So easy a five year old can do it! AeroGardener and proud mother Sandi sent us this pic of her child’s very first tomato plant. You can never start the “grown local” trend too young, and it helps to have a cute AeroGarden 3 LadyBug to make it simple.
Remember to post your photos at www.facebook.com/aerogarden for a chance to win the seed kit of your choice – one winner every week!
Customer Service agent Chris shared this photo of his 8′x16′ plot in a Boulder, Colorado community garden, taken on June 10 2011, three weeks after the frost free date. Most of the seeds for these plants were sown in his Garden Starter System in March/April , and look at how much bigger his plants are than those of his neighboring gardeners thanks to the head start! Seedlings started this way aren’t set back by transplant shock, but be sure to harden them off for a few days before planting out. Big harvest, long harvest – every farmer’s dream. It’s time to start planning your garden, don’t you think?
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp butter
1½ cups sliced leeks, white part only
2½ lb whole chicken, cut up
4 cups chicken broth
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
Preparation: Serves 7
Melt butter in Dutch oven and add leeks. Cook until leeks are soft. Add chicken, broth, carrot, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until thickest pieces of chicken are done, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove chicken from liquid; cool chicken slightly. Remove meat from bones and skin, and cut chicken meat into 1-inch pieces.
Skim fat from liquid; remove bay leaf. Add chicken, basil, dill and chives to liquid and heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
Gazania
Gazania, found in the Mountain Meadow seed kit, was introduced to Europe by an Austrian botanist who discovered it in Africa in the late 1700s. It’s a low grower whose bright orange flowers are produced over a long and prolific blooming season. Make sure the plants around it don’t “shadow” it, or you won’t get many flowers!
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup champagne vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped red onion
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¾ tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup olive oil
Preparation: Makes 1½ cups
Combine first 10 ingredients (through garlic) in a blender; process until mixture is smooth. Slowly add olive oil while blender is running; process until well combined.
Yes, we DO have bananas! Check out this crazy photo submitted by David of his far-reaching banana pepper plant. Thank you for the image David, but next time you trade in your cow for seeds that grow to the heavens, you may consider getting a tall AeroGarden first.
When choosing flowers for a custom flower kit, you can create a really striking and dramtic effect by massing one kind of flower. Zinnias, with their big flowers and bold colors, are great for this, and so are plants such as gazania and dianthus that cover themselves with bright flowers over a long season. And an AeroGarden in which all the plants grow at the same tempo is also easier to prune – you don’t have to be cutting back the fast growers so that the laggards catch up.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb medium red-skinned potatoes
1 Tbsp rice or white wine vinegar
2¼ cups thinly sliced celery
4 oz ham, cut into 1½- x ¼-inch strips
6 Tbsp mayonnaise
3 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Salt and pepper
Tarragon sprigs
Preparation Serves 4
Peel potatoes and chop into ½-inch cubes. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling, salted water until fork tender. Drain. Cool to lukewarm and place in large bowl. Drizzle vinegar over; toss to coat.
Cool completely.
Add remaining ingredients to potatoes; toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with tarragon sprigs, if desired.
Still blooming after three months! Sent in by “unknown” these ‘Love Blooms’ are sure sharing the love.
But, you have to go another nine months to catch up with the Love Bloomin’ Petunias we’ve had here at AeroGarden central. Hope you can do it “unknown” — keep the bloomin’ thing going!
Remember to post your photos at www.facebook.com/aerogarden for a chance to win the seed kit of your choice – one winner every week!
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup oil
6 red snapper fillets
Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chopped onion
1½ cups crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp ancho powder
2 tsp fresh epazote leaves
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves
½ tsp dried ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 cup tequila
Fresh cilantro for garnish
Preparation: Serves 6
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the fish with seasoned flour and place into the oil. Turn fish after about
3 to 5 minutes, until both sides are golden brown. Remove fish from skillet and place in a shallow baking dish. Repeat for
all fish fillets.
Add garlic and onion to oil remaining in skillet and cook until soft. Add tomatoes, ancho powder, epazote, oregano and cumin. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat and stir in tequila. Pour sauce over fish in baking dish. Bake about 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
