These gardening tips first appeared in the Van Bakel Garden Center monthly newsletter - full of climate specific gardening advice for the Newmarket area.   Scan the index to the right for particular topics.

Enjoy lettuce all season with the Cut-and-come-again harvesting method. (from June 2010 newsletter)

Leaf lettuce is one of the easiest vegetables to grow.  Fresh green or deep red, it’s even easy to use them ornamentally in the flower garden.   

To enjoy multiple harvests from each lettuce plant use the rotating cut-and-grow-again method of harvesting each one in turn.  With a patch of just 6 plants or so an average sized family can enjoy fresh lettuce all season.  Instead of harvesting a few leaves from each plant when you’d like to make a fresh salad, cut one entire plant down to just above the first set of leaves.  By the time you’ve cut down the last plant in the patch the first one has grown a new set of leaves.  This harvesting method also prevents the lettuce plants from sending up a seed stalk which turns the leaves bitter and signals the end of the lettuce season.  Summer heat will eventually slow down the growth and reduce the fresh sweet taste, but planting leaf lettuce on the north side of another plant that will grow tall and offer summer shade will prolong the harvest.  You can also plant a fresh batch of seed in late summer that will mature in the cool of autumn for many more months of fresh greens since lettuce can withstand light frosts. 

Lovage   (from February 2009 newsletter)
Lovage is an ancient herb with a unique flavor reminiscent of celery with a hint of anise.  It's strong flavour blends wonderfully in soups, stews, stocks, and meat dishes. It is also used as a natural salt substitute, so have a light hand when adding salt to any dish that includes Lovage.  Every part of the plant - leaves, stems, roots and seed - is edible.

Lovage is not a plant for the small garden however. It will grow to about 6' feet tall once established, with deep strong roots.  Use it's size as an ornamental feature in your garden and use it's large stature and wall of green as a backdrop in your ornamental garden.  Just one plant will provide all the Lovage flavour you and your gardening friends could use in a year! 

HOW TO GROW.
Lovage can take partial shade and does best in soil that is fairly fertile and not too dry. It is a hardy perennial plant, so just one purchased plant will give you all the lovage you'll need for years to come. When you move the plant to the garden keep it well watered for the first couple weeks.  When harvesting for use, cut whole stems from the outside, leaving the center intact, and chop up to use in recipes.  Over winter, you can use dried or frozen leaves to use as needed.

Lovage's seed can also be used. They have a sweeter flavor than the leaves and can be used much like celery seed. A large seed stalk will form in early summer. Allow the seed to ripen until they begin to turn brown, then cut the stalk and dry the seeds. If you do not want to harvest seeds cut the stalk right away; this encourages more leaf growth. If you leave it be, the plant will reseed in your garden - not always a desirable thing!

Lovage is best used fresh, but you can freeze the leaves and stems. Blanch a

handful of leaves in boiling water VERY quickly then quickly throw into a bowl of ice water for a couple of minutes. Drain, place in plastic freezer bags and freeze. The frozen Lovage can be minced and used in cooked dishes.

Lovage is very versatile and enhances the flavour of many foods. Add a teaspoon of fresh minced Lovage to your chicken soup during the last 15 or 20 minutes of cooking. You can also add it to hot or chilled vegetable, meat, potato or tomato soups. Add one to two tablespoons of minced fresh Lovage to your meatloaf recipes. Harvest Lovage seeds to use whole or ground in cakes, meats, biscuits, breads, sauces, cheeses, salad dressings, or pickles. Add fresh leaves to your favorite potato salad or coleslaw too.

Dill  (from August 2009 newsletter)

Dill is one of my favourite culinary herbs.  It is a very easy herb to grow without any of the pests or diseases that plague other edibles.  Happily coming from seed  scattered in the ground the previous season, I let a few plants grow wherever they sprout.  A bonus is they do double duty of attracting beneficial insects to your garden.  Here’s a quick and easy cold potato salad that’s a favourite summer comfort food. 

Creamy Dill Potato Salad   5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked to just done.  (Careful not to overcook or they get mushy and fall apart when mixing).   If using new potatoes, I don’t bother peeling them. 

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Balkan style plain yogurt, or sour cream
Handful of snipped fresh dill
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice 

Cook the potatoes a few hours earlier so they are cold when cutting and mixing with the dressing.  Mix all the dressing ingredients together, then cut the cold potatoes in cubes and mix together.   Adjust the potato / dressing ratio so the potatoes are generously coated.  Chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Rainbow Swiss Chard  (from May 2009 newsletter)
 

Sautéed Rainbow Swiss Chard  Tall, robust dark green leaves, with red, yellow and orange thick stems like a Rhubarb plant.  Swiss chard can be used as a substitute for spinach in recipes or stands alone nicely as a side dish. 1 teaspoon olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 1 bunch rainbow or white Swiss chard 1/4 cup water 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon Wash Chard in a sink of cold water to loosen any soil grit that may have become embedded in the leaves. Coarsely chop the leaves and chop the stems into 1-2" segments and set aside. Over high heat, heat olive oil in a deep frying pan. Reduce heat to medium and sauté garlic briefly. Add the chopped chard stems and sauté until stems are lightly browned. Dissolve bullion in the water and add to pan.  Cover and cook over medium heat until the stems are nearly tender (about 8 minutes).  Add chard leaves and fry briefly until wilted.  Serves 4 as a side dish.

Swiss Chard the beta vulgaris Cicla group, is actually a close cousin of the beet and also goes by the name "spinach beet."   This rainbow variety of Swiss chard, often known as "bright lights" comes with stems in bright colors including magenta, orange, red, purple, and golden yellow.

With greens that are as appealing to the eye as they are to the taste, grow this colourful edible in your ornamental garden! Just one or two plants will yield a lot of greens and you can harvest individual leaves as you need them while enjoying the rainbow colours in your garden all season.  Like most leafy cool weather crops the greens are best tasting when young and harvested before the heat of summer.  Plant seeds straight into the ground in late April or start them a bit earlier indoors in a pot under bright lights.  One of the most vitamin rich vegetables you can grow! 

 

---

Dandelion Greens  (from May 2009 newsletter)

Before digging out all those dandelions in your lawn, why not harvest a healthy salad first!   After they flower, dandelion greens turn quite bitter, but right now in spring they should have just a little tang you may enjoy.  Try this recipe that adds a touch of sweetness to these very healthy greens.  (Did you know Dandelion greens have more vitamins and minerals than ANY other leafy vegetable we grow or purchase? 

A powerhouse of vitamins - vitamin A in particular).

Stevia (from March 2009 newsletter) 
You may have heard about this amazing natural sugar substitute but did you know that it was fairly easy to grow in your own garden?! Stevia is a perennial and although it may not be fully hardy in our northern zone it grows to a decent size for use and harvesting in just a single season. 

Stevia is a natural sweetener which is non-glycemic and non-caloric but is 10 times sweeter than sugar.  Just biting into a leaf is like tasting a sugar cube!   A new Stevia plant grows quickly and with adequate moisture will reach 1’ to 2' high and wide by the end of its first season.  Ideally it should receive at least 3-4 hours of sunlight per day and be positioned somewhere where it will never have to suffer any drought.

To harvest Stevia, cut off the tips of the branches about a third of the way down after the first big flush of growth. This gives you some branches to freeze or dry and the remaining plant will branch and grow fuller.

To use Stevia for sweetening, the flavor must be extracted from leaves using some simple methods familiar to herb growers. Steep in hot liquids as you would tea;  freeze as you would parsley;  or dry as you would Basil or Mint through hang drying in a breezy dark spot. You can simply put a leaf or two in your coffee, tea or lemonade for direct use, or simmer a whole batch in water to extract the sweetener and then condense and preserve it in jars or ice cubes for future use in baked goods,  fruit,  desserts of

all kinds…wherever you use sugar.  Try using it crushed or chopped in baked beans, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, soups, and stews.

Rosemary  

If like me, you bring your healthiest Rosemary plant indoors over winter, you may like to try this one to enjoy a kitchen full of rich aromatics.  The sage leaves may be a bit tougher to find at this time of year, but a good grocer should have bundles of fresh herbs for you at this time of year.

Grilled Chicken, Sausage & Sage
on Rosemary Skewers.  Great anytime during BBQ season.
I
2 1/2lbs      Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into chunks
1/2 cup       Rosemary Garlic Oil (see recipe below)
1 tsp.         chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 lbs.    sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 2" pieces
36-40         large fresh sage leaves
1 tsp          salt
6-8             Rosemary branch
                 (preferably 10" to 12" long - thick enough to use as a skewer).
Rosemary-Garlic Oil
1 1/2 cups       Extra-virgin olive oil
6 large cloves  Garlic, chopped
3 springs         fresh rosemary, chopped
 Heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat 3-4 min.  Add rosemary, remove from the heat, and let sit at room temp for awhile.  You'll need about 1/2 cup of this herbal oil for the skewer recipe. Put leftover oil in a clean glass and refrigerate.  

Toss the chicken in a bowl with 2 - 4 tbsp. of Rosemary-Garlic oil, along with the copped fresh rosemary, and salt.  Marinate for a couple of hours. Pre-heat grill to medium heat.  Divide remaining Rosemary-Garlic Oil into two small bowls (one for grilling and one for serving).  Skewer 3 pieces of sausage, 3 pieces of chicken, and 6-8 sage leaves, alternating each, onto Rosemary branches.   Grill the skewers, covered, brushing with the Rosemary-Garlic Oil, flipping and brushing with oil frequently, until the sausage and chicken are both cooked through.  Arrange on a platter, drizzle with a bit of reserved Rosemary-Garlic oil. ENJOY!

Romaine Lettuce
Dinner Salad.  A quick and easy main course that uses up bits of leftover meat and features a colourful mix of fresh vegetables with a base of healthy Romaine lettuce greens.  Make alone for a hearty lunch, or partner with rice for a family dinner.

1 cup croutons
8 oz. cold leftover beef, chicken, pork, whatever - cut into bite sized pieces
10 cups Romaine lettuce torn into pieces
1 cup green beans, cooked just a bit so they're still firm, then cooled
1 cup crumbled or shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1 cup yellow sweet pepper, sliced in strips
Dressing:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp each, mustard and horseradish
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup wine vinegar
Whisk together all dressing ingredients except vinegar.  Add vinegar gradually while still whisking.  Let stand for 5 minutes. Toss lettuce with just enough of the dressing to coat.  Divide among serving plates, then top each with all the other salad ingredients.  Drizzle more dressing over each and then top with croutons.

Basil   (from July 2009 newsletter)

Is there a lovelier way of celebrating the first harvest of grape tomatoes and fresh Basil than with a classic Bruschetta?  Always a crowd pleaser when the red wine is flowing and a quick appetizer is in order to keep everyone happy until the BBQ’d steaks are ready.  Made with a strong garlic butter/virgin olive oil mix compliments the fresh flavours.  

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta  
- 1 Baguette, sliced into ½” to ¾” thick pieces – makes 15 - 18 pieces usually.
- Handful of grape or cherry tomatoes chopped in thin slices or diced finely.
- Handful of fresh picked Basil leaves sliced in thin strips
- Enough garlic butter to spread each slice modestly.
- Salt to taste.
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. 

Cut the bread and spread each piece evenly with garlic butter.  Lay the pieces out on a baking sheet and put a few pieces of tomato on each, topped with the strips of basil.  Don’t overload them – just a few bits of each ingredient on each.  Lightly salt and sprinkle the grated Parmesan evenly.  Put the cooking tray into an oven preheated to 375 on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for approx. 5 minutes.  Switch the oven to Broil and leave for two minutes more.  Watch them during this last 2 minutes and remove if they’re getting too dark. Best when they’re just past the golden brown mark and only slightly crispy. 

Garlic “Butter”   I like this garlic butter for two reasons.  It lessens the “bad” fat of butter in a recipe by adding olive oil, plus I can pull a prepared jar of it from the fridge and instead of it being hard and unspreadable, it’s at just the right consistency for immediate use on fresh bread. 

In a mini blender chop and blend ¼ cup butter and ¼ cup virgin olive oil with 4 good sized cloves of peeled garlic – more if you’re a garlic lover like me!  Chop it really thoroughly so the garlic is in tiny bits that will blend and spread easily and the butter and oil are whipped and well blended.  Store any leftover in a small preserving jar in the fridge.  Keeps well for a couple of weeks.

What else - Tomato Sauce!   (from Sept. 2009 newsletter)

Use this herbally fragrant tomato sauce on its own for canning or as a base for lots of chopped vegetables or ground beef to produce a chunkier and heartier sauce. 

20 ripe tomatoes
8 bay leaves
2 heads garlic, separated and peeled
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tblsp fresh oregano
3 tbsp fresh basil
1 tblsp fresh rosemary leaves.
2 – 3 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste. 

Quarter tomatoes and remove stem.  Place tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic and water in a large pot and simmer uncovered on low heat for 8 – 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon.  Put mixture through a food processor or blender.  Return to the pot and add all the seasonings.   

Tomato sauce in the pantry cupboard that you “put-up” from tomatoes grown in your own garden is sure to give you a warm fuzzy feeling each time you reach for a jar during the cold winter months.  Labour intensive and messy, but well worth the effort. 

Tomatoes in Containers    (from June 2009 newsletter)

I’ve been asked a lot lately about growing tomato plants in containers.  Using a good potting soil is always important when growing anything in containers, but the most important when growing tomatoes is to use a large enough container to minimize the fluctuation of moisture levels and temperature.  A small container will inevitably dry out between waterings and that will lead to poor tomatoes – split skins or blossom end rot.  Also, fertilize weekly with a water soluble quick release formula, but mix it at only ½ the recommended strength.  A container of any size is no place for a large beefsteak tomato plant though!  Choose a smaller variety like my favourite, Bonnie Best or the delicious “grape” variety called ‘Tumbling Tim’.  While a cherry tomato is a small bite sized treat, the plants can grow huge.  For an added ornamental treat, use a tall black iron trellis in your large container for it to climb up on – the clusters of cherry tomatoes will look lovely drooping down.