Nadja Foods

Nadja's Garden Year Two!

Memorial Day Weekend marked the beginning of Nadja's Garden Year Two!  We spent the afternoon turning up the weeds and all the unidentifiable growth to prepare the soil.  Also this year, instead of the using Organic Miracle Grow, we were told that Peat and Shrimp Compost was all the rage among the local hobby farmers.  So I am excited to see what effect it has on the garden this year.

   Before                                                    After

     

Last year was the year of "learning" so needless to say, I was ready to take all those learnings and apply it to one great garden this year! 

The biggest thing I learned (the hard way) was the difference of sun exposure on each end of the garden.  The tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers were in the more shaded part but were given the same amount of water as the sunny side, which was home to the herbs and the root vegetables.  With the shade, the vegetables not only didn't get enough sun, we lost a few cucumbers and zucchini to rot, due to the dampness and the tomatoes were really late in maturation.  This year we flipped the garden so the tomatoes and sun loving vegetables are on the sunny side and moved the herbs and root vegetables to where there is less sun and this time I will keep a closer eye on the water distribution.  I am hoping this is the right solution!

Yellow zucchini growing strong!

As usual, the garden has been cause for excitement!  Not only do we have more herbs than we can handle but the rest of the garden is in full steam ahead.  The latest development has been the spotting of the zucchini!  It's a beautiful sight!

Chimichurri! Our new favorite dish from Nadja's Garden

This is a fun and easy recipe that celebrates fresh herbs!  And how wonderful they are when they come from your own garden or indoor plants.  Even if you do not have fresh herbs at home you can still enjoy this amazing dish by picking them up at the grocer.  You may love this recipe so much you may find yourself starting your own little herb garden at home to keep up with the cravings!

This is a traditional Argentinean recipe that comes in many versions but there is always one thing in common -the many bunches of herbs and a whole lot of garlic!  A visiting girlfriend just introduced this recipe to us this past weekend and we loved it so much we wanted to share it with you. 

Spread it on your meats or scoop your bread into it.  You will be delighted with Chimichurri. This recipe is also easy to customize so you can add or remove any of the herbs below and you will still be in Chimichurri bliss.  This recipe has changed the way we do dinner!

20 parsley leaves
12 cilantro leaves
10 basil leaves
10 rosemary leaves
10 oregano leaves
3 bunches dill
5 cloves garlic
1 cup olive oil

Take all herbs and mince until finely chopped (see photo below) and place in bowl.  Mince 5 gloves garlic and add to same bowl.  Add olive oil and mix thoroughly.  Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Serves many.  We would love to give you a more precise amount but with this delectable dish, what seems like a serving for 6 can be easily scarfed up between the 2 of you.  We have first hand experience at that one!  Enjoy!

First Sign of Tomatoes at Week 4!

This was a grand week in gardening!  In addition to this summer's first garden salad, also came the first sign of tomato life! 

I was carefully weeding among the tomato plants when all of a sudden I came across 3 little green tomatoes that were hiding in the thick green leaves.  Much like the sprouting of the first bean, this was a glorious moment in garden history for me. 

Garden at Week 4:

Our First Garden Salad

Last weekend we had our first salad from the garden.  It was by far the most gratifying salad I have ever made as I carefully selected each leaf.  I kept it simple to keep the focus "all about the garden" with a blend of the romaine, head lettuce, parsley and chives.  I then whisked together organic olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and that was it!  Salad kelt simple from our own backyard.

Nadja's Garden 3 Week Update!

What a difference a week can make!  Last week I was so excited to see the seedlings settling into their new home and the seeds starting to break through the soil.  It was an awesome sight even 2 weeks ago.  It's now been 3 weeks and Nadja's Garden has turned into a full fledged grow-athon!  Go Mother Nature Go!

The few yellow bean seedlings are now a full row of growing plants and the lettuce is filling in enough to be ready for our first garden-made salad next week. The tomato plants are reaching for the sky, the zucchini are sprawling out along the soil and the cucumber seeds have just sprouted and grown 2 inches, when 2 weeks ago they were still hiding under the soil!

Below are a few photos of "Week 2" versus "Week 3" of Nadja's Garden.

                   Week 2                                            Week 3

The Garden

    

The Yellow Beans

    

The Lettuce

    

Nadja’s Garden Two Week Update

 

Even after a night of potential frost this past week the garden is going strong. We have many more weeks (and in some cases months) till harvest but it is so exciting to watch the progress. The radishes are growing at top speed and over the last few days the yellow beans (pictured above) have pushed their way through the soil. It may be just a bean, but it was a glorious sight of Mother Nature at her best! The tomato, zucchini, bell pepper and cucumber seedlings are also doing great and thriving in their new home. 

Nadja's Garden Begins!

This past Memorial Day weekend was spent building Nadja's Garden. For 3 days we were planning, sawing, hammering, leveling, hauling, lifting, digging, tilling and planting until Nadja's Garden was complete.  Here is how we did it!

Day 1: Planning and Materials

Day 1 consisted of 4 major major elements:  1) the design and list of materials; 2) the wood and hardware; 3) a big pile of loam and 4) five bags of organic cow manure.  Once planning was complete and all materials were gathered, it was time to make dinner.  Tomorrow we build!

 

   

Day 2:  Building

After breakfast we spent the entire day building the box, hoisting and fastening it to the stilts, hauling the loam and tilling the soil until sundown.  

 

    

Day 3:  Planting...

This was the moment I was waiting for!  Strategically placing our seedlings and seeds which consisted of a nice blend of various tomatoes and types of lettuce, cucumbers, green and yellow zucchini, red peppers, yellow and green beans, beets, radish, fennel, carrots and 6 kinds of herbs.  The last time I planted my own garden I was 8 years old but it all came back to me after a dry run (or three) of laying everything out. 

 

...and Completion! 

Nadja's Garden is summer ready!  We will be following its progress all season... fingers crossed for a bountiful crop!

 

The Future Site of Nadja's Garden

Building gardens are all the rage right now and what a wonderful rage it is! 

Every year we grow an abundance of herbs and a sprinkling of vegetables in smaller plots around the house but this year we are anteing up.  We are building the full size garden I always wanted!   Our effort this summer is to live off the land... and the farmer's market as much as possible.

I love the design of this future garden because we will be building it above the ground on stilts so not to do damage to the natural land below and to keep the wild critters from eating our crop.  So after breakfast we are heading out for supplies and will be building building building by the afternoon!

All of our summer recipes will be inspired by what we grow here and will eventually lead up to a third cookbook.