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Our home came stocked
with mature citrus. Grapefruit,
Orange and Lemon trees adorned the yard to the west
of
our house. We added two Mexican Lime trees (Limones)
(just to be ready for "Corona Season") and a
Pomegranate.
We began planting some of our own herbs
about two years ago. As time went on, our herb
gardens
and our selection of plants grew. We now grow all
of our herbs
used in classes and in our own cooking. Last
Summer, fortified
by the successes of the herb gardens, we began
planting more
vegetables. First came some tomatoes and chiles. We
tried
the traditional (almost foolproof) Early Girls and
Anaheim (Hatch)
chiles. We also planted Jalapeno and Serrano
peppers, and bell
peppers. These all performed well and cruised
through the
hottest days. Of course there was a little
"suffering" and they
needed watering everyday. Sometimes twice! After
the monsoons
moved in, we planted lettuce, (Romaine and Red
leaf) several
varieties of onion and some garlic. Later we added
carrots,
and artichokes, Roma tomatoes and even became brave
enough to try parsley, and cilantro again! BTW,
they are doing
great. We have planted all these in what we like to
call
our "Pocket Gardens". The biggest is only about
15 feet long and four feet wide, while others
are maybe 5 feet by 6 or smaller! We grow:
Oregano, Tarragon, Sage, Mint, Mexican Oregano,
Sweet Marjoram, Basil, Chives, Lavender and
more.
The fun part is to mix in some varieties of
flowers!
Suddenly, your veggie garden becomes a beautiful
landscaped flower garden as well.
Over the next few weeks, as the plants become
available, we will be planting a half dozen
varieties
of heirloom tomatoes. A new *nursery
has begun providing
a wonderful selection of endangered strains of
which many
are historic breeds native to the Southwest. Our
reward for
what has been a minimal amount of actual work, has
been that we have not bought any herbs nor lettuce
nor scallions in months. Our students have been
treated to an abundance of fresh, organic produce
that
was grown within a few yards of the classroom and
had been picked an hour before we use it! We don't
need
to wonder where it came from and more importantly
how it was grown and handled! Bob and I would
like to urge you to try it. Even if it is only a
couple of
tomato plants in containers, you will be amazed at
the difference in the taste of your own "real"
veggies!
When shopping, we try to look for
other "code
words" such as naturally grown, etc. It is also
helpful to shop
when you can, at local farmer's markets. There you
will be able
to meet and talk to the actual grower. Join a CSA.
It hardly
matters where you live, you will be able to find
small
family owned farms and gardens that are eager to
share their
bounty! Of course, you're not going to drop
dead from eating
less than 100% organic food all the time.
But, given the (real) choice, you may want to
eat in as natural and wholesome way as you can.
The bottom line is this:
In the supermarkets etc, it isn't really
organic unless it says
100% ORGANIC. We call the rest of that stuff
"Organish"
bon appetit!
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P.S.
SPRING SALES HAPPENING
HERE!!
Remember we sell most of the tools and small
appliances
and those wonderful Messermeister knives we
use in class on our sister site;
www.Sharpknives.com
10
FABULOUS
NEW
BLOCK KNIFE SETS
ON SALE NOW!
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Mardi
Burden
shares
ownership of
Cuisine Classique School
of Good
Cooking
with her husband Bob.
Mardi loves to cook
and she brings her
professional expertise
from restaurant kitchens
and large catering events
to the lessons she
teaches
in her classes.
Mardi's
love of cooking,
and
her
knowledge of food
and
cooking is truly
exceptional and
she is always eager to
"share the love"!
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