Reaping What I Sow: Summer Gardening 2009

I went to a local Farmer's Market with my family yesterday. I've been wanting to hit one up for awhile now, because the idea of fresh organic produce is one that appeals to me as someone who loves food and cooking. I have to say that I was not disappointed! Because it's still so early in the growing season, there weren't a ton of fresh veggie options yet outside of some herbs. That being the case, I decided it might be a good idea to start growing some of my own.

This in and of itself is a risky endeavor, mainly because my family has a sordid history with gardening. My grandparents on both sides of my family are/were avid gardeners and my dad even managed to start a garden growing tomatoes, peppers, and other goodies when we were in middle school. My mom, however, is the furthest thing from a horticulturist. No disrespect meant, but we ('we' being my sister and I) say that she doesn't have a green thumb, but a black thumb! Plants have been known to wither and die under her tutelage. (I know what you're thinking, but despite her luck with plants, she's actually fairly nurturing as a mother. Go figure. ;))

I seemed to inherit this gardening ability last spring when I attempted to grow some herbs in miniature pots on the back patio at my apartment last year. I started them from seed (which, in retrospect, may have been a mistake) and watched them sprout... then wither and die. I'm convinced it was because the pots they were in were too shallow, but I may be in denial as to my inheritance of my mother's gardening gift. Ultimately, it's not for me to say.

Therefore, after a dismal showing last year, I decided to attempt to redeem myself this year by growing not only herbs, but a couple of veggies as well!

Above is a picture of my garden shortly after I planted it yesterday. Notice that I'm using three big pots rather than the several small ones I had last year. Hopefully, this will encourage plant growth this summer!

Now, allow me to take you through my garden so far, plant-by-plant. Let's start with the herbs, shall we?

This is some Thai basil. Within the last couple of years, I've become a huge fan of Asian cuisine and Japanese and Thai food in particular. I love the use of spicy peppers and herbs in Thai cooking! Thai basil has a stronger flavor than sweet basil and has a subtle hint of mint/licorice to it as well. I can't wait to cook something with these!

This is called purple ruffles basil. I've never cooked with this one or, to the best of my knowledge, eaten it before... but I have to tell you I was intrigued by its wonderful aroma! I've been told these leaves have a licorice/cinnamon flavor to them, which I also find intriguing. It'll be fun to come up with things to cook with these babies! (Sorry about the blurriness of this pic!)

This is my fernleaf dill. I'm not entirely sure how (or if) this differs from the kinds of dill I've had before, but if it is anything like those other kinds, I'm in for a treat! Dill is one of my favorite herbs! I love using it in summer salads (like cucumber or potato salad) and think it makes a fantastic flavorful addition to many of my fish preparations. (I've even been known to use it to flavor spaghetti sauce!) So glad I was able to find some good dill!

At the Farmer's Market, there were two adorable little girls who were selling plants from their parents' farm... and doing a great job! Among other things, they had a great selection of heirloom tomatoes - which are some of my FAVORITE kinds of tomatoes! I picked up this one - a purple Cherokee heirloom. They are slightly purple in their look and have a smokier flavor than your average tomato! My mom got a black krim heirloom for her garden and I look forward to maybe swapping a couple of tomatoes later on this summer!

My last purchase of the day (other than some killer cookies - Oatmeal Scotchies!) was something of an impulse buy. Since the two little girls with the heirloom plants were such good salespeople, I decided to pick up something else from them - a Thai pepper plant! I found out after picking this plant up that Thai peppers (even orange ones, like these will be) are some of the spiciest peppers around! Not quite as bad as Scotch bonnets or habaneros, they still rank between 50,000 and 100,000 on the Scoville scale - a ranking that measures the heat in peppers. (Habaneros - some of the hottest - have a Scoville rating of 100,000 to 150,000, just to give you some perspective. Jalapenos have only 2500 to 8000 for some added perspective.) Not sure yet how or if I'll use these, but I think it might be fun to try to whip up something with these spicy beauties once they come in!

I'll keep you guys updated on the garden throughout the summer. I may even pick up a couple more herbs next week. We'll see how things go...