From the garden again tonight . . .

So many wonderful flavors available in the garden!

Garden Bruschetta

Recipe for one serving. Specific varieties are what we have here at the herb Farm. Use the ones you have in your garden or farmers' market.

Slice:

• Handful of Primax cabbage (Brassica oleracea)
  

Coarsely diced:

• Brandywine tomato, an heirloom cultivar (Solanum lycopersicum)
  

Small amount to taste some or all of each of the below:

• Lovage (Levisticum officinale) leaves
• Lamb's quarter (Chenopodium album)
• Chickweed (Stellaria media)
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) leaves
• Parsley (Petroselinum neapolitanum)
• Genovese Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum)

Brown on both sides a slice of homemade whole wheat & oatmeal bread in:

• 1 TL olive oil
• 1 TBL butter

Put hot bread on a dinner plate
Add cabbage on and beside the bread
Add tomato and greens to taste
Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and walnuts
Salt & pepper to taste
Dress with olive oil & balsamic vinegar
Serve right way!

Umm Umm Good

Spring!

The greenhouse will be on a garden tour this year so work began last fall to prepare. A number of plants did well over-wintering. We have been able to harvest mesclun greens, herbs, spinach, dandelion leaves and chard. The broccoli is coming along with heads of an inch showing and a cauliflower at 3/4". Peas will be planted today as well as more spinach

The most exciting find was not the plants -

it was a yellow spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatu! Shiny dark blue with bright yellow spots, the salamander was hibernating under the straw mulch. Even tho' I replaced the straw the salamander moved on to a safer place - hopefully in the greenhouse since it will help keep the insect population down including slugs. I wonder will the salamander enjoy the sow bugs (mealy bugs)? Anyone know?

Photo from Wikipedia

Dandelion . . .

Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale

There are 100+ species of dandelion, a common meadow herb of the Asteraceae or sunflower family. All are beneficial.

The sun-loving plant, a native of Greece, is familiar to all of us. It grows freely wherever it can find a place so before you pull up all of yours you might want to consider letting a few grow. The dandelion's nutritive and medicinal qualities have been known for centuries.

The following article is by Deb Jackson and Karen Bergeron on altnature.com. Click here for complete article

External Uses

The fresh juice of Dandelion is applied externally to fight bacteria and help heal wounds. The plant has an antibacterial action, inhibiting the growth of Staphococcus aureus, pneumococci, meningococci, Bacillus dysenteriae, B. typhi, C. diphtheriae, proteus. The latex contained in the plant sap can be used to remove corns and warts.

Internal Uses

Dandelion is also used for the treatment of the gall bladder, kidney and urinary disorders, gallstones, jaundice, cirrhosis, hypoglycemia, dyspepsia with constipation, edema associated with high blood pressure and heart weakness, chronic joint and skin complaints, gout, eczema and acne. As a tonic, Dandelion strengthens the kidneys. An infusion of the root encourages the steady elimination of toxins from the body. Dandelion is a powerful diuretic but does not deplete the body of potassium.

Disclaimer - These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information on this web site is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.