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First Harvest 2009 - Home Garden
July 8th 2009
Ever since we moved from Queens to the Hudson Valley I wanted a garden of my own.
The first two years I attempted a potted garden with little results. Last summer I
mentioned to my wife’s grandfather that the lack of a rototiler was the only thing holding
me back. He gave me a nudge and proudly commented that he had created his garden
without the aid of any power tools. It was that comment that got my ass in gear to finally
create the garden I had been dreaming of. With her grandfathers comments floating
through my head I carved the garden out of our yard with nothing more than a shovel
and a rake. There was an element of pride of doing the job by hand, plus I had to try and
keep up with her grandfather.
In early march I started several seedlings indoors and then later in April received a few
small plates from my mother. By May the first plants were placed into the garden not
knowing what to expect. June has been uncharacteristically rainy. It seems that every
day a thunder storm passes through the Hudson Valley. The rain has made watering
much easier but too much rain can also be a problem. My garden has responded
extremely well. The tomatoes have outgrown the cages and I have at least 10 or 15
tomatoes growing on the vines. The cucumber plants are climbing and I’m close to my
first pickle sized cucumber. The eggplant seems to be taking its time but has grown nicely
and the herbs are doing fine. The squash plants have surpassed my expectations already.
I think all the water has literally caused them to explode. I’ve already been able to
harvest several squash blossoms, which are great fried.
Today was a proud day, I harvested my first full size vegetable from the garden. The
exploding squash plant produced a very nice yellow summer squash. There is a lot of
pride that comes from growing your own vegetables. Also as a cook I think it’s a valuable
experience to know how much goes into growing quality produce. I have gained a lot more
respect for the ingredients as a result of preparing my own garden. In celebration of my
first modest harvest I prepared a simple meal of grilled filet mignon with sautéed shiitake
mushrooms and the summer squash from the garden. With fresh from the garden
vegetables I like to keep the preparation as simple as possible so you can taste the purity of
the ingredient.
I started a fire using natural wood charcoal. It burns incredibly hot and you don’t have to
worry about chemicals or God forbid lighter fluid. A little salt and pepper was all I used to
season the steak. The mushrooms and squash were sautéed separately in a little butter,
again with salt and pepper. The hot coals really developed a nice crust on the steak and I
cooked it to a medium rare. I finished off the mushrooms and squash with some fresh
parsley also from the garden.
Making this dinner really was a great joy. I’m still amazed that planting a seed in a tray
can result in a great meal only a few months from the start. Based on this experience I
have a feeling the garden is going to provide many memorable meals this summer.
July 8th 2009
Ever since we moved from Queens to the Hudson Valley I wanted a garden of my own.
The first two years I attempted a potted garden with little results. Last summer I
mentioned to my wife’s grandfather that the lack of a rototiler was the only thing holding
me back. He gave me a nudge and proudly commented that he had created his garden
without the aid of any power tools. It was that comment that got my ass in gear to finally
create the garden I had been dreaming of. With her grandfathers comments floating
through my head I carved the garden out of our yard with nothing more than a shovel
and a rake. There was an element of pride of doing the job by hand, plus I had to try and
keep up with her grandfather.
In early march I started several seedlings indoors and then later in April received a few
small plates from my mother. By May the first plants were placed into the garden not
knowing what to expect. June has been uncharacteristically rainy. It seems that every
day a thunder storm passes through the Hudson Valley. The rain has made watering
much easier but too much rain can also be a problem. My garden has responded
extremely well. The tomatoes have outgrown the cages and I have at least 10 or 15
tomatoes growing on the vines. The cucumber plants are climbing and I’m close to my
first pickle sized cucumber. The eggplant seems to be taking its time but has grown nicely
and the herbs are doing fine. The squash plants have surpassed my expectations already.
I think all the water has literally caused them to explode. I’ve already been able to
harvest several squash blossoms, which are great fried.
Today was a proud day, I harvested my first full size vegetable from the garden. The
exploding squash plant produced a very nice yellow summer squash. There is a lot of
pride that comes from growing your own vegetables. Also as a cook I think it’s a valuable
experience to know how much goes into growing quality produce. I have gained a lot more
respect for the ingredients as a result of preparing my own garden. In celebration of my
first modest harvest I prepared a simple meal of grilled filet mignon with sautéed shiitake
mushrooms and the summer squash from the garden. With fresh from the garden
vegetables I like to keep the preparation as simple as possible so you can taste the purity of
the ingredient.
I started a fire using natural wood charcoal. It burns incredibly hot and you don’t have to
worry about chemicals or God forbid lighter fluid. A little salt and pepper was all I used to
season the steak. The mushrooms and squash were sautéed separately in a little butter,
again with salt and pepper. The hot coals really developed a nice crust on the steak and I
cooked it to a medium rare. I finished off the mushrooms and squash with some fresh
parsley also from the garden.
Making this dinner really was a great joy. I’m still amazed that planting a seed in a tray
can result in a great meal only a few months from the start. Based on this experience I
have a feeling the garden is going to provide many memorable meals this summer.
Hudson Valley Food Blog
