Our garden is starting, very gradually, to make its way to our dinner plates.
Last weekend, I walked away with a bag of freshly cut basil, which found its way into a pasta salad with tortellini, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and Italian dressing. And it was delicious, even more so because I knew all the work that had gone into it. I was worried that snipping the leaves would damage something, but the plants are now green, healthy and bushier than ever.
Capt. Internet has since informed me that basil apparently thrives on being trimmed. So noted. Now, to figure out how to freeze it ... ice cube trays? Whole leaves on cookie sheets? Decisions, decisions ...
A day or two later, we were thrilled to find a tiny green pepper, no bigger than a quarter, on one of our “mystery pepper” plants. (Mystery solved: they’re apparently green bell peppers.) My 4-year-old was so excited he tried to pick it right then and there, and only a very quick maternal grab kept it from getting harvested far too early. (Honestly, I didn’t know I could move that fast.)
Every day since, it’s a bit bigger. Everyday, my sons want to pick it. And everyday, I tell them we need to wait a little longer ... I can’t wait to tell them “OK, now!” And a few more tiny peppers have been appearing, as well.
Our lettuce, an afterthought when originally planting the garden, is looking downright profuse. Tomorrow morning, in fact, some of it’s destined for harvest and an evening presentation on our table. I’m not sure whether to go out there with scissors or just start picking (I need to consult with Capt. Internet again) but one way or another, it’s dinner ... and far more economical than the baggie of precut stuff at the grocery store.
There’s still no sign of actual tomatoes yet, but I live in hope. Fortunately, the plants themselves still appear to be thriving. A friend predicted we wouldn’t see any until mid-July anyway.
When we do, I’m looking forward to using said tomatoes in that pasta salad. This gardening thing is working out niccely.
Tortellini pasta salad
1 cup fresh basil
16-19 oz. cheese tortellini
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
12 oz. tomatoes or so (I used grape tomatoes and halved them.)
Italian salad dressing to taste
Wash basil and chop into shreds. Cut mozzarella cheese into cubes. Halve tomatoes or cut into pieces
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and run cold water over the pasta until it’s cool. Drain again thoroughly.
Stir cheese, basil and tomatoes into pasta. Toss with Italian dressing to taste.
Jill Keppeler is a writer for the Tonawanda News. She can be reached at jill.keppeler@tonawanda-news.com.
Jill Keppeler is a writer for the Tonawanda News. She can be reached at jill.keppeler@tonawanda-news.com.
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