Dinner From Dirt

At our weekday activity, we talked about gardening and some fun ideas to help kids enjoy the chore of garden upkeep.  Get down! Get dirty!  Get dinner - from the ground!

PIZZA GARDEN

You already know that pizza is one of the easiest meals to eat, but it’s also one of the easiest meals to cook.  It’s fast, you don’t have to use a lot of pots and pans, and you can use almost any combination of ingredients you like.

Your pizza garden will take about three months to grow.  The tomatoes will take the longest.  So while you wait for your garden to grow, you can practice making pizza with store-bought ingredients.  That way, by the time your tomatoes are ready for picking, you’ll be an expert.

Things to grow:

Roma tomatoes

Green peppers

Sweet red peppers

Basil

Oregano

Can also grow these toppings:

Eggplant

Onion

Spinach

RECIPE:

Favorite pizza dough, prepared and rolled into prepared pan

Tomato or pizza sauce

Oregano

Basil

Cheese, grated

Tomatoes, sliced

Green and red peppers, cut into strips

Any other items of your choice (olives, pineapple, mushrooms, meat, spinach, eggplant, onion)

If you have a thin crust, add toppings before baking.  Bake 25 minutes or until cheese bubbles and starts to turn brown.  However, if you have a thick crust, hold off on the toppings.  Bake 20 minutes or until the crust bgins to brown.  Then remove from oven, cool just a little, and add your favorite toppings.  Return to oven until cheese bubbles and starts to turn brown.

STIR-FRY GARDEN

Things to Grow:

Green beans

Carrots

Sugar pod peas

Zucchini

Yellow summer squash

Broccoli

Onions

RECIPE:

Any meat or poultry

Green onions

Green beans

Sugar pod peas

Zucchini

Yellow Summer squash

¼ cup canola oil

Spy sauce

Gingerroot

Any other veggies you want

1 – Cut meat into bite-sized pieces.  Pour a little oil in the wok, then add meat and stir fry on high, turning so each side browns and the meat cooks through.  Remove meat from pan and set aside. 

2 – Meanwhile wash and trim the vegetables.  Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.  After meat has cooked, add a little more oil to the wok, just enough to keep the vegetables from sticking.  Place the longest-cooking vegetables in the wok first.  With each addition, cook and stir on high for about 1 minute.  Before adding the last two vegetables, grate some fresh gingerroot into the wok.

3 – Add soy sauce, stir, and let blend for 1 minute.  Add more sauce if needed.  Return meat to wok to reheat before serving.

SPAGHETTI GARDEN

Things to grow:

Roma tomatoes

Zucchini squash

Green peppers

Red peppers

Basil

Oregano

Garlic

RECIPE for Zippy Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce:

12 roma tomatoes

2 small zucchini

½ green pepper

1 red pepper

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

¼ cup fresh oregano

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

Store bought items (pasta, mushrooms, olives, etc)

1 – Wash all vegetables in cold water.  Cut and prepare for sauce.  Pull the leaves from the basil and oregano stems; mince.  Peel the garlic cloves, then mince or crush.

2 – To cook the sauce, place the garlic in the skillet along with 2 tbsp olive oil.  Cook until it browns just a little.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook and stir on medium high for about five minutes, until the peppers and zucchini soften a little.  Add salt to taste.

3 – While sauce is cooking, prepare pasta in another pan.  Serve warm.

STUFFED-SPUD GARDEN

Things to grow:

Potatoes

Chives

Broccoli

Optional things to buy:

Butter

Sour cream

Chili con carne

Bacon bits

Ham

Olives

Cheese

Salt and pepper

* To have some shoveled stuffed spuds this summer without heating your house, try baking potatoes on the grill.  Just wrap the potatoes in foil, set on a grill burning at medium high heat.  Will probably cook in about 45 minutes.

SALSA GARDEN

Things to grow:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Mild yellow chilies

Jalapeno peppers

Red peppers

Onions or red onions

Cilantro

Garlic

*There are many, many yummy salsa recipes.  Here is just one for Perky Pico de Gallo:

5 medium tomatoes, chopped

½ cucumber, chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 mild chilies, seeds removed, chopped

1/3 cup cilantro leaves, lightly chopped

1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Juice of one lime

1 tsp salt, or to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Stir.  Let sit 1 hour in refrigerator before serving.  Can serve with chips or as a topping on hamburgers.

SOUP GARDEN

Anything goes in soup.  Any vegetables, including bits of leftovers, will only enhance the flavor of a simmered soup supper.  The key to homemade soup is to have a tasty broth base, and that’s as easy as opening a jar or box and stirring some instant bouillon into the soup pot.

Things to grow:

Tomatoes

Carrots

Green beans

Potatoes

Chard

Onions

Corn

Zucchini

Yellow summer squash

Cabbage

RECIPE for Light Summer Vegetable Soup:

3 carrots, sliced

1 cup green beans, snapped into bite-sized pieces

4 medium potatoes, quartered and sliced

4-6 chard leaves, sliced into thin strips

1 small onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, cut in half and sliced

¾ cup corn kernels, freshly cut from 2 ears of corn

1 small yellow summer squash, cut in quarters and sliced

6 cups water

3 cubes instant chicken bouillon

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a medium pot.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring ever 10 minutes or so.  Taste the broth and adjust the seasonings to suit your taste by adding instant broth or salt and pepper.  Serve with French bread.