Grow A Grill Garden

The weather is warm and the sun is out! It’s grillin’ time, folks! Whether you’re grilling shish kabobs or burgers, herbs are key to adding a punch of delicious flavor to your meals. Plant a grill garden and enjoy mouthwatering dishes all summer long. Start with these flavorful herbs!

Thyme is the most versatile herb when it comes to grilling and works great with fish, poultry, and veggies. To successfully grow thyme, plant the herb in well-drained soil in an area that gets a lot of sunlight. Thyme can be planted with our next favorite herb, rosemary.

Rosemary is particularly tasty with chicken. The stalks can be used as tasty skewers for shish kabobs. Just like thyme, rosemary likes well-draining soil and oodles of sunshine. Be sure to give your plants room to grow as rosemary can grow up to four feet high and four feet wide.

Italian oregano is absolutely perfection when paired with veggies! Oregano loves well-draining soil and sunshine. For bushier plants, let your oregano grow to about four inches tall and then pinch or trim them. Regular trimming will increase branching and reduce legginess. When it comes to watering, water thoroughly and less often. If you’re container planting, water until it comes out of the bottom of your planter.

We have a great selection of herbs here at the Greenhouse. Stop by to pick up a few and visit us on Pinterest to try out a few delicious recipes!

Best Perennials For Lazy Gardeners

Let’s be real. Not everyone enjoys the digging, kneeling, and rough hands that comes with gardening. However, you have to put in a little elbow grease in order to reap the benefits of all the glorious blooms. If this is you, hardy perennials are your best friends. They bloom every year and will save you time and money. Try these tough-to-kill options!

Obedient Plant
Featuring snapdragon-like flowers, obedient plant is fast-spreading and does well as long as you give it some room to travel as it can grow up to 4 feet tall and wide. It does well in full sun and part shade with moist soil. Pair it with Black-eyed Susans as they both bloom in late Summer thru Fall.

Ajuga
The green, burgundy or bronze ground cover adds a splash of color to your garden from Spring to Fall. Little blue flowers bloom in the Spring. Growing up to 6 inches tall and 3 feet wide, this easy-to-grow plant likes the shade and moist, well-drained soil.

Phlox
Invite bees and butterflies to your garden with this flowery plant. Blooms begin in early Summer and continue their show thru the season. It’s lovely fragrant will waft through the air especially on warm evenings. You can even cut the flowers and bring them inside to freshen up the house. Plant this beautiful bloom in full sun or part shade with moist, well-drained soil.

Not sure what low-maintenance perennials to use in your garden? Visit us at the Greenhouse and our experts will help you out!

Fattoush! What’s that?

This is the most amazing salad! It can be a whole lunch in a bowl, It’s truly wonderful with a glass of white wine and a bowl of olives. Let’s get started:

The Salad
Start with a bed of greens (Romaine or red-leaf lettuce). Add any variation of the following: Cucumber, radish, green onions and/or purple onion. Coarsely chop and add these herbs: Parsley, basil and mint. (Be generous with them). Add chunked (not sliced, but chunked) tomatoes of any variety or size. Sprinkle this mixture with the seasoning sumac (ground sumac berries).

The Dressing
Any light vinaigrette will do, or you can drizzle the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can add the dressing about 10 minutes prior to serving.

The Bread
Yum! The best part of fattoush! We like to break up a French baguette into bite sized pieces and lightly toast them. Option: If you have olive oil in a spritzer bottle, you can spritz the bread lightly and dust with garlic powder prior to toasting. Just before serving, mix the bread into the salad. Add a little more dressing to taste.

This is a Lebanese or Middle Eastern “peasant” dish, so we’re told. And meant to be a useful way to use up stale bread. Who would have known!? It’s amazing!

Fresh Pasta Sauce

Have you ever made spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes? The delicious aroma of tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs fills up the house, making everyone antsy for suppertime. Try this amazing recipe out!

You’ll need:

6 cloves of garlic
1 small onion, chopped
12 Roma tomatoes
½ cup of fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp of sugar (adjust to taste)
1 tsp of salt
½ tsp pepper
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

To make:

Boil a pot of water and all Roma tomatoes, cooking for 3-4 minutes until the skins start to break open. Remove the tomatoes and put them in a bowl of ice water. Once cool, remove the tomato skins. Chop the stem area off of the tomatoes and toss.

Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic and onion; saute for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Cook another 10 minutes, using a masher to smoosh the tomatoes.

Once the tomatoes are broken down, add your tomato sauce, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper. Mash them for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low; add butter. Stir until well blended.

Serve with pasta of your choice and top with some freshly grated Parmesan. Yum!

Have you started your tomatoes yet? If not, stop by the Greenhouse and pick up a few varieties.

Chocolate Mint Smoothie

We love Chocolate Mint here at the Greenhouse. Deep green with rich shades of brown, Chocolate Mint is great for desserts, teas, etc. Try this smoothie recipe for a quick morning boost!

You’ll need:

2 cups spinach
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your milk of choice)
1 cup water
½ of an avocado
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
¼ cup fresh Chocolate Mint
1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips
Stevia to taste (or sweetener of choice)
Ice (optional)

To make:

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!