Gardening abundance: flowers, herbs, tomatoes

Gar­den­ing unveils an abun­dance of great life lessons. From till­ing rich soil in the spring to har­vest­ing the final flow­ers and fruit, gar­dens yield more than the sim­ple fruits, veg­eta­bles and flow­ers. A good gar­den teach­es patience and peace. A great gar­den holds mem­o­ries of deli­cious meals shared with loved ones and graced with fra­grant and beau­ti­ful arrange­ments for months on end. From an apart­ment bal­cony to a full back­yard, each gar­den of mine has had advice, cut­tings and con­ver­sa­tions from neigh­bors and friends includ­ed in its design and function.

 

 

Flow­ers­Good sum­mer choic­es for cut­ting and bring­ing indoors include col­or­ful zin­nias, dahlias (depend­ing on loca­tion), ros­es, snap­drag­ons and cos­mos. Cos­mos have the added advan­tage of being kind to those of us with aller­gies. I love to mix them up in bou­quets and sur­prise a neigh­bor or friend to liv­en up their day. Anoth­er great idea: snip a few flow­ers before going to a friend’s cook-out. Lay them in a sim­ple piece of tis­sue paper and tie them with a pret­ty rib­bon as a host­ess gift. What bet­ter way to say thank you than with some­thing you’ve grown. Tip: If you have a long dri­ve, keep flow­ers fresh by wrap­ping the cut end of the stems with a wet paper tow­el, and seal­ing in a zip-locked sand­wich bag. The bag is cov­ered by the tis­sue paper and keeps your beau­ti­ful flow­ers hydrated!

Fruits, Veg­gies & Herbs What tastes bet­ter than food har­vest­ed min­utes ago? When hav­ing guests over, I often enlist them with gath­er­ing a fin­ish­ing herb like basil. They love being a part of the har­vest, and often mar­vel about the fresh­ness of the meal. See if your fam­i­ly would like to plant some­thing at their own home to con­tribute when you get togeth­er, and teach lit­tle ones how to pick beans, spot a ripe toma­to, or join in the excite­ment of watch­ing a pump­kin grow. I find many cooks – even accom­plished ones – still strug­gle with using fresh herbs for cook­ing. Tip: Fresh herbs do not have the same con­cen­tra­tion as dried herbs. A rule of thumb is to use 3 times the quan­ti­ty of fresh herbs to achieve the same fla­vor inten­si­ty of dried.

 

 

 

Toma­toes Loaded with lutein and packed with vit­a­min C, these gar­den lions are easy to grow, fit into almost any type of cui­sine and have been known to qual­i­fy as both a fruit and a veg­etable! Ver­sa­tile in the kitchen, toma­toes grace every­thing from a sim­ple side dish to a key ingre­di­ent in sal­sa, mari­nara, juice or soup.

- Try heir­loom toma­toes for intense fla­vors and a rain­bow of col­ors – from black to gold!
Heir­looms hold so much juice, they are best sim­ply sliced and served.
— Romas or plum toma­toes shine as an ingre­di­ent. Romas are best in sal­sas, soups and  sauces. Many chefs pre­fer to remove the skin and seeds to pro­duce a smooth flavor.
— Bet­ter Boys, Best Boys and oth­er slic­ing toma­toes pair well with sliced fresh onions as a side dish or burg­er topping.
— Cher­ry or grape toma­toes can make a healthy refresh­ing treat, you just pop in your mouth. These vari­eties come in red and yellow.