Delishytown

Cooking is fun. Eating is funner. I cook, photograph and write these recipes. Everything I post on this blog I make from scratch using fresh wholesome ingredients.. I've been cooking since I was a little kid. My recipes are based on trial and error, along with studying cookbooks, family recipes, blogs and cooking shows. Some of the veggies and herbs I use are grown in my garden. Yay sustainability! I'm working on making my yard into an edible landscape. It's really fun to go out in the garden and pick your veggies for dinner!

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73 posts tagged edible landscape

Grow Your Own Potato Salad

There’s nothing more delicious or fresher tasting than potato salad from your own homegrown potatoes. These waxy red fingerlings were so fresh and amazing, I can’t wait to plant more of them. They grow great in any container. I love growing them in containers instead of in the ground because I don’t have to have a big trench in my garden, and there’s no danger of putting a garden tool through a perfectly good potato when it’s time to harvest. The last photo here is the potatoes growing in my garden in a fabric pot. Here’s how I like to grow potatoes.

I either plant sprouted organic potatoes from my kitchen counter, or I buy the seed potatoes from Peaceful Valley Supply . I plant them in containers like these smart pots. The smart pots, or grow bags, are great for growing potatoes because potatoes grow in layers of soil and form on the roots. The more roots you have, the more potatoes you will eventually harvest. So farmers hill up the soil around the stems of the potato plants to create more roots. Foldable pots are great for this because when you plant them, you start all the way at the bottom of the bag with the sides folded down and plant the potatoes in a few inches of organic potting soil. This lets the sunlight get to them so they can grow strong and healthy. Once they start to grow and get several inches tall, it’s time to add more soil and “hill them up”. So just unfold the sides of the bag to make it taller, and add a few more inches of organic potting soil. You can do this a few times over the next several weeks, finishing top layer with a thick layer of straw. The straw will shade the potatoes and prevent any of them from turning green, which is toxic.

 Grow bags make it easy once it’s time to harvest them too, because you just dump out the bag and find all your delicious taters!  I can’t think of anything more fun than harvesting potatoes and root vegetables, it’s like digging for gold. 

Growing Organic Zucchini

Here’s a healthy zucchini plant growing in my friends garden. Zucchini is easy to grow. It likes warm weather and full sun. The large yellow flowers are edible, as well as the zucchini squash that form from the fertilized flowers.

Conventionally grown zucchini is one of the foods most likely to be GMO in the grocery store, so it’s a good idea to grow your own organic zucchini this summer.

I’ve grown this plant for many years. My main gardening tip for success is that the large leaves tend to be susceptible to fungal diseases. Water them early in the day so that the leaves can dry off. Try to not wet the leaves each time you water, just water the soil if possible. If you do see an outbreak of (usually powdery type) fungus on the leaves, just spray the plant with a milk + water solution, about 1/3 milk to 2/3 water. I planted these with organic compost and organic vegetable fertilizer. 

The best thing about zucchini is that it can be harvested at any stage, from very very small with the flower still attached, to XL used for grating into zucchini breads and muffins.

An easy recipe for zucchini are these crispy zucchini rounds. Just coat sliced zucchini with scrambled egg wash, then dip it into bread crumbs mixed with grated parmesan cheese, seasoned with salt pepper and a little garlic powder and paprika. Spray with olive oil spray and bake at 400 for 20 minutes until crispy. Serve with your favorite creamy dressing or organic ketchup. Yum!

Front Garden Edible Landscape Project

This is a big, beautiful vegetable and fruit garden I planted in my friend’s front yard. It’s a very sunny, west facing wall / fence. These photos were taken in the morning. This area gets full sun from about noon until sunset.  This part of the yard before was weedy trees and viney things. They cleared the area and built the raised beds, which came out great, really tall and sturdy. Then they went to a composting facility, bought a truckload of organic compost and soil, and worked for an afternoon shoveling it all in to fill the raised beds.

The next step was going to the nursery to pick out plants. We made a list of all the fruits and vegetables they like to eat.  It was fun plant shopping and we made several trips to various nurseries in the area, including making a stop at Tomatomania, a local Heirloom Tomato sale.

We planted grapefruit, orange and lemon trees, 2 kinds of grapes, 4 blueberry shrubs, lots of strawberries in pots, 8 varieties of Heirloom tomatoes, 3 types of peppers, zucchini squash, 2 kinds of corn, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers, green beans, peas, carrots, various lettuces, chard, beets, basil, tarragon, oregano, and cilantro. We also planted some flowers like marigolds, cosmos, lavender, hollyhocks and sunflowers to attract the bees. I added bagged, organic compost containing additional fertilizers, along with organic multi purpose granulated fertilizer, to every planting hole. 

It looks really beautiful and everything is thriving. This was a really fun project to work on! I can’t wait to do the next one.

Edible Landscapes for everyone!

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Terriers Repel Rodents and 9 other Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks Here are a few organic solutions to control pests in your garden. I have used all of these methods with great success. 1) Leave saucers of water near plants. Since I started doing this, the squirrels no longer bite into my tomatoes on a hot day. A lot of people think the squirrels are being total assholes for biting into their tomatoes and leaving the rest of it on the vine to rot. They’re just thirsty and they want the juice. OK, they are sorta being total assholes, but it’s not personal. If you leave water in clay saucers in several spots in your yard, they won’t mess with your crops as much, unless they are really hungry. The dishes of water will also give the lizards and snakes a drink, and these guys help control pests. Birds need water too and eat a lot of bugs. If you add dishes of water on the ground, and get a birdbath and keep it filled, you will see a vast improvement in pest control. 2) We used to have a rodent problem, but now we have Terriers. Terriers like to chase critters. It’s their favorite hobby. Get a lovely Terrier from the Animal Rescue, and encourage him or her to chase away rodents.  I have several solutions for killing bugs on plants.  3) Soapy water in a spray bottle. Squirt about 1 tsp dish soap into a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, shake it up and spray it on the undersides of the leaves where the bugs like to congregate. This kills whiteflies, aphids and bugs like that.  4) Another way to get rid of bugs is to sprinkle worm castings on the soil. They sell it in bags at the Nursery. This is a repellant and not a bug killer. It also helps to fertilize the plants, so I like to use this as much as possible. Good for repelling whitefly. 5) If it’s a slug / snail problem, you can make beer traps to kill them. Bury a small container like a yogurt cup up to soil level in any area of the garden where you see plant damage from Slugs and Snails, usually indicated by massive holes chewed in your Chard or greens. Pour some beer into the cup. They will go in and drown. They like beer more than they like to eat plants. So does everybody. You will find a lot of dead slugs and snails in the cup the next day. Dump it out and repeat until you get rid of those bastards.  Warning: A container full of dead slugs and snails is completely disgusting. Not for the squeamish. 6) Another way to get rid of the slugs and snails is with Beneficial Snails, called decollate snails, sold in the refrigerator case at the nursery or home improvement store. The good snails eat the baby destructive snails, but don’t eat your crops, because they would rather eat the meaty other slug and snails. This way is good because you pit creature against creature and let them duke it out amongst themselves, thereby eliminating the feeling that you are a bug murderer.  7) Praying Mantis’ and Ladybugs eat bad bugs too, and won’t damage your garden. They sell these guys at the nursery too, in the refrigerator case. Release them at night after a thorough watering of the area where you will release them. They are more likely to stick around if they have a cool drink of water once they get released from their container. I like this method a lot because it’s fun to see the Ladybugs and to be surprised by the occasional freaky-as-hell-looking Praying mantis. Don’t spray any soapy water on your beneficial bugs.  8) Another solution for slugs and snails is Iron Phosphate, which is organic, (it’s just Iron & Phosphorous), they sell it in canisters, usually called Sluggo. But this product will also kill your Decollate snails, so don’t use it if you’re trying to establish beneficials in your garden. 9) Garlic repels most bugs, but doesn’t really kill them unless it’s a strong enough solution. But a very strong garlic solution will also burn your plants. 10) Marigolds repel bugs. Plant them with tomatoes, peppers, squash.   Happy Gardening!

Terriers Repel Rodents and 9 other Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks

Here are a few organic solutions to control pests in your garden. I have used all of these methods with great success.

1) Leave saucers of water near plants. Since I started doing this, the squirrels no longer bite into my tomatoes on a hot day. A lot of people think the squirrels are being total assholes for biting into their tomatoes and leaving the rest of it on the vine to rot. They’re just thirsty and they want the juice. OK, they are sorta being total assholes, but it’s not personal. If you leave water in clay saucers in several spots in your yard, they won’t mess with your crops as much, unless they are really hungry. The dishes of water will also give the lizards and snakes a drink, and these guys help control pests. Birds need water too and eat a lot of bugs. If you add dishes of water on the ground, and get a birdbath and keep it filled, you will see a vast improvement in pest control.

2) We used to have a rodent problem, but now we have Terriers. Terriers like to chase critters. It’s their favorite hobby. Get a lovely Terrier from the Animal Rescue, and encourage him or her to chase away rodents. 

I have several solutions for killing bugs on plants. 

3) Soapy water in a spray bottle. Squirt about 1 tsp dish soap into a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, shake it up and spray it on the undersides of the leaves where the bugs like to congregate. This kills whiteflies, aphids and bugs like that. 
4) Another way to get rid of bugs is to sprinkle worm castings on the soil. They sell it in bags at the Nursery. This is a repellant and not a bug killer. It also helps to fertilize the plants, so I like to use this as much as possible. Good for repelling whitefly.
5) If it’s a slug / snail problem, you can make beer traps to kill them. Bury a small container like a yogurt cup up to soil level in any area of the garden where you see plant damage from Slugs and Snails, usually indicated by massive holes chewed in your Chard or greens. Pour some beer into the cup. They will go in and drown. They like beer more than they like to eat plants. So does everybody. You will find a lot of dead slugs and snails in the cup the next day. Dump it out and repeat until you get rid of those bastards.  Warning: A container full of dead slugs and snails is completely disgusting. Not for the squeamish.
6) Another way to get rid of the slugs and snails is with Beneficial Snails, called decollate snails, sold in the refrigerator case at the nursery or home improvement store. The good snails eat the baby destructive snails, but don’t eat your crops, because they would rather eat the meaty other slug and snails. This way is good because you pit creature against creature and let them duke it out amongst themselves, thereby eliminating the feeling that you are a bug murderer. 
7) Praying Mantis’ and Ladybugs eat bad bugs too, and won’t damage your garden. They sell these guys at the nursery too, in the refrigerator case. Release them at night after a thorough watering of the area where you will release them. They are more likely to stick around if they have a cool drink of water once they get released from their container. I like this method a lot because it’s fun to see the Ladybugs and to be surprised by the occasional freaky-as-hell-looking Praying mantis. Don’t spray any soapy water on your beneficial bugs. 
8) Another solution for slugs and snails is Iron Phosphate, which is organic, (it’s just Iron & Phosphorous), they sell it in canisters, usually called Sluggo. But this product will also kill your Decollate snails, so don’t use it if you’re trying to establish beneficials in your garden.
9) Garlic repels most bugs, but doesn’t really kill them unless it’s a strong enough solution. But a very strong garlic solution will also burn your plants.
10) Marigolds repel bugs. Plant them with tomatoes, peppers, squash.
 
Happy Gardening!
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Here’s what the poppies look like in the garden

Here’s what the poppies look like in the garden

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Lemon Poppyseed Muffins  We made these Delicious Lemon Poppy Seed muffins for breakfast. Yum they’re so good, I can’t stop! I harvested the poppy seeds this a.m. from the breadseed poppies growing in the front yard. I woke up thinking about food, and about my garden. I was wondering if it’s ok to eat the poppy seeds from the poppies in the garden, because the front garden is full of ripe poppy seed heads. they are beautiful! When you turn them over and shake them into your hand, the seeds look just like the poppy seeds in the spice jars aisle at the store. I had to know! So I did a search and found out that, yes, you can eat them. The ones I have are culinary poppies. They are the big breadseed  type of poppies, not the California poppies. I’m not sure about the Icelandic type of poppies, but I’ll find out. Bread Seed poppy seeds are edible, all other parts of the plant are not edible.  I think the organic spice companies who sell Poppy Seeds for 8-12 dollars a jar will be very sad that I’m telling you this. I hope they don’t cry so hard that they have to wipe their tears with thousand dollar bills. The lemons were from the tree on the corner. If you live in an area where lemons grow, you’re lucky like me! Free lemons! Mix 2 cups whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup turbinado sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, lemon zest, 1 tsp salt, 3 tblsp poppy seeds, (lightly toasted) In another bowl mix 2 eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil, 1 tblsp olive oil, 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla, the juice of 1 lemon Heat oven to 400. Line a muffin tin with paper iiners.  Mix the wet, sift together the dry, combine them just until combined. Spoon into the muffin cups. Top each one with a few frozen raspberries and a little more turbinado sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or so Mix 3 tblsp organic powdered sugar with a little lemon juice and drizzle it on as a glaze. Yummmm! 

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins 

We made these Delicious Lemon Poppy Seed muffins for breakfast. Yum they’re so good, I can’t stop!

I harvested the poppy seeds this a.m. from the breadseed poppies growing in the front yard. I woke up thinking about food, and about my garden. I was wondering if it’s ok to eat the poppy seeds from the poppies in the garden, because the front garden is full of ripe poppy seed heads. they are beautiful! When you turn them over and shake them into your hand, the seeds look just like the poppy seeds in the spice jars aisle at the store. I had to know! So I did a search and found out that, yes, you can eat them. The ones I have are culinary poppies. They are the big breadseed  type of poppies, not the California poppies. I’m not sure about the Icelandic type of poppies, but I’ll find out. Bread Seed poppy seeds are edible, all other parts of the plant are not edible. 

I think the organic spice companies who sell Poppy Seeds for 8-12 dollars a jar will be very sad that I’m telling you this. I hope they don’t cry so hard that they have to wipe their tears with thousand dollar bills.

The lemons were from the tree on the corner. If you live in an area where lemons grow, you’re lucky like me! Free lemons!

Mix 2 cups whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup turbinado sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, lemon zest, 1 tsp salt, 3 tblsp poppy seeds, (lightly toasted)

In another bowl mix 2 eggs, 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil, 1 tblsp olive oil, 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla, the juice of 1 lemon

Heat oven to 400. Line a muffin tin with paper iiners. 

Mix the wet, sift together the dry, combine them just until combined. Spoon into the muffin cups. Top each one with a few frozen raspberries and a little more turbinado sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes or so

Mix 3 tblsp organic powdered sugar with a little lemon juice and drizzle it on as a glaze. Yummmm! 

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Here’s a picture of Carrots from our garden! And a couple of peas too! My sister and I had so much fun harvesting these. Pulling carrots out of the garden is like finding gold. I might make some carrot soup, or maybe just chop them up into a big salad. Yum! Can’t wait. Carrots are so much easier to grow than I previously thought. We grew these in big pots filled with organic potting soil. If you plant in the ground, they like loose, loamy soil, so dig deep, and add organic compost. They don’t like being transplanted. Sow the seeds directly where they will grow, on top of the soil and gently pat down. Surprisingly, they do well when crowded, don’t feel like you have to thin them out meticulously. They love cool temps, so all you Northern gardeners can get your carrots started soon!  Happy gardening! :)

Here’s a picture of Carrots from our garden! And a couple of peas too! My sister and I had so much fun harvesting these. Pulling carrots out of the garden is like finding gold. I might make some carrot soup, or maybe just chop them up into a big salad. Yum! Can’t wait.

Carrots are so much easier to grow than I previously thought. We grew these in big pots filled with organic potting soil. If you plant in the ground, they like loose, loamy soil, so dig deep, and add organic compost. They don’t like being transplanted. Sow the seeds directly where they will grow, on top of the soil and gently pat down. Surprisingly, they do well when crowded, don’t feel like you have to thin them out meticulously. They love cool temps, so all you Northern gardeners can get your carrots started soon! 

Happy gardening! :)

Garden Greens in our edible landscape. Purple Kale, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Red Romaine, and Radicchio. Happy Spring!

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Kale Salad with Strawberries, Pistachios, Pansies and Feta Happy Spring everybody! This salad was grown in our garden! Yum!  It was so delicious. You can use any kind of greens and edible flowers you have growing to make this. I used purple curly kale from the front garden and edible pansy flowers. I dressed this with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, a little honey and salt and pepper. Rub the salad bowl with a cut garlic clove first, toss the salad and dressing, then garnish with the edible flowers. Delicious!

Kale Salad with Strawberries, Pistachios, Pansies and Feta

Happy Spring everybody! This salad was grown in our garden! Yum!  It was so delicious. You can use any kind of greens and edible flowers you have growing to make this. I used purple curly kale from the front garden and edible pansy flowers. I dressed this with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, a little honey and salt and pepper. Rub the salad bowl with a cut garlic clove first, toss the salad and dressing, then garnish with the edible flowers. Delicious!

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Rainbow Chard Quiche with Buttery Corn Flake Crust This quiche was made with Rainbow Chard from our edible garden. The corn flake crust was a delicious experiment. I used up the last of the flour to make this crust and forgot to save some for rolling out the pastry dough. I wracked my brain and came up with the idea to blend organic corn flakes in the food processor until very fine, and use it as the flour to roll out the dough. It’s the best experiment I’ve ever tried. Please try this technique! It’s so good, flaky, crispy and tasty!  Heat oven to 400. In a mixing bowl, sift 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar. Grate 1/2 stick cold butter into it with 2 tblsp coconut oil. Mush together with your fingers until pea sized bits form. Add 2 to 3 tblsp ice cold water and mix together until just combined. Form into a disk, cover and chill for 20 minutes. While the pastry dough rests in the fridge, Saute 1 small chopped onion and 2 - 3 cups chopped chard, stems and leaves, in a skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Scramble 4 eggs with 1/2 c milk. Add fresh grated nutmeg to the egg mixture. Grate about 3/4 cup cheese, I used cheddar, swiss and parmesan. Pulverize organic corn flakes in a food processor until fine and floury.  Dust the surface of a large cutting board with the corn flake flour, place the chilled disk of dough on the board, top the disk with more of the corn flake flour and roll into a circle about 12 inches in diameter, adding more of the corn flake four as needed. The corn flake flour and crumbs will press into the pastry and become one buttery flaky delicious crust once baked. Yum! Press the rolled out crust into a buttered pie pan. Press gently into the pan and shape the edges. Add the sauteed vegetables, then the grated cheese, and pour the egg mixture over it. Bake at 400 for 1/2 hour or so until a toothpick comes out clean. Yum!

Rainbow Chard Quiche with Buttery Corn Flake Crust

This quiche was made with Rainbow Chard from our edible garden. The corn flake crust was a delicious experiment. I used up the last of the flour to make this crust and forgot to save some for rolling out the pastry dough. I wracked my brain and came up with the idea to blend organic corn flakes in the food processor until very fine, and use it as the flour to roll out the dough. It’s the best experiment I’ve ever tried. Please try this technique! It’s so good, flaky, crispy and tasty! 

Heat oven to 400.

In a mixing bowl, sift 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar. Grate 1/2 stick cold butter into it with 2 tblsp coconut oil. Mush together with your fingers until pea sized bits form. Add 2 to 3 tblsp ice cold water and mix together until just combined. Form into a disk, cover and chill for 20 minutes.

While the pastry dough rests in the fridge, Saute 1 small chopped onion and 2 - 3 cups chopped chard, stems and leaves, in a skillet. Season with salt and pepper.

Scramble 4 eggs with 1/2 c milk. Add fresh grated nutmeg to the egg mixture.

Grate about 3/4 cup cheese, I used cheddar, swiss and parmesan.

Pulverize organic corn flakes in a food processor until fine and floury. 

Dust the surface of a large cutting board with the corn flake flour, place the chilled disk of dough on the board, top the disk with more of the corn flake flour and roll into a circle about 12 inches in diameter, adding more of the corn flake four as needed. The corn flake flour and crumbs will press into the pastry and become one buttery flaky delicious crust once baked. Yum!

Press the rolled out crust into a buttered pie pan. Press gently into the pan and shape the edges. Add the sauteed vegetables, then the grated cheese, and pour the egg mixture over it. Bake at 400 for 1/2 hour or so until a toothpick comes out clean. Yum!

Edible Landscape Update Feb. 14, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! My spring garden is up and growing. I haven’t posted edible garden pics lately so here a few shots of some of the plants in our garden from this week. I live in Southern California. The days are usually in the low to mid 60’s, and the nights go down into the 40’s. We get occasional frost and it’s supposed to rain next week.

We currently have a lot of spring vegetables growing in our front and back gardens. In the front yard I plant pansies, poppies and stock with the vegetables. In the back I have a bunch of nasturtiums planted, and various other flower seeds started, but I’m mostly concentrating on vegetable growing back there. We’ve got garlic, shallots, kale, chard, various lettuces, arugula, peas, carrots, fennel, potatoes, blueberries, strawberries, lemons and artichokes growing right now. There’s also cilantro, thyme, rosemary, parsley and oregano. Some of the herbs are a bit dormant right about now, but the cilantro seems to love this weather.The grapes, apple tree, and raspberries are also dormant at this time of year, and I won’t plant basil, tomatoes and warm weather stuff until about late April or early May.

I harvested a big salad spinner of rainbow chard and kale this morning and i think I’m going to add it to bean and cheese burritos for lunch. Yum. Happy Gardening! 

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