Scallions

Green multiplier onions are one of the easiest things to grow and you can get them in the ground in early spring, just as soon as the soil is workable.

BEFORE

AFTER

Harvest when the green tops are full.  Pull onions from the middle of each bunch to let the outer onions continue to grow and spread.  

Once you've harvested an entire bunch, add a bit of nourishing compost or manure to the soil and replant a new bulb immediately to keep a steady flow of green onions going throughout the season. They are great in salads, pasta dishes and delicious simply grilled on the BBQ, which I do all the time (brush with a little oil first - grill on top shelf - they caramelize - yum!).

Scallions add color and a delicate flavor to any dish. Here's my linguine recipe using green onions. I usually just wing the measurements, so adjust as you see fit.

LINGUINE WITH PANCETTA, MUSHROOMS AND SCALLIONS

INGREDIENTS

2-3 servings dried linguine 

3 Tbspn. extra virgin olive oil (more as needed)

3 large fresh garlic cloves

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

5-6 slices chopped pancetta (substitute bacon, ham or prosciutto)

3 green onions chopped (greens & white tips)

1/3 - 1/2 cup Feta cheese (to taste)

1 Tbspn finely chopped fresh parsley garnish

(Note to Vegetarians: substitute asparagus for pancetta.)

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a hard boil.

Heat a sauté pan. Add olive oil. Sauté 3 cloves of freshly shaved (thinly sliced) garlic.  Remove to a bowl after it turns translucent so it doesn't burn. 

Get your linguine in the boiling water and cook per package (usually 7-11 minutes for dried) while you continue to sauté the remaining items. 

In the garlicy olive oil, sauté sliced mushrooms and pancetta (do not crowd pan). A minute or two before the pasta is ready, sauté the green onions and return garlic to the hot pan. Crumble in feta cheese. Strain the linguine and add to the pan, mix together. Serve in pasta bowls with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

From plot to plate

Once the harvest starts coming fast and furious, I challenge myself to see how many ingredients I can use from the garden in every dish. The aim is 100% sustainability.

This basic tomato salad has three ingredients. Honey bunch tomatoes, scallions and cilantro in a red wine vinaigrette.

Inevitably the sauce drops my score. But if I could grow and press my own olives, I would.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RAPINI

My vitamin rich rapini dish has two ingredients from the garden. Rapini and garlic. I also add sliced fresh ginger from the pantry. Parboil rapini for 3-5 minutes. Plunge into an icy water bath to retain the vegetable's color. 

Add to a hot pan with olive oil, sliced garlic and ginger. Dash of tamari sauce. Yum.

I noticed that my ginger had sprouted a horn in one spot, so I rushed out to the garden and planted it!