My Florida Summer Garden

 I have planted a garden, which is not a monumental act, but it is more exciting to me than a normal garden, because these are all seeds that I have saved from vegetables my husband and I ate last year.  Now, I am sure there are lots of people out there who have done this for years, but  I am one of those who (when I plant a garden) buys fresh packeaged seeds from the store or catalogue.  So I am so excited that ALL of my seeds sprouted!!  Yay!
The other thing I am proud of, and a little nervous about, as well, is that I am trying to make this an organic garden, drawing on the horse manure compost pile that is a result of my business, teaching and training Dressage.
I have transplanted them out into bigger pots now, so the second step is success, as well.  I will take pictures of milestones as we go along, and below are the first two milestones that I captured:
In the first picture are my herbs-- Rosemary, Chives, Marjoram, Greek Oregano, Lemon Balm, and Sage.

These are the herbs that I first planted last spring, that have survived past winter, and have started to grow again.  The Basil, which is an annual, died back of course, but I saved some of the seeds, and it is part of the seed flat, below......

Here is the flat of vegetables that I planted.  The Mini-Watermelons, Cantaloupes, Bell Peppers, Heirloom Red Beefsteak Tomatoes, Heirloom German Pink Tomatoes, and Basil sprouted quickly and easily, and are growing like gangbusters even after transplanting into their permanent plots.  I planted the watermelon and cantaloupes in the ground, and everything else in 7 gallon pots filled with organic compost.

The only thing that didn't sprout was the Eggplant, which makes me a bit sad, since Eggplant grows so well in my area and I love eggplant, but I can certainly trade for Eggplants with my Heirloom Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Basil, and other herbs and vegetables.  What are you growing this season?



Pan Fried Rosemary Potatoes

Momma T, those first two potato recipes look great! 

I love red potatoes for everything except baking (of course the good old Russet is great for that!).  They seem to have a very good texture for standing up to roasting and boiling.  Fresh herbs also boost the flavor so that they can complement almost any dish, from steak to eggs, pork to lamb.

Let's start with the ingredient list for the pan fried potatoes:

6-9 Red Potatoes depending on size (those pictured were the size of baseballs)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/4 cup finely chopped Fresh Dill

1/8 cup finely chopped Fresh Rosemary

1/4 cup finely chopped Fresh Parsley (curly or flat leaf)

Kosher or Sea Salt to taste

Cracked Black Pepper to taste

10-12 inch Cast Iron Skillet (to my mind, nothing else works as well to carmelize the potatoes)

Dice the potatoes (skin on) to about 1/2 inch cubes.  Get them as uniform in size as possible, so they cook evenly.

Chop the herbs with a very sharp knife, being careful not to get your fingers in the way. Heat the cast iron skillet on top of the stove on Medium High heat.  Add the olive oil, butter, and 1/2 of each of the finely chopped herbs, some salt and pepper, and let it get hot, but not to the point of scorching the butter.

  Then add the diced potatoes in one layer in the bottom of the pan.  Let them cook until the first side carmelizes (turns golden brown), then turn them gently with a spatula or shallow slotted spoon. Let them cook until the second side is carmelized, add the rest of the herbs, and cook for another minute or two.  If they brown too quickly and the middle isn't done, you can transfer them right in the skillet to a 400*F oven to finish. They should be fork-tender.

Turn the potatoes out onto a brown paper bag-lined bowl (to absorb any excess oil), then plate and serve.  Here, they are paired with Grilled Boneless Ribeye (rare, of course!)/Creamy Horseradish Sauce and Steamed Broccoli.  Enjoy!