Edible garden

I want to share one last little bit of Saturday kitchen business. 
It's a beautiful Saturday so I took a short walk to Repotted and snagged some basil plants and salad greens for my backyard mini-garden.

My new favorite: Club Soda

My mom bought me a Twist'n'Sparkle, a small soda maker that makes about a liter at a time. I've been experimenting with simple syrup recipes and my favorite so far is one infused with rosemary. Unusual, but good.

Next up: mint. My window plant is exploding, so if I don't get around to creating an occasion for a mojito, I'll make a mint-flavored simple syrup next.

Embarking on an Urban Acres Adventure

Last weekend we signed up for a half-share of co-op style produce at our neighborhood market, Urban Acres near the Bishop Arts district. I was ecstatic when I got the e-mail notifying us that our first pick-up would be today.

Shortly after hopping out of bed, my husband scooted off to the store while I readied the kitchen for our basket of goodies (and started a batch of granola). He returned quite quickly, carrying a black crate with the following contents:
- a head of cabbage
- two bunches of spinach
- butter lettuce
- Texas shitake mushrooms
- five pink lady apples
- three Florida oranges
- a pound of strawberries
- two sweet potatoes
- two stalks of broccoli
- one mango
- AND three beets!

We immediately set to work tackling the beets, mainly because they could not have fit in the fridge as they were. With a YouTube episode of Good Eats in the background, I chopped the stems and rat tail from the root and trimmed the greens.

I then chopped the stems and one of the sweet potatoes, tossed them with some garlic cloves, olive oil, and rosemary from the back yard, and after sprinkling on some sea salt and pepper, popped it in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. The result? Colorful deliciousness.