When Your Garden Goes "BOOM"

All that tilling, planting, fertilizing, trellising, hilling and weeding is starting to pay off in a bumper crop of vegetables.  It starts with a couple ripe tomatoes ... a cutting of mesclun for salad ... a handful of green beans ... and the next thing you know, you're swimming in produce!

So what do you do when your garden explodes?  You'll probably can or freeze the overflow, but fresh veggies right out of the garden are really the best. Staples like salads, steamed broccoli and corn on the cob are wonderful, and we love trying new recipes as well.  Here are a few of our favorites to help you deal with the abundance of produce flowing from your garden.

ROASTED TOMATOES WITH GARLIC AND HERBS
This recipe works beautifully with cherry tomatoes, plum/paste tomatoes, and smaller, meatier beefsteaks.  Keep in mind that roasting times will vary depending on the variety used.

Ingredients:

2 pt. (approximate) cherry or plum tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil for drizzling
Herbs - fresh or dried - for sprinkling (oregano, thyme and rosemary work well)
Oil spray

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Lightly spray a jellyroll pan (or other shallow pan with a lip) with the oil spray.
Halve the tomatoes and place them on the pan, cut side up.  Add unpeeled garlic cloves.  Drizzle olive oil generously over all and sprinkle with herbs.
Roast for 30 minutes, checking occasionally.  When they appear leathery in texture, they're done.  You can also roast them until they're caramelized - this will intensify the flavor - but be careful not to burn them (or the garlic).  Serve on slices of baguette, incorporate into a tomato sauce, serve with goat or farmer's cheese - the possibilities are endless!

GREEN BEANS AND BABY SUMMER SQUASH WITH BACON, GARLIC AND PARMESAN

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans (you can use wax or Romano beans if you prefer)
4 or 5 baby summer squash (zucchini or yellow), preferably under 5" long
4 strips bacon
3 cloves garlic
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese (or a blend)

Fry bacon in heavy-bottomed frying pan.  While bacon cooks, cut green beans into 1"-2" pieces, slice squash into 1/4" rounds, and finely mince garlic.  When bacon is done, set aside to drain and reserve 2 tbsp. of the rendered fat.  Return fat to pan over medium heat and add green beans and squash.  Sautée until tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes, then add garlic.  When garlic is golden and fragrant, crumble the bacon back into the pan and sprinkle with 1/4 c. of the cheese.  Toss, then add another 1/4 c. cheese.  Remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 c. cheese.  Serve immediately.

HERB PESTO
This is a wonderful way to use summer's abundance of fresh herbs.  While basil may be the traditional herb of choice, pesto is equally delicious when made with other herbs.  Choose your favorites and experiment.

Ingredients:

4-5 c. fresh herbs
2 cloves garlic, or to taste (you really can't use too much garlic!)
1 c. olive oil (NOTE:  This amount isn't written in stone. It will vary depending on the herbs you use; sturdy, "woodier" herbs like parsley, sage and rosemary have lower moisture and will require more than tender herbs like basil, tarragon or marjoram.  It will also depend on personal preference.  Some people like a thicker, more paste-like pesto, while some want a thinner texture.)
1/2 c. walnuts
1 tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
1 c. (or to taste) Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, pulse the garlic and walnuts with 1/4 c. olive oil until almost reduced to a paste.  Add the herbs and 1/2 c. olive oil and pulse until the mixture is well incorporated, adding olive oil as needed to attain desired consistency.  Add lemon juice and Parmesan and pulse.  Add more olive oil if pesto is too thick.  Serve over pasta, on chicken or fish, use as a sandwich spread or a dip.

SESAME BROCCOLI

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli
Soy sauce to taste
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 1/2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

In a dry skillet or wok over high heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring or tossing frequently, until golden.  Set aside.
Cut broccoli into florets.  Blanch in water sufficient to cover just until it turns bright green, then immerse in ice water to stop the cooking process, and drain completely
Add canola oil, garlic and ginger to the skillet or wok.  Cook over high heat, stirring or tossing frequently, until the garlic is golden and fragrant.  Remove ginger and garlic from pan, but leave the infused oil.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring/tossing continuously, until heated through but still tender-crisp.  Add soy sauce and sesame oil to pan and toss to coat broccoli. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

We hope you enjoy these recipes.  And please, feel free to comment with your favorites!

Soil Testing for Home Gardens

If you're a gardener, you're gearing up for the growing season.  You're planning your garden, buying seeds and plants, containers, tools and fertilizers, doing your best to have all your gardening ducks in a row.  If you want to make sure you get the highest yield from your vegetable (or flower) garden, do what your local farmers do, and have your soil tested.

Here at Whitman's, we'll test your soil's pH for free - just bring in a sample.  We can make recommendations on what amendments you'll need to bring your soil's pH balance into the optimal range.  And while the soil's pH is a vital component in plant growth - blueberries and potatoes, for example, prefer a more acid soil (around 5), while other plants like tomatoes, cukes and herbs prefer a pH around 6 or 6.5 - it's only one part of the overall picture.  If you want a more comprehensive analysis of your soil, you can send a sample to the University of Vermont for testing.  Here's how it works:

You stop in at the store and pick up your free soil test kit.  Next, you take a plastic bucket (don't use metal, as it can skew the test results) and take samples of your soil from several different spots around your garden.  Dig down about 3-5", put a trowel full of dirt in your bucket, and move on to another spot.  When you've taken 3 or 5 or 8 or 10 samples (the larger the area, the more samples you'll want to take), mix them thoroughly together so they're very well-incorporated, and put about a cup of the mixed soil into the plastic bag that's included with the test kit. 

Next, fill out the submission form.  It's pretty straightforward:  you supply your contact info and tell them which crop you're going to be growing.  The cost is $14; if you want recommendations for more than one crop, each additional crop is $2.  (There's a comprehensive list of fruits, vegetables, trees and flowers on the back of the form, with the code for each.  You can also request a heavy metals analysis for an extra $10.)  You package up the form, soil sample and payment in the pre-addressed mailer provided, and send it off to UVM for testing.

In just a couple weeks, you'll have the results.  You'll find out the pH of your soil, as well as the levels of phosphorous, potassium/potash, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, micronutrients and organic matter, as well as the soil's overall fertility.  You'll also receive recommendations for fertilizers/amendments to add for each crop you've listed, so you can pinpoint what and how much you'll need, rather than going "by guess and by gosh."

So don't let the farmers be the only ones with all the inside information!  There's still time to have your soil tested before the gardening season really gets under way, so stop in and get your soil test kit. And happy gardening!