Today, for Father's Day, I'm making my famous tea-smoked ribs, a relatively light potato salad and turnip greens, a menu suggested by my husband, by our pantry and by my fresh herb garden.
I've been working from home since February and cultivating a long-lost interest in gardening. Late last year, I set up my hydroponic
Aerogarden where no frost could get to it, in my kitchen. Three kinds of herbs began to sprout under the artificial lights, but basil gradually overshadowed. To give some perspective, my daughter, Nicolette, posed with the plants after about six weeks in the Aerogarden:
When this photo was taken, we had already nipped leaves several times to use in recipes. I've never had anything so vigorous come up from seed. I love this plant!
I waited until all danger from frost had passed (we had a very moderate winter here in the Daytona Beach, Fla., area, but still lost a hibiscus and a couple of other flowering plants). Then I transplanted this guy to a pot on the porch. it was a little tricky to break open the Aerogarden "pods" and spread out the roots. It took less than a week for the basil to begin looking like its old self. Then I planted it in full sun in the rock garden at the front of our house. it has now become a full-blown shrub with pretty little white flowers that taste good, too. Here's how it looked a few weeks ago:
We've had so many salads caprese, made so much red sauce and Thai and Vietnamese food from this plant, I can't believe it. It likes haircuts.
I'm going to do the same routine with my Aerogarden next year. It's really foolproof.