Avoiding the Labor on Labor Day

We had triple digit temperatures and high humidity this weekend in L.A. so I was mostly trying not to get heatstroke.

Gardening chores were mostly of the mundane and easy variety like fertilizing and some light weeding. Since the front lawn is mostly a scorched brown, I was able to get away with weed whacking the few growing green spots on it, saving me from mowing for another couple of weeks. That will be this fall's number one project...aerating the lawn and overseeding with a heat and drought resistant mix.

I did have a chance to look around to see what I could harvest and anything else that needed attention. Pulling back the prickly canes of our dragonfruit showed a couple of beauties ripening against the wall (above). There's also a couple of greener fruit on the front of the plant.

I noticed something has been chewing on my newly sprouted zucchini plant, so I put a few more seeds in the soil and covered with a critter cage.

The spurge is always surging so I spent some time yanking it out too.

Bell peppers are almost ready to pick. These might be on the menu next weekend and I'm hoping to get a couple more harvests before they're done for the year too.

The sweet onions just won't stay good in the ground anymore, so I harvested the last of it too. The onions have been a very delicious addition to our summer menus.

Lastly, the garlic chives are blooming in our herb corner. Trying to decide whether I should let them propagate or cut off the flowers. They're delicious but the get fairly weedy.

Darryl
Copyright 2013 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Recipes for a Cheapskate: Grilled Buttermilk Herb Chicken

I'm picking two ears of corn, two zucchini, a handful of oregano (that I dried last week), Rosemary, and garlic chives

Now I need to incorporate all of this into a meal.

First, I'm using chicken thighs for the primary portion of the meal. I'm soaking them in buttermilk for 4 hours first. 

Next, I crush up all the herbs and mix with a cup of flower.

I Take the zucchini, slice up, put into a plastic bag with salt, pepper, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a half teaspoon of hot mustard.  I close the bag and toss it all up before wrapping in foil.

I dredge the chicken in the herb/flour mixture, pick a couple of ears of corn, and then toss everything on the indirect side of the barbecue and cover with the lid.

Cook for 20 minutes, then put the chicken over the direct heat of the coals for 3 minutes on each side, then serve.

Darryl
Copyrights 2013 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Recipe for a Cheapskate...Sausage and Eggs - Garden Style

A lot of you enjoyed my earlier post on garlic chives.  Here is my favorite way to use them.

Cut a couple of leaves.

Rinse.

Chop up some sausage (I'm using Trader Joe's Chicken Andouille Sausage). Heat up in non-stick skillet (I spray with olive oil first at medium to low). Chop up your chives and throw on top of sausage. Mix two eggs in a bowl with a 1/2 teaspoon of milk and salt. 

Turn heat on skillet. to medium-high.When sausage starts to sizzle, pour egg mixture on top. Sprinkle about a tablespoon worth of shredded cheese on top. Scramble vigorously until almost done.  Plate it and wait 3 or 4 minutes for it to finish cooking.

Then enjoy!

Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved