Episode Details

The healthiest food you can eat is the food you grow yourself. It doesn’t get any fresher than that. In today’s newsletter podcast, we talk with two Master Gardener/chefs: Kathy Morrison of the daily “Sacramento Digs Gardening” newsletter, and Master Gardener and Chef/instructor Andi MacDonald.

Kathy has several recipes using ingredients that just might be maturing in your garden right now. And that’s the thrust of what is published in each Sunday’s edition of the Sacramento Digs Gardening Newsletter: If it’s ripening in your yard, she has a recipe for it. We have many of the recipes she mentioned in our chat here; for more, check out her Sunday posts, or the springtime recipes that Kathy and Co-content producer Debbie Arrington have compiled in their first recipe e-book, which is available for free at SacramentoDigsGardening.com. And their newsletter is free, as well, with little or no advertising (they will be going to heaven, I am sure). Even though their newsletter has a definite Sacramento slant about gardening activities here in Northern California, there’s a lot of good information provided in their daily posts that inspire gardeners everywhere. Go ahead. Subscribe.

Here’s the recipe for the Strawberry Salad with Violets (courtesy of Sacramento Digs Gardening):

Spring strawberry salad with fresh violetsMakes 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 to 6 strawberries, hulled and sliced crosswise2 radishes, sliced1 scallion, chopped2 tablespoons slivered almonds2 cups lettuce, roughly cut or torn into pieces1 cup baby spinach leaves, roughly cut or torn into pieces Dressing:3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 tablespoon red wine vinegar1 teaspoon Dijon mustard½ teaspoon sugar¼ teaspoon seasoning salt Garnish:

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh violets or violas (optional) Instructions: In a large bowl, put sliced strawberries, radishes, scallions, lettuce and spinach. Toss lightly. In a jar, combine olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar and seasoning salt. Cover jar and shake to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss lightly again. Divide salad onto plates. Garnish with violets or violas. Serve immediately.

Another recipe from the Sac Digs Gardening e-cookbook that Kathy raved about in today’s newsletter podcast: Baked Asparagus ala Sacramento:

Baked asparagus a la Sacramento

Adapted from Sunset magazineServes 4

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh asparagus, washed3 hard-boiled eggs1 tablespoon butter1 tablespoon flour1 cup milk1 cup soft bread crumbsSalt and pepper to taste½ cup dried buttered crumbs¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Break or cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Steam until tender. Cook, cool and shell the eggs. Slice. Make a cream sauce with the butter, flour and milk. (Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in flour until bubbly, then gradually add milk. Cook until sauce starts to thicken.) Add the soft bread crumbs and seasoning.

In a buttered casserole dish, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom, then a layer of the cooked asparagus, then a layer of the sliced hard-cooked eggs. Repeat until the dish is filled. Sprinkle the top with the dried buttered crumbs and the grated cheese. Cover and bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) for 30 minutes, removing the lid the last 10 minutes to allow the top to brown lightly. Ser