Down by the Bay Tree

Bay leaves remind me of my Grandmother Simek. She loves the aromatic flavor they bring to soups, stews, casseroles, and meats. Whether it is her homemade chicken noodle soup or chicken paprikash, I remember on many occasions visiting her house for dinner and finding a leaf buried somewhere in my bowl and fishing it out to set aside my dinner plate. Bay leaves also remind me of the Bay Laurel bush in my parent's garden when I go home to visit. It was planted by my Mother and is thriving today in the temperate Pacific Northwest climate. In fact, it is so large I had to recently trim it back. Grabbing the garden shears, I stopped and gazed at it before clipping three feet down from the top as if I were about to do away with a treasured keepsake. I, however, left no trace of my clippings. Every spare branch and leaf was lifted off the ground in solute to the generations that cooked before me. I marched right into the house and set the branches out to dry.

Now, if you are so lucky to get a hold of fresh bay leaf branches, it is recommended that you first tie the ends together and hang them upside down to dry in a dark, cool area for at least a couple of days on up to a week. Once dried, carefully remove the leaves and store them in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Not only will your jar (or two) of dried bay leaves be a wonderful addition to your pantry, they also make prized gifts for friends and family who love to cook (you can even include your favorite recipe along with it)!

Growing and drying your own herbs, particularly leaves from a Bay Laurel bush, is worth the investment. You can purchase even a small plant at your local nursery and grow it in a pot for fresh leaves year round. Add the leaves to roasted vegetables and meats, chowders, and bean dishes. The Greeks and Romans considered the Laurel leaf to be a symbol of honor, triumph, and celebration! To celebrate the late summer harvest and the many traditions in my family, the Bay leaf remains a gift that keeps on giving, whether its leaves stay on the branches or find their way into a hearty soup.

Dill, Parsley, and Chives

My herb garden has been planted (although, there is plenty of space to add more!) It at least has been given a good start to grow. It could get a little sunnier and the herbs would grow even faster, but I found just enough dill, parsley, and chives to make a delicious lemon caper butter sauce to go with the filet of cod in my refrigerator. I must say, taking the time to cook a meal tonight was well worth it. When I sat down to eat, I felt very satisfied, feeling though I had treated myself! A great way to start the week. I kicked my legs up and savored the meal. Here is what I cooked. This is so simple!

My Aunt lives in California and I saw her recently at a family reunion. She brought fresh, ripe lemons with her from a tree in her yard and shared them with the family. I squeezed about a third of a cup of fresh lemon juice for the sauce into a bowl. I walked out to my front porch with my kitchen sheers and snipped fresh chives, parsley, and dill. I brought them back to my cutting board and diced them finely (about 1 Tbsp of each). I then took a clove of garlic and did the same. Next, I melted about two tablespoons of butter, adding to it the garlic and capers (here, you have the freedom to add as much as you want of each- I added about one heaping teaspoon of capers). They simmered together on low in the melted butter to let their flavors combine. While the fish was baking in the oven with a little salt and pepper and lemon juice, I added some olive oil to the butter sauce and waited until the very end to add the lemon juice, freshly diced herbs, and another one to two tablespoons of butter. That's it! A few fresh herbs from the garden goes a long way!

The cod was tender, flaky, and sweet which paired very well with the saltiness of the capers and bright notes of the lemon juice. I served the fish with whole wheat cous cous and a tossed salad with red onions and shredded carrots in a sun dried tomato pesto vinaigrette! I'm really glad I made enough for my lunch tomorrow! I would love to know, in what creative ways are you using your garden herbs?

Eat What You Grow

For over a year, I've been updating my Eat What You Grow blog, encouraging and hopefully inspiring readers to try cooking with locally and seasonally grown produce. I live in an apartment in Seattle, so I don't have a lot of space to grow my own food. However, because I love to cook as well as save money, I am getting very interested in urban farming and the possibilities and opportunities growing your own food in the city allows. Just this morning I visited the West Seattle Farmer's market and bought a few herbs starts. On my little south facing deck, I am going to try and grow a wide assortment of herbs and, if I am lucky, persuade my neighbors to let me use their small garden space to grow some vegetables right outside my front door.

Grocery shopping today at Safeway I passed by the herb section, each herb nicely packed in to its tiny plastic container, neatly arranged one after another. They were $3 each! And while this doesn't seem like a lot of money, to me it is because I use so many different herbs in my cooking. In fact, there is no better way, no tastier way, to cook than by using a few fresh herbs. The plant starts I bought at the farmers market were also $3 each. Unlike using them through after one trip to the grocery store, I am hoping they will last me throughout the summer. I have three containers right now on my deck, with hopes of adding more. In my three small containers I have thyme, chevril, chives, dill, cilantro, lemon balm, and nasturtiums (which are peppery, you can eat their leaves and their flowers). Next, I would like to get a container going for lettuce as well as try growing something vertically to take advantage of even more deck space!

There is much you can do at your home to eat fresh food and save money. I would recommend starting an herb garden today. Plant your herbs in containers or in a section of your garden that is close to where you walk, so you can observe your plants growing making it easier to ensure they stay watered and also making harvesting very simple. It is a fact, digging in the dirt makes people happier. If you are interested in urban farming, like I am, I would recommend reading this book, Backyard Homestead.