Time to start fall garden

If you have any room left in your garden, now is a good time to plant again. You can plant peas, spinach, lettuce parsley, onions and leeks and cabbage. Also cilantro for making salsa in September. The seedlings will need some extra care; cover with shade cloth or plant them near taller plants. Be sure to water frequently.

Picking herbs is good for them

This is great weather for tomatoes, sunny and hot just how they like it. We should get a bumper crop of very red tomatoes, packed with flavor. But herbs are taking the heat. Watering is very important now. Picking herbs and greens helps prevent them from forming seeds. The best way to pick parsley, and many herbs and leafy vegetables, is to snip the whole leaf and stem from the stock. Sometimes you can twist them off, when you pick parsley and Swiss chard.
Basil's a little different. You should cut the stock or branch, just above leaves, well below the leaves you want to harvest. Picking in late morning is the best time of day, especially for greens and herbs.
Pick leaves often to prevent the plants from going to seed. Because once they go to seed, many of the plants lose their herbiness flavor.
For Rosemary and sage, cut 5 inch branches and hang to air dry or chop and freeze in herb ice cubes or clumps in a freezer bag.

When life gives you parsley, make Tabouleh

What do you do with all that fresh parsley?  Well you can garnish everybody's plates with it, including breakfast. I don't recommend it for cereal though. Or you can make tabouleh. Here's my garden fresh recipe for it. I had to buy the tomatoes and cucumbers.  At the bottom is a link to a hummus recipe, because they go together well.

Tabouleh
1/2 c bulgar, cover with boiling water for 30 minutes, then strain very well.
1 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, maybe more
1/2 cup diced green onion
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh mint, optional
Mix ingredients and serve or refrigerate.

Hummus
http://mideastfood.about.com/od/appetizerssnacks/r/hummusbitahini.htm

Thai basil eggplant recipe

Here's a good easy recipe, that is different and delicious. It's great with fresh eggplant and basil. I have fresh basil because I bought a plant. Unfortunately I had to buy the eggplant at  the grocery store. If there was a farmers' market nearby, I might have found eggplant there. There's a list of area farmers' markets on the upper right side of this blog.

Fried Thai basil eggplant

1 tablespoon oil

2 -3 garlic cloves, minced

1 big  or 2 small eggplant cut irregular

1 tablespoon sugar

1 bunch basil, washed and stems removed

2 chile peppers finely chopped or other hot peppers

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Cut eggplant into uniform irregular shapes. Heat oil in pan and cook garlic until lightly browned. Add eggplant, 1/2 cup water cover and simmer 5 minutes, until eggplant becomes translucent. Add more water as needed. Stir in sugar and fish or soy sauce. Turn off the heat and add the basil, stirring gently. Serve with rice.

Swiss chard heaven

What a strange spring it has been. Most of our garden is doing well, but the peas never came up, even after planting the second time. One word, moles. I picked our first batch of Swiss chard, young leaves. It was so tender and delicious, just heated with a bit of water and salt and pepper. Here's my favorite Swiss chard recipe.

Swiss Chard
olive oil
1/4 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp. dried crushed red pepper, to taste
1 bunch of Swiss chard, washed and chopped

2 Tablespoons water
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute the onion, garlic and red pepper. Then add the rest of the ingredients and heat on medium heat for 10 minutes. As a variation, add substitute 1 tablespoon of water for vinegar and add smoked turkey or ham pieces.

Asparagus aplenty

Last year, Ken planted peas in March and then planted a second batch in April so started picking them about this time. This year, after 2 plantings, nothing, nada. Something is eating the seeds, possibly moles. Anybody have any mole evacuation techniques?
We've been picking asparagus for 3 weeks. My favorite way to prepare it is to roll the spears in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill it. Here's another tasty treat with asparagus:

Appetizer
Ham and Swiss, asparagus spirals. Pre-fry spears in olive oil, lay on a slice of ham and cheese, dollop with Dijon mustard and roll up with the asparagus in the middle. Slice into spirals 1-1/2 inches wide. Dip in seasoned bread crumbs, insert toothpick to hold each spiral together, and fry.

Farmers' markets are opening!

There's a bunch of farmers' markets that are open now. I would like to list all the farms that sell to the public. If you know of a farm or market not listed, please comment or send an email to me at kathyblake1@aol.com.

Macomb County farmers markets
Gibraltar Trade Center, 237 North River Road, Mount Clemens, open noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 586-465-6440.
Mount Clemens Farmers Market, 141 N. River Road, Mount Clemens, open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 586-493-7600.
New Baltimore Farmers Market, on Washington at Main, New Baltimore, opens in July, 586-557-4841, www.ridethewavenb.com.
Shelby Township Farmers Market, 49965 Van Dyke, 586-943-5785.
Warren Farmers Market, on City Center Drive in Warren, 586-943-5785.

Oakland County farmers markets
Auburn Hills Farmers Market, 3308 Auburn Road, open 3-7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 248-504-8102, www.auburnhills.org.
Birmingham Farmers Market, 660 N. Old Woodward Ave., Lot No. 6 N. Old Woodward Ave., north of Harmon, open 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Sundays, 248-530-1200, www.birmighafarmersmarker.org.
Clarkston Farmers Market, downtown Clarkston, across from Depot Park. Opening June 18, www.clarkstonfarmersmarket.org.
Clawson Farmers Market, 1080 N Custer Ave., Clawson, opening July 17, 248-435-6500, www.clawsonfarmersmarket.info
Farmington Farmers and Artisans Market, at Walter E. Sundquist Pavilion, 33113 Grand River Ave., at Grove St., open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. Call 248-473-7276 ext. 13, www.downtownfarmington.org/AbouttheDowntown/FarmersMarket.html.
Lake Orion Farmers Market at Howarth United Methodist Church, 550 E. Silver Bell, east of M-24, open Wednesdays, beginning June 15, downtownlakeorion.org.
Lake Orion Farmers Market, S. Anderson St., two blocks south of Flint Street and one block east of Broadway, near Children’s Park, 248-693-9742, www.lakeorionfarmersmarket.com. Opening 2-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 1.
Milford Farmers Market, on Liberty Street between S. Main St. and Union St. Open 3-8 p.m., www.milfordfarmersmarket.org.
Novi Farmers Market & International Street Fair, 46100 Grand River Ave., Novi, 248-504-8102, www.novifarmersmarket.com, open 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturdays, beginning June 18.
Orion Farmers Market at Canterbury Village on Joslyn Road north of I-75, open 2 p.m.-dusk, Tuesdays and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays beginning June 14.
Oakland County Farmers Market, 2350 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Township. Open 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays, 248-858-5495.
Ortonville’s Beets, Beats and Eats, Crossman Park, downtown Ortonville 6-9 p.m., beginning June 17, 248-240-0907, www.downtownortonville.org/bbe.
Oxford Farmers Market, open 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursdays, May 26 through Sept. 1, northwest corner of Burdick St., behind the Funky Monkey toy store, 248-693-7067, orionfarmersmarket.com.
Rochester Farmers Market, E. Third and Water St., open 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, 248-656-0060, www.DowntownRochesterMI.com.
Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak Farmers Market, 3601 W. 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, 248-898-3031.
Royal Oak Farmers Market, 316 E. 11 Mile, open 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 248-246-3276, www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/farmersmkt/index.html.
Southfield Farmers Market, on Greenfield Road, south of J.L. Hudson Drive, open 3-7 p.m., Thursdays, June 2 through Oct. 13, 248-796-5196, www.southfieldfarmersmarket.net.
South Lyon Farmers Market, at Pontiac Trail and Liberty St., South Lyon, open 2-7 p.m. Wednesdays, 248-437-1735, www.southlyonmi.org.
Springfield Farmers Market, 1200 Davisburg Road, Davisburg, open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays beginning June 19, 248-846-6558.
Walled Lake Farmers Market, 1499 E. W. Maple, Walled Lake, open 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays, 248-624-4847.
Wixom Farmers Market, 49399 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 3-7 p.m. Thursdays, 248-624-2850.