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Robin Timm
Creating Themes A few years ago I visited Olbrich gardens in Madison, WI. The conservatory has fancy rose gardens and majestic native plantings. Splashy displays of bright red zinnias and amaranth round out the corners and entries to the various plots. The spot I return to time and again is the herb garden. Passing under large wooden arbors I follow a path that leads me through a sensory wonderland. I wander past raised beds of blooming oregano and marjoram and marvel at their beautiful flowers. Then I pass the sage beds where there is Russian, variegated and regular sage. Another raised bed is full of Italian, Thai, Lemon and Cinnamon basil. The fragrance is magnificent. In one corner is the dyeing garden sectioned into yellows, reds and greens. All of these plants can be used for coloring fabric. Another section adds vegetables to the herbs. Hot peppers are staked and squashes are climbing tee-pee stick trellises in the middle of the seasoning herbs. As our greenhouse fills up with bedding plants, we are imagining our own garden theme park. Here are some of the themes we will offer at this year’s Farmers Market. The Scarborough Faire garden: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. They call Me Mellow Yellow: yellow primrose, calendula, compassplant, Maximillian sunflower Sleepy Thyme Tea Garden: German and Lemon Thyme, Chamomile, Bergamot, Sage Incredible Edible Flower Garden: Pansies, Calendula, Lemon and Cinnamon Basil Pesto and More: This is the basil mix: Genovese, Thai, Lemon, Lime, Cinnamon and Red Savory Soups: Thyme, Oregano, Parsley, Lovage, Savory, Rosemary Sassy Salsa Mix: Habanero, Jalapeno, Anaheim and Poblano Peppers with San Marzano paste tomato Irresistible Italian: San Marzano paste tomato, Black Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper, Genovese basil, Italian parsley, Oregano Pugnacious Pepper Patch: Thai, Habanero, Jalapeno, Cayenne, Anaheim, Poblano, Red, Yellow or Orange Bell peppers. Grandma’s Garden-Heirloom Tomatoes-Striped German, Cherokee Purple, Yellow Pear and more Tomato Tango-Pick from our selection of cherry, paste or roma, great big slicers, saladette and early tomato plants. See our accompanying plant list The Birds and the Bees and the Butterflies: Native flowers for your landscape: Ironweed, Prairie, Dense or Scaly Blazing star, Wild Quinine, Senna, Obedient Plant, New England Aster, Dotted Mint, Smooth Penstemon, Vervain and more How about some plants that are compatible with Black Walnut trees: Bee balm, Calendula, Daylily, Goldenrod, Ironweed, Lamb’s ears, Primrose, Rudbeckia, Sedum, Spiderwort, Yarrow Deterring Deer: Plants that deer don’t usually eat: Strong Fragrant Herbs like Lavender, Rosemary, Sage, Lovage, Lemon balm, marjoram, monarda and catmint; Perrenial and Biennial Flowers include Yarrow, Chives, Butterfly weed, Blackberry Lily, Lily of the valley, Coneflower, Joe-Pye Weed, Coral Bells, Liatris, Obedient plant, Lamb’s ear, Tansy, Annual Flowers: Calendula, Celosia, These are a few of our themes for the year. Bring us your ideas. We are happy to mix it up. Herbs will sell for $1 each or 6 for $5. Tomato, Pepper and Eggplant are $1.25 each. Perennial flowers are $3 to $5. Platteville Farmers Market opens on May 5th at 7 am and continues every Saturday through October. Market sets up at City Park, across from City Hall. Hope to see you at the market! Asparagus and Morels Scramble After a busy May farmers market I look forward to unloading the truck and enjoying lunch with the fresh eggs and morels that I picked up. As long as the asparagus is picked we are ready to cook and eat!
4 fresh eggs Scramble eggs and milk in a bowl. Heat olive oil in a fry pan. Add garlic and/or onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add morels and sauté for 5 minutes and then add asparagus and cook until it turns bright greens. Pour in eggs and cook until firm, stirring to cook all of the eggs and mix in the veggies. Add salt and pepper and serve. For variety toss in some snipped tarragon, thyme or chives, just before serving. Serves 2 Spring Pasta 2 cups greens (sorrel, spinach, lamb’s quarters, kale), stems removed, rinsed and finely chopped 1/2 to 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces 3-4 spring onions, sliced 1 handful of garlic chives, snipped into pieces (more or less to taste) 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1/4 pound morels, sliced (may use button mushrooms or no mushrooms) 1/4 cup dried tomatoes soaked in 1 –1/2 cup boiling water (optional) 1 cup cooked beans-Vermont cranberry, Adzuki, kidney, black-eyed peas 1/4 cup cooking Sherry 1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste In a stockpot, heat oil and sauté onions, garlic chives and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add asparagus, greens, tomatoes with liquid, beans, cooking sherry and paprika and cook until greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Prepare pasta as per package directions. Pour vegetables over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve with a crusty bread. Serves 4 to 6
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