Gardening

Summer is here and it’s time to get that garden planted if you haven’t already. I love planting gardens and watching them grow. I try to pick things I know we will eat but I also like to throw in an odd ball that I have never grown before. Most of you know that the church has a garden that I have been working on. This year with the help of David & Marianne Meyer and Gary Hein, the garden is looking amazing! We planted a lettuce bowl, green beans, radishes, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, zucchini, watermelon, and more. We already have radishes ready to pull so we will have them with our salad this week.  I knew I wanted to try to get as many fresh vegetables as possible to serve our FEAST partners on Sundays. Fresh fruits and vegetables are what they request the most so having a great garden will help with this.  

My first piece of advice for planting a garden is to make sure to have good soil! I know that this seems obvious, but it really can make a world of a difference. This year we added a bag of good compost to all the beds we were using. The soil for the tomatoes was done a little differently, by planting a grass (Dave Meyer) in the fall. To keep the soil rich, we now have a composting bin that I will be adding this weekend. I can now start keeping scraps from the meals I cook and add them to the bin. I love the reusing of everything. Then the next thing is to plant things that will grow well together.

Some plants can help other plants grow. One example, green beans and strawberries grow well together. Then watering and knowing how much water they need. Sadly, in this part of Nebraska we can’t seem to get any rain these days. I try to water the garden every other day, but I won’t let it go for more than 2 days. The garden beds are not very deep, and they don’t hold the water for long.  Thankfully Dave, Gary and others put in a drip system, and I think that has made a world of a difference. These are a few of the tips I have learned over the last few years, and I know I have so much more to learn. It truly is a learning process, figuring out how and where things grow best.  

Hopefully as things start growing and producing, I can start to incorporate them in the meals on Sundays. I would also like to can tomatoes, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and pickles. I plan to also dry out our herbs and freeze as many things as I can. I would love to be eating our harvest throughout the year. I encourage you all to try to grow something this year even if it is an herb. There is something so satisfying knowing that what you are eating is fresh and grown by you. Now for a few recipes that you can use as you harvest your own garden. 

Green Beans Almondine 

 1-pound green beans  ½ stick butter 

½ cup sliced almonds 

1 Tbsp minced garlic  

Boil water. Add green beans for 7-9 minutes till bright green and tender. While beans are cooking melt butter in a skillet. Once butter is melted add garlic and almonds till, they start to brown. Then mix with beans and enjoy!! 

Pesto 

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves 

2 garlic cloves 

¼ cup pine nuts 

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil 

½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese (about 2oz) 

¼ tsp kosher salt 

¼ tsp ground black pepper 

 In a food processor, combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts. Pulse until roughly chopped, 10-15 seconds. With machine running, slowly add in the olive oil until well combined, 1-2 minutes. Add parmesan, salt, and pepper and mix until just incorporated. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in freezer for up to a month.

Marinara Sauce 

 1 Tbsp olive oil 

1/3 cup diced red onion (small) 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (use tomatoes from garden to make crushed tomatoes) 

1 6-ounce can tomato paste 

3 bay leaves 

2 Tbsp chopped basil 

1 Tbsp chopped parsley 

1 tsp dried oregano 

 In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until transparent and browning, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 min, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and 2 cups water. Stir well to combine. Stir in the bay leaves, basil, parsley, and oregano. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, 20-30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.