We suffered an unusually bad winter for Florida (as did most of the US), that damaged many crops commercial and otherwise. After I harvested my last eggplant last fall, I didn’t bother to pull up the plant. After the winter was over it looked pretty beat up, but as soon as it began to warm up it got flowers again! See my previous post “The Little Eggplant That Could”. Well it started looking a little better, and I was interested to see how the story would turn out, but unfortunately, it got left behind in the move. I saw it about a week later and it was still there.

I really hope to have more stories, etc. for you as previously promised, once the move is over.  Happy Gardening!

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 strips chopped raw turkey bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
2 scallions thinly sliced, green parts only
1 tbs. fresh garlic, finely minced
2 tbs. olive oil, divided
2 tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. plus 1 pinch dried thyme
1/4 tsp. plus 1 pinch coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. plus 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. chili powder

1. Place the potatoes in a microwaveable bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle with: 1/4 tsp. thyme, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. coriander, 1/8 tsp. chili powder, and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Toss well to coat potatoes evenly with oil and seasonings. Microwave on high for 6 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

2. In a large (12 inch), oven safe skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey bacon,* and stir frequently until it is cooked through. Turkey bacon does not crisp, and gets soft again in the frittata anyway.

3. Add the garlic, scallions and potatoes. If the pan is very dry, you can add another teaspoon of olive oil first. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are browned slightly.

4. Meanwhile lightly beat the eggs with the remaining seasonings, and preheat the broiler.

5. Reduce heat to medium low and slowly pour the eggs into and around the potatoes. Gently stir to evenly distribute the potatoes throughout the eggs.

6. Let cook just until the sides and bottom of the eggs are set. Eggs will still be raw in the center.

7. Remove from heat and sprinkle the parsley and the cheese over the top.

8. Place pan under the broiler about 4 inches away, or on the bottom rack of your broiler section. Cook until the eggs are done and the cheese is melted, approximately 10 -15 minutes. Watch carefully, once the cheese melts it will brown quickly.

I like to serve with sour cream mixed with just a little dijon mustard. (About 1 tsp of mustard to a 1/2 cup of sour cream).

There are countless ways to combine vegetables, cheeses, etc. in frittata. You can use what you have leftover. If your vegetables take a long time to cook, I recommend pre-cooking them. ham would be good. Once instead of bacon I used leftover chicken from taco night, I didn’t have to use much seasoning, since the meat already had it. Experiment, have fun and happy eating!

Note: Sorry I haven’t posted for a while. I have some new recipes and articles lined up, and hope to get them to you very soon. Some of  my Thanksgiving recipes, as well as some good soup recipes. (Well okay, I guess you’ll have to judge that for yourself. )

Tomato Salad: The most basic tomato salad recipe consists of  chopped plum or other tomatoes, sliced red onions, olive oil, basil, a little water– about a tablespoon or so to keep the juice of the tomatoes and the olive oil from coagulating and getting too thick.

I never measured this recipe so this is a starting point, and you can adjust to size or taste, according to how much you want to make

Now my variation is this:
A mixture of plum tomatoes and yellow tomatoes chopped in large chunks (enough to fill a 2qt. bowl)

About one third as much sliced sweet onions as there are tomatoes.

Lots of chopped fresh basil–spicy varieties preferred, about 1/4 cup
(I once had to run out into my vegetable garden in the rain for more basil during a dinner party)

olive oil, water, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

The main thing is that if you use very juicy tomatoes, you should combine them with a more meaty variety or plum tomato for best results, because everything will tend to get mushy. Also since yellow tomatoes are very mild, they need a heartier tomato to help them stand up to the other ingredients, especially the basil. Aside from that the other ingredients are to taste I basically use enough olive oil to nicely coat the tomatoes and when everything is tossed ( I would start with about 3 tbs). For me the more basil the better, and of course my husband would not eat his without a nice crusty bread to dip in it . Next time we’ll talk about some yummy things to do with peppers and squash.

1lb. cooked egg noodles
1 5 oz can albacore tuna
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 8 oz package mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 -3/4 c. roasted red peppers in strips
1/4 tsp. celery seed or celery salt
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

1. By hand or with an electric mixer on low speed, mix together cream cheese, soup, milk, celery seed, coriander, thyme, salt and pepper, until mostly smooth. It’s okay for it to be a little lumpy, the cream cheese will melt in the oven. Stir in tuna.

2. In a 9×13 baking pan toss the cooked noodles with the tuna mixture, until the noodles are well coated.

3. Place strips of red pepper over noodles. You want to do this sparingly, don’t completely cover the noodles with the peppers.

4. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top, followed by the mozzarella cheese.

5. Cover with foil and bake 30-40 min. at 350°

Serve with a green salad and Enjoy!

For Scrubbing: Baking soda can be used as an alternative to cleanser. We have melamine countertops, which became stained red from spilled jello. They are easy to scratch up and ruin. A wet rag and a little baking soda, and the stains came right out without damaging the counter.

Window Cleaner: For a quick and easy window cleaner, mix one part white vinegar with one part water in a spray bottle, and use as you would commercial window cleaner.

Floor Cleaner: Mop linoleum or tile floors with a mixture of 1/2 cup vinegar in a bucket of warm water. The vinegar odor will go away after the floor dries. You can also add lemon juice, and essential oils such as lavendar, tea tree, rosemary, eucalyptus, or cedar. All of which have antiseptic, antibacterial or antifungal properties. (tea tree-antibacterial, antibacterial, antifungal; rosemary-antiseptic; cedar-antiseptic, fungicidal; lavendar-antiseptic; eucalyptus-antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal) Or use a steam cleaner. I use one on my kitchen and bathroom floors and it works really well.

Vinegar is also good for a number of other things, such as:
Unclogging shower and sink sprayer heads: For the sink sprayer in my kitchen sink, I filled a sandwich bag three quarters of the way with vinegar. Then I pulled out the sprayer hose and placed the sprayer part in the bag, fastening the bag to it with a rubber band. I let it sit in the sink this way overnight. All the holes were unclogged, the water stains were gone, and the chrome was shiny! You could do the same with your shower head, or remove it and place it in a container of vinegar to soak overnight. You can safely pour the used vinegar right down the drain.

Laundry: In your laundry it will help soften and whiten it, as well as clean soap scum and other deposits from your washer. See also Greener Cleaning for getting pet urine out of clothes.

Cleaning your coffee maker: Fill the coffee pot with one third vinegar and two thirds water. Pour this into the coffee maker and run it through the brewing cycle. Repeat two more times with plain water, to rinse out the vinegar. Letting the coffee pot cool for 15 minutes in between.

I hope you find these tips useful. Healthy cleaning!

The first way  I like it is marinated in a  key lime honey mustard sauce which you can get bottled, or make your own (recipe follows).  I do both, and the brand I buy is called Island Grove, it comes with or without ginger, and if you’ve read my previous post titled Glorious Ginger, you’ve probably guessed my preference!

Now I don’t measure the bottled stuff and this will probably sound a little weird, but think of spreading a decent amount of mayonnaise on a roll, this is about how much you want on your fish per side-coat both sides if you’re using steaks. (I’m guessing about 2-4 tbs. per pound of fish). Do this at least an hour ahead of cooking and keep refrigerated.

Key Lime Honey Mustard and Ginger Marinade
3 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. honey mustard
2 tbs. key lime juice (fresh or bottled, substitute regular lime if necessary)
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whisk together olive oil and mustard until it emulsifies-blends completely together. Stir in lime juice, ginger, and black pepper. This makes enough for about a pound of fish. Don’t be alarmed if your salmon changes color while marinating because the acids in the lime juice “cook” the fish.  This won’t affect your cooking method. It goes really well with tomato salad.

The second way I like it is Cajun Style.  It’s really easy. This makes enough for 1lb of fish.

Sweet Cajun Style
Mix together 1 tbs. cajun seasoning blend and 1 tbs brown sugar thoroughly with a fork. Sprinkle all over salmon. Cook! Grilling is best. You can eat it as is, with a little lemon or dipped in horseradish cream (recipe coming soon). Enjoy your meal!

There are many reasons to grow organically. Simply put It is much healthier to eat organic foods, which are also tastier; and it is bad for the earth and wildlife to use chemical fertilizers, and toxic pesticides and weed controls, which kill or damage more than their intended target. In addition to using organic insect controls and fertilizers, there are other things you can do to ensure a healthy and productive garden. Things such as inter planting, companion planting, composting, rotating crops and using disease resistant varieties of plants. In future posts I will go into each of these areas more in depth

Pest Control-There are many alternatives to the highly poisonous chemical pesticides that are available today. Some common pests such as aphids, can be eliminated by a soapy water spray, or a spray made from garlic, onions, and red pepper blended with water in the blender and strained. Put it in a spray bottle and add a few drops of liquid soap. You can also make a spray from tomato leaves. Planting certain plants together deters pests also(see Companion planting below). There is  a mineral dust called diatomaceous earth which you can sprinkle around your plants. (this is not the same as that used for pool filters) Dishes of beer can be used to trap slugs and snails can be deterred by copper tape.

Composting and Feeding- The best organic fertilizers that I have found are sea kelp and fish emulsion, or a combination of the two; and compost/compost tea, which is simply enough, tea made from compost. Sometimes you can even get free compost from your city.

Companion Planting- Certain plants like to grow with each other while others don’t. Some plants enhance or inhibit each other’s growth, while some help protect each other by repelling certain pests For instance many plants grown too close to a black walnut tree will be poisoned by a substance called juglone that the tree gives off. Marigolds and nasturtiums help tomatoes because they repel certain pests, such as nematodes. Plant chives with roses or garlic to repel aphids from them. There are many other plant combinations that are beneficial. If you want to know more check out Louise Riotte’s books, “Carrots Love Tomatoes” and “Roses Love Garlic”. or google “companion planting”.

Interplanting– Interplanting involves planting plants together that have complimentary root systems or maturity rates. For example: Plant radishes between your lettuce plants, since the radishes grow quickly they will mature before your lettuce needs the room. Or plant carrots between other plants such as tomatoes since their downward root growth will not interfere with the room the tomato plants need to grow. You can plant more in a smaller space this way, and you can combine this with companion planting for double benefits.

Rotating Crops– Rotating crops is important for two reasons:
Getting the optimum nutrients: As far as plants go there are plants that are heavy feeders, that take a lot of nutrients from the soil, light feeders, and then there are plants which actually add to the soil such as peas, which fix nitrogen the soil. So rotating these insures you get the most out of your soil.

Combatting pests and diseases: Most pests and diseases have particular plants that they feed on, so when a particular pest establishes itself, if you move the crop to a different spot the next year, you will be less likely to have the same problem. This is especially important with soil diseases and you should discard or burn diseased plant material at the end of the season.

Buying  Disease Resistant Varieties– You can buy vegetable and plant varieties that are bred to be resistant to certain diseases and pests, so if a particular type of disease is always prevalent in your area, consider buying a resistant variety of the plant it affects.

Rodale’s website, organicgardening.com has a lot of information on this subject if you’re interested in learning more. They are THE authority on the subject.

April’s Home and Garden, was originally hosted at squarespace.com and began on 7/10/07. It ran approximately  until November of that year. Life circumstances at the time did not allow me to continue after that. Now that I have been able to rebuild it,  I would like to repost my original first story, followed by an update. Ironically, it was titled From Start to Start.

April’s Home and Garden Then, From Start To Start:
Originally written 7/10/07

In the past few weeks I have started a lot of new things, A business, this blog, some art projects, and I’m really excited. If you were to see my house and garden these days, you’d probably be wondering why I’d write a blog about it. After twice preparing to sell our house and move, and twice having to put it on hold, the house and my gardens fell into some kind of weird chaotic limbo.

For now I’ll have to be content with memories of my  front garden and porch filled with herbs and flowers, and all the big vegetable gardens that I grew over the years with as many tomatoes as I could want for fresh tomato salad or bruschetta. Oh, and my favorite year when I  grew no less than 35 different herbs, including 8 varieties of basil, 5 of sage–well, you get the picture. Oh no!! I  wish I remembered to take pictures, since this year I never got to start the garden!

April’s Home and Garden Now:
Well we finally got to sell the house and move. We made a big climate change from Pennsylvania to Florida. So I have a much longer gardening season. Our yard was a jungle and even after a year we are still clearing stuff away ! The house was almost literally being eaten by some really aggressive vines.

This year I have a garden! Not a big one but it’s a start. My Early Girl Tomatoes are setting fruit, and my Heirloom Pineapple tomatoes are full of flowers. I am especially proud of them this year since I started them from seed myself. I am keeping my fingers crossed, since I have had some problems with leafminers. I’m using diatomaceous earth to dust the plants with. (Not the kind used for pool filters), It is totally organic and nontoxic–just don’t inhale the dust. So far so good. I am also removing damaged leaves. I don’t have 35 herbs but I have several herbs, including lots of basil for when my tomatoes are ready; and this year, I’m taking pictures!