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| Pumpkins need pollination by bees |
There is something deeply satisfying when you grow your own
food. The joy and accomplishment of
tending to a plant from the time you see that tiny seed germinate until
harvesting is something you cannot purchase in the store. Not only do we benefit from the food we grow,
but so do the many native pollinators. We tend to think of flower gardens when
we think of attracting bees, butterflies and other pollinators to our yards,
but vegetable gardens also rely on having those native insects. Unlike those
popular home garden plants that are self-pollinating such as tomatoes and
peppers, plants in the cucurbit family need pollinating by bees. Cucumbers,
squash, pumpkins and zucchini are cucurbits and are easy to grow in our yards with
the right soil and sunshine.
Growing your own herbs is another great way to bring those
bees to your yard and flavor to your cooking! It’s easy to grow most common
herbs used in cooking, and growing them yourself is an exciting and
cost-effective wayto have your own home grown herbs year round. Oregano,
cumin, thyme, sage, chives, cilantro and others are herbs that rely on
pollination for propagation. It is usually suggested to pinch off the stems to
prevent flowering on these plants to create a bushier and tastier plant. If you
want to seed propagate you must let them flower and be pollinated. So why not
have a little of both by seeding one plant and growing another for drying to
use in cooking? Drying herbs is pretty simple. Most you can just hang inside
away from direct sunlight and then, when completely dried, you remove stems,
break up leaves and store in glass containers.
A fun way to get kids excited about gardening is to create a
themed garden. You can grow tomatoes, spaghetti squash, garlic, onion, peppers,
oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme and call it the Spaghetti Dinner garden.
Another great meal theme is chili peppers, jalapenos, cumin, oregano, and
cilantro to have a Green Chili Bowl garden. The cheese and tortillas may have
to come from the store however.
One of my favorite and very easy recipes to make is with my
home grown Roma tomatoes, jalapeños and cilantro is roasted tomato salsa.
Here’s my recipe:
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| Roasted Tomato Salsa |
· 10 – 12 Roma tomatoes cut in half
·
2 – 4 garlic cloves cut in halves
·
1 white onion cut into wedges
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1 jalapeño cut in half and membrane removed
·
1 t. cumin
·
Cilantro chopped
·
Salt to taste
·
1 – 2 T. olive oil
Preheat oven on broil.
Toss tomato, garlic, onion and jalapeno with olive oil. Lay
flat side down on baking sheet.
Roast in oven until dark brown and almost burnt. Let cool,
then throw in blender with cumin, salt and other preferred spices (I use a little
red chili powder). Last, mix in cilantro and lime if desired. One word of caution to wait until slightly
cooled so that your blender top doesn’t fly off and make a mess from the hot
contents! I speak from experience.
It also freezes well, so you can enjoy it for months to
come.
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| Herb Drying |
There are so many good things to make with our garden
vegetables and herbs, and there’s also that good feeling we get by knowing
while we enjoy that delicious meal we are also helping out pollinators!
For more information on herb gardening and other gardening
topics visit:
Pumpkin Plant Photo: N. Klasky
Roasted Tomato Salsa Photo: N. Klasky
Herb Drying Photo: web.extension.illinois.edu
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