Sprouting Up in Your Garden June 22, 2009

Finally! Summer seems to have made an appearance! It's a good thing too! I don't know about you guys, but I have tomatoes that are just sitting on the plants, not ripening. The tomatillo plant is so big it is falling over and has lots of flowers, but nothing in them! And the peppers and eggplants are just sitting there, not stressed, not dying, just sitting! It has got to be the lack of continuous heat....never thought I would say this, but I am missing our summer weather! Usually by now I am freezing tomatoes whole for making tomato sauce later. On the upside, it means that we have more time to plant those summer veggies, and hopefully reap a nice, huge harvest! I am trying to convince my husband to build some more boxes for planting so we can really pack it away.....No pressure, hon! LOL! Let me know how your gardens are doing!

I actually had to write this particular article two or three times. It seems like it ought to be simple, and yet I kept finding myself wanting to include more and more information! I finally settled on a basic outline for here in the newsletter, and I will post a longer article up on the website for those of you who want more details (give me a couple of days!). So here goes the basic steps for getting started organically in a small garden:

1) Keep in mind the basic tenant of organic gardening: "Feed the Soil and It Will Feed the Plants". If the plants are well fed, you will have less issues with diseases and pests. This applies to fertilizers as well as watering.

2) Choose things to grow that you and/or family will actually eat. When you have a small space, every inch of dirt or container counts; don't waste it by growing something you will only eat once, or, worse yet, grows well but you won't eat.

3) Choose your soil mix carefully! If you are mixing into a small patch of existing soil, you might want organic top soil or compost; however, if you are using containers, you will want to use a good quality potting soil and organic compost. In either case, the fewer ingredients listed on the bags the better, and if you can't pronounce it, don't use it!

4) Choose the container to fit the plant or plants. Lettuces can be grown in nice shallow planters, but something like tomatoes or peppers need lots of root room, especially when they are full grown. You could plant a theme-garden (i.e. Italian garden) by using either a small patch of dirt or a wine half-barrel and inter-planting. Also, for any containers, make sure you have good drainage, whether it comes with drainage holes or you have to make some.

5) Put like-minded plants together. Don't plant sun-loving with those that need shade when you are using containers; however, if you are using a small dirt patch you might be able to get away with planting shade-needing plants beneath other, taller sun-loving plants. This really depends on your site and the path of the sun through it. Also, think about whether they all need the same water and fertilizing requirements.

I hope these basic steps will help you get started in your own organic small garden. For more details and for applications to all garden sizes, please click here. I look forward to seeing and hearing what you all have done in your gardens!

Butterflies have got to the absolute favorite insect in our family. We just can't seem to get enough of them! Every time one comes around our yard we are out there try to snap pictures of it....and whenever the Butterflies Alive exhibit comes around we are out there too snapping photos left and right. I finally bowed to the inevitable web-usefulness of having a Flickr account and uploaded some of our most recent photos from our natural history museum trip (if you would like to see more, click here)!

Spaghetti with Roasted Eggplant and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, Food Network

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28-ounce) whole, peeled tomatoes, drained
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small (3/4 pound) eggplants, stemmed but not peeled
2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound dried spaghetti
1 pint cherry tomatoes, stemmed
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino, plus extra for serving
Handful fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

First, make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 7 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not browned. Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand to break them up. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and put them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and drizzle generously with olive oil. Toss to coat, drizzling in more oil if you needed. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 20 minutes until eggplants are very tender.

While the eggplants are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. About 5 minutes before the eggplants are done, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer and pour it into a large pasta bowl. Add the drained spaghetti and stir to coat with the sauce. Fold in the eggplants and the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and basil, and another drizzle of oil, and toss gently. Serve immediately and pass extra cheese at the table.

Next week we will have a bunch of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants for summertime, both at Lassen's and the Ojai Farmers Market! Also check out our listings for drought tolerant varieties coming soon on our website!

If there is any questions or subjects you would like us to cover, please email us at amity@sproutinguporganically.com and then look for it in future newsletters!