Your Scrap Garden

 Don't throw away those scraps! Those bits and pieces from veggies and fruits can be planted and regrown into more ingredients for your summer kitchen. It's a fun way to recycle along with being a thrifty one.

Most veggies can be replanted in your  garden or in pots.The alliums like leeks and scallions are easy to replant. Bunches come with small, white roots already sprouting. You can first plant them in a glass of water and then plant them in the garden or in a terracotta pot with good drainage.  Keep in mind these need a lot of bright sunlight. They can be placed by a window but outdoors is your best bet for growing healthy ones. what is great about them is that they just keep on giving. Pull them out, use them long green leaves in everything from sauces to soups and then replant the second generation of sprouts. Onions can also be grown from scraps or the whole veggie. Onions will start to sprout new growths if you leave in your crisper for a few weeks. Don;t throw them out. Add them to your garden too! Romaine lettuce, lettuce and bok choy can also be regrown. Save their stumps and place in a bowl filled halfway with water. You''ll start to see leaves after a few days!!!.That means it's time to plant in your garden. Potatoes and sweet potatoes can also be regrown too. Cut in half and place in a dark area like your basement.

Fruits are an easier regrow. All have seeds which can be replanted. Remember though that oranges and lemons do require warm weather. This is perfect if you live in states like Florida and California that have always been associated with the fruits Trees can freeze and damage can be done to both the blossoms and the fruit. You could grown them if you have a climate controlled greenhouse. If you 're in the northern part of the country,. then think apples and cherries along with peaches and plums.However most commercially grown fruit comes off of "grafted" trees. You may not get the same tasty fruit that you bought from your store. A Golden Delicious seed may not yield a Golden Delicious apple. You will get apples , and they'll still be delicious but they might be a Fuji or a Winesap.. The same is true with plums and peaches. Another point to remember is that it will take a tree two to three years to produce fruit. Still it's nice to even have a tree for shade. Make sure plum and peach pits are scrubbed free of any pulp and then air dried before planting.

Save those scraps!!!! They can be used to create a productive harvest and ingredients for your future meals. You'll be getting much more from your original buy.

Mussels A Summer Treat

One of the best summer pairings is a plate of steamed mussels, usually served dockside with an icy cold beer. The seafood itself is good a variety of ways and its' an easy cook for home chefs. The best part of them is that they're fun to eat on a hot summer's night.

Mussels are both a fresh and salt water fish and a member of the clam or bivalve family. They're usually found clumped together on the exposed shores of an intertidal  or seashore area. They attach themselves to each other by their "beards" or byssal threads. Mussels have been eaten by humans for millennia and there are seventeen varieties of them. Most fish stores and restaurants usually have the black or navy blue shelled ones. The Belgians are the ones to go mad for them , usually serving them with fries or frites along with a good Belgian beer, The Italians and Spanish usually serve them steamed with white wine and lemon while the Spanish also turn them into croquettes with other seafood. Mussels are steamed in garlic and black bean broth while the Turkish fry them and then put them back into their shells The Indians serve them as a plate with chicken drumsticks, breadfruit and other vegetables. They're also made with coconut paste and rice and then, like the Turks, stuffed back into their shells. Many Americans usually first encounter them at their local pizzeria where they're served with marinara sauce.

There is just one thing to remember when buying them. Living ones will shut tightly when they're taken out of the water and exposed to air. If they remain open, they should be tossed because they're not living.Cleaning them is easy, Put them in a large bowl of water as soon as you get them home. They should remain there for twenty minutes, expelling water (they are filters,after all) and sand. The next step is de-bearding. This requires holding a mussel  in one hand and cover the grasping hand with a towel, Now give it a sharp yank, pulling in the direction of the hinge. The mussels have to be rinsed a second time and then scrubbed of any exterior sand or barnacles.Use a firm brush for this. There are a variety of ways to cook them.Most recipes call for steaming them in white wine but you can use water as well, usually one cup. You can serve them topped with a homemade or even store bought marinara sauce along with a large loaf of crusty Italian bread. You can also go the Belgian route by steaming them in a savory broth of  beer and a variety of herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano. They are served with piping hot julienne fries and mayo but you can just have a loaf of crusty, French bread and Stella Artois on hand.

A fun summer meal is a plate of fresh steamed mussels. Make them just for yourself or for a party. They are an easy and delicious, a no fuss meal for these sweltering days.