It’s a hard thing to do. Waving a big “good-bye” to summers bounty of fresh herbs. I was not looking forward to parting with my basil and mint crop over the winter, so I started searching for options to help me with my herb withdrawals.

Somehow, I am not even sure how, I came across an article about freezing herbs in salt to keep them for use over the winter. The sound of fresh herbs buried in salt sounded not-so-appealing to me. Would they become dry as a fallen leaf? Would they retain the flavor of their sodium captors? The questions had me curious.

So, for this blog I decided to MacGuyver it for you. I am posting the initial directions on how to do this, then throughout the winter months I will add these mummified herbs to some recipes and let you know how their entombment worked.
Sound like a plan? Good. Here’s what to do.

Contestants, pick your herbs! I had basil, oregano, mint and thyme.

First, make a thin layer of kosher salt on the bottom of your container. Then place some clean and dry herbs on top.

Then cover that layer in salt.

Depending on the depth of the conatiner, you can make various layers, but the goal is to have the herbs completely covered in the salt.

Then put on your lid and label the container.

Do the same with all your herbs.

Then put them in the freezer. To use, take out what you need, rinse well in cold water and use as you would fresh herbs. I read that the flavor is the same, but the look of the herbs not so good.
Also, the salt is supposedly full of the herb flavors, so you get 2 culinary treats for the price of one.

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I had been a huge coffee addict in college. Coffee was a way of life for me, drinking 5 cups of turkish coffee before I hit my morning classes was normal, until one day the heart palpitations and headaches started. Then I called it quits for over 10 years.

My husband, David, had never ever drank coffee until about 3 years ago. We had always been tea drinkers. One day he tried a Mocha Latte a friend had bought and he came home raving about how good it was. Thus, started our coffee drinking adventure together.

We tried different ways to brew our Joe using the standard home coffee machine (always tasting of old coffee and plastic),  the drip cone with paper filter (too slow and too clumsy) and the mini espresso pot (just too strong). One day at a friends house they made us some coffee that was to die for and they had made it in something called a French Press. David and I were hooked. This coffee had the cleanest taste of any we had tried and was simple enough to use. We sought out where to buy one and have never looked back.

The inspiration  for this post was my brother Dave. He came to visit a few weeks ago. I made him breakfast one morning, making coffee in our press. He had never seen one before and upon drinking the first few sips exclaimed how amazing this coffee tasted. Somewhere between what type of grounds we buy and the press itself we had made the perfect cup. We bought him a good bag of coffee, fair trade-shade tree grown, and a French Press for his birthday so he could enjoy this back home. Now my mom wants to see what all the hub-bub is about.

So, for all of you who have never seen a French Press or how one works, this is for you.

Going clockwise, starting at the top is the metal framed pitcher that holds the glass beaker. There are 3 components that make up the plungers bottom screen.

They easily stack and then screw onto the metal rod of the plunger itself.

Some tips that Bodum wants you to know. Although it says to stir the grounds we never do. I think I will try that next time.

First you need to boil some water.

Then add your very coarse coffee grounds. We use 4 scoops for 2 people. Experiment with the quantity of coffee to make it how you like.

Then add your hot water. The amount you add with either make the coffee stronger or weaker. Try out different quantities.

Put the plunger on, but don’t press it down yet. The grounds need to soak in the hot water.

Set a timer for 4 minutes. The longer the grounds brew the stronger the coffee.

When the timer beeps push the plunger down. This will trap all the grounds in the bottom, separating the grounds from the liquid.

Serve this delicious coffee straight away and enjoy the best tasting java ever.

And don’t forget to compost those grounds. Your earthworms and compost critters will thank you for the pick-me-up.

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Do any of you know that person who can grow anything, anywhere with little to no effort? My Mom is one of those people. She can pick a sprig of who-knows-what off the parking lot of the Home Depot, stick it in some dirt at home and the next thing you know, there’s a tree! Really.

I, on the other hand, have not been that successful of a farmer (except for all the cacti I have, which are hard to kill).  As a kid we always had a garden. Didn’t matter where, my Mom always planted one where ever we lived and it always thrived.

Well, I have been trying my hand this summer at an organic garden in the back yard , and I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I really took the time to read up on the hows and whys of gardening, what plants to plant, what times, etc…I’m even reading ‘Animal, Vegetable,Miracle’  by Barbara Kingsolver , which is truly inspirational. I would love to be able to feed my husband and friends with things I just pulled from the ground in my backyard. I mean, how much fresher and local can you get!

So, as the weather here is becoming cooler I decided to continue this experiment and try my hand at winter gardening. NC winters are generally mild so the growing season can be quite long and perfect for winter crops such as kale, collards, brussels, broccoli and cauliflower, not to mention some lettuces. I will update this blog with the results as the winter progresses but wanted to share this years garden journal in pictures.

Also, if you have any tips for me please send them my way.

This was the beginning of my adventure. We set up along side our neighbors 1930’s barn. The perfect backdrop for this endeavor.

Building the boxes w/ untreated wood.

Making an organic mix of topsoil, manure and compost (my own) to make happy plants.

The summers bounty and their current status: red and yellow beets (ready, but still in the ground), carrots (ready, but still in the ground) and butternut squash (only got one, the weed wacker killed the vines )

This was my Italian box: Japanese and Italian eggplant (grew 3), 2 roma tomato plants (didn’t do well, needed more sun) okra (the gift that keeps giving, even now), green beans (harvested a few, but didn’t do so well)

This was the Squash box: zucchini (did very well), yellow squash (not so well), bird house gourd (grew one)

This was the Latin box: purple tomatillos (did well, but were very small), hot peppers (needed more sun, got a few), red velvet okra ( not really a latin veggie, but grew well and still going), roma tomato (got a few, but needed more sun I think)

Then I went crazy and planted upside down cherry tomatoes for fun. They did well but got really long.

Herbs, mon. I made a center herb garden with a large bucket. I cut out the bottom so that it would have good drainage. Thyme, sage, spearamint, oregano, dill, camomille and savory all did well. I am going to experiment with picking and preserving these in layers of salt, stored in the fridge over winter.

The Winter Garden: The plants are slowing down and soon it will be time to clear the box and either replant (as I have already done in one) or cover with newspaper and dirt to get ready for the spring. Forward thinking is key to this gardening thing, isn’t it?

This week I made another box (number 5) and created make-shift green houses for the crops I  planted in them: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce and carrots. A predicted freeze is coming in a few days. Hope this helps them.

Fried green tomatoes are what these late comers will have to be. I don’t think they will ripen at this point.

Either a broccoli or cauliflower I planted from seed in the spring. It just now popped up and is doing well in this cold weather.

Like that renegade broc-cauliflower plant above, I had planted 3 brussel sprout plants and they are growing really well.

The carrots are looking ready to go, although my friend Beth told me not to pull them until their orange tops show. She’s from the midwest, so I will heed her advice. Also, I read that it’s best to cover these on either side with straw to give them a blanket during winter.

I recently planted 3 sticker-less raspberry bushes. These will be a welcomed addition to our summer fruit needs and if all goes well with my gardening attempts in general, my friends will be reaping the benefits as well.

This summer was a test, so to speak, of how I get along with mother nature. Overall, I was happy that I was able to grow anything. The disappointments were few as I took the zen approach that if it grows, it grows. With continued reading, advice from my mom,  friends and experts and also trial and error, I just might become a decent gardener. I hope.

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The other night it actually got cold. The temp dipped down into the 40’s before 10pm and put me in a cozy kind of mood. See, here in North Carolina fall teases us. October can offer an 80 degree day while the next is in the 50’s. It’s a wacky area of the country, climate wise that is, so when we actually get some real autumn weather I head for the stove, get a pot out and make soup.

I looked in my produce bowl and saw I had one sweet potato and one small winter squash and wondered if this would make enough for two. I scrounged around the produce drawer in the fridge and  spotted a little clementine. “Orange soup it is!” I thought, and as it turned out, it was the perfect compliment to a bottle of Spanish Tempranillo wine we had just purchased from our friend Craig at Wine Authorities.

Warming, luscious and topped with a bit of buttered & candied hazelnuts and crispy sage leaves, it completely said ‘Fall’ to me.

It’s a beta carotene Party!

Saute all the veggies in a bit of olive oil until slightly browned.

Add veggie broth.

Fall spices I love…

After you add the spics to the pot add some water so that all the veggies are covered. Simmer on low heat until softened, about 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering I melted a few dabs of butter and heated some hazelnuts in a sauce pan.

Then I added a bit of brown sugar to coat the nuts.

I added a touch of balsamic vinegar as well.

I also crisp fried a few sprigs of sage from the garden. I have to say, one thing I LOVE is crispy sage leaves.

Back at the soup pot, I added the juice of one clementine.

Then I pureed the soup until smooth. I also LOVE my stick mixer.

I then added a bit of half and half. You could use soy creamer as well. I seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and plated it up with the wine.

Although the days are getting shorter and winter is close to follow; soups like this make an evening’s dinner cozy and warm.

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Thai food has to be one of my most loved cuisines. Just the thought of  creamy coconut, fresh basil, a kick of chilis in a rich sauce over rice or noodles warms my heart (and tummy) instantly. So, when David and I were planning this week’s Date Night Dinner I immediately said, “Thai.”

This meal came together pretty quickly and we used what ingredients we had around. You could easily make this with only one veggie as long as the sauce rocks, but try combos of various produce, fresh or frozen, and create something magical.

To make this easier for David, the evening’s chef, I prepped everything ahead of time. When I had this meal’s cast assembled and ready to go he jumped right in.

He started by sauté-ing the onions.

Then he added the garlic.

Next came a few dollops of Roasted Red Chili Paste….sweet but spicy.

Mix well.

Yes, I happened to have some lemongrass, so we added some big chunks to the pot.

We didn’t have any Galangal or Kaffir Lime Leaves, but I did have a lime, so we zest it into the pot, added some diced ginger and a few dashes of hot cayenne sauce.

Next we added the diagonally sliced carrots.

Then came the zucchini and potatoes. Usually I wouldn’t add potatoes to a Thai dish, but like I said, try various combos of produce for different textures and flavors.

Add the coconut milk.

And then brown sugar.

Then add some water.

And then some Tamari or soy sauce. You can even use Braggs if you like.

As the Squirrel Nut Zippers say ‘Put A Lid On It’ and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and poke a potato with your knife to see if it is tender.

Now add in your green beans.

Simmer it again for another 5 minutes until the green beans are heated through.

Now remove the lemon grass stalks.

Now take a taste to see if it needs any salt or pepper. It most likely will.

…and ours did.

We served this meal with some steamed brown rice and a wonderful Pinot Noir.
I plated it with some of the last of our summer gardens basil. Try this one out…it’s simply delish!

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