I have this herb garden. This is my first attempt at growing anything in the south. So far my tomatoes have been attacked with some squiggly worm in the leaf and my basil has broken out with brown spots looking like a bad case of acne. My oregano and sage are doing great, but I think the thyme wishes it wasn't so humid down here. My mother-in-law and I scouted out some bright, colorful pots at this place called Old Time Pottery, this humongous warehouse along the lines of a Bed, Bath and Beyond but with steal prices. I love finds like that. Pinching pennies is my forte. I've attempted to solve the plant misdemeanors by spraying on them a mixture of milk and water. I read that it kills any fungus. I assumed my herbs would be somewhat protected by the screened in patio, keeping out any evil doers. But Florida is prone to any bugs, pests, fungi, diseases, etc, and ain't no screen is going to keep them out. If you've ever seen a cockroach scurrying down the sidewalk, you know what I'm talking about. They are not discreet.
My first attempt at keeping herbs alive was not a success. Several years ago, I had a window basil plant that I impulsively bought at Trader Joes. I had visions of this grand plant producing more basil then I would know what to do with. I would have basil on my sandwiches, sprinkle basil slivers on my salads, bruchetta with basil, mozzarella and tomato, it would be lovely. I was so concerned that I wasn't watering my basil plant enough. I would forget for a few days, so I would drown it to make up for lost time. Come to find out, you can over-water a plant. As the plant wilted, I watered more. I didn't understand - why are you dying? Do you need more water? And so came the end of the life of my window basil plant. All of you Northwesterners, please take advantage of any yard space that you have. Herbs grow like weeds up there. We had a spearmint plant when I growing up and my dad finally had to chop it down because it was trying to take over our Japanese Maple tree. My aunt Leanne has a rosemary bush that you could mistake for a tree. My oregano, sage and thyme flourished, I was cooking out of the garden every day. I am not foreseeing that in the imminent future of their Floridian cousins.
My latest science project is an avocado tree. I bought a Florida avocado at the grocery store a few weeks ago. When I opened the avocado, the seed had already split on the inside was the startings of a root. I peeled off the brown protective cover, pricked it with four toothpicks and placed it in a small glass of water. It has since outgrown the small glass, so I have moved it to a bigger glass. I wasn't quite sure what to do with my avocado seed after the roots started growing. Check out the stem growing out of the top! Doing some research, I am supposed to wait until the green sprouts leaves and then place it in a pot with fertilized soil, leaving the top 1/4 of the seed exposed. I have become anxious about my avocado seedling. This is a delicate stage and my thumb isn't even a pale shade of green at this point. I'll keep you posted.
On the topic of avocados, I have a great recipe for you today. Yesterday, Dave and I decided to splurge with a Saturday night out on the town. I had a craving for sushi, a very infrequent luxury on our food circuit. To save some money, I decided to make an appetizer for us at the house. We would have a glass of wine and an appetite wetter prior to dinner, hoping we wouldn't order as much as usual, saving a few dollars. After all my talk of avocados yesterday, they were on my radar. The avocado gods were shining on me as I went to Publix and found a perfectly ripe Hass among a large stack of green rocks. This recipe works fabulously in place of a side salad or as an appetizer at a dinner party. You could even chop them up and serve them on little spoons if you wanted to get fancy. I always begged my mom to make these, one of her specialties. They are so simple and oh so scrum-diddly-umptious. Again, I had to re-work my chicken scratched recipe out of my notebook and actually do some measurements.
Avocado Bacon Boats
serves 2
1 Hass avocado
4 slices bacon
1 tomato, diced
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp Italian salad dressing
iceberg lettuce
salt and pepper
Cook bacon over medium heat in frying pan - I like my bacon crispy, it's easier to chop that way and I find the salt intensifies. Remove bacon from pan and place on paper towels to absorb the grease. When bacon cools, chop coarsely.
Meanwhile, slice avocado lengthwise and gently pull apart. Remove seed and carefully peel away skin, trying to keep the shape. If the avocado is ripe, this will prove difficult -and messy. Lay pieces of lettuce on a plate, set avocado on top of lettuce with the bowl shape facing up. In a medium bowl mix together bacon, tomato, mayo, Italian dressing, salt and pepper. Spoon tomato mixture on top of avocado.
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