The Garden & Bonus! Ginger Dressing Recipe

I just traveled for work for three weeks straight. I missed Robert the most of course, and the puppy and kitty second most. I mean, how could you not miss this face:

But the thing I missed third most was my garden. I had just started to plant seeds before I left and couldn't wait to see what awaited me upon my return. In fact, I had Robert text me pictures of the garden while I was away!

Here's the garden before and after my trip. On the left, you can just start to see the snap peas and the collards peeking out from the soil. On the right, sha-zam! The red leaf lettuce had grown enough to make a huge ginger salad. I just took the outer leaves, so the little guys will continue to grow. Ginger Dressing recipe below!

 

Here's what we planted. Each box is a square foot and the number is how many of each plant is in each box.

As you can see, we followed Mel's techniques to a T, with awesome results so far! I highly recommend downloading his book:

Squarefoot gardening saves space, seeds, and water. And money in the long run. It was about a $200 investment for the supplies and soil, but once you're set up, you only have to add a scoop of compost to each square before growing again! No need to replace the soil! Plus, you only plant what you need (I mean who could use every head of kale 1 packet produces maturing at the same time?) so you can plant from 1 packet season after season.

Here are the basics:

1. Create your raised bed and line it with a drain-able weed barrier sheet. This is a no native soil technique.

2. Make your Mel's mix of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost (comprised of a few different types. I used chicken, mushroom, cow, and earthworm). This mix is costly, but again you never have to replace it! And it holds water well, so you use about 10% of a normal garden's watering needs. 

3. Add the mix in layer by layer, spraying down with a hose between each layer. Once filled, just top with the wooden slats spaced 1 foot apart. I used wooden siding that I had Home Depot cut into 4 ft slats for me. Then I drilled a hole at 1 ft increments and put a nail where the holes intersect.

Again, I highly recommend the book, as it will go into some detail that I didn't, but I can attest to how much I love it so far! Next year, the entire backyard may be square foot gardens! 

Oh yeah, I'm also growing a few things that don't quite fit the square foot rules. The black barrels on the right are potatoes and sweet potatoes, and the herbs (from left to right) are oregano, sage (which is going crazy!), and rosemary. These herbs have been with me for three years now and just keep getting better and better! I love being able to walk outside to snip some flavors for tonight's dinner. In fact, I just added a few rosemary sprigs to the garbanzos in my pressure cooker.

Bonus! Ginger Dressing Recipe:

This is a classic recipe with a Kelly twist.

1/4 cu each peanut oil and rice vinegar

2 T each grated onion, celery, fresh ginger root (no need to peel, the grating will do the work for you!)

2 T each ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice (We always use organic ketchup to avoid the HFCS)

1 T sugar

1 t garlic

salt & black pepper

Puree in blender about 30 seconds until smooth consistency. Enjoy with greens of your choice and the classic accompaniments of tomato, cucumber, and carrot.

Happy Growing!

The Best Collard Greens You'll Ever Make

Being a good Southern girl, I grew up on greens of all kinds - mustard greens, turnip greens, but my favorite have always been Collard Greens! The New Year is fast approaching (well, if the stores put Christmas decorations in the windows before Halloween, I can say the New Year is almost here) and that means Collard Greens & Hoppin' John. The latter is another show, but today's challenge was to create a Vegetarian Version that is every bit as delicious as the one seasoned with ham hock or turkey legs. By George, I think I've done it and then some!

All you need is this and this!

Ingredients:
As many Collard Greens as you like (I used 1 lb and it made about 2 servings)
1 T Salt
1 T Olive Oil
1/4 cu apple cider vinegar
1 t smoke seasoning (make sure it's vegetarian - Trader Joe's African Smoke Seasoning grinder certainly is!)
Apple Cider Vinegar to taste

A quick note on the TJ's Smoke Seasoning:
African-grown paprika is slow-smoked for 48 hours over a sustainable African hardwood called Acacia Saligna, commonly used as barbecue coals. This process enriches the paprika with a smoky, roasted flavor that evokes the South African braai, or barbecue. The smoked paprika is blended with sea salt, garlic and basil and packaged in a grinder, giving you fresh-ground flavor in every twist.

Now... on to the collards!

De-stem, rinse, and chop your collards!
In a large skillet, head 1 T olive oil over high heat. Add collards and stir until they brighten in color and slightly wilt. They should look like this:

Add the 1/4 cu apple cider and the smoke seasoning. I call for 1 t in the recipe, but it's about 15 grinds if you are using the grinder. Don't try to grind into a teaspoon!

Can you smell it?

Cover and let simmer until it reaches your desired collard consistency. This may only take 5 minutes if you like a crunch collard or up to an hour if you prefer a creamy collard. Season with the apple cider vinegar and ENJOY! This will definitely be featured on my Thanksgiving table! I am thankful for Collards!