The season is upon us...

Just a quick update...We are very excited for the new season. We already have our germination boxes full. Our little greenhouse is warmed up and slowly starting to fill up. Here are some pictures from our day in the greenhouse.

One of our germination boxes!

Our other germination box!

Mom planting more seeds!

Joanna and I transplanting!
















Thanks! I hope you enjoy!
Sarah

We are going organic

January and February find us busily preparing for taxes, cleaning up the greenhouse, daydreaming of the moment we can get into the garden and doing paperwork to prepare for organic certification. A visit to Next Generation Organics took the worry out of some of the paperwork as they were in our shoes last year. It is always nice to have friends share the road with you.

We knew that the process of organic certification was going to be a time consuming but (hopefully) worthwhile experience. Over the past four years we have operated using organic principles trying to decide if certification and the accompanying work and expenses were worth it for the size of our garden. One acre seems so small compared to operations like Rice Family Farms or Peaceful Belly Farms but we made the decision that if we were going to "talk the talk" we needed to "walk the walk". We feel that it is important for our customers to know that we are willing to go the extra mile to provide the best product available with the certification to back that up. So we will take a deep breath, work through the mountains of paperwork, dig into our pockets for the fees and hopefully the ISDA will send us that coveted piece of paper after our summer inspection that states that Lazy Dog Gardens is certified organic!


Wintertime gives us time to reflect on the reasons we do what we do. We are already looking forward to our days at the market talking to our regular customers and meeting new ones. It is this kinship that reminds us that all the hard work and effort are worth it. Occasionally we hear negatives regarding prices which can be discouraging (would these folks like to have their work compared to Walmart?) but we know that we are constantly working to bring to market our best produce at a reasonable price. Healthy, excellent quality food is important to a good life.

We've been quiet lately

It's not so much that we haven't been cooking or thinking about the garden. Robin is getting close to ordering seeds for the year. Some of the garlic is pushing up through the ground. Sarah and her little family are enjoying adventures in solid foods and teething. Scott and Michelle are attempting a new adventure: cooking through Anne Willan's Country Cooking of France. They aren't very far in yet, but it's been fun so far. Scott's classes start back up at Boise State on Tuesday, and Michelle's looking at going back to school herself. The project is an attempt to set time aside for each other. They'll be looking for adventurous eating companions for some of the dishes. The book includes recipes for kidneys, ham in aspic, snails and homemade pate. It should be fun. If you're interested in following along, check it out at A French Kitchen in Boise

For now, we'll try to get better about blogging on occasion. Sometimes it's hard to think of what to say...

Creamy Tomato-Potato Soup

Cooler fall weather always brings about a shift in our cooking habits. We've been enjoying soups and breads, and this soup was perfect for a rainy fall evening. It was good following the recipe, but uplifted to fantastic with the addition of some sage and thyme. This is modified from a recipe in Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World

Creamy Tomato-Potato Soup

3 tbsp olive oil or butter
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and well rinsed
1 small onion, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, peeled (drained canned are okay)
Approximately 1 pound potatoes, russet or another non-waxy type, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream or half and half, plus more as needed
5-6 fresh sage leaves (in bouquet garni)
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme (in bouquet garni)

1. Heat oil or butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. When hot, add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Do not brown the leeks. Seed tomatoes and chop pulp.

2. Stir in the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Remove sage and thyme. Using food mill, inversion blender, or regular blender, puree mixture until smooth. If there is more than your blender can handle, work in batches. This is easier if the soup is cooled before blending, but it's not necessary to cool it. Reheat soup. Stir in cream and additional salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, thin with cream and water.

Lavender, Honey and Walnut Bread

I have a new toy--a professional series Kitchen-Aid Mixer that my wonderful husband got me for my birthday. It makes baking bread and other treats a fun adventure, so Scott and I have been playing with it. A lot. This is the first of many forays into bread baking. I'm looking forward to modifying it a little to make it my own. It comes from one of our favorite cookbooks, The Herbfarm Cookbook. If you enjoy playing with herbs in your kitchen, I'd highly recommend it. This bread was picked as one of the first experiments because we have some lavender from a friend's wedding. I enjoyed stretching out their celebration a bit to our house. Cheers to Joey and Nichole!

Lavender, Honey & Walnut Bread

Makes Two Loaves

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (105F to 110F)
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons medium-to strong-flavored honey (we use sunflower)
1 1/2 tsp coarsely chopped dried lavender buds
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups flour (we've been using a 50/50 mix of unbleached white and whole wheat in our kitchen lately)
1 cup/4 ounces coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Dough. Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Sprinkle yeast over water and let sit for several minutes to dissolve. Add honey, lavender, salt and flour and mix on low speed until all the ingredients are incorporated. Knead for about six minutes on medium speed. The dough will be very soft and should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough sticks to the sides, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, a little at a time. Spread the walnuts on a work surface and turn the dough out on top of them. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and knead briefly until the walnuts are evenly incorporated, using a dough scraper if it sticks to the board. Place the dough in a large mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Let rise at room temperatures until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

2. Shaping. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust with flour and pat into a 10-inch square. Fold in half, pat out a little, then fold into quarters and pat again. Cut the resulting 6-inch square in half with a sharp knife. Stretch each piece out into an approximately 12x4 inch oval. Transfer loaves to a parchment-lined baking sheet and dust again with flour. Cover loaves with a clean towel and rise again at room temperature until doubled, about 45 minutes.

3. Baking. Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the loaves on the center rack until they are dark brown and osund hollow when thumped on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on rack before slicing.

Vodka-Spiked Cherry Tomatoes with Pepper Salt

Sense a theme? It's tomato season and we have loads, so I thought that it would be appropriate to serve them two ways at the party I attended last night. These are definitely an adult treat. If you serve them at a party where there will be children, try to make sure they're out of the way of little hands.

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Vodka-Spiked Cherry Tomatoes with Pepper Salt

1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, mixed color if possible

1/2 cup vodka

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp Sugar

Chopped basil

3 Tbsp kosher salt

1 1/2 Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

Cut a small X in bottom of each tomato. Blanch tomatoes 5 at a time in a 2-quart saucepan of boiling water for 5-7 seconds, then immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water. Drain and peel tomatoes. Transfer to a shallow dish.

Stir together vodka, vinegar, sugar and basil in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour over tomatoes and toss gently to coat. Marinate, covered and refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes.

Stir together salt and pepper in a small bowl. Serve with tomatoes for dipping.

Bacon and Basil Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

These have been one of the most successful hors d'oeuvres I've made in my relatively brief history of cooking. There are really only two reasons I don't make them more: the short season for tomatoes and the tediousness of coring out tomatoes. I don't have a spoon that is quite small enough, and it's a bit of a chore. They're worth the effort though. I've been contemplating trying out our yellow stuffer tomatoes with the filling as a first course. I think it could be delicious with a little lettuce chopped up along with the basil. This recipe is adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook.

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Bacon and Basil Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Makes 14 Hors D'Oeuvres

14 (1-inch-diameter) cherry tomatoes

3/8 tsp salt

1/4 pound bacon

2 Tbsp finely chopped shallots

1/4 cup finely chopped basil

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp sour cream

Freshly Ground Pepper

Cut 1/8-inch-thick slice from the bottom and top of each tomato with a serrated knife. The bottom slice helps the tomato stand upright. Scoop out pulp and seeds with a small spoon or melon ball cutter. Sprinkle tomato shells with salt and invert on paper towels to drain for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and cool, then finely crumble.

Stir together bacon, shallots, basil, mayonnaise, sour cream, and pepper in a small bowl until well combined. Divide mixture evenly among tomato shells and arrange in a serving dish.