Meandering and Savoring

Usually when I set out to do a particular task in the garden, I find myself drifting from one simple job to dozens of other unrelated pluckings, pickings and pokings. So when I go out to pick raspberries, I also weed small areas in assorted places, stir the compost, put down a few fresh pieces of newspaper for weed mat and collect limp daffodil leaves.

After doing some weeding and other assorted garden chores today, I went online to hear to an interview that was on NPR yesterday with the author of a book called, Weeds: In Defense of Botany's Cockroach. (I'm looking for a good reason to surrender some of the garden to the weeds).

As with all things gardening, one action lead to another. I saw a link at the bottom of the page to a story about weeds that you can eat. They call edible weeds "the ultimate locally grown food." But you have to be ultra certain about what you are eating. Poison hemlock looks a lot like wild carrot. And of course, you need to know where the dogs go potty. The article includes a delicious looking recipe for a frittata with wild garlic mustard. Dang. I pulled it up! Who knew? And I'm starting to wonder if all that wild garlic I pulled up was really "Ramps," a sort of wild leek that's all the rage with gourmets. (The argument for not weeding is getting stronger).

On to another link with recipes for cooking with weeds. Would you like some sauteed Dandelions with your Stinging Nettle Ravioli? (Maybe I'll stick to eating things I plant myself and hope the deer eat the weeds).

Zucchini blossoms begging to be
picked, stuffed, cooked and eaten

Then I meandered to another link with recipes for cooking squash blossoms. It's considered birth control to prevent growing more zucchini than you have friends to give it to. I had been admiring several blossoms in my garden earlier and nearly picked some. Many years ago, I bought squash blossoms at the Union Square Farmer's Market, dipped them in batter and fried them. They were heavenly. This time, I'll be making the recipe with goat cheese and basil (from my garden, of course).  With all the sun and rain, it has been growing like a weed (but not spreading like one).

While we're on the subject of Internet recipes, I found the perfect dessert to make with all the raspberries I've been picking. I had been lamenting that my Colorado friends who love to eat the pies I bake weren't here so I could bake a raspberry pie. I'm not interested in doing that much work for two people -- and consuming that many calories. Martha Stewart came to my rescue with a simple (but time consuming) recipe for Raspberry Turnovers made with puff pastry. They turned out picture perfect. But I didn't take a photo because we gobbled them up the minute they came out of the oven.