29 May 2014

Awesome Asparagus

This is a super easy, healthy side dish lickety split!

1 lb of organic asparagus
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Start by rinsing and trimming the asparagus. Then spread it out on a foil or parchment lined sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Put in the oven for 20 minutes or so. The asparagus will soften but still have some texture to it and the fronze ends will get crispy. Enjoy!

For a little extra zip, squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.

Careful, chances are good there won't be left overs! :)

15 May 2014

Ladybugs to the Rescue!!

So my organic Spring garden has been doing beautifully and I have been enjoying watching it grow and eating from it whenever I can. There's only one thing I wish I could change about it -- those pesky aphids!!

For some reason, those aphids are all over my peppers plants and my bronze star lettuce. I agreed they are tasty but sharing with the aphids is NOT what I had in mind when I thought about sharing the bounty. When I first noticed bugs my plants, I took a picture and posted it on Instagram for help on what to do organically. They were quickly identified as aphids and I started using a harmless to humans and plants  soap and water spray on them. This diminished them greatly but has not gotten rid of them completely.

I don't want to spray poison in my garden so ladybugs seemed the next best remedy. They're easy to find at the local garden stores or you can order them online too. I was told to keep them refrigerated until ready to use and then pull them out to warm up 30 minutes prior to release. Wet your garden area to keep the lady bugs around longer and be sure to release them close to your aphid infestation. When the food source is gone they will move on to other adventures.

Well, I have a full buffet, so I hope these ladies are hungry little bugs! Not only were they hungry, there was an army of lady bugs! More bugs than you can imagine fit in that container. I felt like a little kid watching them all come out and inspect every inch of my garden! :) Be gone aphids!

Here are a couple pics of the ladies at work. Enjoy!


08 May 2014

Basil Simple Syrup


Basil Simple Syrup Recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4-6 organic basil leaves

Put ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil and lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Let it cool. Remove the basil leaves and store in a Mason jar in the fridge.It can last in the fridge for a few weeks this way.

This is fantastic in place of regular simple syrup in limeaide and grown up drinks too. A new twist on old faves! Enjoy! 

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