This summer protect your eyes from sun and squinting, with our reading glasses. The life of reading glasses is a tough one - they either get lost, sat on or dropped. "CliC" reading glasses have the innovative feature of a magnetic nosepiece closure. This design allows "CliC" readers to be a combined adjustable headband and neck strap which means not only do "CliC" readers stay in place while you are wearing them, but also hang comfortably when not in use.

For both sun protection and reading glasses try our "Sun Readers" or "Weeding Glasses." Both give your eyes 100% UVA/B protection. No more squinting while reading at the beach or weeding your garden! "Weeding glasses" are hand painted with nature designs, and a portion of all "Weeding Glass" sales is donated to The Sierra Club Foundation.

Come in, choose your style, color and power. We also carry eyeglass holders, cases and accessories for your eyewear.

Over the next few months, you will hear us talking about how to water best for the health of your plants and also for the most efficient water usage. You may get tired of hearing it, but we cannot stress enough that there is a right way and a wrong way to water. Click on the link below to learn “The New Way to Think About Watering."

No kitchen garden would be complete without it. Sweet basil, the most popular type, is a tender annual herb to about 18-24" high. Good for border, container, kitchen garden and mass planting. Can be used dried, but the flavor is at its best fresh from the garden. A natural with tomatoes, eggs, fish, salad and of course, as 'pesto' over pasta.

Full sun and regular watering. Keep old flower spikes pinched off to prevent seeding. Bright green foliage mixes well in the border. Other types of basil can have purple, variegated, fine textured foliage. All can be a pleasant addition to your garden for ornamental and edible uses. Now is a great time to get basil into the garden and take advantage of the consistent warm weather the basil likes.

Come in and check out the many different types we have this week in 4" pots and cell packs. Here are a few tempting varieties you'll see along with the classic sweet basil.

Cinnamon:
Distinctive cinnamon flavor and odor. Violet stems, veining, and flowers. Cinnamon basil can grow to 2' tall. Plant this next to other large basils, like Italian basil, to help prevent the stronger more vigorous basils from overtaking the smaller dwarf types.

Basil mix:
Tasty and colorful blend of basil. Six different basil varieties. All provide a wonderful introduction to the varied colors, flavors, & textures. The basil mix awakens garden and culinary inspiration.

Fino Verde:
If you had problems growing basil in the past, you haven't tried Fino Verde. Vigorous plants with smaller leaves.

Mrs. Burns Lemon:
A 1940 heirloom from southwestern New Mexico. Grown by Mrs. Burns, whose son Barney was one of the founding members of Native Seeds. Pink or white flowered, with light green leaves. Intensely flavored with lemon citrus scent.

Purple Ruffles:
Large purple leaves are curly and highly ornamental. A small percentage will revert to green or variegated, making Purple Ruffles unique looking.

Spicy Bush:
Small dome-shaped plants with small leaves. Slightly hotter than most basils, it's highly desired for its spicier flavor. Mature height is only 8-12" tall. Very uniform and round, pretty in a container, as well as a garden border.

Dark Opal:
Dark purplish-bronze foliage. Excellent for seasoning, and for basil vinegar which turns a beautiful red color. Former All-American award winner, famous for its pure dark purple foliage.

Basil Serata:
This basil has wonderfully ruffled green leaves that can work well in fresh flower bouquets. This versatile little herb looks great in containers accompanying bright, cheery annual plants. It is a well-rounded plant. Basil Serata offers the same classic basil flavor famous for making Italian Pesto and flavoring vegetables and fish.

A good dish with basil can help you remember that beautiful trip to the Italian Riviera and enjoying that Pizza Margherita at the auto-stop near Genoa. Here are some other recipes.

Bruschetta with Plums and Fresh Basil
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 6
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 1.0

Ingredients:
1 sourdough baguette (24 inch)
4 oz fat-free cream cheese, whipped
6 cups sliced fresh California plums
1 cup fresh basil

Directions:
Slice baguette into 24 inch-thick pieces. Toast in a 350°F oven until golden brown. Spread each slice of bread with fat-free cream cheese. Slice plums into thin slices. Place several slices of plum on each piece of bruschetta. Garnish with fresh basil leaf.

Pesto Minestrone
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 8
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 3.0

Ingredients:

Minestrone
2 cups coarsely chopped cauliflower (the equivalent of about 2 small heads)
1-1/2 cups chopped zucchini (1-2 medium)
3 14.5 oz low sodium chicken broth
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni or small pasta shells
3 cup kidney beans or black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup sliced carrot
1 cup chopped onion

Pesto

2 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh, loosely packed basil leaves
1 T. water

Directions:

Minestrone

In a 5-6 quart saucepan bring 1/2 cup water to boil and add tomatoes, cauliflower, onion and carrots; reduce heat and simmer covered 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add zucchini, beans, broth and pasta. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 10 minutes.

Pesto

Put all pesto ingredients in food processor or blender and process until very finely chopped. Just before serving, remove soup from heat and stir in pesto.

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These recipes are from the website of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. You can get the nutritional facts and diabetic exchange information from the website for each recipe. The website is http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnparecipe/recipesearch.aspx

Last Week's Question: When Napoleon married Josephine, what flower did she wear and receive on each anniversary?

Prize Winner: Michelle Cleary wins a $10 Orchard Nursery gift certificate! Stay tuned for another trivia question next week!