The Rookie Diaries: How Did My Garden Grow?

This past April, I planted a "salad" on my deck, blogged about the planting process, and promised to share the results once I'd reaped what I sowed. Well, that day has arrived, and I'm mostly happy to report that I've been having fresh, home-grown salads, basil pesto, mint tea, and mint lemonade for several weeks now! So not only am I enjoying healthy, über-local, 100-percent organic produce, but I'm saving money as well (about $50 so far)! Of course, not all went according to plan. Here's a plant-by-plant blow-by-blow on how my container garden grew.

Lettuce
I planted arugula as seedlings and red sail lettuce from seeds. My arugula did poorly and, ultimately, I ended up pulling it (I couldn't bear to watch it die a slow death). I don't know what went wrong, because everything I've read says that arugula is easy to grow and thrives under a number of conditions. Harrumph. However, my disappointment with my arugula was tempered by the success of my red sail lettuce! I planted tons of seeds, so when it sprouted I had to thin it out quite a bit so each individual plant had its own space. It seemed to plateau around the fourth week, and my dad, an experienced gardener, recommended that I trim any leaves touching the leaves of other plants, which can signal to a plant there's not enough space for it to sprout fully. I followed his advice and practically overnight the lettuce exploded. I couldn't believe how hardy it was. I've been eating fresh salads every other day for about two weeks now, and there seems to be no end in sight!

Tomatoes
I reaped only two tomatoes from my little tomato plant, but it was still exciting to watch a teeny, tiny green bud turn into a round, bursting red tomato. And I can't recall the last time I bit into a tomato that tasted that sweet or fresh. I'd planted a variety known as Better Boy, and the tomatoes are quite heavy and big, so I had to tie my plant up to a stake. Next year, I plan on planting cherry tomatoes, instead, which I understand are easier to grow and produce more fruit.

Cucumbers
These seedlings were practically dead on arrival. I'm not sure if the transplanting process traumatized them or the pot was too small (apparently, they need a ton of room for their sprawling roots) or if I planted them too early (they need a lot of warmth), but they couldn't cut it (nor I them, as it turns out). Any advice on growing these guys is appreciated! I'd love to have some next year!

Red onions
Still to be determined! I think they're almost ready to pluck. I can see the bulb popping out a bit under the soil, and the green tops are getting wilt-y, a good sign—the rule (so I've read) is that they're ready to harvest when about half of the greens have fallen over. That day is coming soon…

Herbs
I planted some herbs along with my veggies because I know they're hardy and I'm a sucker for fresh herbs in my pasta, soups and drinks. I also love smelling them as they're growing. The basil, mint and oregano went nuts! Seriously, if you don't think you have a green thumb, grow some mint and you'll see yourself in a new light. One note: Mint needs a lot of room for its roots. I gave mine its own big pot and it has been content all summer. Also, I had to water my basil often, practically every day. On a sad note, my parsley isn't doing so hot. I plucked it once for a fish dish, and it has been looking rather sad and yellow ever since. It's still fighting, so I'm continuing to water it.

All in all, growing a salad has been thrilling and fairly easy. So far I've saved $50 in groceries, and while I still haven't recouped my initial investment (I spent about $250 on containers, potting soil, seedlings, gloves, etc.), the summer isn't over yet! Plus, I've already purchased the most expensive items, so any additional dollars spent on plants and seeds in the future will be minute.

Happy digging and munching to all you gardeners out there—and let me know if you have any tips for growing arugula, cukes and parsley!

Rookie Diaries: How to Save Some Green on Healthy Foods

Every time I hit the produce aisle to select salad fixings—lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers—I pat myself on the back for including fresh produce in my diet (yay for me!). But even so-called 'fresh' produce has spent days or even weeks traveling from the farm to my fork, not only losing nutrients along the way, but also becoming more expensive with each step: The price of lettuce, for example, (about $6 for a bin of mixed organic greens) has to account for the time the farmer spent growing it, the gas to bring it to my neighborhood grocery, the cost of packaging it safely, and a little extra for profit.  

This spring, I've decided to cut out the middle-men (and women) in this equation—and save some money—by growing a salad on my deck. There will be an initial investment, of course, but the cost of the starter plants (about $5 for seedlings and a single $1 for a pack of seeds) will end up paying for themselves and then some. (Talk about pay dirt!)

Last winter I moved into an apartment with an outdoor deck that gets adequate sunlight in the warm months, which, in New York City, is the equivalent of winning the lotto. So last spring I took advantage of the jackpot by planting a few easy-to-grow herbs, ones with a reputation for being hearty and forgiving of an owner who, on occasion, will forget to water them (sorry!). The mint and rosemary flourished and the oregano even survived the winter and is still going. (As for the thyme, well, let's just say I ended up having to stay away from recipes that called for it.)

So this year, building on my herb-growing success, I'm trying for real, live vegetables. If I can grow a salad on my puny deck in Brooklyn, then anyone with even a small plot of dirt is golden! Now is the perfect time in most parts of the country to plant seeds and seedlings. (For all you non-gardeners, seedlings are little baby plants that a nursery has started for you so they're easier to grow; seeds can be tricky to sprout, so most first-time gardeners buy seedlings and skip the seeds altogether). It's just the right temperature—not too hot, and most states are nearly past the frost date (frost can kill many plants). You can check your state's dates here or enter your zip code here to find out.

Here's a mini-guide of my planting experience, based on extensive Googling, a few conversations with the helpful staff at Chelsea Gardening Center Red Hook, and a stamp of approval from my dad, who has been gardening for more than 35 years. Any experienced gardeners out there? Please post advice. I'm sure I made a few mistakes along the way!

What to plant: My favorite salad ingredients, including lettuce (I used red sails lettuce seeds and arugula seedlings); a tomato plant (seedling); two cucumber plants (seedlings); and three red onions (seedlings). Other great veggies you can grow easily include snap peas, green beans, carrots and radishes.

Basic Tools/Supplies: You don't need a lot of fancy gadgets for container gardens, but it's good to have these basics:

• Gardening gloves to keep your hands from getting scratched and dirty, especially if you don't like touching earth worms (which had somehow managed to sneak their way into my bag of potting soil—gross!) with your bare hands.

• An all-purpose soil scoop/trowel for loosening sides of seedlings from containers and digging holes

• Potting soil (as I mentioned above); I used two full bags. You'll need seeding soil if you're starting from seeds.

• Proper containers: You can grow veggies in pretty much anything, but I bought terra cotta clay pots on the advice of the garden shop because they "breathe" (aka allow water and oxygen in and out of the soil). I had also previously purchased a cedar wood box for last year's herbs (kind of expensive, but is resistant to rot and doesn't need a liner.)

• Stakes for tall plants (tomatoes and cucumbers) and a small, wire trellis for the cukes

Planting Tips
Tomato: I bought a seedling variety called Better Boy because it's supposed to be good for tomatoes that you can slice into a salad (cherry tomatoes are also great to grow). You're supposed to bury about half the plant in the soil to encourage root development; the pot should be at least four inches deep for roots. Tomatoes need lots of light (at least eight hours), and they love heat and frequent watering (daily if necessary—never let soil get completely dry). I should see actual tomatoes in six weeks to two months, fingers crossed! I also twist-tied the stalk to a bamboo stake to train the plant to grow up instead of along the ground (which is totally fine if you have the horizontal space for that).

Lettuce: I chose a wide pot—16 inches diameter—because I wanted to plant a couple varieties. I planted three arugula seedlings in one half of the pot and red sail lettuce seeds in the other half. This variety (according to the package) is heat-resistant and fast growth—45 days to harvest! I'll have to thin the red sail lettuce when it starts sprouting so there's four or so inches between plants, because lettuce tends to take up a lot of space (thinning—snapping off the tops of small shoots or uprooting them—helps give them enough space to mature). Lettuce wait and see…

Cucumber: I planted these guys in a wide, 16-inch-deep pot: The gardening websites I looked at all said the plant needs plenty of room to grow. When they start getting taller (they can get up to 6 feet!) I'll use a bamboo stake to train them up a small wire trellis so the vines can "grab onto" something when the cucumbers get big and heavy. Like tomatoes, they need lots of light and watering. I won't be able to pick a cuke for about two months, so I hope they're worth the wait!

Red onions: From everything I read, it looks like onions don't need a ton of space, so I planted three seedlings, about three inches apart, next to my oregano in my cedar box. I'll need to wait three months for the bulbs, but I can slice the tops of the onions into my salad right away. The different varieties are a bit confusing (there's long-day, short-day, some do better in the North versus the South). I'm not even sure which type I planted!

I'll report back in July to let you know how my homegrown salad tastes! In the meantime, feel free to let me know what you've planted and how it 's going.

Our Must-Have of the Week: Herbs on Ice

Fresh herbs and spices are great, but how many times have you bought a bunch only to use one or two tablespoons? The rest, which you may discover two weeks later as a soggy mess at the bottom of your produce drawer, simply goes to waste. To the rescue: Dorot frozen herbs.

The product looks like a mini ice cube tray and contains 1 teaspoon of frozen herb per cube. Stash it in your freezer, and you'll always have the flavor of garlic, ginger, parsley, basil, or cilantro on hand. They last for months and cost only $2.99, making them a budget-friendly, no-waste alternative to fresh.  

How to use the cubes? You can add a ginger cube to a veggie and shrimp stir-fry; use the cilantro in guacamole, salsa, or black bean soup; pop a basil cube into a bowl of whole-wheat pasta with fresh tomato and mozzarella or spread some on a pizza made with tomato sauce, part-skim mozzarella, and whole-wheat crust.  

Right now, you can only find Dorot cubes at your nearest Trader Joe's. If there's no Trader Joe's in your neighborhood, you can make your own herbal cubes: Simply cut the leaves off of an herb and rinse them under water. Using a blender or hand (immersion) blender, blend the herb using a four-to-one ratio of herb to water until a paste forms. Fill a small ice cube tray with the herb paste and freeze. Once cubes are frozen, transfer them into a tightly sealed container or freezer bag. To use, simply place 1 or 2 cubes into your food while cooking. Great herbs for freezing include basil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, ginger, parsley, tarragon and thyme.

A Spicy Surprise

In the summer, I rely heavily on my herb garden to flavor my foods; I use a lot of fresh basil, chives, thyme, tarragon and mint. (My style of cooking favors healthful, cleaner, intense tastes as opposed to richer tastes, such as butter and cream.) 

But as the weather gets cooler, I obviously have less of a choice. In fact, when I went to pick some herbs last night from my garden, the pickings were slim. I was able to get a little rosemary and sage (they've stopped growing now, but they can be picked throughout most of the winter), but the majority of the other herbs are gone until the spring. 

I came in from my herb garden and had to rethink the menu a bit: The mashed potatoes that I'd planned to make with basil, I flavored with saffron instead. I had planned to season a carrot soup (a simple puree of cooked carrots and onions) with fresh thyme, but because there was none, I added a bit of turmeric, cinnamon and cumin, and the result was delicious. I roasted the fresh rosemary I was able to pick with a piece of just-caught wild rockfish. For dinner, I had made apple sauce with apples that had delicious flavor but were a bit soft, and added a pinch of ginger powder and ground cinnamon. Although I was initially disappointed with the lack of herbs I had to choose from, the addition of the spices made the meal delicious. It was a reminder that experimenting with spices, which are easy to use and stay fresh for at least several months,  can turn an ordinary meal into something memorable.

For more healthy cooking advice, check out TheBestLife.com.

A Satisfying Summer Sip

I grew basil this year for several reasons. One of the main ones was to prove that I could grow a plant, and I knew basil was pretty low maintenance. Plus, it smells good and I love pesto. I digress. 

My basil-growing hobby soon turned into a whole herb garden, and I found a surprising use for my herbs—iced tea! In the heat of summer, I'm careful to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.  But sometimes I want something with a bit more flavor than plain old water (sorry, water, I love you!).

The problem is that most flavored beverages pack in a lot of extra calories from added sugar. So I decided to take the matter into my own hands and began making homemade herbal sun tea. I simply stick a few bags of herbal tea (I love mint) into a large jar of water and leave it out in the sun for a couple hours. As my herb garden flourished, I was able to add fresh basil to my mint sun tea and it was delicious! I then tried putting a few stems of rosemary into my jar along with white tea, and the result was tasty and refreshing. I even bought some lavender at the farmers market and added it to chamomile tea and the result was my favorite combination yet!

Whether you grow your own herbs or not, I strongly encourage you to try your hand at herbal infused sun tea. It's a refreshing way to cool off and hydrate, and the flavor combinations are so potent and interesting that you don't need any added sweetener!

For more healthy-eating and recipe ideas, check out TheBestLife.com.

Butter-Free and Flavorful

When I owned a restaurant, I did not use any butter or cream in any of the savory dishes. This was a decision based on the idea that if you found the best ingredients, you wouldn't need to mask any flavors or textures with heavy sauces. This decision was also based on the fact that I felt better eating moderate amounts of dairy and little to no butter and cream. Of course, this idea of moderation does not exclude enjoying a little ice cream with fresh fruit. But when it came to starters and entrées, I was much more into the purity of the ingredients.

The challenge when you try to cook this way is that you can't overcook meats or fish because there are no "sauces" to rehydrate dried-out protein. Also, starting out with excellent quality food, fresh herbs and spices, and other flavorful ingredients are a must. For instance, Basil Mashed Potatoes made with olive oil, fresh basil, potatoes from my local farmers market and no diary is one of my favorite dishes! You can taste each of the individual ingredients without the overpowering flavor of butter and cream.

Give it a try at your next meal—you'll not only save yourself calories and fat, but you'll get a truly flavorful dish.

For more healthy-cooking tips, check out TheBestLife.com.

Water that Wows!

Cool, refreshing drinks and summertime go hand in hand. My beverage of choice: Water—a calorie-free way to quench your thirst. In fact, I usually carry around a reusable water bottle and sip it throughout the day.

I do try to mix it up a bit to get a little variety, and one easy way to do that is to add some fresh herbs to your water. This time of year, my herb garden is bursting with a variety of herbs. I'll snip off a few and add them to fresh water in a bottle or pitcher. I'll refrigerate the water for a few hours to let the herbs infuse and the water chill. (For a more intense flavor, you can leave the bottle overnight.) My favorite herbs to add to water are spearmint, rosemary, peppermint, lavender and lemon verbena. Give it a try to add a little kick to your water.

For more on healthy eating, check out TheBestLife.com.