things i love this week

whew.  it's the weekend.  this week was a hard, long one for me.  for no reason, in particular.  it just was...so i am glad to welcome the weekend.  this week if full of small town days {springfield + elkhorn} and opportunities to have fun.  i am pledging to let loose and have fun this week.  remember that it is the big dig gig/plant swap at the union for contemporary arts today.
here's what i love this week....

• exactly how i feel about gardening.  couldn't of said it better myself.
• cora wore one dress.  for a whole month.
• this hat.  i got one like it for $8 at bomgaars.  we're in love with each other.
• summer arts festival
• diamonds in the rough on fresh juice
• cuppow
• coupons for mason jars
• the new book....dinner a love story is available!
• giant turnips held by my sweet boy

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here are this week's posts in case you missed them...
take a look see of our garden
the only potato salad recipe you'll ever need
next week's dinners are on us
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hope your  weekend is full of adventure, good food, and joy!

GSW {garden say what}: menu threeeee!

romaine salad with greek yogurt taztziki

holy smokes.  it is june and the gardens and markets are offering a bit more then just greens and herbs in our part of the world.  but, man oh man, i cannot wait for peppers. and tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, cukes, squash, melon, and pole beans.  so this week's menu is based off what is available, but also a little wishful thinking with what is on sale in the grocery store.  i am also experimenting with the format of the menu presentation this week. let me know your thoughts.  hope this menu helps a little with your planning next week.

menu...
1. stirfry chicken and broccoli rice
{andrea makes this for her family and they love it.  hendrix was there last week and loved it which is amazing since he normally avoids meat.  she reserves the marinade, cooks broccoli in oil in another pan, and adds the marinade to the broccoli when it is almost done.  then she mixes the chicken and rice together and serves on rice}

2. bacon wrapped chicken tenders on romaine with red peppers and tzatziki sauce for dressing
{just make the recipe as directed and use leftover tzatziki sauce from this week's greek burgers, otherwise, it is just as great with a mustardy vinagrette}

3. tacos (your choice of filling - we'll be doing pork because i have some frozen in the fridge) with black beans, rice, mango, and cilantro {this meal is especially easy if you throw some meat and taco seasoning in the crockpot in the morning...even easier if you go vegetarian and fill the tacos with beans + rice or use frozen leftovers}

4. personal pan pizza night: swiss chard with egg, chard & shrooms, chard & sausage
{swiss chard, eggs, cheese, mushroom, olive oil and italian sausage are the building blocks.  let the diners make their own pizza by splitting dough up and rolling out for each diner}

5. homemade sloppy joes with turnip chips and fresh fruit

sweet treat...
homemade pudding pops!
make popsicles with your favorite pudding mix {prepared} and fresh berries.  prepare pudding according to package directions, fill molds 3/4 full, add berries and freeze.  we love lemon pudding  pops with blueberries around these parts.

cool drink...
mint ginger slush

my new favorite potato salad

potato salad, carrots, tzatziki sauce, feta, greek burgers, pita, spinach salad



i love potato salad.  until recently, my favorite was a bleu cheese bacon potato salad.  i also loved one with green beans and arugula.  then a few days ago i had some leftover red potatoes in the fridge....this is what i came up with.  so far, i have served it with broiled salmon one night, at a lunch picnic in the park and greek burgers another night.  this morning, i ate it slightly warmed with a poached egg.  i like it best room temp or slightly warmed, but it is great cold too.

dill, tarragon, and lemon potato salad
6 red potatoes, boiled (or baked) and cut into bite size pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
juice from one lemon
salt, to taste
2 sprigs of dill, minced
2 sprigs of tarragon, minced
combine until potatoes are just coated.  add a drizzle of a olive oil if it seems to dry.  keeps up to three days in the fridge.

a walk in our gardens

after a much needed rain, i took some pictures of happy seedlings and ready to provide plants. these were shot in our back garden, as well as, our herb garden outside the front door. aren't you impressed with how i weeded and cleaned up for you? *wink* anyway, enjoy.

cherokee trail {black beans} pole beans

butternut squash

cucumbers

cabbage

it's hard to see but under those greens is a ginormous turnip.  softball size.

swiss chard + onions

butter crunch that needs eating + romaine

golden beets

potatoes in tires

strawberries

hendrix's pepper garden

sage, oregano, tarragon

baby chard pot

baby rosemary plant

back porch + tool storage

things i love this week

i will be installing a pallet herb garden and tomatoes at my brother's place today.  this is his family's first foray into edible gardening.  i really enjoy doing these sort of projects with first time gardeners.  although, it is getting late in the season, don't forget that clementine's can help you with your fall garden later this season or help get you started next year.  email us at clementinespandp@gmail.com.
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this week has been such a great week of discovery....here are some of the things & people i love this week.

• the new blog for parents wanting to feed their babies well: fueling super heros
• local abundance supports a general economy...go to the plant exchange, BIG DIG GIG, at the union for contemporary art.
• mark bittman's tedX talk. word, mark. word.
• oh darling a {mom + baby} boutique is carrying original and unique refinished furniture.  check them out not only for prego clothes and baby gifts but to decorate your home!
• speaking of homes and parents....best family + design blog i have found in a long time.  dos family.
• june is operation sandbox building and tire swing hanging time.  i am using this one for inspiration.
• meal planning via the garden and farmer's markets
• lemonade stand at olive us tv
• this blog post sums up why i heart the HMC so much.

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here are this week's blog posts in case you missed them:
spring photos around the farm
preserve spring through canning, freezer cooking, jams, and more
meal plan using spring's bounty

GSW {garden say what?}: menu dous

howdy!  me and my garden had so much fun telling you what to eat last week that we are back...plus, i got such a nice response i thought i would do this weekly.  you're welcome for the unsolicted menu planning.

the plan....
1. green stuffed pizza pockets with salad
2. slow cooker ribs with sauteed turnip greens and arugula pesto potato salad {weekend dinner alert!}*
3. greek burgers with tzatziti sauce on pita with a spinach, feta, red onion salad
4. pork stirfry with turnips and spicy collards + cabbage*
5. kale salad with avocado, parmesan, beans, and avocado

you need a dessert to bring to the BBQ....
rhubarb snacking cake

you porch is calling you and demands you bring a cocktail?
rhubarb mint lemondade with vodka added

*for the potato salad i am just tossing cooked and barely cooled baby potatoes in arugula pesto.  feel free to use whatever you like.  the ribs are cooked all day in a slow cooker and finished on the grill for about 6 minutes.  this makes a great weekend meal, but is simple enough for a weeknight.
*for the stirfry, just make your favorite recipe subbing in or adding turnips, thinly sliced.  serve with rice and the spicy collards + cabbage.

preserve that bounty {spring edition}

can it be that we are already at the point in the growing season where some veggies are going to seed or are so prolific that we need to figure out what to do with it all?  and quick.  here in my part of nebraska, zone 5, we had a very mild winter, early spring, and all around kind of wonky season.  some of the farmer's markets even opened early because farmers needed to harvest and sell.  at our farm we have lots of collards, tarragon, oregano, arugula, kale, spinach, butter crunch lettuce, rhubarb, turnips, and mulberries.  so i have been devising and researching ways to preserve these goodies so that i won't have any regrets later this year when the garden has been turned over and it is too cold to even remember what fresh veggies taste like.....the rest i will harvest and bring to the heart ministry center for one of their pantry days.

pizza pockets...done the lazy and TASTY way.

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here's what i have done so far....

arugula pesto: i made some pesto with blanched arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, parmesan, and almonds.  i froze about half the batch in ice cube trays, popped them out {once frozen}, and stored them in a plastic freezer bag.  i can then pop a few cubes into soups, stews, and sauces throughout the year or even thaw for a pizza base.  the rest of pesto will be saved for a pesto potato salad this weekend and pasta for lunches this week.

green stuffed pizza pockets:  i used my basic recipe found here.  this time they were stuffed with kale, arugula, spinach, caramelized onion, mushrooms, and cheese.  i par bake them, cool completely and freeze.  these are great for lunches, camping, road trips, or days when it is too hot to turn the oven on...they can just be popped in the toaster oven and reheated. 

quick lift turnips {middle eastern pickled turnips}:  a friend of mine gave me the book canning for a new generation and i have really been enjoying it.  i highly recommend this book not only because it a good starter to canning, but also shares lots of preservation tips beyond canning, like freezing.  it also has a wide variety of modern canning recipes that are categorized by season. this particular recipe was for a refrigerator pickle so it only took a few days before we able to enjoy our efforts.  i will be also trying a traditional canning recipe for cumin & paprika pickled turnips.

frozen kale: i simply washed my kale, dried it thoroughly, layered it up in a ziploc bag, and froze.  this can be used just as you would use frozen spinach. 

frozen collards: same as above.  also, i am thinking about trying a pickled greens with fresh chilies canning recipe.  i think it could really be great in the winter with some BBQ pulled pork. 

frozen rhubarb: clean, chop, & freeze.  make a pie in january when you really need pie.

rhubarb simple syrup: found here. keeps for about a month or so in the fridge.  add to lemonade, herbal iced tea, or sparkling water.  or better yet add it to cocktails.

what i have plans to do next....
strawberry tarragon jam
tarragon infused vinegar
grapefruit tarragon infused vodka
....these three will be surprise gifts for some of my favorite people in town.  also, if you could see the out of control situation that is my tarragon plant. yowza.