How Does Your Garden Grow?

I’ll admit it…I am more than a little challenged when it comes to gardening. I would probably be okay with it if it didn’t require regular watering- I tend to forget! There are however a few plants that I love that have survived the neglect of my garden. These include:

Green Onions (Scallions) – these are the ultimate sustainable vegetable!

Any time I use them, I cut off the bottom inch that is attached to the root; then punch a shallow hole in your soil and place it in, root side down. It will grow into another green onion in a couple of weeks.

These are excellent in salads, soups, roasted, or grilled.

Chives – there are two main varieties: garlic chives (flat) and onion chives (more round).

I have had the most luck with garlic chives; one plant in my garden has been going strong for several years.

These are fabulous to add to baked potatoes, salads, dressings, soups, or anywhere you want a fresh onion-y flavor.

Tarragon – this herb has a nice licorice-y flavor. It literally grows like a weed and is a perennial, so plant it once and you will probably have several years of an abundant plant.

It is excellent with roast chicken and in salads.

Tomatoes – I prefer the smaller varieties (yellow pear, grape, cherry) because they tend to produce abundance of fruit, and my kids enjoy eating them.

Do not refrigerate them after picking since this will change the flavor and make them mushy.

These are a terrific snack and are great added to salads, on kebabs, in pasta dishes, and anywhere else you need a burst of flavor and color.

Basil – to go with the tomatoes! This herb is normally an annual (though there are a few perennial varieties).

Pinch off any blossoms that form before they can flower so your plant will continue producing leaves. To harvest pinch off some of the larger leaves at their base as needed.

These are great on sandwiches, in salads, in sauces, or even as pesto.

This salad is so good you can use it as a salsa with chips, on a bed of lettuce as an entrée, or as a relish on grilled chicken or fish. The jalapeno jack adds nice heat to the salad, but you can substitute cheddar if you prefer less heat; or add more diced peppers if you love heat.

Yellow pear and grape tomatoes are normally small enough that just cutting them in half makes them the perfect size or if you use larger tomatoes you can dice them.