Fall Harvest in the Garden

I planted these Zinnias from seed under grow lights then transplanted them into pots in October.
We were able to enjoy the blooms for about a month before freezing temperatures were threatening, and I cut the stems for an indoor bouquet.

I should be able to harvest Swiss chard all winter. I cut the larger leaves, and come back and cut again as I need to. I made some Low Carb Lasagne out of this bunch of chard. Delicious!

Grape tomatoes were also harvested and enjoyed before I pulled up the plants a couple of weeks ago. Can't wait to plant some peas or other cold weather crops to enjoy in early spring!

Vintage Pottery

Fall Harvest of Soft Shell Almonds

Soft Shell almonds

I was able to pick a small harvest of almonds from my dwarf almond tree on Saturday! It was fun to show my granddaughter how to break them open and eat them. She loved eating them, too! I was also able to pick some of the pomegranates from the bushes in the yard. Will get some pictures and put in another post.

Have you been harvesting anything from your garden? Share in the comments.

Bountiful Baskets Haul 7-25-2015

I ordered two baskets (which means I got 2 baskets of fruits and 2 baskets of vegetables). It was quite a haul. The produce is amazing with great flavor. The romaine lettuce had some slimy parts on one of the heads, but that was easily cut off.

The carrots are huge! Great for slicing in half length-wise and putting on the BBQ or for juicing.
I think I will do a little of both.

 The small peppers are delicious. We've been dicing them and using them in salads.

Loving the strawberries out of California. So sweet and not overripe.

You can check out the video I shot of this haul here.                                                                                    

Vegetarian Pinto Beans and Brown Rice

 Vegetarian/Vegan Pinto Beans and Brown Rice

When I cook beans or rice, I usually put some aside in the freezer to use another time. Today, I pulled some pinto beans from the freezer, and decided to make a quick lunch from them. I already had left over brown rice with chopped kale in the refrigerator. 

I started with 4 cups of cooked pinto beans ( you could use 2 cans ready to use), and defrosted them in the microwave. At the same time, in my dutch oven, I sprayed some coconut oil cooking spray. If you are avoiding all oil, then just put a little water or vegetable broth in the pan.Turning the heat to Medium high, I added a chopped onion and 2 diced carrots and let them get wilted/cooked while stirring. I then added 3 TBSP of chopped garlic and an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. I found some frozen corn that I then added to the mix, 1 cup or so and put in some honey mustard and some Dijon mustard and a little ketchup. While all of that was simmering, I scooped out a half cup of rice, microwaved it and put it in my bowl. You'll notice that I chopped up some romaine lettuce and put that in the bowl and put a cup of my pinto beans in as well. I love balsamic drizzle (you can find it at Trader Joe's and I just saw some at my local Albertson's) so I drizzle some over everything. It Tasted great and was quick and easy!

Ingredients:

1 yellow or white onion
2 diced carrots
2-3 TBSP of minced garlic
4 c. or 2 cans of pinto beans
1 c. corn, canned or frozen
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
2 TBSP honey mustard
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP ketchup or tomato paste
1 TBSP brown sugar (optional)
balsamic drizzle (as desired)

Saute the first two ingredients for 5-6 minutes on medium high heat or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Lower heat and add pinto beans, corn and tomato sauce. Add all other seasonings. Let simmer for a few minutes to incorporate flavors. Serve with rice.

Cilantro, Radish and Basil Microgreens



Easy to grow, great tasting microgreens! These are the microgreens I grew and harvested this week.

Radish Microgreens


I love microgreens! They are a tasty addition to any salad, a perfect garnish for scrambled eggs and casseroles, and a great addition to wraps. Above, Radish microgreens are pictured. These are probably one of the easiest microgreens to grow, and they have a great spicy radish taste. They are perfect added to salads, sandwiches and wraps because they add a little zip, without being too spicy.




Basil Microgreens

Basil microgreens are slow to germinate and seem to grow low to the soil. They have a delightful fragrance, but are a bit laborious to harvest. Radish microgreens grow taller, where the basil microgreens seem to hug the soil. They are delicate, but so flavorful.




Cilantro Microgreens

And what is not to love about cilantro! And these cilantro microgreens are amazing! Can't wait to sprinkle some on my scrambled eggs, refried beans and salsa at breakfast tomorrow. Yum!

Spring Garden in Southern Utah

Even though I haven't had a blog post in a while, I have been keeping up with my garden. I continue to harvest Swiss Chard, carrots, parsley, and chives.

 

Chives

 

Parsley

Swiss chard

I've been putting in some raised beds, and I'm hoping to get away from all of my containers/pots. Hopefully I'll get a better yield at harvest time because of the switch.

snap peas



snap peas



I'll post more pictures this weekend. I have lettuce and spinach seedlings to plant, as well as blueberries and blackberries.

Today's Harvest: Baby Carrots

baby carrots

I've been picking these small round carrots since fall. We've had a hard freeze, but fortunately, they made it through unscathed. They are actually growing in a self watering pot out in the yard. They have a sweet taste, and it is kind of like eating a sweet treat in the afternoon. Love these!

In the garden I have Swiss chard, baby carrots and parsley that are ready to harvest. That's it.  I've grown more items in the Winter in past years. I did plant some peas this weekend, and hope to get some radishes and more peas planted by Saturday. I also have green onions under grown lights as well as sunflower greens.