Author: Pam

New England native, Florida resident. Blogging about boating, beach-combing, gardening, camping, and knitting. Work for Zazzle as a designer since 2008.

Ways to Use Garden Greens and Not as Salad

Fresh garden greens can be used in many ways besides making salads. They can also be cooked and added to many dishes for additional flavor and health.

Now that winter has come to Florida, I am growing a variety of greens, and I love it! It’s the best feeling to be able to walk into the backyard and pick my own fresh food.

Let’s first define the “greens”. Obviously, typical salad greens, like arugula, lettuces, and spinach are included. Broccoli and cauliflower leaves, and sweet potato leaves (use in summer) are some others I include.

During winter months I use my Chijimsai spinach and arugula leaves to make salads. Honestly, I do get tired of eating salads.

Fresh green leaves can be added to many dishes and they can even be sautéed. The garden provides greens year round in one form or another. The trick is to have them always available, and not letting them go to waste.

Cook Rice in a Healthy, Green Water

I’ve never been a big rice eater, but lately I’m eating Basmati rice mixed with vegetables. The type of rice does matter, and it has changed my mind. The vegetables may come from the garden, or can be store bought. Either way, a little bit of rice, with loads of vegetables, works well to create a healthy meal.

My Rice With Greens

From the garden I have picked one beet leaf, three small parsley sprigs, one piece of oregano, Chijimisai spinach leaves, arugula, and mustard greens. I’m using what is available right now.

After rinsing everything off, I rolled it up and chopped it finely. The green bits were added to water, along with dried basil, chopped onion and poblano peppers. I let it simmer for 20 minutes and then added the rice.

spinach and green leaves
Greens (and one tomato) from the garden
simmering chopped greens in water
Simmering
white rice cooked in water with fresh greens added
Basmati rice cooked with greens

Once the nutritious rise is made, combine it with just about anything!

When it’s time to thin the carrots, beets, Broccoli, and other edible seedlings, eat those as microgreens!

Fresh Greens For Flavoring Soup

Pick greens fresh, rinse and add whole, or chopped, to any type of soup or stew. Unless the leaves are very large, or a bit tough, like kale and broccoli leaves, throw them into the soup whole.

Garden vegetable soup in mug
Garden Soup Recipe

Omelete Filling

Often I will sauté some greens and use them to fill an omelette.

Farmers Market vegetables and eggs

More Ways to Use Fresh Garden Greens

There are many ways to add your garden grown greens to food. Add to sandwiches, tacos, and any place traditional “lettuce” is used. Iceberg and Romaine can add crunch, but arugula and sorrel will add a flavor punch.

This page at Taste of Home has some nice suggestions for recipes that include all kinds of greens.

If you are not afraid of chopping, fresh greens of all types can be part of a Florida gardener’s meals year round.

New Vegetable Added to My Winter Growing List

Winter vegetables in my Florida backyard garden are mostly doing well. I’ve found that cabbage will be something to add to my planting list.

After gardening for only a few years, I’m still learning what grows best when. We can grow year round, but winter is a good time to grow the things that are normal. Carrots, onions, beets, broccoli and herbs do best in cooler weather. I’ve had success with all of these.

Cabbage

This year I planted a few cabbage seeds. I don’t have a lot of garden space, so I only grew a few. Now I am wishing I planted more! They took a long time to sprout. Once the cool air arrived, the big leaves began to show up. Now they are growing like mad. That is borage you may see amongst the cabbage leaves.

Next winter I will be adding more cabbage to my garden.

Cabbage and a few Borage leaves poking through

Although I had loads of Tatsoi and arugula last year, I’m struggling to grow it this year (photo below). I have been looking forward to having fresh greens, but I only have tiny little plants.

The Urban Harvest sells Tatsoi seeds and I didn’t get mine from them this year. I think they were sold out.

Small Tatsoi in grow box
Tatsoi greens

The Rest of It

Cherry Tomatoes

The Apricot cherry tomato plant is giving me a few tomatoes. I struggle to grow tomatoes so I’ll take what I can get. They are yellow, not red, but yummy.

Tomato plants may grow in summer here, but no tomatoes will form. This plant was begun in late summer from seed. It kept growing, in a fabric bag, and is now full of little tomatoes. I have one more cherry tomato plant I will put into the ground in February.

cherry tomatoes
Apricot cherry tomatoes

Squash and Zucchini

I am not fooled by this tiny squash and flower. Squash (of all kinds) and zucchini don’t amount to anything in my garden … ever. I won’t grow them any more. I threw some leftover seeds in just for fun. That little squash has since died.

flowering squash plant

Seminole Pumpkin Replaces Squash

In my sub-tropical garden, the Seminole pumpkin replaces squash. I love orange vegetables and need them to help my old eyes. The Seminole pumpkin tastes a lot like a butternut squash.

Alas, I had only one to eat this year. That doesn’t mean I will give up. The vines are long, and they trail all over the yard but I don’t get many squash. I will definitely try for more of these this summer.

Seminole pumpkin cut in half
Seminole pumpkin
Seminole pumpkin baking in the oven
Seminole pumpkin cooked
Yum

Loofah or Luffa

Loofah is a crop that is grown in summer here, I think. I planted seeds in summer and they did nothing. So, I took a chance and planted some seeds this Fall. One plant grew and I have one loofah on it. Supposedly, you can eat the young gourds as a replacement for zucchini. It doesn’t sound appealing.

The bees love the big, yellow flowers and it would be fun to have some dried loofah to use. See how to use homegrown loofah in this video. With any luck, I will have seeds from this one. I need a good trellis if I plant more.

Loofah gourd on the vine
Loofah

Healthy Beets, Even If I Only Get Greens

Beets grow very slowly but are worth the effort. They never get very big in my garden, or maybe I am too impatient. I love that I can use the greens as well as the root, so I will keep growing these. They are perfect for planting in a shallow grow box.

golden beets pulled up in garden
Golden beet

Looking Forward to Spring Planting

January has been a pretty cool, gloomy and windy month. We went camping for a few days in the beginning of the month and after that the weather went downhill.

We haven’t had any freezing temps yet, but it’s been dry. While the rest of the country is getting deep freezing temperatures and ice and snow, we are safe with temps in the 40’s for lows here. So far.

As most gardeners do, I am looking into the future and planning my Spring and summer planting. I have two Vegega metal raised beds to assemble. Then they need to be filled. I’ll have to get this done soon so I can plant seeds and seedlings. There is a lot of clean up and planting planning to do.

Florida backyard winter garden view
Winter garden & Skittle the Cat

Meanwhile the seeds I started a few months ago are growing – mostly. I’ll have a few things to put into the beds. First I need to harvest that broccoli.

green divider leaves long

Homemade Garden Soup, Informal Recipe

I cooked a garden vegetable soup the other day (with some beef) and wanted to share the informal recipe here. Make it vegetarian too. My garden has beets, carrots and herbs, which I used for freshness.

Whenever I make homemade soup, I know it will never be the same as the last time I made it. Soup should contain local and seasonal vegetables, if possible. I choose ingredients from my garden whenever possible. Depending on the season, I will have different food to use.

I’m not a food blogger, so this is an informal list of ingredients I used along with approximate cooking times. It is meant to be a guide.

Garden Soup Ingredients

During Florida winters, we can grow root vegetables and herbs. These are the ingredients I ended up using for my soup. You certainly don’t need to use the same ones. Feel free to add more, or use less. I pulled / picked vegetables (beets, carrots, and herbs) from the garden to supplement store bought. My soup ended up delicious and flavorful.

You will notice that I do not include amounts. I add whatever I think appropriate.

Ingredients

  • Chop celery, garlic, and onions and sauté in the bottom of a pan. I used my Staub pot on the stove. Then I moved it to a single electric burner (Amazon paid link) to slow cook. (My stove doesn’t work properly 😡.)
  • Add broth. I used approximately 6 cups total of vegetable (or chicken / beef) broth. I made all the broth myself and saved it in the freezer, plus beet juice from cooking my garden beets.
  • Chop and add: Carrots, beet greens, herbs (parsley, dill, basil & a rosemary sprig – pull out the stem after cooking). Sliced beets would work here, but mine were pre-boiled so I added them at the end of the cook time.
  • 2 bay leaves (remove at the end), 1 -2 Tbs. tomato paste (or can of diced tomatoes). A slice of jalapeño pepper for added flavor (removed at the end).
Garden things
beets pulled from garden
Beets

Dried peas, lentils, and rice

Adding dried items like rice, beans, lentils or even pasta, can help absorb some of the liquid in the soup. This will help thicken up the liquid. I added a little bit of all three items to mine. One of them alone would work well. Read my post about soup basics if you are new to soup cooking. I have more advice about how to thicken soup without using flour.

  • Brown rice
  • Split peas
  • Red Lentils
Garden soup in pot
Adding the partially frozen broth, chopped greens, veggies and lentils / peas / rice.

Slow Cook

Cook the vegetables, herbs and additional ingredients on a low setting for about 2 hours, or until the vegetables are soft.

Add near the end of Cooking time

Once the main vegetables are cooked, add these and cook on low for an additional hour to heat through. Personally, I rarely add salt to food while I am cooking it, but you might want to.

  • Any vegetables that are pre-cooked. My beets were cooked ahead of time so I added them about an hour before the end.
  • Beans – I used Cannelloni white beans
  • Chopped beef brisket (or any pre-cooked meat). It’s not necessary to use any meat. I happened to have a small amount of beef to use.
  • Vinegar – small amount (tsp. or so) – optional. Helps bring out the flavors.
soup in Weck jars

Once my soup was completely cooked, I divided it up for freezing. The 2 cup Weck jars are the perfect size to store a healthy, future meal in the freezer. And I ate a bowl of it too!

More to share here:

Create Homemade and Delicious Soup With Flavor and Consistency

Making a nutritional and good tasting soup is such an achievement. Homemade goodness can’t be beat. I have a few tips for making sure the flavor and consistency is there.

When the weather finally gets cool, or downright cold, here in Central Florida, I want a hearty soup. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. Recipe tips combine with my own ingredients and knowledge to create a delicious soup.

I have cooked for many years. I have found some good ways to make sure my soups and stews are loaded with flavor and goodness. I’m sharing my ideas on this page.

Soup With Flavor Plus Good Consistency

Often the troubles that come when cooking soup have to do with blah flavor and / or watery consistency. There are simple ways to deal with these things. Easily make delicious soup every time. And, you don’t have to stir in flour or a thickener.

Flavor It

1. The best way to start a soup is to use a good broth or stock. I like to make my own and freeze it for things like this. Many places sell lovely broth as well. Read the ingredients and make sure it is good stuff. I also like organic.

One of the easiest, homemade vegetable broths is created from the water used to boil, or steam, vegetables. This is very easy to do. It’s perfect for vegans or vegetarians. Don’t pour that good nutrition down the drain. If you don’t want to save it, take it outside and pour it onto the plants!

I use Weck jars (paid link) with plastic lids, and add to them each time I have vegetable water leftover. *Be aware that only certain types of Weck jars are made for the freezer. and they must have the right type of lid that is plastic – not glass. The link goes to Amazon, but I buy mine from Weck.com.

soup in Weck jars
My Garden Soup – Recipe to come

Beef bone broth, as well as turkey and chicken broth, are popular too. It is very easy to make a stock, or broth. Use the crock pot, or an Instant pot to cook the bones on a low temperature for many hours. I always use my saved broth when cooking rice.

2. Herbs are a must. Herbs not only add flavor, they add goodness in the form of healthy nutrients. Get to know your herbs and how they taste. I’ve come to love Rosemary and grow it in a pot out back. I had never added it to soup until recently. Parsley, dill and basil are regular additions to my food. I grow them all so they are readily available at various times of the year. Dried, organic herbs are just as good and I use them too.

3. Cut and chop fresh vegetables. Fresh is key for a good tasting soup. If you are a grower, check the yard for anything that can be added. If they come from the store, find the freshest looking.

I had one pea pod – yes, only one – when I checked my garden the day I made my soup. I included about 10 little peas in my Garden Soup. Even though I may never even taste those peas, it’s the nutrition value from a backyard food that was added.

I also pulled some beets (and the chopped greens) and carrots. It all went into the soup. You can probably see why my soup comes out a little different every time I make it!

Red and golden beets pulled from garden
Beets
Garden vegetables including carrots, beans, basil and dill.
Garden carrots, beans, basil, dill, & one tiny tomato

Thickening Without Flour

There are a couple of ways I like to thicken my soups and stews. They are all easy, and don’t involve flour or cornstarch.

  • A favorite method is to blend some of the soup, without meat pieces, and include some liquid. Make sure to cool it first. Pour the blended soup back into the pot. About a cup full of soup will work.
  • Add some type of white liquid like coconut cream or milk. It doesn’t really thicken it much, but looks better!
  • Include dried things like rice, split peas, and / or lentils. They will soak up some of the liquid. (I added a little of all of them to my Garden Soup!)
bags of dried rice, lentils and split peas

Savor It and Save It

Once the soup is made it can be saved in the freezer. When I cook soup, I end up being the only one who eats it. The frozen jars of deliciousness often go camping with me. Or pull it out on a cool day when soup is appealing. Vegetable soup is a good side to other food also. Enjoy!

My Garden Soup Recipe

Keep reading the blog:

Yay, It’s Time to Cook the Garden Beets!

A simply and healthy way to use beets from the backyard garden. Use the whole beet to get all the nutrition they offer.

I am becoming very impatient with my beets. They were planted back in September and it is now January. The tops are beginning to break off so I decided to pull some of the bigger ones. Haha… they are not very big.

I love beets, and have had a bit more success growing them this year. Even the small beets can be eaten, along with the green tops.

beets pulled from garden grow box
Fresh pulled beets

The beets are small. The Golden variety grew larger than the red. I had tags in the beds to differentiate the red varieties (Detroit red and Lutz), but they have disappeared. I blame the raccoons who love to mess with my things. I wanted to know which ones grew best, but I think the Golden are the winner!

If you are curious about the healthy benefits of eating beets (and especially fresh from the yard!), read this page at Heart.org.

Easy Peasy – Simply Boil Them

There are many ways to cook beets. From boiled to roasted, you can find many recipes online. I immensely dislike all the pop up ads on cooking websites, so I cooked my beets the way I always do. Simply boil them in good water. I always save my vegetable cooking water.

To cook the beets I cut off the tops and roots. Then, I scrubbed them with a brush under water. I did not peel them, except for the really dried up areas around the top. After that, I thinly sliced them. After boiling in water for about 30 minutes they were tender. Freeze or use the water leftover!

I didn’t get many, and the yellow ones turned red, but they are good. There is nothing like fresh picked garden vegetables.

sliced cooked beets in a jar
Cooked beets

The beet greens were rinsed and finely chopped. The beets, greens and red water will be part of the slow cooker soup I am making tomorrow.

More beets are still growing in the yard and I’ll leave them to get larger. I don’t need the dirt space this time of year. Our Central Florida January has been pretty cold so far.

More small backyard gardening stories

Growing Beets in Florida Zone 9B

Beets are a cool season vegetable that can be grown in central Florida gardens. Last year at this time (November) I tried growing beets. I ended up with a few small ones. They didn’t grow very well, and I ate more of the beet greens than the root.

This Fall I planted beets a little early (September) to see what happened. Some of the seeds did grow. I bought a few varieties, including golden, Lutz, and Detroit red. The first planting was done in grow boxes. The boxes were recently overhauled to improve drainage and make space for crops.

Beets will grow in little clumps of 2 or 3, and need to be thinned. I cut off the extras, leaving the roots undisturbed.

beet seedlings growing in a clump

Now, it is December. My beets are looking good. I’ve eaten a few leaves with my salad greens.

Golden beet pushing up from the ground
Two beet varieties. One is the Detroit red.
Lutz beet seedlings in fabric pot.
Growing beets in grow boxes during the winter months in Florida.

My later planting of beet seeds was done in the ground. Those are still very small.

Cooking My First Beets of the Season

Some beets look ready to be pulled, so I pulled two golden beets. I cooked them, with the greens, for supper. The taste was pretty good, but they were small.

Golden beet
Small beets

Challenges of Fall and Winter Growing

It’s funny trying to grow Fall crops in Florida. The beginning of “fall” is very hot. September and into October can be too hot for winter crops. But if you miss the warmer planting time, then the cold can move in and seeds won’t want to germinate.

Check out this December planting guide (UF IFAS) to winter vegetables and herbs. REMEMBER – they don’t say growing from seed. I believe this guide is referring to transplants.

Early planted seeds don’t do much. They slowly push up and then seem to stop growing. Once the cold hit us in November, most of my Fall crops seemed much happier. My growing plan is to have decent size seedlings already growing when the cold arrives.

backyard garden in December
Winter garden view

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