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Planting your Own Organic Garden

guest blogger — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:15:52 +0000

My best friend’s only rule for her first organic garden was simple: Don’t put basil in the corner.

She had moved into an adorable little apartment with a bit of outdoor space – a small miracle in the city.

There was just one catch – it needed major work.

Neither of us had a green thumb, but we knew we wanted an inviting spot to hold an outdoor party and enough homegrown veggies to carry us through the summer months.

So, one sunny Saturday, we rolled up our sleeves, borrowed some gardening tools from the neighbor and set to work on transforming an overgrown flowerbed and brown grass into a backyard oasis.

Getting Started
Before we got started on the organic garden, priority number one was addressing the dead patch of grass. We sprinkled a little organic lawn fertilizer around and in less than a week, my friend had a lush barbecue-ready backyard. Bonus: With a little upkeep, the bright spring green lasted from Memorial Day all the way through Labor Day.

Why Organic?

There are many known benefits of planting an organic garden for the earth and also for humans. But when we were at the local nursery, we were sold on the tiny organic plants because of the promise of higher vitamin and mineral content. Apparently The Soil Association did a study that found organic veggies have higher levels of Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium. Goodbye daily vitamin!

What to Plant

Since this was our first organic garden, we went in with intentions of keeping it simple. Just as you shouldn’t go grocery shopping hungry, you probably shouldn’t go plant shopping hungry either. We ended up buying all the ingredients we’d ever need for a delicious summer salad and then some – spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower. And we threw in a few herbs for good measure.

How to Plant

Thankfully for these garden newbies, each of our organic seedlings came with specific instructions on how much sun it needed to grow, how deep it should go in the ground and how far apart it needed to be from other plants. At first we tried to be exact, but as the afternoon wore on, we began eyeballing. Thankfully the vegetables, plants and herbs were forgiving and spouted anyway.

Caring for your Organic Garden

A layer of organic mulch in the flowerbed helped keep the weeds mostly at bay. And, as the veggies grew, we staked them with bamboo and twine to keep them climbing and producing that delicious organic produce. And, of course, basil was far from being put in the corner of that organic garden.

This guest post brought to you by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger, who enjoys blogging about how to get the most out of your outdoor space with an organic garden and organic lawn fertilizers.

Christmas Cooking Tips

TheSaltyChef — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:00:59 +0000

YOU made it to the 12th day!!!

This cookie recipe was invented while I was attending culinary school. It was around the holidays and I had a big test in baking class. I wanted to put a holiday spin on an old favorite cookie. I decided to try mixing fresh mint into the peanut cookie batter. To my surprise it tasted so refreshing and pleasant. The mint was just right and not over powering. I received an A+ on my test. The cookies were then served that night at the school restaurant. The customers seemed pleased as several of them raved and requested the recipe. I keep this recipe secret most of the time. I guess it was time to share it with everyone! That is how Honey Mint Peanut Butter cookies were born.

Holiday Honey Mint Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe makes 4 Dozen cookies

1 Cup Unsalted Butter

1 Cup Smooth peanut Butter

2 Cups White sugar

2 Eggs

2 ½ Cups all purpose flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

¼ Tsp Salt

1 ½ Tsp Baking soda

1 Tsp pure Vanilla extract

¼ Tsp ground Nutmeg

2 Tbsp finely chopped Mint leaves

½ Cup Powdered Sugar

½ Cup Honey

¼ Cup Honey

Directions:

1.) Cream together butter, peanut butter, mint leaves, vanilla, ¼ Cup Honey and sugar. Beat in eggs.

2.) In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Mix wet batter with the dry ingredients until well mixed. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

3.) Roll into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet lined with non stick baking mat. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over bake.

4.) Let cookies cool completely on a cookie cooling rack. After cookies are cool, with a fork drizzle honey over them. Then dust with powdered sugar.

Turkey Cooking & Prep Made Easy!

TheSaltyChef — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:00:35 +0000

Everyone knows that this time of year can be stressful. Cooking the turkey is always a major feat. Many people get very confused when it comes to preparing a turkey. In this article I have included some tips and some info on how to make your holiday dinner a snap. I use an electric roaster for my turkey, which makes it simple, easy to clean and does not heat the whole house up and makes space in your even for side dishes.

First!

How long to cook? Preheat the oven to 325o, then place the bird in the oven to roast for 15 – 20 minutes per pound.

How big a turkey? You’ll need 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person if you’re buying the whole bird, fresh or frozen.

It’s always best to go bigger. (After all, there are at least 50 ways to serve your turkey leftovers, including a winter store of turkey soup.)

How to Make Turkey Stuffing:

* Rule of thumb – allow about 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey. Double that amount and bake extra stuffing on the side in a casserole dish.
* Avoid the temptation to over stuff around the neck and cavity. Stuffing expands while cooking.
* Food safety experts advise to stuff the bird immediately before roasting time. Turkey juices may spoil the stuffing, even if refrigerated.

Which wine with turkey?

If you and your guests prefer dry white wines, dry and oakey Chardonnay is the favorite choice with turkey depending on the particular tastes of your family and guests. Sauvignon Blanc or a White Burgundy are also good all-around choices that pair well with everything from mashed turnips to turkey stuffing. Red or white or even blush can go with poultry, so choose something you like.

We Give Thanks!+ Solutions To Last Min Meal Problems

TheSaltyChef — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:00:55 +0000

How To Solve the Most Common Thanksgiving Dinner Disasters on Howcast

Pumpkin Soup, By J Kent Kroencke

TheSaltyChef — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:27 +0000

Cheesecake 101 Part II

TheSaltyChef — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:32:28 +0000

Cheesecakes are among the most frequently overcooked foods because they are the most deceptive when trying to figure out when they are done baking. When it’s done, it never LOOKS done. To test if a cheesecake is done baking, gently shake the pan. The top of the cake should move as one solid piece, but its center should still be wobbly (not soupy) in about a 3-inch circle in the center.Â You may be removing the cheesecake from the oven a little earlier than the recipe suggests, but baking times are not always exact due to variations in ovens.

HOW TO PREVENT CRACKING CHEESECAKES: The truth is that cheesecakes tend to crack even if you do everything right. Small cracks in my homemade cheesecakes never bothered me, but the large one that occasionally developed through the middle of it meant it was over baked.

Cheesecakes with cornstarch or flour do not crack as easily from over baking. The starch molecules will actually get in between the egg proteins preventing them from over-coagulating. No over-coagulating, no cracks.Â Some bakers add extra insurance to a cheesecake recipe without starch, by simply adding a tablespoon to a 1/4 cup of cornstarch to the batter with the sugar.

With today’s trend to produce larger and higher cheesecakes and to bake them without the benefit of a water bath, they tend to over bake at the edge before the center of the cake has reached the temperature necessary to set (coagulate) the eggs. Here, your cheesecake will tend to form deep cracks upon cooling.

Don’t bake your cheesecake at too high a temperature. The egg proteins will over coagulate from too much heat which eventually shrink when cooled, causing cracking usually in its center or tiny cracks all over its top.Â If you heat it up to fast or cool it down too fast you’re also going to get cracks.

Stay tuned for part III