From Jane in the garden…

Good Pickins Makes Good Eatin’
With the Occupy Wall Street movement going on… with more and more people going hungry in America… where we are just beginning to see inflation and the effects of inflation on our lifestyles… Growing food is becoming more and more important to combat the rising food prices and to make what you do have stretch further. 

Planting a fall garden allows you to yield fresh vegetables beginning about a month after planting. Take a look at these luscious radishes and the heaping pile of fresh greens toward the back. It’s a mixture of kale, spinach, swiss chard, and arugula. The cukes are still producing from the summer as are the jalapeno and green peppers. We’re getting to the end of their production; so the yield of the fall greens is very welcome. The green beans, which couldn’t produce in the fifty 100 degree days we had are now cranking it out in abundance. Last week I made a lovely green bean and potato soup that my son commented was one of the best meals he’s had lately. It’s a lovely little recipe from my mom, easy to make and delicious to boot.

I used fresh red potatoes sliced so they’d nicely fit onto a soup spoon and I cut the washed green beans into bite sized pieces as well—being sure to remove both ends first. I boiled them in a pressure cooker with water just covering the vegetables with some kosher salt thrown in for flavor. After 10 minutes in the pressure cooker, I added half and half, a quarter stick of butter, 4 bouillon cubes for the stock and brought it back to boil for a minute. In a tea cup I placed some corn starch dissolving it with water by stirring. When the soup stock returned to a slight boil, I added, a tablespoon at a time the dissolved cornstarch mixture to thicken the broth a bit at a time to the degree that I like it. I finished by grinding some black peppercorns into the soup. Serve immediately with whatever sides, breads, or other foods you desire. Yum! 

Looks like we may have more green bean soup this week. It reheats nicely and retains its delicious flavor—satisfying most any palate. 

I sauteed the greens in some olive oil with fresh ginger ground in for a few minutes until wilted, but not overcooked. I placed beds of greens on each plate, topping them with some sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Then I placed two poached eggs on top of each bed and ground fresh black peppercorns over the eggs and the greens. I served a mango beverage made from mango pulp and almond milk mixed together. And some eager eaters may like to have a couple of pieces of sourdough bread toasted with butter on the side.

Bon appetit! We’ll see you next week? What are you doing to stretch your food budget and eat healthfully? I love hearing your comments.