At The Tasteful Garden we love to cook, it is our primary reason for gardening! We love the fragrances of harvesting vegetables and herbs for a meal, preparing foods using the freshest ingredients, and sharing our bounty from the garden with our friends and family. Other cultures have done this for centuries and our American heritage has always done the same in the past. Unfortunately, the modern family shops at the supermarket and has very little sense of where their food comes from. So much of our produce comes from very far away in other countries which allows us to have a huge selection, but also requires longer storage times and different harvesting techniques which in turn decrease the quality and nutritional value of our food. Vegetable varieties are chosen for their long shelf life instead of the flavor and nutrition they provide.
We want to bring back the family vegetable garden, encourage children and parents to garden together and learn about heritage gardening so that it can be passed along to future generations. The Heirloom varieties of vegetables are still available for us to grow which have better flavors and more nutrition than the vegetables in supermarkets. Spending family time in the garden, in the kitchen, and at the table is good for all of us and should be encouraged in our children.
This page is dedicated to the kitchen and has many wonderful, mostly quick and easy, recipes for using fresh herbs, garden vegetables, quality ingredients such as cheeses, meats, pastas, and breads. Here is a great new soup recipe courtesy of Kevin at
closetcooking.blogspot.com to try this season, enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon cumin (toasted and ground)
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 cups
pumpkin puree
1 (19 ounce) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 cup dry Sherry (or dry white wine)
1 handful cilantro (chopped, optional)
1 handful
toasted pumpkin seeds (optional as garnish)
add some
chorizo or Italian sausage to spice things up a bit more.
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and
sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the broth, pumpkin, black beans, tomatoes and sherry
and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and puree to the desired consistency.
6. Serve garnished with cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Watch our latest videos showing
how to make a Caprese Salad, Basil Pesto or our Lemon Basil Potato Salad
