Blog Day 2006

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Happy Blog Day!

Blog Day 2006 is an event that was created to help us bloggers broaden our blogging horizons. Participating bloggers from around the world are each recommending five new sites today, with the goal of spreading the word about interesting blogs that showcase cultures and subjects that are different from their own. It is an entire day dedicated to exploring new blogs.

So here are my picks for Blog Day 2006. In no particular order, these are five non-gardening blogs that I have enjoyed discovering. I hope you will find them interesting, too.

1. French Word-A-Day

OK, not quite every day, but several times a week, author Kristin Espinasse posts a French word on her blog and explains its meaning using a short story, "A Day in a French Life." She also includes a short audio clip, often featuring her kids saying a sentence, so that we can hear the correct pronunciation of the words. It is a great way to learn about the French language and culture. Merveilleux!

2. Küchenlatein

Küchenlatein is a cooking blog by Ulrike in Germany. Most of her posts are written in German, but occasionally she writes in English. I know a bit of German and I enjoy reading the posts to see how much I can remember (and to learn new words as well). I also like looking at the delicious food she makes. Sometimes there are foods or dishes that remind me of things I ate when I visited my grandfather in Germany. (I can't remember the last time I saw something cooked with currants here in the USA.)

3. Cooking Cute

Have you ever eaten a bento lunch? My husband is really interested in bento, but the recipes for this Japanese food/art form have always looked too complicated to me. They require unusual ingredients and appear to be very time-consuming. But I recently found Cooking Cute, a blog that demystifies the art of bento. It is written by a Vietnamese woman who shares recipes made with familiar ingredients and she includes links to places that sell bento supplies. At last, bento doesn't have to be complicated after all! (And we have permission to have fun with our food.)

4. Why Go

So many places to travel... so little time. I could seriously spend way to much time reading travel blogs and daydreaming about my next trip. What I like about this blog is its simplicity. Each day there is a new photo or quote that illuminates the reasons why we travel. It's a simple and uncluttered way to get a *virtual* daily travel fix. This blog is brought to us by the folks over at BootsnAll, which keeps an up-to-the-minute listing of travel blog posts. My travelin' boots are ready at all times!

5. The Blog of Henry David Thoreau

This blog is exactly what the name says it is. Each day, the blog author posts an entry from Henry David Thoreau's journals. For those who might be unfamiliar with Thoreau, he was an American author, naturalist and philosopher who was famous for writing Walden. In the book, he documented his reflections and observations as he sought to simplify his life by living alone for more than two years by Walden Pond in Massachusetts. What I enjoy so much about this blog is that I can read an entry from a particular day back in the 1800's and find that it relates to something happening today. Some things in life are timeless, and there is a comfort in knowing that.

So there you have them, my five new blog recommendations. I hope you enjoy them.

Have you discovered any interesting new blogs lately? Please share! I would love to know about them.

Purple Beans: A Hummingbird Attraction

Monday, August 28, 2006

The most beautiful flowers in my garden right now are those of the Ruby Moon hyacinth bean vines that I planted along the fence. They're putting on a gorgeous show of color, as other plants in the garden begin to fade.


All parts of the Ruby Moons are purple -- the stems, the veins of the leaves, the flowers and the bean pods. My husband and I first saw these in New Hampshire, and, though I included them in our garden as an ornamental, I was curious to know whether the beans are edible. I am glad I checked because it turns out that they are poisonous at certain stages of their growth. They're apparently not poisonous to deer, though, which have been making regular visits to munch on the leaves that stick out from the front fence.


What I didn't realize when I planted these was that they are a wonderful attraction for hummingbirds. I adore hummingbirds. In the first two years at the community garden, I'd never seen one; this year was the first time. It hovered briefly by the Ruby Moons, and I was so in awe that the synapses in my brain failed to fire a signal to pick up the camera and snap a photo. I think it was a "deer in the headlights" moment. I love those little birds and it was so special to see one at my garden.


Now I've been seeing hummingbirds -- there are at least two of them -- that visit regularly. Yesterday I spent some time (a lot of time) trying to get a few photos of them.

I've already decided that I will include Ruby Moons in my garden next year, not only because they're gorgeous and easy to grow (and drought-tolerant), but also for the hummingbirds.

Fresh Tomato Tart for Brunch

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Our San Marzano tomato plants are nearly finished bearing fruit, but we are still getting a steady supply of Brandywines and Beefsteaks. In Wednesday's Washington Post, there was a great article about tomatoes, which offered several helpful tips and "10 quick ideas for producing summer on a plate."

Along with the article, there was a recipe for a Fresh Tomato and Ricotta Tart. I knew immediately that it was something I wanted to try. It pairs garden-fresh tomatoes with ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, all on a bed of puff pastry. I love anything with puff pastry and we happened to have some on hand in the freezer, left over from another recipe we tried recently (Emeril's Quick -and-Easy Banana-Caramel Tart, which is delicious, by the way, although a bit rich).


The tomato tart is an entirely vegetarian recipe, but I decided to add a few bits of bacon in my version. I was making it around Sunday brunch time, and thought the bacon would give it more of a breakfast flavor.

Here is my adapted version of the recipe, which is my entry for this week's edition of Weekend Herb Blogging.


Fresh Tomato Tart with Bacon and Ricotta

One 9 x 10 inch piece of puff pastry
2 strips of bacon
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano cheese
1 egg, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated nutmeg
2 large, garden-ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Fry the bacon and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the puff pastry on the baking sheet and, using a sharp knife, draw a one-inch frame around the edge of the pastry by cutting a row of diagonal lines. (Don't cut all the way through the pastry.) Also, use a fork to prick the inside of the frame in a few places. Set the pastry aside.


In a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, pepper and nutmeg. Mix it up and spread half of the mixture on the puff pastry dough, inside of the "frame." Cover the ricotta mixture with slices of tomato and bits of crumbled bacon. Then repeat the layer, using the rest of the ricotta, tomatoes, and bacon bits. Top everything off with the remaining tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Bake it for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.


The result? A fabulous and easy brunch dish, featuring tomatoes when they're at their best. The only thing I would change, or rather, add, would be salt and more pepper. The recipe didn't call for any salt, so we added some on our individual servings. Another suggestion would be to season the tomato slices with salt and pepper before layering them on the tart. Other than that, it was wonderful and I will add this to my recipe collection. It's an easy and delicious way to celebrate "summer on a plate."

The Beginnings of My Fall Garden

Friday, August 25, 2006

My fall garden is coming along, slowly but surely. So far, the carrots have come up, along with the beets, dill, onions, bok choy, and a few lettuces. Also in the ground, I have kale, spinach, radishes, and two struggling Brussels sprouts. The turnips have started to emerge as well (and it looks as if the bugs have already conducted a taste test).


The greatest challenge (in addition to the bugs) is keeping the seedlings moist enough to get off to a good start. The ground is so dry and crumbly right now, it's amazing that anything can grow. I can't remember the last time we had rain.


This evening, as I walked home from the garden, I was serenaded by a chorus of cicadas -- a sure sign that summer is nearing its end. On one stretch of the walk, their buzzing screech rose to such a high pitch that it was almost deafening for a moment. I thought to myself: They must all be screaming for rain! Every living thing, it seems, is hoping for rain.

It's (Almost) an Eggplant

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Well, we've got a bit of a wait yet before we see an actual eggplant here, but I am happy that we at least have a blossom. This is our first eggplant blossom -- ever.

This is the third year we have tried to grow eggplant and each year the flea beetles have been grateful that we've provided them with their favorite snack. They munch and munch away at the leaves, leaving them riddled with holes and looking like Lacy Swiss cheese. We'd never gotten a single flower, much less any eggplants.

This year, we tried a slightly different strategy. Instead of planting all of the eggplants together, we spaced them throughout the garden (so it wouldn't be as easy for the bugs to jump from one plant to another and back again). The one shown in the photo was also surrounded by marigold plants, which are supposed to help deter undesirable insects.

As you can see, the leaves on this one are exhibiting signs of the Swiss-cheese effect, but overall, the plant is hanging on. It really seemed to thrive on the hot, 100-degree days we had here a few weeks ago.

Will we get an eggplant out of this? Well, we will have to see if the weather helps or not, but as the days shorten and the nights become cooler, I am not counting on much. If we do get an eggplant this late in the season, it will probably be minuscule.

I am happy with the flower, though. It's beautiful in and of itself and it's the farthest we've ever gotten with an eggplant, starting from seed. It's a positive sign that we're on the right track... and maybe we'll do better next year. (Here's hoping, right?)

In Bloom Today: Zinnia

Friday, August 18, 2006

It is, perhaps, not the most perfect-looking zinnia, with its sparse, spindly, pale pink petals. But at its core, there is an island of brilliant yellow stars -- tiny starfish resting on a bed of red coral. Its beauty is on the inside.

Chicken with Olives and Herbs

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Sage is an herb that I don't use very often in my cooking. I think it's because I only know a handful of recipes that call for it: pasta, stuffing, and hot soup. Its woodsy aroma and earthy flavor lend themselves well to these heavier types of dishes, but I don't typically associate sage with summer fare.


That is... until now!

I've found a recipe that puts sage in a wonderful pairing with the champion of all summer herbs: Basil. The recipe is called Chicken with Olives, and it comes from The Silver Spoon cookbook, which, as I mentioned before, is one of my favorite sources for good Italian recipes. In this dish, I used five ingredients from our garden: San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, and the freshly snipped sage, basil, and thyme shown in the photo above.













Chicken with Olives / Pollo Alle Olive

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken, cut into pieces
3/4 cup white wine
6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fresh thyme sprig, chopped
4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 fresh marjoram sprig, chopped
1/2 cup pitted black olives
juice of 1/2 lemon, strained
6 fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper



I modified the recipe slightly, to use the ingredients I had on hand. For example, instead of a whole chicken, I used chicken thighs. I fried them in the olive oil for about 15 minutes, seasoned them with salt and pepper, removed them from the pan and kept them warm in the oven. Then I stirred in 3/4 cup of chicken broth, instead of white wine. I cooked the broth until it concentrated, then I added the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and sage. (I didn't have any marjoram, so I added a bit more thyme and sage.) Return the chicken to the pan and let it cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the olives, lemon juice and basil. Cook for a few minutes more and serve.


What I enjoy about this dish is its wonderful stewed flavor. The herbs, garlic, lemon juice and tomatoes meld together perfectly. And then the basil adds a light, colorful, and fresh summery touch at the end. I recommend a few slices of good, toasty bread for soaking up all those flavors!


This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted at Anthony's Kitchen in India. Visit his site on Monday for a recap of this week's posts featuring herbs, plants, vegetables and flowers.

The highs and lows of growing squash

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Well, I have learned not to get too excited about growing squash -- at least not until I see an actual squash land on my dinner plate. You see, it all started out last month when I asked fellow bloggers for a tutorial on squash pollination. I only have one squash plant, and I was concerned that it wouldn't produce a squash if it didn't have another plant with which to pollinate.


Several helpful commenters chimed in and I learned that squash produces male and female flowers on the same plant. The males usually open first to attract bees. When the female flowers open, you can pick a male flower and make it "kiss" the females -- thus inducing pollination. The female flowers are easy to identify because they have a miniature replica of a squash located at their base.

So I went back to the garden a few days later to see what kind of flowers I had on my squash plant. I was surprised -- overjoyed even! -- to find that there was already a beautiful little yellow squash waiting for me. My first squash! I was so happy! I didn't even have to intervene!

But hold on. Not so fast.

See the flower bud that's attached to the end of my "squash" in the photo above? One commenter, Diana, broke the bad news to me. She said that if the flower hadn't opened yet and wasn't fertilized, then that "squash" -- actually an ovary -- would fall off.

So back to the garden I went. And sure enough, my baby squash was turning all mushy. A few days later, I had nothing left but this dry, shriveled up, dead ovary carcass.


I was so disappointed. It was one of those moments in the gardening experience when I say to myself: You know, X vegetable is only $.99 a pound at the supermarket, so why even bother?

So now... there's another new "squash" forming on the plant. It's gotten bigger than the previous one and it looks very promising. The blossom has dropped and the squash seems to be holding on just fine. But I didn't even take a picture of it because I don't want to jinx it. I will only believe it when I see it on my dinner plate.

Eeeek!

Monday, August 14, 2006

Last week, an e-mail landed in my inbox from the president of our community garden association. The subject line read: VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE RE: WILDLIFE AT THE GARDEN.

Wildlife at the garden, eh? My initial reaction was that it must be deer again. A deer probably jumped someone's fence and ate everything in sight. Or maybe rabbits are getting under the fences and sampling everyone's green beans. Or maybe it's rats. Yeah, we have them here and occasionally they'll show up at the garden to look for rotting produce. (Gross, I know, but it happens.)

But no. It's neither deer nor rabbits nor rats. It's SNAKES! We've got snakes! And not just one kind of snake. There have been sightings of three different types: Garter snakes, DeKay's brown snakes, and Copperheads. Eeeek!! Cooperheads! They're poisonous!


I am no fan of snakes, whether they're poisonous or not. For me, they fall into the same category as bats. That would be the I-know-they-are-important-for-the-ecosystem-but-I-don't-really-like-them-anyway category. I certainly don't want to meet one of them when I'm grasping for a handful of weeds.

Photo: www.funky-wellington-boots.co.uk

Needless to say, I have been very skittish about being in the garden lately. I won't be wearing my flip-flops anymore, that's for sure. I am even thinking about getting myself a nice tall pair of Wellies for protection. And with all these lovely choices, there's got to be one that will scare the snakes away.

I'll probably stick with basic black, though, so I don't scare the neighbors, too! LOL!

In Bloom Today: Sunflower

Friday, August 11, 2006

Back in June, I wrote about the sunflower that volunteered to grow where I thought I had planted a zucchini seed. I decided that it would be best to move that sunflower elsewhere -- as in, outside of my plot -- not because I don't like sunflowers (they are one of my favorite flowers), but because I thought it would take up too much space and cast too much shade on the other plants.


The sunflower, I thought, would make a perfect candidate for my first foray into guerilla gardening. I had this grand scheme of transporting it to another place, in the dim light of dusk, to beautify a spot in front of a fence that surrounds a set of tennis courts nearby.

But the days passed and I always had an excuse for not moving that sunflower: "I'm too tired." "It's getting dark." "There are too many people here who would disapprove of me planting my own stuff in the public domain." "Maybe I'll do it tomorrow." I dragged my feet for so long and then, once the plant started getting buds, I didn't have the heart to disturb it.


So here we are today, August 11, and you can see that I still have that sunflower in my plot. It turned out to be a real beauty, though, and it really wasn't a troublemaker after all. Things grew around it and under it, and we all managed to get along just fine. The birds are making regular visits to the flowers now, and I enjoy watching them feast on the seeds.


In retrospect, I'm glad I just let that sunflower grow where it wanted to grow. As much as I try to plan everything in the garden -- putting things in particular places or groupings -- it is sometimes the unexpected things that turn out to be the most enjoyable.

Signs of Fall

Thursday, August 10, 2006

The garden is showing clear signs of cooler days ahead. My favorite season of the year -- Fall -- is well on its way.


I see the signs on the sedum plant and on the Sweet Autumn clematis. Both of these plants are pregnant with buds. And the obedient plant, or False Dragonhead as it's sometimes called, has popped its first pink flower.

Fall is my favorite time of year in the garden -- even more so than spring. I think it's partly because it's just more comfortable to be in the garden after a long hot summer, and also because I really enjoy the last burst of color before we revert to the dull taupes and grays of a long, often snowless, D.C. winter.

The garden revives itself again in the fall. It's as if it's taking one last, life-absorbing deep breath, preparing to hunker down for hibernation. This is when some of my flowers end their struggle with the summer heat and bloom at their best. Calendula, one of my favorites, is among them.

The fall season in general has a way of enlivening all my senses. From the showy trees that give one last "hurrah" with their brilliantly-colored leaves, to the rhythmic swishing of the fallen leaves beneath my feet on the sidewalk. From the tart-crisp crunch of the season's new apple, to the warming comfort of a homemade butternut squash soup. A favorite cozy sweater pulled from the back reaches of the closet. A squirrel's chatter as it scurries for acorns. Cool nights serenaded by a lone cricket's chirp. The scent of woodsmoke from a glowing fire. Clear skies that call us to marvel at the stars again.

I love fall.

Warning: Delicious tomato sauce ahead!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

The San Marzano tomatoes that were sitting on our kitchen counter the other day have since been cooked into a delectable sauce, made by my wonderful husband. He loves to cook, and the first tomato harvest represents his favorite moment in the gardening season. While we enjoy the slices of Brandywines and Beefsteaks on our sandwiches, the San Marzanos are reserved almost exclusively for sauce. Michael loves to make homemade tomato sauce. (Lucky me, right?)

First, he bakes the tomatoes with a few slices of our fresh garlic, a good drizzle of olive oil, and some dashes of salt and pepper. Once the tomatoes are baked, they get a good grinding through the food mill.


Then he adds some of our fresh herbs -- a few sprigs of thyme in this case -- and lets the sauce simmer on the stove.


Meanwhile, our stomachs are grumbling because it smells so good!


He satisfies the hunger pangs with an eggplant au gratin that includes the fresh sauce, thin slices of eggplant, lots of onions and garlic, and a crisp-chewy topping of Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

Totally delicious, completely satisfying. I can't ask for anything more.

Weekend Herb Blogging #44 - The Recap

Monday, August 07, 2006

I am delighted to welcome Weekend Herb Blogging to Washington, D.C. Thank you, Kalyn, for giving me the honor to be this week's guest host.

What I enjoy most about this weekly blogging event is the way it brings people together from all parts of the world to share a common interest in using fresh herbs, vegetables, flowers and fruits -- and above all, for celebrating the love of good, homemade food. Each edition of WHB takes me on a virtual global vacation of sorts -- to discover new places and culinary creations. This week we have five continents, seven countries, and ten states of the USA represented at the table.

So join us at this virtual international café and see what we have on the menu. There is something for everyone, and enough for a feast!

Featured Ingredient: Purslane
Location: Utah, USA


We begin our culinary adventure at Kalyn's Kitchen, where Kalyn has cooked up something unique using an ingredient that many people think of as a weed: purslane. For the first time, she tried this nutritious plant in a recipe called Chopped Middle Eastern Salad with Purslane. Combined with a refreshing blend of mint and parsley, she said this succulent plant has a flavor similar to spinach or chard. With a wonderful recipe like this, why not put your own garden's fast-growing purslane to good use? Thank you, Kalyn, for inspiring us to try something new.

Featured Ingredient: Samphire
Location: Istanbul, Turkey


Another new treat for our taste buds is Samphire Salad from Isil at Veggie Way. She introduces us to this naturally-salty and nutritious herb that grows wildly on the shores of the Aegean coast. Bathed in a pomegranate syrup, this salad sounds unusual and refreshing!

Featured Ingredient: Garlic chives
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina


Dan of SaltShaker will heat up our palates now with his Five-Spice Veal Sausage Patties. The uncommonly-seen garlic chives and a bit of rosé champagne give these meaty bites a special touch. Each patty can be dipped into a spicy, golden sauce made with peaches. Maravilloso!

Featured Ingredient: Carrots
Location: New York, USA

Are you craving something crunchy? Then let's join The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz, where Paz has served up a doubly-crunchy Carrot and Peanut Salad. It's simple to make and cool to the taste -- an ideal salad for the sweltering days of summer. You'll get great health benefits from the carrots, too. Crunch! Crunch!

Featured Ingredients: Rosemary, sage, thyme and spices
Location: Toronto, Canada

Ruth at Once Upon a Feast chooses a mouthwatering mix of sage, thyme, rosemary, and five different spices to make her Tuscan Style Ribs with Balsamic Glaze. Ruth has a passion for using locally-grown ingredients in her cooking. She paired the ribs with a wonderful-looking salad and fresh corn on the cob from a local farm. A perfect summer meal!

I jokingly said to Ruth that she's cooking enough to have us all over for dinner this week. In a second entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, she features Some Delicious South Beach Diet-Friendly Dinners, including Saffron Shrimp. I'll take a serving of that, please, with a nice icy glass of sangria!

Featured Ingredients: Saffron, bay leaf and fresh thyme
Location: California, USA


If you like saffron, you're in luck today because Sher from What Did You Eat? brings us another dish that features this very special spice, which is derived from crocus flowers. Her Zuni Cafe Chicken Bouillabaisse is a gorgeous golden color and looks magnificent resting atop a thick slice of bread slathered with "intensely garlicky" homemade aioli. She says it's one of the best dishes she's ever made, and I'll bet she'd like to invite George Clooney to try some!

Featured Ingredients: Arugula, spinach and radicchio
Location: New Hampshire: USA


If we happen to find ourselves Up a Creek Without a PatL, Pat herself will make sure we don't go hungry. She has prepared a Spinach, Arugula, and Radicchio Salad with Gorgonzola and Sugared Pecans. As the days grow cooler, this will be a great way to use a fall crop of these leafy greens. May I have an extra handful of those pecans with mine, please?

Featured Ingredient: Sage
Location: Vancouver, Canada

At Daily Unadventures in Cooking, Katerina has been looking for an ideal way to use the fresh sage she has been growing in a pot on her front porch. She found a great solution: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce. What makes this dish particularly special is that she made the pasta from scratch, and she shares helpful tips on what she learned in the process. The result is a fragrant, buttery-good comfort dish.

Featured Ingredients: Grape tomatoes, eggplant, savory and thyme
Location: California, USA


Beginner gardeners can probably relate to the story posted by Surfindaave, The Serendipitous Chef. His tomato plant yielded only 13 tiny tomatoes. But with a few extras he bought from the store, he cooked up a Summer Savory Tomato Risotto with Roasted Eggplant. Graced with leaves of fresh thyme, savory and parsley, it looks like a wonderful celebration of summer flavors and aromas.

Featured Ingredient: Sweet corn
Location: Iowa


If it's getting too hot in the kitchen, let's step outside for a moment and see what's cooking on the grill. Genie, The Inadvertent Gardener, has prepared a vegetable that Iowa is famous for -- sweet corn. Her Maple-Lime Glazed Sweet Corn is a different take on the usual buttered and salted variety. Flavored with real maple syrup and hints of hot sauce... you can give your salt shaker a rest when you eat this one!

Featured Ingredient: Yellow squash
Location: Washington, USA


Chrispy at Experimentation of Taste shares what she makes with the produce she receives each week from a farm share. [To learn about Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and farm shares, go here.] This week, she was happy to find that her share included a familiar vegetable: yellow squash, which she combined with purple basil and variegated oregano. She provides lots of helpful tips for storing and using this vegetable -- great information for gardeners who have more squash than they know what to do with!

Featured Ingredient: Friggitelli peppers
Location: Tuscany, Italy


The talented Ilva at Lucullian Delights is also making it easy for us to eat our vegetables this week. Take a look at her fabulous Frigitelli Filled with Quinoa, Zucchini and Parmesan. These peppers, she says, taste very similar to the sweet bell variety. And with that creamy quinoa mixture tucked carefully inside, she makes them look like a work of fine art.

Featured Ingredient: Yard-long beans
Location: North Carolina, USA


Another unique vegetable dish comes from In Our Kitchen, where JMom is using the yard-long beans and chili peppers she grew in her garden. Her spicy dish, called Gising-Gising, will surely wake up our taste buds. Visit her post to learn what this recipe means when translated to the Filipino language. What a delight!

Featured Ingredients: Basil and peaches
Location: Nantes, France


If those beans were too spicy for you, don't worry. Virginie at Absolutely Green is pouring us a cold, colorful glass of Peach & Basil Juice. For those of us who are watching our calories and carbs, she experiments with ways to make this a "light" drink. One of the ingredients she tries is stevia, a naturally-sweet herb. With whatever sweetener you choose, you have summer in a glass!

Featured Ingredients: Tomatoes, beans, squash
Location: California, USA


Strata from My Bay Area Garden is treating us to the eye-pleasing rainbow of mixed harvests she picked from her garden. Have you ever seen a Green Zebra? A tomato that is! And she has a colorful array of beans, too. I agree when she notes that sometimes you just gotta' cook em' with butter.

Featured Ingredients: Eggplant and cilantro
Location: New York, USA

Have you ever tried growing eggplant? You will love the exquisite-looking eggplants shown by The Chocolate Lady in New York. She is making Eggplants with Cilantro, a recipe that was inspired by a dish she tried at a Georgian restaurant. Accented with a generous portion of cilantro, this is another dish that can be served cool -- to keep us comfortable on a hot, sultry day.

Featured Ingredient: Blueberries
Location: New Jersey, USA


Let's finish our culinary tour with a few sweet things shall we? Gattina brings us a delightful dessert that uses my favorite fruit -- the one that New Jersey is famous for -- blueberries. Her Mini Phyllo Tarts with Blueberry Mousse look extraordinary. Plump, juicy jewels rest upon a silky bed of blueberry-cream mousse that's nestled in a crispy, fluffy pillow. Oh, forget my attempts to describe it. Take a look at her photos and you will see that this dessert needs no words.

Featured Ingredient: Rhubarb
Location: Sydney, Australia

Another fruit-filled dessert is brought to the table by Anna of Morsels & Musings. She has made an original Rhubarb Crumble Cake, dedicated to her Poppa, who enjoyed growing rhubarb in his garden. What a very special way to honor someone she loved.

Featured Ingredient: Lavender
Location: Missouri, USA


I'll brew us a pot of tea to accompany the cake and this next contribution from Glenna at A Fridge Full of Food. She treats us to Lavender Scones (Made for Women But Men Like Them Too). This is the first time Glenna cooked with flowers, and it's enjoyable to read how she discovered what it's like to "eat a fragrance." Lovely!

Featured Ingredient: Cumquats
Location: Melbourne, Australia

For a mouthwatering treat we can serve over ice cream, yogurt or sweet bruschetta, Haalo at Cook (Almost) Anything a Least Once offers us a sweet-tangy Cumquat Marmalade. We won't have to feel guilty about eating too much of this, because these beautiful little fruits contain lots of vitamins -- and calcium too. A brilliant organge and vanilla-scented finish to our meal.

Featured Ingredients: Basil and garlic
Location: Washington, D.C., USA

And finally, if you still have room for a few more bites of a main course, I offer my Super-Easy, All-in-One Pot, Pesto Dish. It features the sweet basil and garlic from my garden. It's a simple way to enjoy both of these splendid, summer-harvested herbs.

That's all for this week. Are you full?

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your wonderful recipes. Next week, Weekend Herb Blogging heads back home to Kalyn's Kitchen in Utah. Be sure to visit her blog if you would like to participate.

(Credit: All of flags on this post are from www.flags.net. Go there if you need any flags.)