Ok, now that your summer vegetables have been growing, here are some tips about when to harvest and recipes to further enjoy your summer harvest. We will profile different vegetables and new recipes over the next several weeks.

Basil: For harvest, flavor is best in morning and before flowers open. 6-10 weeks after transplanting.

Pesto Minestrone

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 8
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 3

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 cups kidney beans or black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup sliced carrot
1 cup chopped onion

Pesto
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh, loosely packed basil leaves
1 Tbsp 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.

Eggplants: For harvest, slightly immature fruits taste best. The fruits should be firm and shiny. Cut rather than pulling from the plant.

Stuffed Eggplant

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Number of servings: 4
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 1

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 eggplants
2 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced celery
2 Tbsp fresh minced parsley
2 Tbsp fat free Parmesan cheese
Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise. Scoop out and save the flesh, leaving the shells 3/8-inch-thick. If necessary, trim a small piece off the bottom of each shell so it won't tip over. Set aside. Coat large skillet with vegetable cooking spray, chop up reserved eggplant and add to skillet. Add tomato, bell pepper, onion, and celery. Place skillet over medium heat; cover and cook about 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in bread crumbs and parsley. Spoon the mixture into the hollow eggplant shells. Arrange stuffed shells in a shallow baking dish coated with vegetable spray. Sprinkle 1½ tsp Parmesan on top of each shell. Bake for 25 minutes, until filling heats through and top is golden brown.

Baba Ghanoush (Eggplant Dip)

Preparation time: 1 hour
Number of servings: 8
Cups of fruits and vegetables per person: 0.5

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants (1 1/4 lbs)
2 level Tbsp tahini
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with salt
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or more to taste
4 Tbsp cold water
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup diced onion

Directions:

Pierce the eggplants in several places with a toothpick. If you are cooking indoors, wrap the whole eggplant in aluminum foil and set it over a gas grill to cook on all sides until it collapses and begins to release a great deal of steam. If you are cooking over coals, grill the eggplant until blackened, collapsed, and cooked through. Dump the eggplant into a basin of cold water; peel while it’s still hot and allow it to drain in a colander until cool. Squeeze pulp to remove any bitter juices. Mash the eggplant to a puree. In a food processor, mix the tahini with the garlic, onion, tomato, and lemon juice until the mixture contracts. Thin with the water. With the machine running, add the eggplant and the salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread out in a shallow dish and garnish with pepper, parsley, and tomatoes.

These recipes are from the website for the Centers 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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) are leading this initiative and are in partnership with other health organizations. The goal is to achieve increased daily consumption of fruits and vegetables.

For more information on the Fruits and Veggies — More Matters health initiative, brand and logo, please visit PBH at: www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org. You will also find activities and tips for getting children involved as well as more recipes.

Want to save time spent weeding? How about saving water (which of course translates to saving money)? Say hello to mulch, the gardener’s best friend.

When you cover the soil with mulch it does four things. First, it acts as an insulating blanket conserving moisture and keeping the plant roots cool. Second, it keeps weeds from coming up, smothering seedlings and keeping soil soft so that the weeds that do get through are easy to pull. Third, it breaks down slowly over the year improving the soil beneath it. After five years of mulching you will be able to turn your soil with just a trowel. The fourth thing mulch will do is cover the dirt, making your beds look finished and neat.

So what is mulch? Mulch is any organic matter laid on bare dirt between plants. Ok, what is organic matter? Organic matter is something that was living. Some examples are: ground fir bark, shredded cedar, rice hulls or cocoa bean shells. The best example is homemade compost. Talk about garbage into gold! So pick your favorite material and cover that dirt.

The new Monterey “Sluggo Plus” For Organic Gardening has arrived. Monterey “Sluggo Plus” Snail, Insect and Slug Pellets contain Iron Phosphate and Spinosad for outdoor use around vegetables, fruit trees, and flowers. The “Plus”in “Sluggo Plus” contains Spinosad, a naturally-occurring soil bacterium which kills earwigs and sowbugs. Spinosad is light sensitive, therefore, it should be applied in the evening. It lasts up to 4 weeks and 1 lb. treats 2000 sq. ft.

July is a busy month for gardeners, especially lawn owners. There’s planting, mowing, watering and feeding to be done, but it’s also a great time to enjoy your lawn--playing with the kids, relaxing or just walking on it barefoot. July is also a busy time for garden pests that feed on your lawn and Bayer Advanced Season Long Grub Control can help ensure a healthy garden all summer as well as make your time outdoors more enjoyable.

Bayer Advanced Season Long Grub Control will control insect pests that live on or in the soil such as white grubs and mole crickets and many other pests that feed on the roots of your lawn. Apply Bayer Advanced Season Long Grub Control any time in the spring through late summer. Bayer Advanced Season Long Grub Control comes in a 12 lb. bag, is easy to apply with a hand held spreader, and will cover up to 5000 sq. ft.

Last Week's Question:

Guess the name of this flower:
1. This flower is said to have represented the Roman gladiators.
2. In early times a mixture of powdered corms and goat’s milk was a favorite remedy for colic.
3. Also, in early times the stem base was used as a poultice and for drawing out thorns and splinters.

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