Not sure when your plants need a good watering? Just stop by the Botanicalls website and pick up this little gadget! Simply put the moisture sensor in the soil and your plant will send you a tweet when it needs to be watered. Crazy simple, right?

The latest addition: Alaska Peas

The Leeks, separated and growing quickly.

A few of the (many) garlic plants, growing quickly but not quite ready for harvest…

Some tomatoes ripening on the vine. <3

Our first green pepper has finally been harvested!

A second pepper, beginning to turn red on the vine.

Look! The cauliflower plants finally have…CAULIFLOWER! Soon I’ll be able to make this delicious cauliflower soup recipe:

• 6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 12 cups cauliflower (2 large heads), chopped in 1” pieces
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 3” cube of Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Crumbled turkey bacon and fresh herbs for garnish
• White truffle oil for drizzing on top

1. Sauté bacon in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until golden brown; set aside a few pieces to crumble as garnish
2. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cover; cook until veggies are soft, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes
3. Add cauliflower, broth and cheese; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes
4. Purée soup in batches in a blender
5. Return to pan, add cream; let soup simmer. Thin with more broth if needed. Season with salt and pepper
6. Ladle into bowls; top with cheese shavings, bacon, any fresh herb (like tarragon), and a tiny drizzle of truffle oil-a little goes a long way!

Recipe via In Style Magazine, November 2010

I made this recipe tonight as an excuse to use some of the Thyme growing in my garden and it is absolutely delicious! Here’s the recipe if you want to try it out (sorry for the lack of photos!)

Jerk Seasoning Ingredients

·      2 tablespoons dried minced onions

·      2 ½ teaspoons thyme

·      2 teaspoons ground allspice

·      2 teaspoons ground black pepper

·      ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

·      ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

·      ½ teaspoon salt

·      2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Slice 3-4 Tilapia filets in ½ inch strips

2. Combine all seasoning ingredients and pour over fish. Marinade.

Pasta Ingredients

·      2 tablespoons butter

·      5-6 cloves of garlic

·      1 cup half and half

·      ½ cup vegetable broth

·      1 teaspoon corn starch

·      ½ - 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

·      Asparagus (1/2 package or so) cut in 1 ½ inch pieces

·      8 oz. Sliced mushrooms

·      3 tablespoons of parsley, chopped

·      salt and pepper, to taste

·      8 oz. (approximately) of spaghetti pasta

1.     Fry Tilapia until cooked through, remove from pan and set aside.

2.     Steam asparagus until soft (approximately 5-7 minutes), remove from pan and set aside.

3.     In a separate pot, cook the spaghetti until done.

4.     In a separate pot, melt butter and fry garlic and cayenne pepper until garlic becomes fragrant.

5.     Add Half and Half, vegetable stock and corn starch, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, constantly stirring.

6.     Stir in Parsley, mushrooms, asparagus and Tilapia to heat through and combine flavors.

7.     Pour sauce over pasta and Serve!

(This recipe is a mix of this and this.)

The first of the tomatoes have ripened and were harvested yesterday! As you can see, there are tons more on the vine…coming soon!

A Caprese Salad with lettuce and basil from the garden.

Scrambled Eggs made from farm-fresh eggs from Hani’s Organics scrambled with garlic and tomatoes as well as parsley and dill from the garden.

Pre-rinse: Romaine, Bibb and Iceberg lettuces straight out of the garden…dirt and all!

A good rinsing.

Green salad with roasted butternut squash seeds and the dressing from THIS recipe! Yum!

The first of the tomatoes are beginning to turn red on the vine!

I can’t wait to devour them.

Since I’ve started my garden, I’ve done a lot of searching for recipes that call for the crops I’m growing. One of the crops I’ve been trying to use the most of is Arugula since the longer this herb grows, the stronger and more bitter it becomes. Since my Arugula plants are overflowing their containers, a lot of Arugula recipes are being sought. Here is one of the best ones I’ve tried:

• 1 pound butternut squash, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 medium ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cut in half and cored
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 or 3 teaspoons of honey (I used 2)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 5 ounces baby arugula

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray
2. Toss the squash cubes with 1 tablespoon of the oil; transfer to one side of the lined baking sheet. Place the pear halves, cut sides down, on the other side. Sprinkle the pears and squash lightly with salt.
3. Roast 35 - 40 minutes, until tender, stirring the squash pieces every 10 - 15 minutes and turning the pears over after 25 minutes.
4. Transfer one of the roasted pear halves to a blender with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the vinegar, 2 teaspoons of honey and salt and pepper to taste; puree until smooth. (Add the additional teaspoon of honey if desired)*
5. Divide the arugula among 6 salad plates. Top each portion with roasted squash and pears. Drizzle about 1.5 tablespoons of the dressing over each salad and top with a grind or two of pepper.

Makes 6 servings. Recipe courtesy of The Miami Herald.

*This dressing is delicious on almost any green salad also. I used an apple in place of the pear on a green salad I made today.

Just a couple of pictures from around the garden:

The garden today:

• Cherry and Patio Tomatoes
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini
• Yummy Bell Pepper
• Jalapeño
• Cayenne Pepper
• Garlic
• Leeks (scattered EVERYwhere because a) they keep bugs away, and b) I have more leeks than I know what to do with!)

Green Cherry tomatoes on the vine.

The first of the Yummy Bell Peppers ripening on the vine

The first (tiny) Zucchini