Damn slugs.

The downside of seasonal eating means only getting to enjoy such perfection once a year.  I waited eleven long months for these garden tomato and eggplant stacks.  Thick slices of tomato are drizzled in garlic, basil and mint infused olive oil, layered with fresh mozzarella and topped with an eggplant round fresh off the grill.  The wait was worth it, but oh, was it a long time coming.

I have mentioned my knowledge and wherewithal with herbs is lacking.  The fragrant weeds grow wild all around me and I’m only now, after nearly six years living in the country, opening my eyes to the myriad varieties and uses.

I had never heard of the herb Tulsi until last weekend when my friend, herbalist extraordinaire Chin, brought some over to a friend’s house and whipped up a batch of Tulsi tea.

(I should mention that Chin makes the most incredible bug and bite balm.   I frequently dot this ointment over June’s skin when she wakes up in the morning with a fresh bite from a nighttime creepy crawly! I also can’t get enough of Chin’s deliciously scented bug spray, which is great for little kids and their parents.)

According to Chin’s blog, Tulsi, or Holy Basil, is considered by Ayurvedics the “elixir of life” in that it promotes longevity and is considered one of the most powerful plants in India.  It aids in digestion, combats the flu, stress and depression and bolsters the immune system.

I really ought to be guzzling this stuff right now as I recently drove my car into a hole and still haven’t had time to get the bumper fixed.  This is what happens when you try to park in a field.

Anyway, according to Chin, you can either toss a handful of the herb into a gallon of boiling water, reduce the heat and steep for an hour, then strain hot into a waiting mug. The taste is naturally sweet on its own so it’s not essential to stir in a bit of honey or sugar.

Or for iced tea (and a more picturesque approach), add a small handful to a quart jar, top with boiling water, a slice of lemon and a tea bag, secure the lid…

and allow to sit on the back porch  in the sun for an hour, then pour over ice in a tall glass and toast to the Holy Basil.

I’ve had blinders on when it comes to herbs.  They grow so voraciously and fragrantly around my garden beds and often perennially yet I’ve long been guilty of confining them to the most expected and conventional uses:  basil for pesto, oregano for vinaigrette, dill for pickles and potato salad, mint for iced tea and fresh squeeze lemonade.  Delicious but boring.

So this summer, I’ve decided to think outside the box — or rather, outside the herb bed — and try to incorporate more fresh herbs into all sorts of cooking rather than waste the protrusion of wild flavor that grows around my property.

My co-conspirator in this cooking adventure is my friend Beth.  Beth is an extremely intuitive cook and diehard farmer’s market shopper and all around crafty gal (she was making a sock puppet with her two girls when I came over this afternoon).

Beth holding June

Between raising a family and holding down two jobs, Beth crafts and sells statement-making jewelry like this necklace here.

Beth’s daughter Ellie is an adorable ham.  She’ll have an Oscar by the time she’s Dakota Fanning’s age.

Beth and I were kicking around what to make with Thai basil that she happens to have an abundance of this year.   We decided the muskiness of this particular basil would complement something sweet and creamy but earthy — why not rice pudding?

To make…

Steep 5 sprigs of Thai basil in 4 cups of whole organic milk over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the milk is nice and perfume-y, remove the sprigs.

Meanwhile, toast some coconut flakes in a 350 degree oven until they’re nice and brown, roughly 8 minutes. The toasted coconut flakes will keep covered in the refrigerator so toast extra for a yogurt  or oatmeal topping.

Back to the milk:  Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 cup cooked brown rice. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Keeping the heat very low, allow the sweet herby, milky mixture to reduce and slowly absorb into the rice for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This is the kind of recipe you don’t have to watch vigilantly.)  The finished consistency of the pudding should be slightly runnier than oatmeal as it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Pour a bit of the Thai basil rice pudding into a bowl and sprinkle with some toasted coconut flakes.

It was delicious, though a work in progress.  Next time I make it, I might omit the white sugar, but Beth thought it was tasty as is.

Give it a try and see what you think.  If nothing else, it’s a good way to use up the Thai basil going to waste in the garden!

Wineberries are like raspberries, juicy and sweet only without the seeds.  They grow wild all over this part of Virginia, dotted among the brush bordering old county highways. This time of year, it’s not uncommon to see families bent over holding buckets along roadsides picking their fill, with their station wagon practically parked in the ditch. Ordinarily, I’d venture to make a wineberry tart or jam from all the berries that grow all over my property, but involved cooking is a bit tricky when it’s only me and June.  I’ll have to put off my wineberry jam for next year.

June’s first feel of a tiger lily.

The black raspberries are ripening.

Black raspberries for breakfast!

The potato patch receives a nice long drink.

Life is good this morning.

Yesterday June and I came home and found this waiting for us on the front porch:  A bag of just harvested veggies, courtesy of a friend’s organic garden.

The bag contained chard, kale, snow peas, yellow squash, a cucumber and loads of crisp lettuce greens, all carefully bagged up and secured with rubber bands like the most professional CSA. There was even a bit of water in the bottom of each bag to keep the veggies fresh.

My own raised beds are bursting with fertility.

The vines are pregnant with snow peas.

The chard is ready to be cut.

Dill is available by the handful.

Mint, a most underutilized herb that happens to be one of my favorites, fills the air with its musky fragrance.

I found myself in the enviable position of deciding what to prepare with all this homegrown deliciousness.  In the end, I decided on one of my old summer standbys — a chard tart I’ve adapted from The Joy of Cooking that calls for eggs, chard, feta cheese, creamy whole yogurt and onions (from Ellen’s garden), plus handfuls of dill and mint in a crust of flour, olive oil and milk.

Lets see if mom’s Chard Tart passes inspection with the resident food critic.

Yep, I’d say she likes it.

Get it all in, June.

UPDATE:  Joy of Cooking‘s Chard Tart, my way:

Preheat oven to 425.  In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup cold milk.  Stir and combine until it forms dough. Press the dough into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable rim.  Bake until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes, pricking the bottom once or twice with a toothpick if it bubbles.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook 1 diced red onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add 1 pound chopped chard leaves and 2 chopped cloves garlic.  Season with chopped mint and chopped dill, according to taste, salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine 3 large eggs, lightly beaten, 1/3 cup whole plain yogurt, 1 cup feta cheese.  Add the chard mixture, stir well and evenly spread into the prepared tart shell.  Reduce the oven heat to 375.  Bake until filling is golden and firm, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

I can tell you right now that if it weren’t for my friends, family and neighbors, my place would look like a foreclosure property right now:  overgrown with weeds, snakes lurking in the tall grass,  curious bargain hunters peering through my window as June and I blinked at them from the inside.

Instead, my property looks like the same bucolic wonderland it always has.  My big garden is shaping up to be a real show piece, thanks to neighbors Bill and Ellen, who came over this weekend to feed the plants and re-till between each row.  Should be ready to harvest mid-August.  Bill even pointed out two new mulberry trees, positively loaded with ripening berries, hiding on my property I didn’t even know I had.

My father-in-law Jack and brother-in-law Mark came down from the big city to help with other “big”  chores:  Weed eating and spraying weeds with herbicide.  You can see Jack’s handiwork around my rapidly growing maples that border the road.  Nary a weed in sight.   Jake is clearly a chip off the ole block.

My brother-in-law Mark is the kind of guy who shows up to parties with platters of caramel brownies pulled straight from the oven and sliced grape tomatoes stuffed with crab meat.  Yet he’s not above getting down on his hands and knees to scrape chicken crap out of the Hen Hut with me. (That’s when you know you’re family:  when you can talk about life while scouring out a chicken coop together.)

Local friend Stephen swung by of his own volition to move the Hen Hut.  You know, because he thought it needed it and not necessarily because I asked him to. (Question: Who does that?   Answer:  Not many.)  He hooked it up to our commercial mower and moved it onto a fresh patch of grass.  He even figured out how to hook up the solar charger for the electric fence.  He moved it to the exact perfect spot and I didn’t even have to be home when he did it.

No one will ever replace Jake.  But this gang shares his meticulous attention to tidying and landscaping.

Before….

After….