Green Goodness

 My garden is filled to the brim with lettuce right now

 I usually plant or sow directly into the vegetable beds 

with really great results

 You can find Mesclun mixes 

in just about every nursery and there are some great Internet sources 

like  Shepard's Seeds and 

Renee's Seeds 

which happens to be my favorite

 Some times I let the plant get a bit to big and the lettuce is tough 

but in the case of Arugula

you can eat the little flower petals too!

 I pretty much toss in anything that is ready for picking

like radishes and peas 

 The spring onions are really big now 

and

I have leeks and red onions this year too  

 If I can't get the onions to pull out easily from the dirt

 I use a sharp paring knife and cut them off right at the base 

which works fine  too

 Back in the kitchen....lets make a salad

 I usually give the newly harvested green a good 5 - 10 minute soak

 in ice cold water in a salad spinner

What that does is it crisps up the greens a little bit

Then I triple wash...sometimes 4 washes are necessary

 I don't use any pesticides but I like to be sure I have gotten off all of the dirt 

and the little bugs that can hide in the leaves

 All the greens get dumped on to a kitchen towel and are sorted into zip lock bags 

this lets me check every thing over one last time 

and get a nice interesting mix of lettuce varieties into each bag

 now that we have our salad greens....how about some vinaigrette!

 This is a heavenly Meyer lemon concoction 

that you will love

 I will list all of the ingredients at the end 

so you can 

jot it down if you like

 I usually use 3 Meyer lemons

( I have 4 large lemon trees but the Meyers always get used up first!)

I you can't find Meyers 

you can use 2 regular lemon's and one orange

 to create a similar taste

 I use olive oil and Canola oil 

( its nice to balance out the flavors with both)

Dijon mustard

 add in some finely chopped shallot

and some vinegar

 salt and pepper to taste

and a bit of tarragon

I never have fresh tarragon and the dried works fine in this recipe 

 whisk it up and then store in a jar 

with a nice tight lid 

suitable for shaking

 This is the best dressing

I use it on salads of course but it is great on: 

Grilled chicken

Grilled Vegetable's like zucchini and peppers

and it is heaven over vine ripe tomatoes!

or to use as a dip for a  big slice of crusty french bread!

Did I say YUMMY?!

Here is the recipe:

Feel free to tweak as you like

juice from 3 Meyer lemons (look for about 3/4 cups of juice)

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Canola oil

1/4 cup sweet wine vinegar ( I use a Rose' Wine Vinegar because I like the sweetness to balance out the lemon juice)

1/4 cup Dijon mustard ( I usually mix the smooth with the grainy together)

1 large shallot finely minced

1 Tbl dried Tarragon

Salt and Fresh ground pepper to taste

Yield: 2 1/2 cups of Vinaigrette

Shake well before using

Have a fun and relaxing weekend

hope you find time to putter in the garden too!

New Ideas For The Garden

 Spring is here and the garden is at it's happiest

 This year we have started planting and working on a new area of our property...

It sits way out in the back

 There are three really huge oaks back there 

and it gets wonderful filtered sunshine

 This old lady is one of the most beautiful

 I think

 The plan for this area is to use all California native species of plants

with winding pathways and areas to sit and watch the birds 

 A creek divides the property and you cross over little bridges to get back here

 I like this spot for a garden shed

 and over here maybe some chickens 

just across from the vegetable garden

I have tons of ideas saved to a Pinterest board called "coops and sheds"

and there are some  amazing and creative little buildings being built 

by people all over the country

 I think simple is probably better for us

like a nice little board and batten shed with a metal roof

and just for fun...how about a "spool"

that's a spa pool!

This one happens to be from a wonderful landscape company 

Grace Designs

check out her work here

 but today...

it's back to work in the vegetable garden

 I hope you are enjoying some spring gardening too!

Dairy Fresh

 I picked up this great vintage metal crate

 it's filled with 20 little glass jars

most likely for cream or yogurt

 but I think this makes a perfect little

 container for just picked spring flowers

 dairy fresh from the garden 

I Spy

 Just today she bloomed...this is Evelyn

 she is beautiful and smells like sweet tea

only one blossom today

but there are dozens ready to bloom 

in just a few weeks 

 she decided to blossom early

she knows today was her day 

happy birthday Evelyn

Spring Green

 A weekend drive

 This is a working ranch about 10 minutes from my home

heading South toward Santa Paula

 We usually drive out this way on Saturdays 

to our favorite little burger joint (picnic tables)

for great burgers (they grind their own beef)  

great milk shakes  (no body does malts like this any more)  

and awesome fries...yum

 I am always inspired along this drive by the beauty of the Oaks in the hills,

 the  amazing clear blue sky and the vastness of the ranch land...

and today

the beauty of spring 

 These are walnut trees, perfectly spaced,

 aligned like wooden soldiers

soon to be green and loaded with fruit

The yellow mustard won't last long 

but who really cares?

today it is beautiful and perfect

and it reminds me 

to be thankful 

Spring!