Country Style Spare Ribs

1 lb. Country Style (boneless) Pork Spare Ribs

4 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Smoked Maple Chipotle Finishing Sauce

1. T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Zesty Garlic Seasoning

Rub ribs with Zesty Garlic Seasoning and marinate in Smoked Maple Chipotle Finishing Sauce for 1 hour. Cook over a slow grill, turning pork often and brushing occasionally with the remaining finishing sauce. Serves 4.

Potatoes of India

1/2 lb. Russet Potatoes, sliced

2 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Garlic with Rosemary Oil

2 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Spices of India Seasoning

1 cup Plain Yogurt

1/4 t. Sea Salt

Cook potatoes in oil for 5 minutes, add salt, and stir in yogurt and Spices of India Seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer until the dish thickens. Serves 4.

Drunken Beans

1 (28 oz.) Can Baked Beans

6 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Smoked Maple Chipotle Finishing Sauce

1 sm. Onion, minced

1 T. Molasses

1 oz. Jack Daniels

Drain baked beans and place in large pot. Add onion, molasses, and Smoked Maple Chipotle Finishing Sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly 15-20 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in Jack Daniels. Serve hot.

Wasabi Chicken and Mushrooms

1 lb. Skinless, boneless chicken Breast cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Clove garlic, minced

1/4 lb. (2 c) Mushrooms, sliced (Porcini or Baby Bella)

2 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Garlic with Rosemary Oil (or olive oil)

3 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Wasabi Ginger Finishing Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saute pan. Add chicken and saute for 2-3 minutes until halfway done, then add garlic and mushrooms. Continue to saute until chicken and garlic are both brown. Add Wasabi Ginger Finishing Sauce. stir until hot throughout. Serve over rice. Serves 4.

Lemon Garlic Salmon

1 lb. Salmon filets

3-4 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Lemon Pepper Oil (or Olive Oil)

4 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Lemon Garlic Finishing Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Rub salmon with Lemon Pepper Oil and marinate for 1 hour. Preheat grill to high, then reduce heat to medium and place fish skin-side down on the grill for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn. The skin should have bubbled up and be easy to remove. Brush Lemon Garlic Finishing Sauce on each side as you turn the fish twice more, cooking 3 minutes each side. Remove from grill and brush on the remaining Finishing Sauce. Serves 4. Serve with a side dish of New Potatoes.

New Potatoes

1 lb. New Potatoes, no larger than 1" diameter

2 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Lemon Pepper Oil (or olive oil)

2 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Lemon Garlic Finishing Sauce

Halve potatoes, heat oil and saute for 3-5 minutes. For extra flavor add a pinch of Bittersweet Herb Farm Zesty Garlic Seasoning. Add 3/4 c. water, cover to self-steam for another 7 minutes or until tender. Glaze with Finishing Sauce and serve. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Paul Robeson Tomato Review

This heirloom Russian tomato tastes great but has distinct disadvantages. As my pictures reveal it is subject to serious catfacing, scaring and lobing. At this point in my gardening career, while I am always excited to try new (to me) varieties I am focusing on taste and practicality. Very few of the Paul Robeson's are defect free and it often consumes too much time cutting around the defects in comparison to the resulting usable tomato. I also found it difficult to pick them at the correct ripeness. At first the dark green shoulders deceived me into waiting too long and harvesting a mushy, very juicy tomato. Then I over compensated and picked them too early. They do seem to go from one extreme to the other quickly. All in all an interesting garden curiosity with good taste and decent yields, but too much work for me. The Paul Robeson Tomato is available from Fedco Seeds, my favorite seed company.

Fast-Fix Farfalle

1 lb. Faffalle (bow-tie) pasta

1/2 c. Sundried Tomatoes, Chopped

4 oz. Frozen Peas

4-6 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Sundried Tomato and Olive Finishing Sauce

Fresh Feta or Asiago Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. In a large bowl toss pasta with peas and Bittersweet Herb Farm Sundried Tomato and Olive Finishing Sauce. Top liberally with fresh grated cheese and sundried tomatoes. Serves 4-6.

Anytime Fruit Dip

1 (10.5 oz.) Jar Bittersweet Herb Farm Strawberry Sambuca or Red Raspberry Jam
1c Heavy Cream

Mix and Blend until smooth. Dip fresh fruit, pound cake, even cucumbers or celery for a bright, fruity pick-me-up, anytime.

Tomato Season

The start of tomato season is the gardeners equivalent of Christmas and May Day rolled into one. Sinking your teeth into the first vine-ripened tomato is both a decadent and spiritual experience. While the very early varieties always leave something to be desired, they are a vast improvement over the impostors the supermarkets sell as Tomatoes, and they portend to culinary experience to come. This year I grew an early variety called 4th of July which had it been named 4th of August it would have exceeded my expectations rather than causing me sleepless nights by not producing an edible fruit until the last week of July. I may be exaggerating my torment a little here, but only because of a little gem called Sungold. If you have never tasted one of these cherry tomatoes you have not experienced the full glory of tomato season. Very early maturing, astoundingly prolific, with a flavor explosion that defies description. My wife is addicted to them. I can actually hear her sneaking one from my secret stash right now. Yes, I keep a secret stash (apparently not too secret!), I have to do it, I have no choice. When I pick tomatoes in the afternoon (I have no idea if picking tomatoes in the afternoon is horticulturaly correct) she will stand by the garden basket in the kitchen and eat them all. I'm worried. I know they are of the Deadly Nightshade family, is it possible to O.D. on them? Would I get arrested for assault with a deadly weapon? I did double the number of plants I grew this year. That might not look good in court.

Cooking with Bittersweet Herb Farm

Peanut Pasta and Greens

½ lb. Linguini
1 Bunch Escarole or 1 lb Spinach
6 lg. Leaves fresh Basil, chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, minced (more, if you like it)
1 lg. Leek, sliced thin and separated into rings
4 oz. Bean Sprouts
4 oz. Peanuts, chopped
2 T. Cooking Oil, for a little extra heat use Bittersweet Herb Farm Chili Pepper with Garlic Oil
6 T. Bittersweet Herb Farm Chipotle Peanut Finishing Sauce

Cook Linguini According to Directions and set aside. Sauté or steam escarole until tender-crisp and set aside. Heat Oil in a large pan and sauté garlic until brown. Add pasta, escarole, and Bittersweet Herb Farm Chipotle Peanut Finishing Sauce and toss until heated through. Garnish with bean sprouts, leeks, fresh basil and peanuts. Serves 4.