By Lisa Golden Schroeder

As the summer heat finally wanes, our gardens are bursting with more cherry tomatoes, hot chiles and zucchini than we know what to do with! My band of schoolyard gardeners teamed up with our community gardeners for a first-ever potluck supper. The picnic tables were brimming with lavish offerings of briny pickles, creamy potato salad (made from multi-colored potatoes), and plates of insalata caprese, that classic Italian salad of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, super-ripe tomatoes and basil leaves the size of lettuce! I made a huge bowl of the Garlic Chicken & Toasted Couscous Salad that we sampled at the 2010 Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience. It’s basically a fancy pasta salad filled with tender nuggets of Just BARE® Chicken boneless thigh meat. The Just BARE® brand support of the children’s garden this summer allowed us to introduce the kids to much more than we would have been able to do on our own, and bringing all the gardeners together, both young and more experienced, was a delight.

Nearly 60 community members gathered to share our garden bounty and to just visit with one another. It was a scorchingly hot evening, but that didn’t keep the smaller party-goers from heading over to the playground after eating—swinging and sliding as the grown-ups sipped lemonade and swapped stories about tomato varietals. I was really worried that the heat would keep people away to take refuge in air conditioning, but it seems that the lure of sharing the extravagant outcome of our summer nurturing was much stronger. Anyway, we’ve all been weeding and watering no matter the weather—so an hour or two outside wouldn’t hurt us! I think that this will be just the first of many years of community comradery—there’s talk of expanding the gardens, and one of the children’s gardens is being redesigned for formal teaching, thanks to our corporate underwriting.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I was inspired this weekend by a lovely Hmong farmer who makes the rounds of the local farmers markets with her gorgeous produce. Baby bok choy, Asian cabbages, slender Chinese eggplant, fat cucumbers, incendiary chiles, spicy radishes, and all nature of pungent herbs—peppery Thai basil, amazing bunches of lacy cilantro, a fragrant array of mints. Her table sat next to mine, where the children’s garden kids were selling their herbal vinegars. So we chatted about the growing season and how she cooks with her own harvest.

Because she’s a working mom, her kitchen repertoire relies on as little real cooking as possible this busy time of year.  And as the mercury has cleared 90˚F this past week—and the steamy weather promises to continue into this one—I’m all about avoiding the heat of the oven or stove.  Turning to the grill is easy, but so are quick marinated chicken thighs sautéed in a hot skillet. I’ve found that my kids will eat lots of tender fresh greens if they’re wrapped around a savory chicken filling, topped with crunchy raw veggies and toasted nuts. So here’s my take on refreshing lettuce-wrapped chicken, the answer to a “dog’s day in August” evening. Put out a platter of lettuce leaves, herbs, sprouts and carrots, along with a bowl of toasted nuts to sprinkle in. A little dab of additional condiments, like more chili garlic or Sriracha sauce, or even some sweet hoisin or toasted sesame seed would allow everyone to customize their wraps.

Lettuce-Wrapped Asian Chicken

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons toasted dark sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

1 package (20 ounces) Just BARE® Hand-Trimmed Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

8 large leaves butter or Boston lettuce

1 cup mixed fresh mint and basil leaves

1/2  cup bean sprouts, rinsed

1/2  cup shredded carrot

1/3 cup toasted chopped cashews

1 large lime, cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS
•    Mix oils, vinegar, tamari, ginger, and chili garlic sauce in medium bowl; reserve 1/4 cup to use as a dipping sauce. Add chicken, turning to coat with marinade (or place marinade and chicken in large resealable plastic bag). Refrigerate at least one hour.

•    Heat grill to medium-high heat or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; place on hot grill. Or sauté in hot skillet with 1 tablespoon of marinade (discard the rest). Cook about 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear, turning once.

•    Chop chicken; serve wrapped in lettuce leaves, garnished with herbs, sprouts, carrot, nuts, reserved dipping sauce and a squeeze of lime.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

Our little band of novice gardeners stepped into the garden lab last week. They received an exciting invitation to have their own table at the new Mahtomedi Farmers Market in early August. But what should they sell? Our harvest to date has been a horde of beetles that love our cabbage and kohlrabi leaves (which the younger children fearlessly pick off the plants), a burst of colorful cherry tomatoes, a gorgeous handful of miniature sweet bell peppers, and the always reliable tangle of herbs—from peppermint and chocolate mint to tarragon, oregano and lavender. Oh, and a nice smattering of tiny hot Thai chile peppers, some still green while others have ripened to a cherry red.

So in my mind, the most logical “value added” product that the kids can produce is flavored vinegar—easy for small hands to make and bottle. Last week we snipped long stems of herbs to steep in huge jugs of distilled vinegar (nothing gourmet here!), along with plump cloves of fresh market garlic. We’ll stuff the herbs into the jugs and let them brew for the coming week. Meanwhile, the kids created their artistic magic, making labels for the vinegar bottles. Along with making a large banner to attach to their table—and we’ve got a dozen responsible 8 to 12-year-olds, who will man the booth in shifts. We’ve decided to donate all the profits to the Mahtomedi Food Shelf, a nice circle of community activity.

This week, the day before the market, we’ll harvest some more “beauty” sprigs of herbs and edible flowers, the hot chiles and fresh cloves of garlic. The kids will slip some decorative bits into each bottle, then we’ll decant the flavored vinegar into each one. The whimsical labels will be stuck on, hopefully straight, and we’ll be ready to head out for their first retail experience. I think I may need to be available to help make change!

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

My garden kids learned a hard lesson over the July 4th holiday break. They had proudly planted 10 large container gardens just outside their summer classroom a week prior to the long weekend. We had volunteers slated to drop over to give the plants a drink if it stayed hot and dry, but since it was a bit stormy, everyone decided not to worry about the garden since we got enough rain. So upon the return to school, a very rude surprise was waiting. A vandal (or two, we don’t know) decided that the containers were ripe for destruction. They tore the plants that were heavy with green cherry tomatoes and chiles apart and broke the stakes holding them up—a project that the children had just completed.

The sad faces that surrounded the smashed pots slowly became irate. Who would do this to OUR garden? Their teachers and those of us working with the gardens talked with them about respecting other’s work and property—and a palpable sense of ownership was established in spades. The kids even came up with a solution that seems to be working—they carefully replanted the vandalized containers (several parents came to the rescue, donating plants and additional pots) and moved them to an inner courtyard at the school. So now they have their own secret garden that they can tend and harvest as the summer wanes.

On Friday I spent time with the younger children, who are at the location that shares our community garden. They took a tour of the gorgeous squash blossoms blooming outside, with baby zucchini at their ends. Then tasted a zucchini chocolate spice bread I baked—the stuff of summer dreams! Then I scooted over to the older children, who helped me cut herbs from their secret garden. We escaped into the cooler school kitchen, where we whirled up a big batch of herb pesto (augmented by some spicy Thai basil from the farmers market). We mixed the herbal sauce with some freshly squeezed lemon juice, then tossed it into a huge bowl of pearl couscous, local cherry tomatoes, and chopped sugar snap peas. Not everyone was a fan, but another batch of zucchini bread sealed the garden meal deal!

This fragrant herbal pesto can easily be varied, depending on the herbs you have in your garden or on hand. I love to use it mixed into mayonnaise for grilled chicken sandwiches, tossed with whole grain penne pasta and chunks of sautéed chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs—and whatever fresh veggies are the star of the week at the farmers market. Double or triple the recipe if you’re overrun with herbs—and freeze pesto “ice cubes” to use in the dead of winter in a warming chicken noodle soup.

WILDWOOD HERB PESTO

Makes about 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cups (lightly packed) torn fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup fresh tarragon or sage leaves

1/4 cup packed fresh Italian parsley leaves

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 cloves garlic, peeled, halved

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse (kosher or sea) salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine basil, nuts, cheese, parsley, tarragon and garlic in food processor or blender container. Process until herbs are finely chopped.

• Add oil; process until mixture is a coarse puree. Season with salt and pepper.

• Refrigerate with plastic wrap pressed onto surface (to prevent browning), or freeze in ice cube trays (once frozen, place in a small resealable plastic bag.)

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

My excitement about green stuff growing in my garden is unparalleled these days. I still can’t get over what is actually still living after the snow melts; the small spikes of limey-green stalks unfurling through the detritus of dead leaves is magical. I do have to shoo away the nibbling deer and woodchucks, but it doesn’t diminish my delight in all the garden goings-on. But one of my most favorite spring arrivals doesn’t even appear in my yard.

My friend Sue is an amazingly intuitive gardener, and her wild beds of edibles are a constant source of surprises for her friends. Each spring she’ll show up unexpectedly, bearing an armload of rhubarb stalks. “I’m over-run again” is the title of most of her offerings. Last year I froze bags of sliced rhubarb so I could make a buttery rhubarb quick bread my kids love. But this year I think I’m going to make a few pots of rhubarb chutney to serve with grilled chicken. If I get enough rhubarb I can freeze little containers of chutney to serve anytime.

I haven’t gotten the grill out yet (I know, why did I even put it away?), so for now I’m serving sweet-tart chutney over pan-sautéed chicken breasts or boneless thighs. I season the chicken with a fragrant blend of Indian-style spices—garam masala seasoning is heavy on cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cloves and nutmeg. If you can’t find a blend in the grocery, just mix up a version of your own. The flavors of those spices play beautifully with the rhubarb sauce, which not only tastes wonderful with chicken, but also has such a lovely spring pink color. Once you’ve got the grill out, you could season the chicken, cut it into strips and make kabobs. Then serve the spice-crusted meat with the chutney over a bed of whole-wheat couscous that’s tossed with green onions and garbanzo beans. Aren’t you glad spring is here?

PAN-SEARED CHICKEN WITH RHUBARB CHUTNEY

Makes 4 servings

The natural tartness of rhubarb is a great foil for a sweet-sour chutney sauce. It’s very quick to make for a weeknight supper and can be cooked up ahead if you like, when the first tender stalks of rhubarb are ready to be harvested. The garam masala seasoning called for here is like a curry powder, but it doesn’t have the ground turmeric in it that gives many curry blends their brilliant yellow color. Look for it with the ethnic herbs and spices.

INGREDIENTS

For the chutney

1 medium lime

2 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup apple juice

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1-1/2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot

1/3 cup golden raisins

For the chicken

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE™ Boneless, Skinless Chicken Fillets or 1 package (20 ounces) Just BARE™ Hand-trimmed Boneless Thighs

1 tablespoon garam masala blend

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

• To make chutney, grate the peel (zest) from the lime and squeeze the juice. Put into a medium saucepan.
• Add the rhubarb, brown sugar, apple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 15 minutes or until thick. Stir in raisins.
• Meanwhile, season both sides of chicken with garam masala and salt. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add chicken; sauté for about eight minutes, turning once, until golden brown and no longer pink in center.  (The cook time will be 15 to 18 minutes for thighs.)
• Serve chicken with warm chutney.