Monday, March 1, 2010

March Promotion: Organic Vegetable Garden Supplies Giveaway!

At the end of March, we are giving one lucky person an Organic Vegetable Garden Supplies Package from Marvin's Organic Gardens! Here are the details of what you can win and how:

TO ENTER:
Tell us what your favorite veggie is and how you like it prepared. You can post this information on our Facebook Fan Page or you can comment directly on this blog entry. Either way, your veggie and preparation will count as one submission. You may enter up to 2 times per person. You must enter by March 31, 2010.

At the end of the month, Marvin, owner of Marvin's Organic Gardens, will pick his favorite entry. You could post a recipe or a picture of your family eating the veggie. Originality and creativity are highly encouraged!

WHAT YOU WIN:
An Organic Vegetable Garden Supplies Package! You will receive 1.5 yards of Marvin's Organic Garden's homemade compost, 1 yard of shredded leaf mulch, 10 organic vegetable plants and 4 packets of organic seeds. We will also include 1 roll of our NEW Control Roll to help control weeds and watering needs. Value of $175.00.

15 comments:

Debbi said...

Love broccoli prepared with butter or cheese. YUM!

Debbi
mamanordy@hotmail.com

Facebook fan

christy e said...

I LOVE okra. ever since I've moved back north from Tennessee, okra has been very hard to find and organic okra has been pretty much non-existent around here — hence the #1 reason why I'm going to plant it in my garden this year! I recently found this delicious recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Eating Your Way to Good Health.

OKRA SALAD
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1lb fresh okra, rinsed and patted dry, caps trimmed
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
1/4cup water
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 T strained fresh lemon
1 medium- sized clove of garlic, very finely minced
1/4 tea ground coriander
cayenne pepper to taste
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat 2 T of oil in a large saute' pan; add okra and saute'
2 minutes over medium heat, stirring lightly. Sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Add water, cover and cook over low heat for about 7
minutes or until just tender, shaking pan occasionally and adding
water only if needed. Remove okra gently to a shallow serving
dish. Add onion and mix carefully.

For the dressing, combine another T of olive oil, lemon juice,
garlic, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper in a bowl and pour
over okra. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve chilled or at room
temperature.

Enjoy!
Christy

Amanda Moran said...

Garlic is my specialty.

I could almost say enough said, because garlic goes with everything right? But if you have never had fresh garden-grown garlic, you are truly missing out! The juices run when you dice or slice it.

I probably love it best in with homegrown green beans with just simple butter, salt, and black pepper.

Anonymous said...

On the FB I said I liked Orecceitte with Rapini and goat cheese. Also Roasted cauliflower and caramelized onion tart with truffle oil. There was no room for recipe on Face book so here they are.

Orecchiette with Rapini and goat cheese serves 2-4

Kosher salt to taste
1 bunch of rapini (1#) roughly chopped
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
6 gloves crushed garlic
3/4 tsp crushed red chile flakes
12 oz orecchiette (pasta that looks like frisbee)
2 T lemon zest
4 oz goat cheese

Bring 8 qt of water to a boil add the salt and rapini boil until tender 4 min
remove with slotted spoon
Then add the pasta and cook 10 min
drain pasta
Heat oil in skillet over med heat
Add garlic DO NOT BURN IT it will be very bitter!
Add chile flakes cook for 30 sec add rapini and toss
remove from the heat
Toss in pasta and lemon zest and goad cheese

Enjoy!

Cauliflower and caramelized onion Tart.

Many people like to pay me to make this.

1 small head of cauliflower cored and but into 1" florets
2 1/2 T olive oil
1 T truffle oil
1 pie crust
1 lrg onion halved and thinly sliced
1T dijon mustard
2 lg eggs
7oz marscarpone cheese (yes you can use 8oz cream cheese instead)
1/2 c whipping cream
1/4 tsp white pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1c grated Gruyere cheese (yes you can use swiss or swiss loraine)
3/4 c grated Parmesan (I beg you please dont buy that kind already grated aka saw dust)

Pre heat oven to 425
Toss the cauliflower with 1T olive oil
put on baking sheet
sprinkle with salt and pepper
roast 15 min turn roast 15 more
cool
drizzle with truffle oil
reduce oven 350
bke the pie crust in 9" pan lined and filled with pie weights
bake 20 min remove foil and weight bake 5 more min
Heat remaining olive oil in large skilled med heat
add onion
sprinkle with salt and pepper
cook until golden brown
Whisk eggs and marsarpone cheese whippping gream white pepper and nut meg
stir in Gruyere cheese
brush the crust with mustard
arrange the onions on bottom
then arrange cauliflower
pour cheese mixture over top
sprinkle with Parmesan
Bake 40 min
let cool a little 15 min
cut and serve
good cold too if it last!

From Peggy Thompson

Andy Zilch said...

My favorite is grilled Eggplant towers.

Sliced eggplant in about 1" slices, brushed with olive oil, salt & pepper to taste.

Grill for about 3-5 minutes per side (enough to get good grill lines but still be firm).

Top with a thick slice of tomato and a little feta cheese; grill just to heat them up.

Christina Luiggi said...

My favorite vegetable has to be aneheim or Green Chile, probably because Im originally from New Mexico (chile capitol of the world!) We put chile on or in everything- eggs, burgers, pizza, jellies in soup...but my favorite way to eat green chile is in a traditional chile relleno. You stuff them with cheese, and roast them- breaded or unbreaded. Then you pour green or red chile sauce on top. You can also stuff with meat if you like.

Another veggie I love is heirloom tomatoes (who doesnt?) I found a recipe last year for a roasted heirloom tomato dip. You basically cut up any and every extra tomato you have, as many different colors as possible,and throw them in a dutch oven. Sprinkle with coarse salt, rosemary and balsamic vinegar or raspberry vinegar and put them into an oven at 350 or 400 for about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the tomaoes in there overnight. The recipe pictured this used as a cracker dip, but I used it as a topping for roasted homegrown eggplant and angel hair pasta.The eggplant soaked up the flavor, and the pasta sopped all the juices up. That meal had my husband trying to talk me into opening a restaurant!

Unknown said...

I was raised by parents who both hail from big families in Depression era Virginia. When they moved to Ohio they carried the gardening/foraging/canning/storing lifestyle with them. While I was a kid we had a garden and I got used to eating with the seasons.

After a long cold winter of home canned vegetables and fruits, nothing can compare to having those first fresh vegetables of spring: baby potatoes and peas!

I loved digging the miniature tubers from their hills and helping shell the peas. Mom would cook them up in a light white gravy with no real flavor of its own, just a perfect backdrop for the first tastes of Spring. She'd whip up buttermilk cornbread baked in an iron skillet then we'd ladle the pea and potato gravy over the steamy hot triangles of cornbread. Simple, clean, comfort.

Unknown said...

Oven Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

1 pound carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 pound parsnips, peeled and trimmed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Preparation
Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Cut carrots and parsnips in half lengthwise and into 2-inch or 3-inch lengths and so all pieces are same thickness. Toss carrots and parsnips with 2 Tbsp. oil, season with salt, and spread in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast until vegetables begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, shaking pan 2 or 3 times during cooking time.

Mix remaining oil, garlic and thyme. Remove baking sheet from oven; drizzle mixture over vegetables and toss. Roast until vegetables are well-browned, 5 minutes more.

Joanne said...

My favorite garden recipe is from Grandma Kate. She always had a garden and allowed the Zucchini to grow large. One Zucchini would make a Zucchini Lasagna to feed the entire family.
Zucchini Lasagna
Fried bacon bits
Mozzarella slices
sauted onions and mushrooms
spaghetti sauce of your choice
Peel and seed the Zucchini. Cut in 1/2" cubes. Boil to soften and reduce baking time. Once they start to become translucent, drain and place in casserole dish. Stir bacon, onions and mushrooms in. Then stir in spaghetti sauce.
Bake at 350 for 30-45 mins. Once it starts to bubble along the sides, top with cheese and allow to melt.
EAT!! Yummy.
Joanne

emily lang said...

Fried Zucchini! When I accidentally grow some monster ones in my garden each year, I just grab one slice it up, bread it (pepper, corn meal, flour) and fry them up. They make great little appetizers for a cookout too.

Matthew Price said...

Favorite veg is Queensland Blue squash soup:

5lbs. Heirloom Queensland Blue squash
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 ribs celery sliced
3 scallions sliced
1 shallot diced
3 dried Thai peppers diced
6-8 C veg stock
splash of dry sherry
salt and pepper

Bake squash at 400 for 40-60 min.
Mix all ingredients except sherry, peppers, and stock and saute for 5 min. When squash is baked cut it in chunks and mix with veg. Add remaining ingredients and cook 10 min. Finally puree soup in food processor. Delicious served with homemade croutons!

Anonymous said...

A simple bruschetta
Saute heirloom tomatoes (I like a mixture of red and yellow) chopped purple onion, and minced garlic in olive oil. Meanwhile, slice baguette bread on the diagonal, and brush with olive oil. Bake in the oven or on the grill until brown. Top with tomato mixture. YUM!
fr8dog@embarqmail.com

Grey said...

Corn is sweet, nutritious and grown from the time the American Indians first lived on the land. A true American vegetable. If you love corn as I do try this recipe.

Corn Fritters

8 ounces corn, drained
1 egg yolk
2 T flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 T green onions, chopped medium
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 garlic clove, minced
2 sprinkles of black pepper from a black pepper shaker
1 egg white
4 Tablespoons cornmeal
2 1/2 Tablespoons milk

Pour corn into a shallow bowl and mash with a potato masher to slightly flatten some of the corn kernels.

In a separate bowl beat egg white until peaks medium form.

In another bowl mix the corn and all the above ingredients together, except the egg white.

Gently fold egg white into corn mixture. Do not over beat.

Using grapeseed oil, canola or corn oil, pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a cast iron skillet or skillet of your choice. Place skillet on medium to medium low heat. When oil is warm spoon a tablespoon or more of fritter batter into your skillet. The fritter batter will spread slighly when cooking. Allow an inch or two between batter circles. Try to keep the corn fritter no larger than a 3-4" in diameter for easy cooking. Flip when fritter begins to set around the edges.

When fritters are done remove to a plate lined with a layer of paper towel.

Serves about 4 people

Grey said...

I love gardening! It is so exciting to plant a seed, give it organic nutrients and soil amendments, care for it and see it mature into something wonderful to eat.

Organic gardening is a challenge. You must feel your soil, watch your plants and read what they are telling you. Tomato leaves droop when my plants are thirsty and sometimes get cracks from inconsistent watering.

Each year I learn things to do for healthy plants and grow something new too.

Brussels sprouts are beautiful when growing, but even better when eating. I tried many recipes for brussels sprouts, but here is one I enjoy most.

Brussels Sprouts Gartin
1 pint brussels sprouts
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
4 1/2 ounces Gruyere or White Cheddar Cheese (about 1/2 - 2/3 cup)
3/4 cup milk + 2 Tablespoons milk
a big dash of dulse flakes
1/8 teaspoon powdered cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
3/4 cup bread crumbs


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Cook brussels sprouts in boiling water until bright green and softened. Place brussels sprouts in ice water when done.

In a skillet make a white sauce. Place butter in a skillet, add flour and cook about 3 minutes, removing any lumps with the back of a spoon. Stir in milk, add dulse, nutritional yeast, black pepper, white pepper and cayenne.

Grease a 1 quart casserole dish with additional butter or oil. Remove brussels sprouts from ice water with a slotted spoon and place in casserole dish. Pour white sauce over brussels sprouts,
sprinkle cheese on top then bread crumbs.

Bake 25- 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and dish is warm through. Remove from oven and serve.

emily lang said...

I also love my heirloom cherry and grape tomatoes.

I pick a bowl full of ripe ones:
-Halve the tomatoes
-Add a little extra virgin olive oil
-Salt
-Pepper
-Torn Basil leaves
-Minced garlic
-Herbs
-Refrigerate the mixture for a couple hours, so the flavors can marry
-Cook some Rotini
-Pour chilled (or room temperature) Heirloom Raw Sauce over the warm rotini
-Eat!

So refreshing and delicious.