Grow Your Own #4 Round-up

It’s that time again! Each month I look forward to all the entries that come into my mailbox. For November we have a total of 17 entries from 8 countries. We’ve made a lot of different dishes using our homegrown carrots, peppers, beets, squash, tomatoes, mint, parsley, basil, lemongrass, chilies, brussel sprouts, onions, mung bean sprouts, persimmons, chives, lettuce, squash, pumpkin, rosemary, sorrel, and even a home raised turkey! We have three desserts, four main dishes, two breads, two salads, four sides, and one beverage. I’m so impressed with the creativity displayed in this round-up!

Thanks to all of you for supporting Grow Your Own! Speaking of which, Grow Your Own #5 started yesterday. The deadline for this month’s entries is December 29, and I’ll post the round-up on January 2 (I’m giving myself a blogging holiday on New Year’s Day).

And now, the round-up! Click the photos to see the posts.

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In Ontario, Canada, Sarah of What Smells So Good? cracked me up with her description of her Holy Hell Chili and how she managed to rescue the last of the carrots, peppers, beets, squash, and tomatoes from her garden the day before the first killing frost. She tossed it all with a bunch of other ingredients into a pot, then had to transfer it all to a larger pot!

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Mary of Shazam in the Kitchen (Ohio, U.S.) made a delicious and healthy tabbouleh (Tah Boo Leeee!) using her homegrown parsley. She had planned to add mint as well, but the weather was cold and wet that day and she decided to stay indoors rather than dodging the raindrops to get to her garden.

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Even if you aren’t a brussel sprouts fan, you should check out what Bee and Jai have done over at Jugalbandi (Northwestern U.S.). They found a surprise when they were cleaning out their garden at the end of season: hundreds of brussel sprouts hidden in the thicket, and they made three different dishes using their bounty. The roasted brussel sprouts might actually convert me!

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This lovely fried flat bread was brought to us by Irma of Catatan Irma (Germany). She used her homegrown spring onions and sesame seeds as a topping.

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In Florida (U.S.) Mocha of Masala Box made a beautiful Thai Chicken with Basil using the basil and lemongrass from her garden and Thai chilies from her neighbor. She even served it in a lovely dish that she made herself!

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Gumbeaux Gal of Gumbeaux in the Kitchen takes advantage of the mild Southern California (U.S.) climate and grows her own greens and herbs. She used them in a colorful salad with locally grown heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers, and made a fig vinaigrette to top it off.

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Sprouts are a delicious and healthy addition to any meal, and Zlamushka of Zlamushka’s Spicy Kitchen (Sweden) shows us how to grow them in the kitchen. I have a wok that those sprouts would like to jump into!

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In Italy, Betsy of I Was Born a Woman is lucky to have a persimmon tree growing in her garden. She used the fruit to make a beautiful persimmon cake that looks so moist!

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Homegrown squash and pumpkin went into a spicy Chocolate Chili Squash Cake from Carolyn of French Peach (Michigan, U.S.). Her garden was small this year, but she’s looking forward to expanding next summer.

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In the UK, Michelle of Greedy Gourmet prepared a brussel sprouts dish that was simple and beautiful and enhanced with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

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Midwestern winters can be very cold, so not much grows in the garden this time of year. Meryl of My Bit of Earth (Kansas, U.S.) still has a hardy rosemary plant that is hanging on, and she used the fragrant leaves to make Rosemary Orange Truffles!

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Kaykat of Cooking from A to Z (Washington, U.S.), who is also a fellow Daring Baker, used her homegrown chives to add some extra flavor to the Tender Potato Bread we made for November. While you are there, check out the Pear and Pepper Chutney she made to go with it, which had some of her fresh mint.

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In Alaska, Laurie of Tastes Like Home grows her herbs in her bedroom using grow lights (make sure you check out the photo of her garden setup). She made a wonderful dish of baked white beans with tuna and sage.

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Roasted potatoes with rosemary is a classic dish, and Cris of From Our Home to Yours (Brazil) made hers with the rosemary from her garden, as well as basil, garlic, parsley, pepper flakes, and her secret ingredient, saffron.

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Turkey is expensive in the Philippines, so it’s not a common food there. Gay of A Scientist in the Kitchen wrote a post about cooking a turkey, which her father raises, in the traditional Pinoy style over an open fire and flavored with a Chinese five spice rub. Now that’s a Thanksgiving turkey I would like to try!

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Kalva of Curry in Kadai (Florida, U.S.) accidentally grew sorrel in her yard (she thought she had bought amaranth seeds) and made Gongura Pachadi, a kind of spicy chutney using the sorrel and at least seven chilies along with other spices. This one has a kick!

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And finally, from my own indoor winter herb garden (Virginia, U.S.), I combined my homegrown spearmint with dried culinary lavender from Blue Moon Lavender to make a comforting hot tea. Many thanks to all the bloggers who participated in November, and I can’t wait to see what we create in December!