More Garden Goodies: Purple Podded Pole Bean & Tomato Salad

The best thing about Purple Podded Pole Beans (say that three times fast!) is that they are  purple!

From a home-gardener's point of view, they are generous producers throughout the Summer. The plants can grow six to seven feet, and the beans are six to seven inches long.

Did I mention that they are magical? 

When blanched, steamed, or boiled they turn green.

I love them raw and since we barbecue  often, I am always experimenting with new salad recipes.

*You can use green beans with the following recipe.

Beans & Cherry Tomato Salad

2 lbs. fresh purple (or green) beans
2 Cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/4 plus 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 TBS tarragon
sea salt 
ground black pepper
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Add  beans to a pot of boiling water for 4 - 5 minutes
Drain and  immediately rinse  beans under cold water;
pat the green beans dry.

In a large bowl, whisk the mustard and vinegar, then add the olive oil and  whisk together.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add the green beans, thyme and tarragon and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes, toss gently and serve.

The Angels Are Bowling

Yes it is August on Long Island! In the wee hours of the morning, I woke up to the  explosive crack of  thunder and flash of lightning, or thunder boomers as my Dad called them.

 I don't mind thunderstorms in the daytime. I enjoy watching lightning  from the safety of my house and especially over the water but as for the night...not so much!


I realize my fear stems from the fact lightning struck our house  when I was a child. Thankfully no one was injured and our house escaped serious damage, but I remember the sound of lightning hitting the metal fan vent on the side of our house.

I can honestly say having children alleviated much of my angst and put everything into perspective. As a Mom I did not want to alarm them during severe thunderstorms. I shared childhood memories such as my Dad's nickname for thunderstorms and a story my Mom told my sisters and I during a wicked storm.

 I suppose we asked her why it thundered. She responded that when she was a little girl her Mom told her that the angels were bowling. Whenever there was a loud burst of thunder, a lucky angel had knocked all the pins down. I had this vivid image of beautiful Angels,standing on puffy clouds bowling, and yes they were wearing bowling shoes!

So, the next time you are awakened by a  booming  thunderstorm, instead of being annoyed, just remember the angels are bowling.

From My Garden: Tomatoes, Basil and Garbanzo Salad

Kudos to my husband and son for planting such a marvelous organic garden once again this year!
Two types of tomatoes, purple Pole Beans, Cucumbers,  Eggplant, two varieties of zucchini squash and basil and parsley galore!

The weather certainly played a part in the production of  such a  bountiful, delicious crop of goodies!
We still have an  incredible amount of tomatoes growing, and it is mid-August.

We have grilled, baked, stuffed them and eaten them raw. I can only imagine how many I have devoured as I pick them right off the vine.

I have been experimenting and looking at recipes for inspiration. Here is one I saw online and tweaked a bit.

* One 13 oz. can of organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 
* @ 12 - 15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
* 3 large cloves of  organic garlic, finely minced
* @ 20 basil leaves chopped up
*2 TBS virgin olive oil
* 1 TBS organic apple cider vinegar
* 1 TBS red wine vinegar
* 1 TBS honey
* 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Place the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, and basil in a big bowl. Mix the liquid ingredients in a small bowl, pour over the beans and tomatoes and gently stir. Cover and  refrigerate for at least an hour.

Garden Tomato Basil Salad With Garbanzo Beans

Minty Fresh!

Aaaah,Wild  Mint! When I was a child growing up on MacArthur Road, it grew  in our yard and in the woods behind our house.  Our Mom would pick the leaves and toss them into salads, and add them to her  glass of iced tea.  We on the other hand, would rip off a leaf, sniff it, chew on it, and spit it out onto the ground. Gross, I know, but we were little kids and little kids do that sort of thing!    A couple of months ago, my husband and son returned from a local nursery with organic soil in preparation for the vegetables that were to be planted in  late  May. They also  had purchased a small plant that I  did not recognize.  "What is that, Justin?," I asked. "Smell it, Mom," he said. It smelled like mint but not the type I was accustomed to from way back when. He told me it was Grapefruit Mint. I was aware  there are many varieties of mint, in fact my friend Christine has an assortment of mint plants  in her yard.  Of course I immediately went to my laptop to Google information on this particular mint. Grapefruit Mint  (Menta x piperata citrata) Does well in sun and/or partial shade     Suitable for growing in containers  Attracts  birds,  bees, and  butterflies.  Height of 18" - 24" Flowers bloom late summer/early autumn Flowers are light blue to blue-violet in color and fragrant.  A hardy perennial Can be used dried or fresh  Use in Summer drinks and  fruit salads  I remember making sun tea years ago when my kids were little.Have you ever made sun tea? It is quite easy! All you need is a glass pitcher or jar. Add water, drop tea bags in, cover to keep the insects and other critters out and set in the  hot sun for hours...Let cool, add ice cubes...Presto, there is your sun tea! The other day I decided to test out out the grapefruit mint leaves. I randomly picked off  a few leaves, and  rinsed them off. I placed them in a glass Pyrex measuring cup and filled it with water. I set the measuring cup out on the deck and just let it do it's thing, soaking up the sun. A few hours later, I went outside to check on my concoction. The leaves had sunk to the bottom and the water had evaporated a bit. I removed half of the leaves and poured the rest of the liquid into a drinking glass and set it in the refrigerator for about an hour. I added ice cubes, gave the water a quick stir and offered the glass to Justin. The response I received was a positive one. Even without sugar it was absolutely delicious and refreshing! We are supposed to get a few days of rain, so it looks like I will  be trading the heat of the sun  for boiling water on the stove, and make a pitcher of Grapefruit Mint Tea for the family to enjoy.  :)

Airing Out the Laundry

When I was growing up in the burbs of Massachusetts, it was a common sight to see metal swing sets in the back yard.  I know we had one and spent hours playing on it, pumping our little legs in hopes of reaching the sky. Our Mom would hand us sheets of waxed paper for the metal slide. We would vigorously rub the metal till we deemed it slippery, taking turns running up the steps and speeding to the ground, sometimes landing on our bottom!

I also recall a grey aluminum monstrosity that resembled a tree in some of the yards on our street. It was an outdoor dryer used for hanging wet laundry. We did not have one in our backyard for my mother thought they were quite an eyesore. In fact she said they were downright ugly. I did not see what the big deal was because they were a source of amusement for us because you could spin them around and around...

Years later when I mentioned the old-fashioned dryer contraption to my husband, he had no idea what I was talking about. He grew up in Brooklyn, and lived in an apartment. His mother would hang laundry out to dry on a clothesline  attached to a pole in the backyard to  the next building. 
I grew up with a washer and dryer in my house until I moved to an apartment in Queens, New York. I had the not so pleasant experience of going to laundromats.  When we moved out to Long Island, it was a joy to have a laundry room of my own!  

 A couple of years ago Tom had an idea. Why not string up a nylon laundry rope from tree to tree in the backyard where the kids swing set used to be? I agreed because it was not in plain view since it was in the corner of the backyard. Besides conserving energy for the environment , we would be saving money from the evil  bloodsucking Long Island Lighting Co.( LILCO)during the warmer months.  Oh, and  what a treat it is to gather  fresh laundry dried by the sun and wind from a clothesline in my backyard.

It seems everything came full circle, right down to getting our kids a traditional metal swing set similar to the one I played on as a kid in the backyard.  We purchased a swing set when Marissa was two. Here is a photo of  five year old Marissa, and Justin, age two having a grand ole time before dinnertime.

Of course Justin wanted to be just like his big sister and loved the slide.I got such a kick out of it because it brought back great childhood memories of my own.

Even though wooden swing sets were becoming popular, we decided to take the metal one with us when we moved to a larger home five miles away.  The kids continued playing on the swing set during every season, running out back even when there was snow on the ground. 

Taking a break from swimming in the pool, and playing on the glider...

So many old-fashioned traditions from  the late 1960's are considered retro today, but I see many as common sense, and unlike my Mom, I will continue to air out the laundry in a corner of the yard where our kids once played.  ;)

Walk This Way

Hooray for real spring like weather!. Usually we jump from Winter smack right into Summer, but thankfully most of  Long Island has been fortunate with many lovely spring days. The temperatures have been warm to cool, the breezes have been absolutely refreshing I was pleasantly surprised when the azaleas bloomed in my yard. It just got better and better seeing everything turning green again.

                                                         

 Sure we had a few days of rain, but April showers bring May flowers...and what do May flowers bring besides more rain here and there? Me wearing my sneakers and  taking long walks with friends. It is a totally economical form of exercise.

Aaaaah, walking... No gym membership needed, just get on out into the neighborhood and go! The benefits of walking for me alleviate much stress accumulated from my day at work and things that may be on my mind in general, called LIFE. 

 Walking with buddies is psychologically uplifting and a great way to catch up on "stuff." A brisk walk of one hour flies on by when one is engaged in conversations and  taking in the sights with others.

You never know what critters you will encounter on an outdoor trek in town. Besides ducks, turtles, Cardinals, and Robins, I have seen some cute kitty cats and dogs in people's yards. That always puts a smile on my face.


We recently took a walk on the Nature Trail at Cedar Beach then  continued on the beach itself. For those of you unfamiliar with Long Island Sound, It is a mostly rocky beach so  unless it is low tide you are walking on small rocks rather than sand. Great for the thighs  and butt!

                                     
At the end of our walk we stumbled upon  something very special.
As you can see someone took great care in creating such a lovely  tribute. We wondered who made it and for whom. Stranger still, was a bouquet of flowers placed on the bench to the left of the heart. I wonder if the person that made the rock heart sat patiently with the bouqet of flowers in his or her lap waiting for their love. Did they ever show up? Or did they just forget their flowers? What do you think?

                                        
As I finish up  this blog, I am saddened that the weather man informed our area this spring weather has reached an end for now,  because tomorrow and  the next day will heat up with temps reaching 90!! I sure hope he is correct about next week's weather back down into the 70's because I would like to go walking and see what I can find on my journey! I wonder if that heart wll still be there...

Notes To Self

                                               

I have once again morphed into my mother. I   am not talking about the  classic mother-isms my sisters and I heard,  such as, "When I was your age and the dinosaurs were stomping around..." or better yet..."Wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident." :insert eye-roll:

Nope, I am talking about writing friendly little reminders to none other than...ahem... myself. You see, my husband and I have been joking around lately how we can not remember anything unless we write it down.

Which reminds me...

I can remember it all oh so very clearly...It is 1977. I am a Senior in High School.  My alarm clock  goes off at 6:30 a.m. I trudge into the bathroom and lo and behold, this seventeen year old self-absorbed teenager,finds annoying yellow post-its all over the bathroom mirror.
Honestly Mom, do you really need all of these post-it's all over the mirror? Now I only have a small square of mirror, ugh! It did not end there in the bathroom. Downstairs in the kitchen on the cabinets, on the counter tops, on the kitchen faucet for goodness sake! More post-its!

"Return library books" "Make out check for field trip" "Garage sale this Saturday at Elks Lodge"

Here it is 2011. I  have been using Post-it's for years now.   

Who knew these handy little notes would make such a difference in my life! The mornings are a lot smoother when I am greeted with messages written the night before I go to bed. It is like having a private secretary kindly reminding me. "Liz, don't forget your  yogurt for lunch."

I have stacks of these Post-it's, 100 in a pack, 4 x 6 and some are even lined! An added plus! 

Mom would  love these! Hmmm, Mother's Day is around the corner...