Beautiful Rosemary

Of all the things I grow in my garden, rosemary is one of my favorite herbs and one of the more challenging ones to care for.  Although temperamental here in the PNW, under the proper conditions rosemary can thrive.  Shrubs prefer well drained soil, lots of sun and protection from winter elements.

Rosemary is currently in full bloom here in Seattle.  One of my favorite ways to use it is paired with garlic in a hearty focaccia bread.  I've been using this recipe for years; it's versatile and can be used for pizza dough, focaccia bread or rolls.

Basic Pizza and Focaccia Dough

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/2 Cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Cup cold water

2 Tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing

4 Cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

For Focaccia, add:

1/4- 1/2 Cup chopped rosemary

1/4- 1/2 Cup chopped garlic

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and sugar and let rest for 10 minutes.  Add cold water and olive oil.  In a separate bowl, whisk together one cup of flour and the salt, then add to the water mixture.  Add the remaining 3 cups of flour one cup at a time.  Once it's too difficult to stir, turn onto a floured surface and knead.  Knead for several minutes, then place in a large oiled bowl.  Cover with a damp cloth and allow to raise in a warm corner for at least 1 hour, or until dough is doubled.  Punch down and shape into desired shape.

At this point the dough can be used for pizza, rolls, or focaccia.  For focaccia, I shape it into a rectangle and fill one cookie sheet.  Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, sprinkle chopped rosemary and garlic (I use a lot!).  Let it rise for 30 minutes or so.  Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  After it's cool, cut into squares, slice horizontally and fill with your favorite sandwich fillings.  Tonight, we had yummy apple pecan chicken salad sandwiches.  They were devoured!  Enjoy!

overwintering kale & a spring soup recipe

as my husband & i were working in the garden earlier this month, we were surprised to find overwintered kale & spinach! what a treat!

overwintering is, simply put, lasting through winter. we planted our spinach & kale in our fall garden. we've overwintered swiss chard & kale before, but we were surprised to find these garden goodies in the spring after such a harsh winter. to overwinter greens, we usually heavily mulch the base of the plant in late fall with straw mulch or dried leaves.

i harvested fresh kale from the garden one morning for a delicious crockpot soup i had in mind that evening. it was delicious & full of flavor!

if you don't have kale growing in your garden right now, you can find it at the farmers' market in big bunches. fill up your market basket & come on home to make this soup recipe -

  creamy crockpot lemon, chicken & kale soup. 

we paired this soup with a sweet potato for dinner, but a nice hunk of bread would be nice. you could also make this soup vegetarian with vegetable broth & white northern beans. enjoy!

- natalie

the august harvest

Recently harvested: basil, shallots, broccoli, heirloom tomatoes, green onions, chamomile.

 I thought it would be fun today to share some different ways that we've been preparing produce in our kitchen this summer.

Zucchini: We have a go-to zucchini pancake recipe that we love, and to that we've been adding corn kernels from 2 ears of corn. Make a big batch as these freeze well.

Basil: To top the zucchini pancakes, we made a simple basil oil. It's just basil and olive oil whizzed in the blender with salt and pepper to taste. I think this would also be lovely on sourdough toast.

We added basil to our latest batch of kombucha, and the results were truly delicious. I hope to try a batch with chamomile next.

Blackberries: This year I've been really into making infused fruit vinegars. Just remember to use vinegar that has at least 5% acidity.

Chard: My new favorite way to prepare chard involves removing the rib (and chopping it into small pieces) and then steaming or boiling both the rib and the leaf. This should be a quick process--only a few minutes. Then add it to a skillet with olive oil, garlic, chopped Kalamata olives, and diced banana peppers and heat until everything is warm. Serve topped with a very small amount of feta cheese.


What are some of your favorite, simple recipes for the summer produce you've been harvesting?