Gardens that Grow
In a previous post, I mentioned the many thousand bits of goodness that can be found in eating food made FOR YOU completely, from hunger to concept realized. I cringed when I wrote this, knowing full well that all this begins way before hunger happens. But I didn’t want to mention it and find myself somewhere far away from my original thought… which happens to me, oh, all the time.
We’ve talked about getting produce from local farmers, now let’s talk about your own backyard. It may sound daunting if you’ve never started a little garden before, but let me assure you - this is one of the greatest, most peaceful ways to cultivate health in your body and mind. To choose from seed to nourish yourself. This is the truest form of self love, and it comes with a daily dose of Vitamin D.
Start with herbs. It’ll change the air. Rosemary, dill, basil, thyme, sage - aromatics that widen your breath, deepen the experience of your back porch, and create memories actually captured in thyme.
I’m pretty on-the-go, and haven’t really had a “home” for many years. It’s pretty great. But if I had a backyard steadily, there would also be parsley, cilantro, lavender, garlic, shallots, vidalia onions, red onions, and red & yellow bell peppers. I’d also probably just go ahead and try my hand at ginger. That would cover most of the things that I buy. I wish I could grow kosher salt. That would be the best thing for me.
These ingredients, in different arrangements, are my base for almost any meal. If these were all just outside, I might never leave home again. “Just come on over,” I’d say. “Hey, and will you bring a Butternut Squash? I’ve got everything else we need.” Oh man, I can’t wait.
Rosemary-Roasted Butternut Squash
stuffed with
Ground Sausage, Onions, and Peppers
finished with a
Sage Cream Sauce
Simple. So easy. And it’s a good thing I already had some cream in the fridge because I forgot to ask my imaginary friend for it. I try to always have cream in my fridge. So much can happen with a little heavy cream.
My grandmother, Norma Jean, always has fresh whipped cream ready to go - for your dessert, for your coffee, for your *so-why-wouldn’t-I* finger. I would like to be this kind of human someday. That’s true in so many millions of ways, actually. She’s a super awesome lady - one of my favorites ever!
Sometimes it’s tough to talk about gardens when there’s incredible women making whipped cream around! I’m back with my thought though now.
To choose
To cultivate
To plant
To grow
To hydrate
To protect
To check on
To shine on
Little seed
Little bud
Little flower
Little human
Health in body
Health in mind
Health in spirit
To choose
To cultivate
To plant
To grow
To hydrate
To protect
To check on
To shine on
Love in spirit
Love in mind
Love in body
Seeds
The seeds you start with make a big difference in the quality and taste of your food. It’s unlikely that your grocery store is selling Non-GMO seeds. And if you remember from my rant in Un-Certified, our aim, now that we’re all on the same page, is to support agricultural progress.
Funnily enough, that’s how my friends at Eden Bros. Seed Co. feel too. Their safe seed pledge finishes with my exact sentiment. “We wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems, and ultimately healthy people and communities."
Check out their heirloom seed varieties - you’ll find all that I mentioned above for my own imaginary garden, and I will be very happy to live vicariously through you on this one.
Want to know how to make that Stuffed Butternut from up above?
Go ahead and set your oven to 400 degrees F. Grab a sheet pan. Put some parchment paper on it. Cut that butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, and just set them off to the side. Brush a little olive oil on the flesh-side. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Place both halves on that sheet pan, skin-side up, and just throw a few sprigs of rosemary on the pan with it. You should probably take a look at it after 20 minutes to see how it feels, but it’ll probably take a little closer to 30 depending on its size.
You should probably know that I don’t really like times and amounts. It feels very exact to me, and I don’t really cook like that. Feels forced, and not at all as enjoyable. When it’s done, it’ll be soft enough to eat. You’ve got this.
Get a large frying pan, warm it up a little on med-high heat, and add your ground sausage. You can add a little salt & pepper to this if you’d like, but there tends to be a lot of good flavor in sausage already. Up to you. Then just move it around every once in a while until that looks cooked. You know what it’s supposed to look like. When it’s finished, remove the sausage from that pan. We’re going to use it again.
In a separate saucepot on medium heat, add heavy cream, a few sage leaves, a sprinkle of kosher salt, and black pepper. [How much? I don’t know… 2 cups? It depends on how much you want. It’s so good. Why wouldn’t you make enough to have a little left over? It’s going to reduce by half in our process - so just double the amount of sauce you’ll actually want.] You’ll want to have a soft spatula on hand for this, and also a wooden spoon. Stir with the spatula frequently, making sure to scrape the entirety of the sides and bottom of your pot each time you stir. When you walk away, place the wooden spoon over the top of the pot to keep it from boiling over. [If you haven’t heard about this trick yet, I encourage you to look it up. I’m a cook, not a scientist.]
Dice an onion and a bell pepper, one per whole butternut [or more, or less, or whatever you like really.] If you need it, watch Gordon Ramsey cut an onion here and a bell pepper here! I have no preferences on how big or small you cut these, but he might. Do what you feel is right. When your sausage pan is all clear, just keep it on the heat and sweat the onions and peppers in there until they glisten. Then toss those around with your sausage.
Your butternuts are probably finished. Remember, soft enough to eat.
When you’re ready to plate, just scoop some of that sausage mixture into the stuffable part of the butternut, and pour a little of that cream sauce over the top.
For variation: add goat cheese, apples, dried cranberries, orzo, any and all of this would make for a happy addition to this meal.
I almost forgot about those seeds we put off to the side. You have a couple options here.
1. Compost
2. Rinse all the pulp and strings off of the seeds, and pat ‘em dry with a paper towel. Then toss in a little oil and kosher salt, and roast at 275 degrees on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper for about 15-20 minutes, or until seeds are golden.
And now you know why I can’t write a cookbook. I’m not trying to get you to make my recipes, I want you to know how to make your recipes. Everything is open to interpretation, and I encourage you to ALWAYS play with your food.
This adorable fairy sparkle is a precious friend that I am unbelievably grateful to know.
It’s been stuck in my head since I said herbs. Yours too? Makes sense to me.
