Snow falls occasionally here in Northern Virginia, usually no more than about 4 or 5 inches at a time, and it’s a chance for fun followed by a quick melting, but we have more than our normal share of snow this winter. We still have plenty of snow on the ground leftover from the back-to-back blizzards two weeks ago, which dumped almost 30 inches on us. The DC area set a new record for winter snowfall, beating the previous record set in the winter of 1898-99, and our county has received over 75 inches this winter, far above our average of 23 inches.

Just yesterday I finally saw some grass peeping out from beneath its heavy white blanket, a sign that our winter may yet return to normal. Though the snow is down about a foot from a week ago, the garden is still buried and we haven’t been able to start spring preparations. I predict a very messy mud season to come.

Summer seems very far away.

Though we are frozen indoors this winter, we have been able to enjoy the fruits of summer using the garden produce we preserved during the season. In summer and autumn we process large amounts of homegrown basil into pesto and freeze it in small containers for winter meals. This month we experimented with our frozen sun-dried tomato pesto in hummus, a variation on our slow roasted tomato hummus, but a basic basil pesto will also work. Though we have months to go before smelling the scent of fresh basil in the garden again, the flavor reminded us of the warm summer to come.

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. Nate and Annie of House of Annie have graciously volunteered to help out with Grow Your Own while we tend to some family matters this winter, and they are our hosts for this round, so be sure to visit their blog for more information about submitting your post. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.

PESTO HUMMUS

Makes about 3 cups.

Equipment

food processor

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce/425 g) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini (I prefer Ziyad brand, but any will do.)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

In the bowl of the food processor, add the beans, tahini, pesto, and garlic. Process for a few seconds to get the mixture started. While the processor runs, begin drizzling in the seasoned olive oil, starting with 2 tablespoons, adding more as necessary to create a smooth paste. Serve with raw vegetables, whole wheat pita chips, or baguette slices, and also good as a sandwich condiment.

Other Hummus Recipes

More Hummus Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Hummus en Fuego

Pinch My Salt – Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Gluten-Free Goddess – Jalapeño and Lime Hummus

No Recipes – Hummus with Caramelized Onions

Click the button to add this recipe to your Springpad.

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Popcorn has always been one of my favorite snacks, and as a child I got excited when my dad brought out the vintage hammered Club Aluminum pot and poured in some kernels. Sometimes we had butter on top, but mostly we ate it with a simple sprinkling of salt or occasionally seasoned salt. I don’t think my parents have that old pot anymore, but as I reminisce about all the popcorn we ate together, I wish they still had it.

Now that I have children of my own we make popcorn on the weekends or as an after school snack and sprinkle on all sorts of flavors. Michael likes popcorn spiced up with chili powder or Cajun seasoning, and I like garlic salt. I thought this popcorn from Michael Chiarello would be a tasty way to dress up our favorite healthy snack. The browned butter lends a certain richness while the lemon and our homegrown rosemary brighten the flavor.

Our potted rosemary plants have survived the winter so far, a pleasant surprise after they were buried under 18 inches of snow for a few weeks. The leaves turned a dark shade of red but still have that intoxicating aroma. We decided if they could survive the winter in pots, then we’ll plant them in the spring in a spot out in the garden we’ve already chosen just for them. And if we are really lucky, they might grow into a rosemary hedge.

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. Nate and Annie of House of Annie have graciously volunteered to help out with Grow Your Own while we tend to some family matters this winter, and they are our hosts for this round, so be sure to visit their blog for more information about submitting your post. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.

Update: Nate and Annie posted the Grow Your Own roundup. Be sure to check out the 61 fantastic posts!

POPCORN WITH BROWN BUTTER, ROSEMARY, AND LEMON

Adapted from Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello.

Makes about 4 cups.

Equipment

4-quart heavy bottom pan with lid
medium sauté pan
large bowl

Ingredients

1 cup (~210 g) popcorn kernels (Weight can vary depending on the type of popcorn used.)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in the heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the popcorn kernels. When the popcorns starts to pop, cover the pot tightly and continue to cook until all the popcorn pops, about 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally. Pour the popcorn into the large bowl.

2. While the popcorn pops, melt the butter in the sauté pan over medium-high heat until it is brown, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the rosemary to the butter and let it sit for a minute or two to infuse the butter with flavor, then pour the butter mixture over the popcorn. Toss well. Add the salt and pepper and lemon zest and toss well.

More Healthy Snacks

More Popcorn Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Herbed Buttermilk Popcorn

Rasa Malaysia – Curry Popcorn

Frantic Home Cook – Peanut Butter Popcorn

Ezra Pound Cake – Spicy Southwestern Popcorn

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So I send my heartfelt thanks to Nate & Annie of House of Annie, who have graciously offered to help with Grow Your Own this winter while we tend to some family matters. It seems like a little thing and yet it’s big, knowing that people care about this event and will step up to help keep it going.

You can get more information about how to participate this month at Nate and Annie’s blog. The deadline for posting is January 31.

House of Annie – Rambutans, plus a Grow Your Own announcement

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We discovered the persimmon tree in September when we noticed the golden orbs hanging from the branches. We hadn’t paid attention to the tree before because it was in a relatively inaccessible area behind our house and we had no idea what it was or what if anything it would produce, it had not set fruit until this year. When we found the fruit, we realized it was American persimmon (aka common persimmon and Eastern persimmon), which is a berry in botanic terms. The fruit is small, ranging 1 to 1-1/2 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) in diameter and very sweet when ripe.

Persimmons are autumn fruits that can hang on even after frost, and you can wait until after frost to gather them to ensure they are fully ripe. The leaves start to droop and fall off the tree as the fruit ripens. The persimmons should be very soft and even a little wrinkled before eating, otherwise they’ll have a chalky taste. If the fruit starts to drop when you shake the tree, they are pretty much ready.

The tree we found is in a wild, untamed area surrounded by thistles, climbing vines, and poison ivy, and we also had to watch for snakes as we carefully made our way to it. There are actually three persimmon trees back there, all about the same size and one without fruit so it’s probably the male tree. Persimmon trees are either male or female and the female trees bear fruit. Unlike some fruit trees, persimmon seeds produce trees that are true to the mother tree and the trees grow wild and prolifically.

The birds were already picking at the fruit near the top of the tree, so we knew it was time to gather persimmons.

They taste sweet, almost like honey, and the flavor came through in this spiced cake. Except for the time it takes to press the persimmons, the cake is relatively easy to make. The thin lemon glaze is optional, Michael doesn’t care for it but I like the bright flavor and bit of crunch it adds. You can use other types of persimmons, such as Hachiya or Fuyu for this cake, but since those are larger you will use fewer fruits to get the same amount of puree.

SPICED PERSIMMON CAKE WITH DATES AND LEMON GLAZE

Makes 1 large Bundt cake.

Equipment

2-quart bowl
medium mesh strainer
heavy spatula
stand mixer with paddle attachment
12-cup Bundt pan, greased and floured
fine mesh strainer
small bowl

Ingredients

PERSIMMON PUREE
1-1/2 to 2 pounds common persimmons, less if you use Hachiya or Fuyu persimmons (enough to make 2 cups of puree)

CAKE
2 sticks (1/2 pound/227 g) unsalted butter
2 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups (240 ml) persimmon puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup (125 g) chopped dates or golden raisins

GLAZE
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F/165° C. Set rack in the middle of the oven.

2. PERSIMMON PUREE: Rinse the persimmons and remove the brown or green calyx. Place the strainer over the 2-quart bowl. One at a time, place a persimmon in the strainer and press down hard with the spatula. Press and move the spatula around, forcing the pulp through the mesh. Remove the seeds and skin and continue with the remaining persimmons. (Note: This can take a while when using small persimmons, so plan for it.)

3. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it it light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well each time. Add the persimmon puree and vanilla extract, and mix well.

5. In the medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture and stir gently, tossing in the chopped dates. Do not overmix.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after 1 hour has passed. When a tester comes out dry with just a few crumbs clinging, remove the pan from the oven. If the tester has no crumbs the cake will be dry.

7. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

8. MAKE THE GLAZE: While the cake is cooling, whisk together the the powdered sugar and lemon juice until the glaze is smooth.

9. Pour the glaze over the cake while warm. Allow to cool completely, then slice and serve.

References

Wikipedia – American persimmon

Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservations (Common Persimmon)

Wikipedia – Persimmon

More Autumn Recipes

More Persimmon Recipes From Around the Blogs

Pinch My Salt – Persimmon Cookies

David Lebovitz – James Beard’s Amazing Persimmon Bread Recipe

Simply Recipes – Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad

White on Rice Couple – Poached Persimmons in Rum & Mascarpone Coconut Cream

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I hope you will continue to share your Grow Your Own posts on your blogs and will join us when Grow Your Own returns in the spring. If you would like to sign up to host a Grow Your Own event for next year, you can email me at andreasrecipesgyo AT gmail DOT com. If you are new to Grow Your Own, visit the Grow Your Own page to learn more about the event. And don’t forget, if you have participated in the event at least once, you can join the Grow Your Own Flickr group to share your photos, just visit the page and ask to join.

Thanks to everyone who participated this month. We had 12 13 participants from 4 5 countries, and we cooked with our homegrown tomatoes, chives, jalapenos, thyme, oregano, watermelon, mint, delicata squash, bell peppers, marrow squash, golden apple squash, cranberry red potatoes, and purple tomatillos.

And now for the round-up! Click the images to visit the posts. (Presented in the order received.)

Aloo Gobi Mata from Mona of Zaiqa (Ontario, Canada)

Mona’s tomato plants gave her some beautiful tomatoes for her healthy curry dish.

Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits from Elissa of 17 and Baking (Washington, United States)

Elissa’s savory biscuits with homegrown chives are perfect breakfast comfort food.

Simple Jalapeno Poppers from John of Digging Earth (New Jersey, United States)

John’s homegrown jalapeno peppers make a perfect bite-size appetizer.

Light Veg-n-Lentil Soup from Sayantani of A Homemaker’s Diary (Karnataka, India)

Homegrown spinach makes Sayantani’s vegetable and lentil soup even more healthy.

Pizza with Roasted Zucchini Pomodoro Topping from Kelly of No Empty Chairs (Pennsylvania, United States)

Kelly’s homegrown oregano and thyme added lots of flavor to her roasted zucchini pomodoro pizza.

Watermelon Cucumber and Mint Salad from Winnie of Healthy Green Kitchen (New York, United States)

Winnie found one of her homegrown yellow watermelons, forgotten and forlorn in her refrigerator, and paired it with cucumbers and her homegrown mint to make a summery salad in October.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Rosemary and Feta from Kare of The Hazel Bloom (Washington, United States)

Kare tried growing her own delicata squash this summer and found out they taste delicious roasted with feta and rosemary.

Mushroom Pepper Fry from Soma of eCurry (Texas, United States)

Soma’s homegrown peppers are perfect for her quick and easy stir-fry.

Vegetarian Stuffed Marrow Squash from Nic of Nip It In the Bud (UK)

Nic grew marrow squash, a large elongated type which are perfect for stuffing.

Autumnal Squash Scones from Mangocheeks of Allotment 2 Kitchen (Scotland, UK)

These adorable spiced pumpkin-shaped scones were made from homegrown golden apple squash.

Cranberry Potato Kidney Bean Salad from Linda of Kitchen Therapy (Wisconsin, United States)

Linda’s colorful salad uses homegrown cranberry potatoes, which are slightly pink. She also made applesauce in a pressure cooker from their homegrown apples.

Thai Fried Chicken Wings from Nate and Annie of House of Annie (Kuching, Malaysia)

Nate and Annie made some ultra crispy Thai fried chicken wings using the cilantro roots from their garden in the marinade.

Oven-Roasted Purple Tomatillo Salsa from Andrea Meyers (Virginia, United States)

We grew both purple and green tomatillos in our garden and think the purple tomatillos make a beautiful salsa.

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Have I ever mentioned that purple is my favorite color? I find the color exhilarating and like plants that bear purple fruits and vegetables, including tomatillos.

Our tomatillo plants were slow this year along with everything else in the garden. The extended cold, wet spring put a damper on things, making everything slow to grow and blossom. We finally harvested some tomatillos a few weeks ago, much later than last year, and with the early cold snap this week we didn’t get much of a growing season at all. All we can do is preserve what we have and hope for better next year.

This was our second year for growing tomatillos, and we planted two green and two purple, both of which took off in late July and shot up to about nine feet tall. The purple tomatillo fruits are generally smaller than the green, with shades ranging from bright amethyst to almost black.

The interiors are only slightly lighter in color than the exterior, and the salsa is a brilliant purple.

When the cold snap hit this week we started pulling things off the plants, hoping to save as much as possible. The tomatillos stopped producing but still have hundreds of little paper lanterns hanging from the four plants. Fortunately they stand up to cold better than tomatoes and peppers, so we have a little time to finish the harvest. We’ll roast the rest, make them into salsa, and freeze it for the winter. I don’t like to process salsa because it tastes cooked rather than fresh, but I do recommend using the salsa within a couple months before it gets freezer burn and loses flavor.

Roasting the tomatillos is easy, just spread them out onto a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and cook under the broiler until they char, about 6 to 8 minutes. Once roasted, the tomatillos can be thrown into a blender with your own blend of chiles, cilantro, garlic, onion, limes, whatever sounds good, and you’ll have roasted tomatillo salsa. This works with either the green or purple tomatillos, and we make both. This year the tomatillos, garlic, and serrano chiles all came from our garden.

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. I am the host for this final event of 2009, and you can send your post information to me at andreasrecipesgyo AT gmail DOT com. Posts are due on October 30. Grow Your Own is taking a winter break this year while we tend to some family matters, but we’ll be back in the spring ready for more fun. If you would like to host in 2010, please drop me a note. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating and find the links to previous events at the Grow Your Own page.

OVEN-ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

Makes about 24 ounces/710 ml.

Equipment

baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil
blender

Ingredients

3 pounds (1.4 k) tomatillos, color of your choice, husked and rinsed
1/2 medium onion, quartered (red for purple tomatillos, white for green tomatillos)
1 fresh chile, stemmed (serrano or jalapeno work well)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
handful of cilantro leaves and tiny stems, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 lime, juiced

Preparation

1. Spread the tomatillos out on the lined baking sheet stem side down. Place under broiler until charred, about 6 to 8 minutes. Some will crack and release juice, and that’s ok. Add tomatillos and juice to the blender jar.

2. On a dry skillet, toast the onion, chile, and garlic, turning until charred on all sides. Add to the blender jar. (Note: Remove the seeds of the chile if you want a milder salsa.)

3. Add the cilantro and lime juice to the blender jar. Blend all for a few seconds. Pour into a large bowl and serve, or pour into jars and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Can also freeze in plastic containers. I use the Ball Plastic Freezer Jars.

More Grow Your Own Recipes

More Tomatillo Recipes From Around the Blogs

Simply Recipes – Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Cookworm – Chickpea and Tomatillo Soup

What’s Cooking? – Mexican Tomatillo Rice

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Grilled Halibut with Southwestern Rub and Tomatillo Salsa

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This dish is the main reason we grow Thai basil in our herb garden. We’ve grown many kinds of basil over the years and seem to have settled into a routine of Genovese, Lemon (Sweet Dani or similar), and Thai (Sweet Thai or Queen of Siam) basil because they cover the spectrum of our uses. The Sweet Thai variety we grew this year produces plants with purple stems and gorgeous purple flowers. Like most basils, the flowers are also edible and add a punch of anise flavor to Asian dishes. Our basils will last a few more weeks, then it will be time for the final harvest of the season and a marathon session making pesto (basic and sun-dried) and basil ice cubes.

The peppers, basil, and garlic all came from our garden. You might wonder why the peppers are dark in this photo but green in the finished dish. These dark peppers are called Purple Beauty, and as you can see they ripen a deep purple, almost black. The inside remains green and when cooked the skin looses its lush color and turns back to green. The substance that causes that deep purple color, anthocyanin, is a powerful antioxidant that is also water soluble, hence the change in color when cooked. None of our red peppers were ripe when we made this dish recently, so we used the Purple Beauty, but they definitely provide greater health benefits when eaten raw.

When making this dish for people who enjoy some heat, go for the full amount of hot peppers. This meal has to feed all the eaters in our home, including the little guys, so I hold off on the hot chiles, just adding a few slices with some seeds to the wok. Michael sets his mouth on fire by adding a whole sliced chile (or two) with the seeds to his bowl.

I’ve adjusted the method for making this dish by starting with a cold wok and adding the garlic and chiles to the cold oil. This allows the flavor to release as the oil heats and prevents the garlic and chiles from burning. Thanks to Jaden for sharing this technique!

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, the blogging event that celebrates dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. Dido of Mowgli Chic is our host for this round, so be sure to visit her blog for more information about submitting your post. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.

Also, be sure to check out the most recent Grow Your Own roundup at Masala Heaven, which was hosted by Praveen.

THAI BASIL CHICKEN (KAI KRAPHAO)

Adapted from Simply Thai Cooking, by Wandee Young and Byron Ayanoglu.

Makes about 4 servings.

Equipment

wok

Ingredients

10 ounces chicken breast, boneless and skinless
1/2 medium bell pepper (green or red), cut into 1/2-inch squares
5 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
6 fresh hot chiles, roughly chopped (adjust to your heat tolerance)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
20 whole leaves fresh Thai basil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

SERVE WITH
steamed jasmine rice

Preparation

1. Slice the chicken breast into thin strips, 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick by 2 inches (5 cm) long and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. To achieve very thin slices, put the chicken breasts into the freezer for about 20 minutes to harden slightly, then slice. Set aside.

2. Pour oil into the cold wok and add the garlic and chiles. Cook over high heat until the aromas start to release. Add the sliced chicken and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and soy sauce and stir-fry for another minute. Add the oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons of water and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Add the peppers and 16 of the basil leaves and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the peppers start to soften.

5. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of cold water, add to the wok, and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the sauce thickens.

6. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

Other Recipes With Basil

More Thai Basil Recipes From Around the Blogs

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Spicy Cucumber Salad with Thai Basil and Sesame Seeds

What’s for Lunch Honey? – Parmesan Thai Basil Crusted Chicken

Rasa Malaysia – Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass, Thai Basil, Chilies, and Coconut Juice

Viet World Kitchen – Vegan Green Papaya Salad with Thai Basil

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Zucchini season will soon come to an end, but there’s still time to enjoy this icon of the summer garden. We’ve made salads, pasta, bread, gratins, and all sorts of things with zucchini, even though it was a sad zucchini year for us after losing all our zucchini plants to garden pests.

Risotto is comfort food for me anytime of the year no matter what I put into it, and this one with zucchini and our fresh homegrown basil and garlic does not disappoint. The Grana Padano cheese adds a slightly nutty yet delicate flavor that is worth the search, but you can also substitute Parmigiano Reggiano if you can’t find Grana Padano. The recipe is adapted from My Italian Garden, by Viana La Place (in my personal collection), a lovely little book with watercolor illustrations based on cooking from her own Italian garden in San Francisco. The book is divided into seasons, making it perfect for cooking with seasonal produce.

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, the blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. Praveen of Masala Heaven is our host for this round, so be sure to visit her blog for more information about submitting your post. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page. I hope you will join us!

ZUCCHINI RISOTTO

Adapted from My Italian Garden, by Viana La Place.

Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

Equipment

3-quart sauce pan with heavy bottom
2-quart sauce pan
box grater (optional)

Ingredients

6 cups (1.44 liters) vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 medium zucchini or striato d’Italia, diced (I grated them.)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups (360 g) Arborio rice
8 fresh basil leave, chiffonade
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano cheese (You can substitute Parmesan if necessary.)

Preparation

1. In the 2-quart sauce pan, bring the vegetable broth to a simmer. Keep it hot but not boiling.

2. In the 3-quart sauce pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and sauté slowly until soft. Add the zucchini and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the rice is translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Reduce temperature to low. Add the hot broth to the rice mixture one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next ladleful of broth. Midway during cooking, add the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking until all the broth has been added.

4. Test the risotto to make sure it’s al dente, but not too hard. If it’s still a little crunchy, add a ladleful of water and continue stirring. When risotto is ready, remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the Grana Padano cheese. Serve immediately.

Other Italian Recipes

More Zucchini Recipes From Around the Blogs

Simply Recipes – Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

Karina’s Kitchen – Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin

Wasibomon – Light Zucchini Hummus

A Veggie Venture – Eight Ball Stuffed Zucchini

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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Thanks to everyone who posted for the second anniversary of Grow Your Own! We had eleven thirteen participants from three four countries, and we cooked with our homegrown tomatoes, basil, methi, peppers, squash, onions, greens, pears, and lemon verbena. If I missed a post, please let me know.

If you are new to Grow Your Own, visit the Grow Your Own page to learn more about the event. Today we start the next event and our host is Praveen of Masala Heaven. The deadline for posting is September 15, so be sure to check Praveen’s blog for more information. We hope you will join us!

And now for the round-up! (Presented in the order received.)

[Updated September 1, 2009]

Provençal Vegetable Tian with Goat Cheese and Basil Coulis from Lynda of TasteFood
(California, United States)

Lynda’s tian is colorful and beautiful with her homegrown heirloom tomatoes and basil (recipe from Côté Sud).

Sassy Smoky Salsa from Donna of Fab Frugal Food
(Utah, United States)

Donna plays Salsa Fairy (explained in her post) and shares a recipe for her favorite smoky salsa with homegrown tomatoes.

Lentil Soup with Fenugreek (Methi Dal) from Soma of eCurry
(Texas, United States)

Soma’s dal is even more delicious with her homegrown methi and tomatoes.

Hot Starters with Cheese from Graziana of Erbe in Cucina
(Sicily, Italy)

Graziana’s appetizers get their spiciness from her homegrown hot peppers.

Garden Spaghetti from Chris of The Cellar and the Pantry
(Pennsylvania, United States)

Chris’s spaghetti squash, onions, and peppers came together for a completely homegrown meal.

Tomato Review 2009 from Linda of Kitchen Therapy
(Wisconsin, United States)

Linda shared the varieties of tomatoes they grew this year and the different ways they have used them.

BLT Pie from Maybelle’s Mom at Feeding Maybelle
(Ohio, United States)

Homegrown tomatoes and greens make up part of the layers in this luscious bacon, lettuce and tomato pie.

Pear Custard Pie from Amy of Playing House
(Oregon, United States)

Amy’s baby pear tree has shared lots of fruit and some of it went into this custard pie reminiscent of a Dutch Baby.

Lemon Verbena Madelines from Denise at Chez Us
(California, United States)

These lemony madelines (recipe from David Lebovitz) make a delicious treat.

Tomato Bread with Fresh Basil from Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen
(Goa, India)

Aparna’s homegrown basil adds flavor to this beautiful tomato bread (recipe from Beth Hensperger).

Roasted Tomato Sausage Penne from Jeff of Culinary Disasters
(Indiana, United States)

Jeff’s roasted his fresh homegrown tomatoes and added some of his fresh herbs to make this hearty pasta dish.

Roasted Squash Blossoms with Tri-Color Filling from Sarah of What Smells So Good?
(Ontario, Canada)

Sarah’s homegrown squash blossoms are sure to please with the homegrown sun-dried tomato, basil, and goat cheese filling.

Tomato Jam (Doce de Tomate) from Andrea of Andrea Meyers
(Virginia, United States)

I used our homegrown Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes to make this Portuguese jam with port (recipe from David Leite).

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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My introduction to soba noodles was actually on a plane flying from Tokyo to Honolulu, admittedly not the best place to get good food. The flight attendants came around with breakfast and asked if I wanted the Japanese or the American breakfast, and I chose the Japanese because I could see the noodles that someone else already had on their tray. I swirled them in the sauce and enjoyed the slippery sensation and flavor while the American woman next to me eyed them with a look that said, “I can’t believe you are eating that.” I just smiled and enjoyed my breakfast.

Soba noodles also make a perfect light lunch on a hot day and I’ve got my 6-year-old, Builder Guy, hooked on them. Sometimes we have them plain with the traditional dipping sauce, but other times I like them as a salad tossed with some vegetables. This particular recipe has lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, grated ginger, scallions, and cilantro for flavor, and zucchini, carrots, and avocado for vegetables. I could eat this all the time, but it tastes best when zucchini is in season, so now is a perfect time of year for this salad. I follow Maki’s method for cooking soba noodles, and it works perfectly.

One common question about soba noodles is whether they are gluten-free because buckwheat is not actually wheat at all and is naturally gluten-free, and the answer is it depends. Many soba noodles have wheat flour added to act as a binder, but you might find some gluten-free soba such as Eden Selected Buckwheat Soba or King Soba Noodles in larger grocery stores, Whole Foods, or even an international grocery store. Of course, you can also make your own gluten-free soba. And if you cook gluten-free, make sure you also choose a gluten-free soy sauce.

I made this with our homegrown scallions, which have started to peak in production. Our ginger isn’t quite ready, but hopefully next month we’ll have fresh homegrown ginger root. Squash vine borers defeated our efforts to grow zucchini this summer, but there’s always next year.

Just a quick reminder that the deadline for the second anniversary of Grow Your Own is coming up on August 30. If you haven’t yet sent your post information, you still have time. Email me at andreasrecipesgyo AT gmail DOT com. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page. I’m excited about the anniversary event and can’t wait to see all your posts!

ZUCCHINI SOBA SALAD

Adapted from Epicurious.

Makes 4 to 6 large servings.

Equipment

5-quart pot
wire mesh strainer
large serving bowl

Ingredients

8 ounces (227 g) soba noodles
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons peeled and finely minced fresh ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 carrots, cut into 1/8-inch matchsticks
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch matchsticks
4 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
2 avocados, cut into chunks
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
cilantro, for garnish

Preparation

1. Bring water to boil in the pot. Add the soba and reduce the heat so the water is simmering, not at a hard boil. Cook until soft and pliable, but not mushy. Drain and add very cold water back to the pot, add some ice if necessary. Stir the noodles with your hands or long chopsticks to loosen any remaining starches. Drain again and run cold water over the noodles until the water runs clear.

2. Whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, honey, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the zucchini, carrots, scallions, and avocado chunks and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Serve immediately at room temperature with cilantro for garnish.

More Salads

More Zucchini Salad Recipes From Around the Blogs

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Zucchini Carpaccio (Raw Zucchini) with Lemon, Herbs, and Goat Cheese

Closet Cooking – Grilled Asparagus, Zucchini, and Halloumi Salad

Almost Turkish Recipes – Zucchini Salad with Yogurt

A Veggie Venture – Tomato and Zucchini Salad

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