In the last few years I have become increasingly interested in sustainable living.  As a result, I have been keen to start my own edible garden so that I could  “walk the walk” when it comes to eating locally and responsibly. Determined not to be discouraged by the rather dismal performance of the peppers and herbs that we tried to grow last year, I spent this spring reading books on growing vegetables and taking classes on victory gardens.  During one of these classes, I was making conversation with a co-student, ruing the fact that I had little to no space in my tiny Los Angeles balcony and that I was #238 on the waiting list at Ocean View Farms, our local community garden. As luck would have it, this student had until recently been working as an associate gardener with someone at Ocean View and was looking for someone to replace him. The rest, as they say, is history!

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Therese (whose plot it is) at Ocean View. We planted all the seedlings for the season in May. Since then, we typically meet at the garden once a week to work on weeds, trimming and general garden maintenance. It is not easy work but I am always amazed how time flies when I am there. This season we grew some lettuce, a couple of varieties of tomatoes, Japanese cucumbers, scallions and basil… salad anyone?! I drew inspiration from the garden and decided to try growing a few herbs and vegetables at home as well. Since we did not want water from our pots to drip into our neighbour’s balcony, Adit made me a self watering container. I planted some basil, eggplant, red peppers, parsley, thai pepper and jalapeno pepper in the container, and some cilantro in a pot. Oh, and we also bought a miniature Mexican lime tree.

We have had plenty of success and some failures with our mish mash of      vegetables. At home, the jalapenos and parsley have  done  really well. The thai pepper and red pepper each produced two of their kind and decided they were done. And the red peppers also decided that they did not, in fact, want to turn red and were happy staying green. Our eggplant seems to not know how to turn its many flowers to fruit. In hindsight, I think I got zealous and planted too many things in our not-so-big container. Well, lesson learned! The limes have a longer maturity season so hopefully there is still hope that it will eventually bear fruit. Not to forget our cilantro plants which did fantastically for a while but then could not keep up with our insatiable appetite for the herb. My solution to that is to grow even more of it than I already am, but we will see how that goes next season!

At the garden, the tomatoes are just starting to ripen and it looks like we have some yummy tomato-filled weeks to look forward to. It has been a season of bounty as far as Japanese cucumbers and basil is concerned. Raita with cucumber, cucumber salad, quinoa salad with cucumbers , cucumber sandwiches, pesto,  stir-fry with basil, basil with mozzarella and tomatoes, etc have made frequent appearances in our meal plans these last few weeks! The scallions and lettuce did quite well too. We also had some impromptu snow peas and arugula, besides some delicious blackberries which Therese had already planted before I got there.

Not bad for a first season, right?! As we enjoy the last of the produce from the garden, it is time to start planning for fall. I am already keeping a list of what I would like to grow and making notes so that I do not repeat the mistakes of this season. Check back in a few months to find out how it goes

Servings: 4 (as main dish)

Source: NYT’s Martha Rose Shulman

INGREDIENTS:

7 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, chives, chervil, dill, basil, chives and arugula or baby spinach (should be about 4 cups leaves)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup finely chopped onion or leek

Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice

1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc

Freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

PREPARATION:

1. Put your stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer on the stove, with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned. Combine the herbs and one of the minced garlic cloves in a bowl, and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan. Add the onion or leek and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook gently until it is just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown.

3. Stir in the rice and the remaining three cloves of garlic, and stir just until the grains of rice become separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed.

4. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, usually in 20 to 25 minutes, it is done. Taste now and correct seasoning.

5. Add another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the herbs, pepper, lemon zest and juice, and Parmesan, and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy. If you put some on a plate and tilt the plate the mound of rice should flatten out. Serve right away.

Great flavor AND great colors!

SERVING: 4 (as a side dish)

SOURCE: Adapted from NYT’s Martha Rose Shulman

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 small red or white onion, finely chopped

2 ears of corn, steamed for five minutes

1.5 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

1 to 3 jalapeño or serrano peppers (to taste), seeded if desired and minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Salt to taste

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese

PREPARATION:

Once the corn has been steamed, cut the kernels off the ear of corn. Toss together the tomatoes, minced chiles, cilantro, onion and steamed corn. Season to taste with salt, and add the fresh lime juice. Sprinkle some cheese on top and serve.

NOTES:

We had this as a side with mushroom tacos. Perfect for a summer evening! I would also recommend broiling/ grilling/roasting the corn in the oven till it is slightly charred (instead of steaming it) to give it a more complex flavor.

Source: NYT’s Martha Rose Shulman

Yield: 6 servings

1 cup quinoa

3 cups water

Salt to taste

2 cups diced cucumber

1 small red onion, finely minced (optional)

2 cups finely diced tomatoes

1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers (to taste), seeded if desired and finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 avocado, sliced, for garnish

1. Place the quinoa in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Drain through a strainer, and rinse until the water runs clear. Bring the 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and translucent; each grain should have a little thread. Drain off the water in the pan through a strainer, and return the quinoa to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dishtowel, replace the lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Alternately, cook the quinoa in the rice cooker like you would cook rice (which is what we do).

2. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the quinoa and cilantro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with sliced avocado and cilantro sprigs.

Source: Sanjeev Kapoor

Time: 30 to 40 minutes

Serving: 4 (or 6 if serving dal or other dish)

INGREDIENTS:

40 baby potatoes

1 cup cilantro, chopped

¼ cup mint leaves, chopped (optional)

4-5 green chilies, chopped

2 inch ginger, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon (large), juiced

2 teaspoons, cumin seeds

2 teaspoons, coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ cup yogurt

¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Salt, to taste

METHOD:

Boil the potatoes  (ideally in a pressure cooker) with some salt in the water. Drain and cool. Halve them without peeling.

For the chutney, grind together cilantro, mint leaves, green chillies, ginger and garlic to make a fine paste. Add lemon juice and mix. Heat oil a non stick pan or a wok. Add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds till it starts to change colour. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder and mix well for a few seconds. Add green chutney and mix. Add potatoes, yogurt, salt and mix. Cover and cook on medium heat for eight to ten minutes. Add garam masala powder and mix. Dry roast sesame seeds and sprinkle over the potatoes. Serve hot.

NOTES:

I have posted this recipe the way I made it, which was a slightly modified version of Mr. Kapoor’s. SK adds 1/4 cup of mint leaves to the chutney. I did not have any mint leaves at hand, so I threw in some extra cilantro (which I do not account for in the measurements). Also, he does not use any oil while cooking, choosing instead to dry roast the cumin seeds, coriander powder and turmeric powder.  I did not realize I was not supposed to put oil in the pan till I started to post this recipe! Anyway, mine turned out really well so perhaps it is a good thing I do not read recipes very carefully

We frequently experiment with vegetables we have never cooked with before, and more often than not, we love it! Here is one of our success stories. This is an Andhra style preparation I believe.
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