You may giggle at my hopes of becoming sustainable in my little 400 sq ft backyard. While I know I will not raise chickens or wheat, I'm doing the best I can. I have a list of favorite meals that have come from my backyard, including herb roasted potatoes and rabbit. 16 different fruits, vegetables and herbs have been collected in the first year I've been at my apartment and brought inside to be prepared for food.
I believe that nothing compares to the freshness of the produce that comes out of the garden and is eaten raw. I've had people look at me cross for eating zucchini raw. I simply can not help it. I will eat (almost) anything straight from picking. Peas and strawberries are my absolute favorite garden snacks and rarely make it inside. It's not exactly an easy task making an entire meal from the garden, but almost every gardener can do this one.
The garden salad
Oh, don't glaze over this menu side item. Those pathetic things aren't from your garden. The combinations are truly endless with the variable options from your yard.
Some that I've used in mine homegrown salads include:
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Peas
- Pea Tendrils
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Carrot tops
- Tangerines
- Watermelon
- Tomatoes
- And so so many more...
Mint watermelon, Tomato Caprese, Strawberry and spinach are some of the salads I'm looking forward to making this upcoming spring/summer. Get creative gardeners have access to edible produce that can not be bought in stores. Pea tendrils, carrot tops, Nasturtium flowers, which have a nice spicy kick etc. Not all salads require a leafy base; for example a tex-mex salad.
Currently I'm making salads with lettuce, spinach, carrot thinnings, pea tendrils and tangerines. I love the juicy taste of the tangerine with the carroty taste of the thinnings. I plan to grow microgreens with carrot seeds so i can eat the tops year round. I usually add balsamic vinegar and olive oil as a dressing.
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