Category Archives: Summer

Basil Butter

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Basil Butter With Bread                                       2 sticks softened unsalted butter

                                        2 gloves of garlic, peeled

                                        1 cup packed basil leaves

                                        1 TBS. fresh squeezed lemon juice

                                        2 TBS. grated parmesan cheese

                                        ¼ tsp. kosher salt

                                        1 tsp. crushed red pepper (opt.)

Place cleaned basil leaves, parmesan cheese and garlic in a small food processor and process till finely chopped.

Add to butter.  Then add lemon juice, salt and crushed red pepper.  Mix well.  Place in any container you wish and refrigerate.  Butter will last in the refrigerator 2-3 weeks.  Can be frozen for up to 3 months and just slice off chunks as needed.

Paula

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Have A Blast With Basil

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

 

One of the stars of summer surely is the well-loved herb – basil.  But did you know how many ways this fragrant little plant could be incorporated into cooking, healing and pleasure? 

Tomato Tart Basil Pesto; Corn, Orzo, Basil Salad; Watermelon, Peach, Tomato, Basil In Cup

Starting in May then continuing on until October the possibilities for allowing Basil to grace both table,  home, and garden are endless.  Here are some of our favorites: 

Basil Lunch Medley 

Tomato Tarts with Basil Pesto 

Corn, Orzo, and Basil Salad 

Peach, Watermelon and Tomato Salad With Mint and Basil 

Italian Bread with Basil Butter 

Basil Lime Shortbread 

Citrus Basil Punch

Linda

Dallas Garden Buzz would like to know if you would like some of these recipes!

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Basil Tips For Dallas Gardens

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Basil Growing in Raised Beds at the Demonstration Garden

Some of Paula’s growing tips for basil are:

            Wait until May to plant basil whether from seeds or transplants.  Though it is tempting to plant basil in March as soon as the plants are available in nurseries, basil loves hot weather and will often be stunted if planted too early.

            Basils and tomatoes are consider “companion” plants and seem to do well planted near each other.  Of course, everyone knows that a basil, tomato and mozzarella sandwich is a culinary delight.

            In general, basil does not like to be pampered.  However a light application of a synthetic or organic fertilizer can be used to give the plants a boost as the growing season progresses.

Paula the Basil Queen Showing Where to Cut Basil for Harvest

            Never prune off more than 1/3 of the plant at a time.  Paula also does not recommend letting the plant go to bloom as this seems to change the flavor of the leaves. 

            It is best to pick basil early in the morning when there is the highest concentration of oils in the leaves.  Paula either keeps the stems in water on her counter top or she washes the leaves, rolls them in paper towels and places them in the refrigerator.  They will keep this way for a few days.  Basil can also be frozen as ice cubes (Paula freezes the leaves in broth.)

            It is best to add basil to recipes at the end of the cooking cycle to preserve more flavor.

     In general, basil is a fairly hardy plant that is not attacked by many insects.  However caterpillars, grasshoppers, slugs and snails, white flies and aphids can be a problem.  Many of these can be controlled by organic means such as the use of Bt, Sluggo, or a strong stream of water.

      Basil is also able to be used as both an aromatherapy and medicinal agent.  It is said to relieve aches and pains.  Essential oil of basil can be added to bath water.  Paula also uses a poultice of basil on ant and bee stings.  She says this helps bring down the swelling.

     Some of Paula’s favorite places to find unusual varieties of basil are:  Round Top’s Herb Festival which takes place the third weekend in March, NorthHaven Gardens, Central Market, Southwest Nursery, and Plants and Planters in Richardson, TX.

Carolyn

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July Blooms

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Cut Flower Exhibit of Dallas July Blooms

The Earth-Kind® WaterWise Demonstration Garden is pleased to  jump in on the July Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Garden Blogs all across America participate monthly, giving us a record of what’s blooming all through the year to study when planning our Dallas-Ft. Worth gardens. 

In 2011, we suffered through record breaking heat, but in 2012 our gardens are blooming again despite our normal highs of 103 degrees and only pop-up showers.  With Dallas heat and clay, we use careful soil preparation.  We add compost and expanded shale, water with drip irrigation, and mulch heavily. (For a more detailed information, read the Texas A&M AgriLife link.)

Our garden is filled with carefully chosen perennials that thrive in Dallas-Fort Worth.  Zexmenia, Knock-out roses, Mexican Petunias, several Sages, bloom all through the summer in our crushing heat and humidity.

Most of the plants can be found easily in Dallas garden stores.  Fall is the best time for planting to give plants a good start through our mild fall and winter seasons although sometimes a  wide variety of perennials is not available until early spring. Print  this  list and keep checking with your favorite nursery.

1. Stick Verbena, Verbena bonariensis

2. Knock- Out Rose, Rosa ‘Radrazz’ sp.

3.  Abelia, /Abelia x grandiflora ‘Francis Mason’

4. Transylvania Sage, Salvia transsilvanica

5. Hummingbird Bush, Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

6. Periwinkle-Cora Vinca Series, Catharanthus roseus

7.  Trailing Lantana, Lantana montevidensis

8. Orange Cosmos, Cosmos sulphureus

9. Pink Turk’s Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummonii ‘Pam’s Pink Puryear‘

10. Mexican Petunia-Pink, Ruellia britonia

11. Phlox, Phlox paniculata ‘John Fanick’

12. Mexican Petunia-Lavendar, Ruellia brittonia

13. Red Yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora

14. Tropical Milkweed,  Asclepias curassavica

15. Jewels of  Opar, Talinum paniculatum

16. Autumn Sage , Salvia gregii ‘Navajo Rose’

17. Mealy Cup Sage, Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria’

17. Zexmenia, Wedelia texana

18. Butterfly Rose, Rosa chinensis ‘Mutablis’

19. Desert Willow, Chilopsis linearis

20. Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala

21. Black and Blue Salvia, Salvia guaranitica ‘Sapphire Blue’

Ann

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Lemon Verbena Thins

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

 Lemon Verbena Cookies on a tray with dragonfly decoration

Cookies

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1-2 tablespoons minced fresh lemon verbena

Lemon Glaze (optional)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon butter, softened

l.  Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream shortening and sugar.  Beat in egg and next 3 ingredients.  Stir in dry ingredients thoroughly.

2.  Shape dough into two 6-inch rolls.  Wrap tightly with wax paper.  Freeze overnight.

3.  When ready to bake cookies, slice dough slightly thicker than 1/8-inch.  Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

4.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden.  Remove from baking sheet and place on a cooling rack.

5.  To make lemon glaze, combine lemon juice, sugar, and butter.  Frost cookies with glaze.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Steep lemon verbena leaves in hot lemon juice to intensify juice’s flavor. 

Linda

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Dragonfly Sugar Cookies

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Dragonfly Iced Sugar Cookies

 Shortbread:

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 T vanilla extract

4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

Powdered Sugar Icing: 

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

¼ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (optional)

To make the shortbread:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.  Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy.  Add the vanilla and beat until combined.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture, stirring on low speed.  Stop beating as soon as the flour mixture is completely incorporated.  (Overbeating will produce a tough cookie)

Form the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.  On a flat, smooth floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut out the cookies  Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, placing them ½ inch apart.  Combine the dough scraps and reroll the dough to cut out more cookies.  Roll any subsequent scraps into a thick log, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 10 minutes. Cut ¼ inch thick rounds of the log to make round cookies.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until light brown around the edges. Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove with a spatula and cool completely on racks about 5 minutes before icing.

To make icing:  Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and extract.  Divide the icing into parts for different colors.  Use food coloring to tint. Can brush on or dip cookies face down into icing, being sure to cover the whole cookie.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temp up to 1 week or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap for 1 month in the freezer.

Iced Sugar Cookies from Rebecca Rather’s “The Pastry Queen”

Karan

 

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Fresh Peach Pound Cake

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

 

Dallas Garden Party Fresh Peach Pound Cake Slices

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups peeled, chopped fresh ripe peaches

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Combine flour, soda, and salt; stir well.  Combine peaches and sour cream.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with peach mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Mix just until blended after each addition. Stir in flavorings.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-in tube pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake come out clean.  Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.  Yield: one 10-inch cake.

Linda

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Garden Party Sparkles With Peach Cake and Dragonflies

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

The July 14th garden party menu was in place.  A few more details and we would be ready for the day. Captured by the beauty of the dragonfly, our theme quickly developed around this unique and fascinating creature.  Invitations, nametags, garden stakes,  decorations, and even cookies were all bearing a strong resemblance to the winged wonder.  (And how appropriate that one of the interns even came wearing a dragonfly necklace!)

Dallas in July usually means that our gardens are full of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, lemon verbena, basil, pineapple sage, and more.  All this and a few surprises became part of our menu.

Cucumber Ready to Be Picked,Growing in a Dallas Garden

 Who could resist a chunky piece of fresh peach pound cake?  Of course, the difficult part was deciding whose peaches should go into the cake batter.  Which area would receive the honor?  Parker County peaches, East Texas Lorings, or maybe even a few from the Texas Hill Country.  Why not just give them equal standing and use a little of each?  Talk about a flavor explosion!

Peach Pound Cake in front of periwinkles, next to strawberries

And those luscious lemon verbena thins, light as a feather and topped with sweet goodness, disappeared in a flash.

But the real crowd pleaser had to be the melt-in-your-mouth but almost too pretty to eat yummy little dragonfly sugar cookies.

Dragonfly Iced Sugar Cookies

 Ah, yes, we were treated to a delightful show of nature in all her glory.  Did 87% humidity stop anyone from savoring every moment of our time together?  Of course not!  As any true gardener will tell you-gardening isn’t for sissies.

And so, after months of anticipation, we proudly proclaim that the class of 2012 is now fully initiated, ready to “dig in and get growing!”

We wish them all a very successful and meaningful start to a lifetime of gardening adventures.

Linda

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Cucumber Dill Sandwich Rounds

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

Tray of Cucumber Sandwhichs at Dallas Garden Party1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated

1 (8 oz) pkge cream cheese, softened

1 small shallot, minced

1 T mayonnaise or 1 T milk

¼ tsp dried dill weed

2 loaves Pepperidge Farm very thin white bread

2 T butter or margarine, softened

1 medium cucumber

1 pkge fresh dill, for garnish 

Shred cucumber; pat shredded cucumber between absorbent paper towels to remove excess moisture.  Combine cucumber, cream cheese, minced shallot, mayonnaise, and dill weed.  Mix well. 

Cut crusts off bread. 

Spread one side of each slice of bread with 1 tsp butter, and spread cucumber filling evenly over butter on 1 slice.  Place 2nd piece of bread on top.  When all sandwiches are made, wrap in plastic wrap, placing wax paper between each layer, and chill at least 8 hours.  Before serving, cut into circles with biscuit or cookie cutter or glass.  1 ½ inch cutter makes a good sized round sandwich. 

Score small cucumber with tines of a fork.  Cut 11 (1/4-inch) slices from cucumber, and cut slices into quarters.  Reserve remaining cucumber for other uses.  Insert a cucumber wedge, point side down, in top center of each sandwich.  Add a sprig of dill from your garden for garnish. 

Yield: 30  sandwich rounds

Karan

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Strolling Along The Garden Path

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Dallas Garden Buzz

  Sunflowers in a glass bottle staked to show the garden path   On Saturday July 14, we welcomed a new class of Master Gardener Interns to a morning of “meeting, greeting and eating” in Linda’s  backyard.   A chorus line of dancing sunflowers (courtesy of the Earth-Kind® Demonstration Garden) turned their perky little “faces” to greet the guests.  Over 120 Mentors and Mentees found each other along the way ready to embark upon the journey ahead.

Dallas Garden Party

 Another “garden feast” had been planned, orchestrated and beautifully prepared by a committee of enthusiastic volunteers, otherwise known as “foodies.”  How we love those garden-themed events that give us the opportunity to think creatively and exercise our culinary skills!

 And so it was decided, this one would highlight the best that our July gardens had to offer, especially those glorious herbs and veggies.  

Our menu included a “little of this,” and a lot of “that.”  Here’s a sampling of what we munched on throughout the morning:

 Strawberry Lemonade Coolers 

 Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

 Cucumber Dill Sandwich Rounds

Cheesy Quiche Squares 

Crudité Tray with Spinach/Herb Dip

 Strawberry Bowl 

 Fresh Peach Pound Cake

Lemon Verbena Thins

Dragonfly Sugar Cookies

Summertime Iced Tea 

 Linda

Keep following Dallas Garden Buzz for these recipes!

 

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