I FORGOT TO MENTION THE SAGE

   The storm had exhausted itself.  Images of my vegetable plot to be, bursting with zucchine, fragrant heirloom tomatoes, eggplants (in Italian melanzane) peppers, corn and potatoes had receded into the ether, keeping a physical presence on the vision board in my bedroom.  All was quiet within and without and I was almost asleep, when the sage from the flowerbed in the garden came crushing through my consciousness.  

Undulating in the wind, she mournfully reprimanded me for having mentioned newcomers like parsley, thyme and mint in my blog and not her.

I am sorry dear Sage. Truly sorry!

  She was the first and most successful herb in my garden and had pretty much looked after herself from the get-go.  Many of my dishes would not have tasted the same without her: not the roast potatoes nor the yummy scrummy creamy tortellini with delicately flavored sage-infused-butter.  Phew… I hope I won’t make any more faux pas like that with any of my future crops.

  And talking about crops… Well you see, coming up with the idea of growing vegetables in a suburban garden (or anywhere for that matter) was the easy part.   I know that anyone with a handful of soil grew vegetables in their Liberty Gardens during the First World War and Victory Gardens during the Second. But, how does one turn a lawn into a vegetable patch? How is  the soil prepared?  What equipment does one need?  How much does it all cost?

 In the meantime I have received some much-needed encouragement: Tony from the UK told me about an amazing ingredient that he adds to compost and he swears by.  It is called Bokashi.  I will look into it Tony. 

A client of mine told me that she will try her hand at growing one or two vegetables when she moves into her new house.  She is also one of the few people I know to drive a hybrid car (this is next on my wish list) 

  Three ladies from New Jersey emailed me saying that they wanted to sign up for the “vegetable club membership” and one of them said that she already hangs her laundry out to dry.  Libby from Canada emailed me suggestions for an inexpensive do-it-yourself fence to keep out the deer, which I have sent on to my husband (I have volunteered him for the job.)  She also supplied a very easy cheese recipe that my daughter, a friend and I put to the test this afternoon.  Libby also told me that by making simple adjustments, she has reduced her family’s electricity bill by 25% and their carbon footprint is one third of the national average.

Can you imagine that?  Can you imagine what a huge difference we could make if we all did something?  Certainly it is not for me to preach about what people should or should not do.  Yet I am sure that anyone can find ways in their every day lives to lessen their impact on the environment, such as conserving water (do the sprinklers really need to be on if it’s been raining?) or by switching off the light when it is not needed (like when there is no one in a room)  Or how about saving the plastic bags that sliced bread comes in?  They can be used when making school lunches for instance.  When one starts being  “environmentally” minded, awareness about one’s actions grows and so do ways of being mindful of the impact we have on our surroundings.

 And here is Libby’s cheese recipe.  Enjoy.

Warm 8 cups of milk on medium heat to 165 degrees F, add three to four tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir until it begins to coagulate (that’s when the whey start to floats to the top.)  Remove from the heat and let it sit for fifteen minutes then pour through a cheesecloth-lined strainer.  Let it rest for an hour.  While it is still warm it can be rolled into a ball with crushed nuts or chopped herbs.

 

Mine has been resting for the prescribed amount of time, and I can’t wait to go and try it.

TIPS -  Laundry can also be dried indoors on a rack by the fire, in a spare bedroom, in the basement…

About  zucchini -  The correct spelling is zucchina for one and zucchine for two or more.  Zucchina means small zucca, pumpkin.

About  Sage –  Common Sage, Salvia Officinalis, originated in the Mediterrenean basin, like most of our culinary herbs, but it is hardy enough to grow almost all over the world, both wild and as a garden plant.  It has been valued for its medicinal properties since ancient times, and indeed its Latin name derives from the same root as ‘salvation’, since sage was considered able to save people from illness and death.  It was also called ‘Herba Sacra’ – sacred herb – by the Romans.   AND it will save you when you have nothing in the house other than tortellini (or pasta, gnocchi… you get the picture)  Melt butter in a sauté pan, add a handful of, you’ve guessed, SAGE leaves then toss in your favorite tortellini and serve them sprinkled with Parmiggiano if you are in Italy or any other hard  local cheese and a seasonal salad.  Buon Appetito!

So, bye for now, but don’t forget to tune in, send me your ideas and go on, be a devil, give your spade a work out. 

Esmeralda

Please email me at: esmeralda.newplot@gmail.com

Sites to check: www.goingcarbonneutral.ca