste.  By all means, add 1/2 tsp cumin and curry, each

Directions:   For a minutes, stir fry the diced sausage with onions, pepper, and celery.  Add the cabbage, stir for 5 minutes more or until cabbage starts to wilt.  Finally, add the tomatoes and spices, cover, and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the ingredients are married. 
Plate and serve.  Bon Appetit!

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Benefits of Gardening

Gardening is beneficial to body, mind, and soul.  It provides me with healthy and nourishing food free from insecticides and herbicides.  I have fresh food from the garden to the table throughout the year.  At any given time, I know exactly what went into the soil and I'm able to nibble on the vegetables in the garden without having to wash them first.

Gardening provides me with full body exercise:  I am stretching, pulling, bending, and reaching for the various vegetables and/or the weeds.  What a better place to exercise than in the fresh air under a blue sky and letting the wind play with my hair.

Another benefit of gardening is educational.  It entails doing research and sometimes even attending seminars about e.g. attracting bees to the garden.

Gardening is to some degree experimental, trying new cultivars and to find out what those vegetables require for best growth, development, and harvest.

Finally, according to the Journal of Health Psychology, gardening is on the top of the list for improving the mood and decreasing cortisol level.  The cortisol is often referred to as the "stress hormone."

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