Fresh Rainbow Salsa

Is your garden bursting with tomatoes? When it is the peak of the season I love to make Fresh Rainbow Salsa!

 Everyone knows when tomatoes are in season you just have to use them in the most basic of recipes for the full tomato flavor to shine. My idea, always, is to chop some of those delicious vine ripened beauties into salsa!

My way of making salsa is very simple. Look to see what ingredients you have lurking about, chop them up, add seasoning, then eat with lots of chips or on tostadas like we did for dinner.

Just start with some tomatoes, the fresher the tastier. Add some red onion, white onion, colorful peppers (also from the garden) hot or mild or mix them up , cilantro, salt, lime juice if you like. Lightly toss together and serve. Very fresh & very good!

Enjoy with taco, nachos, or grilled fish or chicken, too!

What is your favorite way to use up tomatoes from the garden? You know mine, now let's here from you!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

On our first day of gardening classes I served veggies with my homemade ranch dressing. I got lots of great feedback on it that I wanted to share it with all of you!

I start by heading out to the garden to pick the herbs. Parsley, dill, and green onions. I also grab a bit of garlic hanging in the window.

You can also pick them up at the farmers market or grocery store it will still taste just as good!

 I then bring out the bowl and toss in some mayonnaise, sour cream, and measure out the milk, adding some lemon juice to make it buttermilk. I do use full fat ingredients, but I am pretty sure you can substitute low, non, or vegan ingredients and get similar taste results (I have not tried any of those, but experiment and if it turns out well let me know).

To the mayo and sour cream I add the finely chopped herbs and garlic, stir in some salt and pepper to taste, then pour in the milk add a couple more bits and stir to combine. 

SO good and so easy, give it a try and you will never ever go back to the bottled stuff again, I guarantee.

Recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup buttermilk (I substitute 1/2 cup milk plus 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbs chopped green onion

2 Tbs chopped parsley

1 Tbs chopped fresh dill (I add 2 Tbs because nothing beats the taste of fresh dill in the summer)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, let sit one hour so the flavors can develop, then serve with your favorite dippers or salad.

Learning About Flowers

On Tuesday I hosted our Beneficial Flowers class. I had so much fun preparing for it, I finally put my art skills to use!

I am pretty frugal when it comes to teaching supplies (more time than money) so I grabbed a few sheets of poster board at the Dollar Tree and drew a picture of a flower.

 Here it is all colored and pretty. It was fun having the kids label all the parts of a flower as I described how each part worked.

 I ended up hosting the class out in the backyard surrounded by our gardens and chickens. It was a nice over cast day so the temps stayed rather cool.

 We took a flower  walk through the main garden and around the back to identify flowers and see bees hard at work pollinating flowers.

 When we were finished it was time for our craft. The kids planted a beneficial flower for them to take home. They had a choice of sunflower, borage, or Dukat dill. They also got to taste some bee pollen that I picked up from the Bordain's at the farmers market. 

I also laid out a few books that were about seeds and plants that the kids could look through.

It was a fun time for all! I can't wait until next Tuesday for the compost class. I just love compost!

If you would like to join us for our garden classes on Tuesday, please email me 

heathergc@yahoo.com.