Gardeners Share Their Favorite Recipes
Gardeners’ RECIPEs
This page will hold recipes that gardeners are sharing from growing their own vegetables. More to come as we start a new growing season.
Learn More
Gardenters, please share your recipes using the form and wie will publish your recipes on this page.
Recipes
Summer Squash Pizza
Warm Salad with Spinach, Beets, Bacon and Sherry Vinegar Dressing
Beets and Their Greens with Marjoram and Pine Nuts
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: enough for 8 servings
Ingredients
1 generous cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon (or more, to taste) crushed red pepper flakes
7-10 large basil leaves, finely chopped
Green and yellow summer squash, both roughly the same diameter, and about 8 inches in length
2 teaspoons salt
A thin, pre-baked pizza crust, such as "Boboli," approximately 12 inches in diameter
Olive oil for drizzling
Coarsely-ground black pepper
Instructions
• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and chopped basil. Set aside.• Slice the summer squash into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Put the rounds in a colander set over a bowl, toss with the salt, and let sit for about 15 minutes while they exude some of their liquid. Pick up handfuls of squash and squeeze them in the palm of your hand to release even more moisture. Then lay the squash out on a kitchen towel, fold the towel over the squash, and press down to dry the squash. Set aside for a moment. Meanwhile, center the oven rack, and heat the oven to 400°F.• Put the pizza crust on a rimless baking sheet (or, use a pizza paddle). Spread the ricotta mixture over the crust, keeping a 1/2-inch border all around. Arrange the rounds of squash in overlapping concentric circles, alternating the green and yellow slices. Drizzle with rounds with the olive oil, and finish with a dusting of the black pepper.• Slide the pizza directly onto the oven rack, and bake until the crust crisps and the squash colors slightly -- 15-20 minutes. Slide the pizza onto the rimless baking sheet, and then transfer to a wooden board for easy slicing. Let the pizza cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing into 8 wedges.• NOTE: You can use ALL green zucchini or ALL yellow crookneck squash for this pizza.t.
Beets and Their Greens with Marjoram and Pine Nuts
Warm Salad with Spinach, Beets, Bacon and Sherry Vinegar Dressing
Beets and Their Greens with Marjoram and Pine Nuts
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
2 small red onions, thinly sliced in rounds
White wine vinegar
8 to 12 small beets, golden and/or Chioggia, including the greens
Olive oil
Sea salt
Marjoram Pesto with Capers and Olives (see recipe below)
Instructions
• Toss the onions with vinegar nearly to cover and refrigerate until needed. They will turn bright pink.• Discard the beet stems and any leaves that are yellowed or wilted, wash the rest, and steam until tender, about five minutes. Set aside to drain, then chop coarsely. Toss with a little olive oil and season lightly with salt.• Leaving an inch of the stems and the tails on the beets, steam until a knife pierces them easily, about 25 minutes. Slip off the skins. Trim the tops and tails, quarter them, and sprinkle with a little of the vinegar.
• Make the pesto, setting aside half the toasted pine nuts for a garnish. Toss the beets with it, leaving ample streaks throughout. Place them over the greens. Remove the onions from the vinegar and strew them over the beets. Garnish with the reserved pine nuts and serve.
•
Marjoram Pesto with Capers and Olives
Ingredients
1 small slice country bread
2 tablespoons aged red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup marjoram leaves
3 tablespoons drained capers
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons pitted Greek olives
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
• Remove the crusts from the bread, then soak the bread in the vinegar on a plate.• Pound the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mortar until smooth, then work in marjoram, capers, pine nuts, parsley and olives, until you have a coarse puree.• Add the bread and the olive oil and work until the pesto is well amalgamated. Season with pepper, taste for vinegar, and add a little more if you think it needs it. The pesto will be very thick.
Warm Salad with Spinach, Beets, Bacon and Sherry Vinegar Dressing
Warm Salad with Spinach, Beets, Bacon and Sherry Vinegar Dressing
Warm Salad with Spinach, Beets, Bacon and Sherry Vinegar Dressing
In this warm salad the dressing is made right in the sauté pan, then the spinach is slightly wilted in the pan. In order to make this dish successfully, you must have every ingredient prepped and organized next to your stove. Success is counted in seconds here.
Makes 4 to 6 servings as a starter or salad course
Ingredients
2 medium size red beets (about 6 to 8 ounces each)
1 1/2 pounds of spinach leaves, stems removed
4 ounces thinly sliced bacon
1 small (6 ounces) Spanish onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons canola or grape seed oil
3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
• Place the whole beets in a pot and cover with water. Add salt to the water and cook the beets for about 40 minutes or until they are tender. Add water during the cooking when necessary. Rinse the cooked beets under cold water. Peel, then cut in half. Slice the halves about 1/3-inch thick so that they are shaped like half-moons.• Pick the stems from the spinach. Wash and drain very well. Check for ladybugs.• Cut the bacon slices crosswise into 1-inch pieces. In the sauté pan on medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease. Pour off half of the fat from the pan and return it to the stove.• Add the onions and cook until they begin to become translucent, don't over cook (about 1 minute).• Next, add the oil and vinegar along with the beets. Cook gently until the beets are very warm. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the onions and beets with a slotted spoon, leaving the dressing in the pan.• Add the spinach and toss continuously using the tongs. When the spinach is slightly wilted, divide it on plates and put the warm onions and beets on top of the spinach. Sprinkle each plate with the crisp bacon and serve at once.
Tomato-Bulgar Salad
Leek and Thyme Soup for Winter into Spring
Warm Salad with Spinach, Beets, Bacon and Sherry Vinegar Dressing
A vegan Lebanese salad
Ingredients
1 cup bulgar wheat
1 1/2 cups boiling water
The juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
5-7 scallions, diced (use both the white and green parts)
1 young zucchini (about 8 inches in length), diced
Fresh, coarsely-chopped mint leaves -- enough to equal 1 cup
Fresh, coarsely-chopped flat-leaf parsley -- enough to equal 1 cup
Grinds of black pepper
1 dozen (or more) heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half through stem ends
Instructions
• Put bulgar wheat into a large bowl and stir in the boiling water, lemon juice, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.• Add the scallions, zucchini, mint, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and grinds of black pepper to the wheat mixture. Stir well. Then, using a spatula, gently fold in the halved cherry tomatoes.• Cover the salad and let it chill for at least 1 hour. Taste to correct seasonings.
.the services you offer. Also, be sure to showcase a premium service.
Leek and Thyme Soup for Winter into Spring
Leek and Thyme Soup for Winter into Spring
Leek and Thyme Soup for Winter into Spring
A heart-warming soup against the blustering winds of February and March. In the chilly days before spring draws me to the garden, I throw over-wintered vegetables in a pot. Leek and potatoes do the trick, but I need color and I find staring into a pot of gray depressing. I substitute sweet potatoes and throw in lots of thyme, then finish it off with a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream with lots of fresh chopped parsley. I don’t bake but like to eat this with dark German bread. Ingredients 3-4 leeks 2 lbs sweet potatoes Stick of butter handful of fresh thyme 4-5 quarts vegetable stock salt and freshly ground pepper Dollops of plain yogurt or sour cream Directions: Top and tail the leeks. Strip off the coarse outer leaves and rinse thoroughly. Chop leeks into thick rounds. Scrub clean and roughly dice the sweet potatoes. In a big soup pot, melt the butter and add the leeks and sprigs of thyme. Cook 5 minutes until leeks are soft. Add potatoes and the stock, cover and on low heat cook for about 40 minutes. Fish out the thyme stems. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sour cream or yogurt and plenty of chopped emerald green parsley Pull apart a round of dark bread, and if you feel you dare or deserve to, slather with butter or a hunk of hard cheese. I can imagine I’m in a Breughel painting or Bijl van Urk’s ‘Happy Peasants.’
Zucchini Nachos
Leek and Thyme Soup for Winter into Spring
Leek and Thyme Soup for Winter into Spring
• Cube enough zucchini to fill a 2 quart casserole dish. • In sauce pan cook 1 medium onion in a little butter. When onions are clear, add chicken (equivalent to one tuna can of meat)--two small chicken breasts baked and cubed work well--and a can of Cream of Chicken soup. Pour over zucchini and stir in an 8 oz package of shredded cheddar cheese. • Crumble nacho Doritos on top to cover. • Bake at 350 for 1 hour covered and last 15 minutes uncover. If you bake for 45 covered and 15 uncovered, zucchini is a little firmer, but meal is done.
TENDER GREENS SALAD WITH FLOWERS
TENDER GREENS SALAD WITH FLOWERS
TENDER GREENS SALAD WITH FLOWERS
Take advantage of the earlyt lettuce and budding flowers to make a delicious spring salad.. I have some cold tolerant lettuce, overwintering carrots and arugula to add to an early spring salad, Add some budding flowers and you have a tasty and colorful spring salad. Ingredients Young lettuce leaves Arugula Carrots sliced thinly Radish sliced thinly Micro greens Redbud tree flowers, Arugula or Kale flowers, and flowers from I like to drizzle olive oil over the tender lettuce and squeeze half a fresh lemon. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.