The key to fried rice is high heat and movement. I am allergic to peas, so we are using
green beans and yams instead. Serve as main dish or alongside your BBQ or seafood
creations.
Ingredients:
2 cups last night’s brown rice
3 green onions sliced into 1/2 “ pieces
4-6 green beans chopped
Asian Greens or Pak Choi leaves
¼ yam finely minced
1 tsp sambal chili paste
Splash of peanut or canola oil
Splash of fish sauce or 3 Tbs oyster sauce
Splash of tamari or soy
2 free range, ranch eggs (optional)
Heat a large pan or wok, and add oil when hot. Add the yams and green beans -sauté for
a few minutes Add the rice- sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the chili paste, green
onions and Asian greens- keep it moving! Now build a well and crack the eggs in the
middle- scramble. Add the soy and oyster/ fish sauce while eggs are cooking. Toss the
rice for a few more minutes to get rid of moisture and distribute flavors. You can serve
this with chili paste, rice wine vinegar and pickled ginger.

Ingredients:
1 large artichoke (Imperial Star variety)
1 meyer lemon
4 cloves garlic

Herb Oil:
Lemon Thyme
Rosemary
Basil
Sage
Oregano
Chive
Chili flakes
¼ cup fine virgin olive oil
red salt and pepper

Combine above herbs in a food processor making a pesto. Add to large bowl with olive oil and salt/pepper.

Meyer Lemon Garlic Aioli

Refer to an aioli recipe or just use mayo-
(1/4 cup)
1tsp zest of meyer lemon
1 sprig rosemary finely minced
2 sprig finely minced chive
4 cloves softened garlic from boil
1 tsp whole grain mustard

Trim the artichoke and steam for 25 min. Half- way through, add garlic cloves- Remove artichoke, cut in half and remove the inside hairy leaves creating a cavity. Save the soft garlic pieces for the aioli*

While cooling, combine ingredients into aioli. Mash the soft garlic cloves and mix with the above then set aside. Get the BBQ going.

Now, dredge artichoke halves in the herb oil then throw them on the open flame. Cut the meyer lemon in half, rub with oil and salt and seer face down on the grill. Wait until slightly charred and transfer to serving dish. Drizzle with remaining herb oil and place seared meyer lemon in the palm of the artichoke.

When time to eat, squeeze the seared lemon over the artichoke and slather the peel, leaves and heart with the aioli- you will then have experienced an artichoke.

Nasturtium grows like mad most everywhere, often used as garden borders for bright color and a pest decoy. The red, yellow, tangerine and pink flowers are peppery and sweet tasting, used in salads and garmage. You can pick them wild or from your own garden. In pesto, they give a unique, sweet flavor and a striking presentation.

Ingredients:
15-20 nasturtium flowers
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup fine virgin olive oil
4 fresh sweet basil leaves
1 bunch of purple basil (Black Opal or African)
1 clove garlic
Society garlic flowers
Thinly shaved Parmesan Reggiano
Red salt and pepper
½ lb. pasta (home-made semolina spaghetti recommended)

Combine all but 3 nasturtium flowers in a mortar and pestle or food processor with garlic clove, pine nuts and sweet basil leaves until finely mixed. Transfer, adding the salt and pepper and olive oil. Mix well and let stand overnight for best flavor. When ready to serve, warm and drizzle over hot pasta then garnish with remaining nasturtium flowers, society garlic flowers, shaved Parmesan and fresh purple basil.

A tart and exotic summer refreshment or cocktail

1-2 blood oranges (Farmers Market usually has them)
1 ruby grapefruit
1 meyer lemon
1 sprig Lemon Verbena
Sea Salt
Raw Sugar

Juice the Citrus. Mix equal amounts of salt and sugar on a plate. Coat the rim of a rocks or martini glass with lemon and dip into salt/ sugar mixture. Carefully fill glass with ice, juice and a shot of your favorite vodka (optional). Finish off with a splash of sparkling mineral water, meyer lemon slice and sprig of lemon verbena. If you want extra verbena flavors, let the leaves soak in the vodka overnight.

Yum Yam Beet Salad

Ingredients:
1 large Jewel Yam
1 medium Red Beet
1/8 cup safflower or olive oil
½ bunch of red kale
1 Tbs ground turmeric
1 Tbs ground cumin seed
1 Tbs yellow curry powder
½ Tsp dried red chili flakes
2 dashes garlic powder
4 Tbs tamari/ soy
Red salt and pepper
1/8 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbs honey
2 Tbs crushed pine nuts (optional)

Quarter the beet and slice into ¼ “ pieces- transfer to boiling water for 10 min. on med. heat then remove and cool. Slice the yam in half long way, then into ¼” half-round pieces. Transfer to skillet on med. heat with a few drops of oil. Sauté, adding and cooking off a splash of water to steaming lightly. (5-8min) Do not overcook-the yams should be slightly crisp. Transfer to mixing bowl. Cut up the kale and sauté for 2-3 min then transfer. Combine the yam, beet and kale with the above seasonings, vinegar and remaining oil and mix well. Cool and dust with crushed pine nuts. Serve as a side or main dish.

Giant Mustard Green With A Tahini Dipper

The “Red Giant” Japanese variety is the best- the broad, spicy and delicate leaf is well suited to Asian and Eastern influenced dishes and is excellent raw.

Ingredients- Tahini Dressing:

¼ cup tahini (sesame butter)

1 Tbs whole-grain mustard

1 Tbs mayo or veganaise

1 Tsp sambal chili paste

2 Tbs tamari / soy

Dash of garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin seed

4 tbs rice wine or cider vinegar

Squeeze of lemon to taste

2 Tbs olive oil

Combine the above ingredients into a smooth dipping sauce. Add a few drops of water if necessary.

Ingredients-Wrap:

1 giant red gai choi leaf

1 small carrot grated

½ avocado

a pinch of radish sprouts

arugula or mustard greens

sea salt & pepper

¼ meyer lemon thinly sliced

2 oz. chilled and sliced chicken breast, turkey or shrimp (cooked)

(Vegetarian- substitute quinoa and/or mushrooms)

Prep Gai Choi leaf by removing lower, thick portion of stem leaving the upper portion with the flaps in tact. Slice stem long ways and place horizontally in the middle of the leaf. Now start laying the above ingredients across the middle in the same fashion. Hit with a little sea salt and pepper. Start with the flaps by pulling up and over filling then rolling it up nice and tight. If you did it correctly, it should stay together for several bites. Cut in half and enjoy with the tahini sauce.

Raw kale is one of the best greens you can possibly put into your body in terms of its vitamin content- it just didn’t taste that good until now. Follow this simple recipe and I can almost promise you won’t complain about the bitterness or rough texture kale typically imparts. You will likely savor every bit while receiving a full shot of nutrients from a delicious uncooked, flash-frozen kale salad.
Ingredients:
2 bunches raw Lacinato Kale (green leaf type)
2 lemons
1/4 white onion
1/4 red bell pepper
2 ripe tomatoes
yellow and red cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (optional)
1/8 cup virgin olive oil
pepper
red sea salt

Procedure:
The key to a great raw kale salad is to chop everything ultra fine.
1)Using a sharp knife, remove the stems and begin slicing. transfer to a large bowl and squeeze juice from lemons over top.
2)Finely mince onion and red pepper. Add to salad and begin tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3)Slice tomatoes into wedges and half the cherry tomatoes then toss in with more olive oil. Give it a generous amount of salt and pepper.
4)Add quinoa (optional) then transfer to the freezer for 5-10 minutes. *Flash-freezing breaks down the cell structure and softens the kale without depleting the nutrients. Return to room temp and serve up to 4.

Recipe by Jake Moss

Wow!! When I walked out to the back yard I couldn’t believe my eyes. The 2 two 4′ by 8′ boxes were stunning. Great craftsmanship, and they were also protected with a natural oil, sturdy, so i can sit on them when i garden.  The micro irrigation tailored to the plant needs efficiently, as to there was no waste in water, but the plants definitely had enough. The installation was very professional, and done in a timely manner.

The beds were installed accordingly to planed. All the guess work of gardening diminished after these two gentlemen finished. Jake and Dan answered all our questions and gave us a step by step tutorial. We were to ask questions and didn’t hesitate to ask us if we had any more. All in all it was a pleasant experience and I now feel have a green thumb!

From all the different varieties of lettuces to the melons, excellent in taste, and as well aesthetically. The Swiss chard was vibrant in color and the heirloom tomatoes were scrumptious. All summer we had fresh produce which drastically reduced our trips to the store, not to mention we knew exactly where our produce came from.  
From the friendly service to the beautiful garden these guy did a wonderful job. Thank you!

The plot we wanted to put the raised bed gardens in is ~11′ by 10′ and it originally had an very ugly 3-tier fountain in the middle of the plot.   The U Grow team came over to give us a free quote, they took careful notes and answered all of our questions about potential different raised bed configurations, the various other options beyond the gardens  (e.g., composting and xeriscaping) and shared their expertise as to what might work best and what things we were thinking of might not be best given the amount of sun our plot gets.  The U Grow team listened carefully to what our needs were and didn’t try and push us into anything that wasn’t a good fit for our family.  At the same time, they did suggest a number of features that we have found key in the success of our garden, for example the dividers in the herb garden and the lattice for the tomatoes.

The boxes are drop dead gorgeous. The craftsmanship is beautiful and the boxes are hardy and sustainable. The drip system they designed is not only for the geometry of our garden boxes but also for the placement of the plants in them, another aspect that I wasn’t expecting the U Grow team to provide, but was very impressed when they did. Every single visitor we have had over makes a comments on our lovely garden boxes. In fact so many people were interested in the boxes that I had to call the U Grow team to get additional business cards to pass out to our visitors.

They went the extra mile to help us with every aspect of our garden from clearing the area (not an easy job given the large fountain!), prepping the area and providing gardening tutorials for our beginning level.  They were professional, clean, considerate and fun too. Our two year old still asks about ‘Jake and Dan’ and if any gardening issues arises our daughter suggests that we ‘Ask Jake!’.  I was blown away at how quickly the U Grow team built such quality products, but even more stunned by the on the spot garden lessons and depth of knowledge about organic gardening.  Key in the tutorial services was the follow up visit where they could see how things were going, answer the list of questions I had and teach me about organic pest control.  Their tutorial sessions were similar to their conservation drip watering system — just enough advice given not too fast so that everything can sink in.

Our herb garden is the most prolific of the beds, we have more than enough lemon basil, mint (both chocolate and regular) and oregano.  It is a joy to share these fresh herbs with friends and family.  We love making pesto so the sweet basil we keep for ourselves and will likely put in additional sweet basil plants.  I still get great joy eating arugula at all hours of the day.  With the summer weather we almost always eat dinner at the outside table and the idea that I can just walk a few feet to get a few additional herbs for my salad and an additional cherry tomato for a fresh red side-dish still makes me giggle with glee.

My two year old loves to watch the garden grow and has learned not to pick anything until ripe. She learned this by trial and error picking and eating strawberries.  After a few days of picking the ‘white ones’ and realizing how sour they were compared to the ‘red ones’ she now will tell me which ones are ripe and which ones are not, and she is spot on.