Jacksonville, FL

From my backyard garden (left to right, clockwise) I clipped sweet basil, orange mint, tomatoes and banana peppers.

Just as the cold weather ended, I put some tomato plants out and stuck a few pepper plants in a little garden spot out back. I also planted some orange mint and sweet basil—the mint is a great addition to hot or cold tea. I use the basil for vegetables, fish, beef and many other dishes. It’s one of those great all-around herbs.

I have some radish seed my daughter gave me. I plan to stick those in the dirt in a few days. If you’ve never had a radish straight out of the ground, you’re missing a real experience.

Despite boutique markets and abundant produce aisles in groceries, nothing comes close to bounty from your own garden. Maybe it’s because we’ve vested part of ourselves in tending, weeding, watering and even talking to the plants.

I put my garden in a spot near the fence, where we kept a canopy of leaves at the lawn’s edge. Maybe because nothing much had been planted there for years, and maybe because the soil is just plain rich, the plants grew healthy and tall. I still have lots of tomatoes on the vine and the pepper of course continues to grow because that’s how pepper plants work.

Ironically, a squash plant came up around the small fence we put up around the garden plot—we had to do this because of our adopted feral chicken. I have no idea where the squash plant came from. I wondered if some seed from the previous owner’s long ago garden saw an opportunity as we turned the soil.

I’m hoping to add more herbs to my garden mix.

Nothing is more pleasurable than watching your garden grow. This has to be one of the best navel gazing opportunities in the world.

When we have cookouts, as we enjoy a cold drink, we also enjoy talking about the garden.

Here’s a recipe my family enjoys, using some of my bounty. It’s a great side item for grilled food or a veggie plate.

Tomato with Feta Salad

3 medium sized tomatoes
½ block (about 4 oz.) of feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 TBS. virgin olive oil
Sweet basil, finely chopped
Kalamata olives

Slice tomatoes and place on coffee filter or paper towel to wick excess juice. Whisk balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Stir in feta cheese. Place tomatoes on platter, and drizzle vinegar/oil/feta mixture over tops. Sprinkle 1 TBS. of the chopped basil for garnish. Add Kalamata olives as desired for garnish.

(Photo and text by Kay B. Day)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Home and Garden, Vegetables, Herbs, backyard garden, recipes