For the love of Produce...

@mtaratoot I think artichokes and asparagus would be the two most fun veggies to grow! I'm dying for a crab artichoke now! Do you not boil them before roasting when you quarter them? Can you still scrape the leaves? I hope you find some mushrooms this year! My boyfriend loves white mushrooms but I prefer the different varieties.

I have a bunch of stuff started in the garden, microgreens are started thanks to trying them after seeing @acpgee microgreens and loving having my own! The only thing in the garden I can eat right now which is more along this thread is herbs, I'm going to try dill on asparagus as I got a bunch of dill at the farmer's market and have to find some use for it aside of on fish. I love it on green beans but don't have any. Have a few tomato plants going and a bunch of other goodies, I wish I could post pictures but my phone doesn't attach photos for some reason.

girlwithcurls2 wrote: »

I'm envious! We won't have homegrown basil for months here. But I put in chard seeds last fall and now I have gorgeous baby chard leaves. I live in Oregon, so kale is abundant. I absolutely love it and have been working it into dinners 3-4x/week. But recently, I have been substituting chard and finding it to be a little less "tough" for lack of a better description. I also struggle with whiteflies when I grow kale. The chard doesn't get them. I'm so ready for garden season to begin!!

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, stop in. The usually have basil plants clustered in pots intended to keep growing on a window sill. It's often cheaper than just buying fresh basil! I've been known to buy a pot, chop it up into multiple smaller clumps, and see if I can get them to keep going out in the garden. Mixed results, but for a window garden - they're available.

MinTheKitCat wrote: »

What’s y’alls’ favorite way to cook/ eat turnips? I got about 12 of them in my last produce box, lol

The regular purple ones are really excellent layered with fresh mushrooms and some bread-type stuffing, and baked. Obviously, that's a little calorie dense. Just roasted is good, for the normal purple kind. If the white Hakurei type, they're delicious raw. A "carpaccio" of either turnip is also possible (raw, thin slices), maybe with sauces/dips/dressing. Sometimes I cube them, put them in a cast-iron frying pan with a bit of oil, cook until close to done, then add eggs'n' stuff for frittata or scrambled eggs.

MinTheKitCat wrote: »

What’s y’alls’ favorite way to cook/ eat turnips? I got about 12 of them in my last produce box, lol

Roasted. I just had some last night -- I chopped them up and roasted them with some cauliflower (with a little olive oil and salt) and then added both to a salad.

I have them roasted as a side all the time, either on their own or in some kind of medley of root veg (good with carrots and parsnips and radishes, if you like radishes cooked). I also like them with sunchokes.

I also like using them in stews instead of potatoes. (Or in addition to, if you prefer.)

I recently used them with beets in a beet salad with goat cheese and pine nuts. Again, they were roasted before.

You can also eat them raw, like radishes, but I prefer them cooked.

acpgee wrote: »

The best way to harvest basil is to cut off a piece of stalk just above where two leaves are protruding. The plant will split at the cut and get bushier. It produces a more attractive plant than picking off leaves.

You’re 100% right. I just did it this way because they are still seedlings and so lopping off more than a few leaves seemed like it would be detrimental to their health. I simply could NOT resist the idea of a little fresh basil; my Nonna’s sauce is delicious made with dried herbs, but out of this world when made with fresh

They taste pretty similar to me, but the colors are fun. Curious what you think of them.

(It's April.)

Just being obnoxious, the veg look great! I'm trying to decide if I'm going to get a CSA box this year, as I've been doing well getting mixed boxes from a few different farms that normally would have been selling at the big indoor green market that was cancelled this year (this runs during colder months, the outdoor version will open on 5/1, and there are of course tons of smaller local ones). My last haul included spinach, chard, sorrel (I want to make some soup), beets and turnips, and leeks, as well as some eggs and lamb for Easter. (As you can see, the mixed boxes allow me to get more than just produce, whereas my CSA box is only one farm and only produce.)

MinTheKitCat wrote: »

What’s y’alls’ favorite way to cook/ eat turnips? I got about 12 of them in my last produce box, lol

I like it sliced into "french fries" and roasted but one of the staple side dishes when I was growing up was a blend of mashed turnip and carrot. I'd actually kind of forgotten about it until recently and its now become a staple in my home too. Peel, dice, then boil both veggies in the same pot till soft-ish. Add a bit of butter, salt, and pepper, and mash. Love it

lemurcat2 wrote: »

(It's April.)

Just being obnoxious, the veg look great!

(snip)

LOL! Honestly, if I even know what year it is lately, I'm doing pretty well. 😆