So my over-winter Alliums are doing well and my Walla Walla
sweets are in the ground, and now I have to decide what else I will plant.
After all, I should raise something besides onions and their relatives (i.e.,
shallots, garlic, leeks).
Tomatoes, of course. Can't have summer without tomatoes.
Little, sweet ones, big, tangy red ones. To me summer smells like tomatoes,
warm from the sun, so juicy that the drips leave stains on my shirt when I bite
into them. And snow peas. They are in the ground too, but after two weeks I
can't see a single emerging shoot. Perhaps it was too cold and too wet to plant
them yet. But I couldn't wait. The sooner I plant the snow peas, the sooner I
can eat them.
Do you get the idea that I love to eat? Oh yeah! And I love
to cook almost as much.
Perhaps you read mysteries when you're eating alone. Or
romances. I do, but even more frequently, I read cookbooks. Especially the ones
with pretty photos. Of course, I rarely try any of the recipes, but it's fun to
see what interesting ingredients people combine. Balsamic vinegar on ice cream
(I did try that and it was good, after I'd caramelized the vinegar). Krispy-Kreme
bread Pudding (just reading the recipe gives me a sugar high). Jellied Cole
slaw (made it once, but was underwhelmed). Anything that starts with a can of
soup (some sound good, but all that salt...).
I've become an adventurous cook, often inventing as I go
along. So far I have not had to toss anything out, but I admit that some of my
inventions have been less than tasty. Others, though, have warranted a note-to-self
to repeat. Like the caramelized yams I did the other night. I'd already cooked
the thick yam slices to almost-tender. A half teaspoon of butter, melted in a
small skillet, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and a teaspoon of brown sugar, and
plunk the yam slices on top over medium heat. Cook until slightly browned and a
little crusty on the edge, turn over and repeat. Delicious, low cal, healthy,
and super easy.
But this began with my garden, and it should end there. One
more thing I plan to plant is nasturtiums. Volunteers from ones I planted about
five years ago keep springing up, but they've all reverted to yellow, and I
like the red and maroon ones too (the photo shows them the first year I planted them). They look so pretty in a salad. Yes,
nasturtiums are edible. The flowers add color and a bite to salads, the buds can be used like fresh capers or pickled, the
leaves are great salad greens and a good substitute for watercress in
sandwiches (buttered white bread with the crusts cut off and cut into dainty
triangles, if you want to be traditional). And of course, nasturtiums add brilliant
color to my vegetable garden. I can hardly wait.
I guess I should mention that in April I'll have a new Regency
short story coming from Uncial Press. Common
Ground is about a young woman with an untraditional ambition, a young man
who'd rather not be heir to a title, and a duck-chasing dog. It's available for
preorder now, at Amazon
and elsewhere.
So...tell me about your garden. Or about your culinary
adventures.
Jude
