garden-fresh bruschetta, a healthy alternative to pizza

bruschettaBruschetta is one of those comfort foods that is simple to make, healthy and oh so tasty. Historically, bruschetta is just grilled bread flavored with garlic and olive oil with a pinch of salt. Regional and modern variations add toppings. Like any recipe, the better your ingredients the better your result. And what better ingredients than fresh produce directly from your own garden or local farm stand.

The pictured bruschetta at left modifies the basic recipe by adding blanched kale and black olives. Later this week, when we harvest our first eggplant, we will saute thin slices in olive oil and garlic. Regardless of what topping you choose, the one common ingredient to all bruschetta, and the most important, is the bread. Use a hearty, crusty bread such as Trader Joe’s Tuscan Pane.

mediaOrganic’s Garden Fresch Bruschetta

ingredients

slices of your favorite hearty bread
garden fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
onion, diced
fresh basil, chopped
salt
olive oil
garlic clove, whole
grated parmagiano reggiano
a hot grill, stovetop grill pan or panini press

To make the topping mix the tomato, onion, basil, salt and olive oil together in a bowl and let sit while you prepare the bread. Lightly brush the bread slices on both sides with olive oil and grill until nicely toasted with grill marks on both sides. Rub the garlic clove on one side of each toast slice. Top with your tomato mixture and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

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eggplants

eggplants are coming along nicelyOne of the great things about gardening is that you are constantly tempted to try growing new things in addition to your old standbys and favorites. Up until a few years ago, for us eggplant was something that was usually deep fried as a pizza topping or found in parmesan. On a whim we purchased some seedlings and by the end of that season we were hooked. We are always looking for new eggplant recipes but one of our favorite ways to use eggplant is in stir frys. It takes to oyster sauce quite well and adds a nice toothsome quality that serves as an adjunct to, or even replacement for, meat or tofu.

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Superphosphate, anyone? Anyone?

asparagus mid-JulyOur asparagus harvest this spring was very disappointing. It is our third year and everything we’ve read told us this would be the first year we would have a full harvest. We harvested some but many of the stalks were thin, not the fat succulent Jersey Giant stalks we had expected. I did a little research yesterday and discovered that we should have added superphosphate to the furrows when we planted the crowns to promote root growth. Frankly, I think our general problem is that we have not sufficiently amended the soil over the past few years. So far this year we have added organic nitrogen to promote top growth to support photosynthesis but now I’m on a mission to find superphosphate to strengthen the roots. Visits to Lowes and Home Depot resulted in nada. I really need to find a good, comprehensive garden center worthy of my hard-earned $$.

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cucumbers - where are the females?

lush cucumber plantsThey were planted late but the cucumbers are now growing like wildfire. There are four plants in this bed and I fear they will be taking over the garage soon. I have to keep moving them off the walkway because we keep stepping on them. The only problem is that I have lots of male blossoms but no females yet.

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About Us

mediaOrganic is located on 3/4 of an acre in Westwood, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, a community of about 15,000 residents outside of Boston. We are firmly ensconced in zone 6 with a lovely mix of microclimates that allows us grow a broad mix of plants.

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