This year for Labor Day, we want to celebrate the achievements of workers in our own neighborhood. We’re hosting a Local Labor Day party, and we’ve asked all of our guests to bring a food dish or beverage that has been produced or grown within a 100 mile radius from home. We encourage you to host your own Local Labor Day party and enjoy fresh goodies that have been provided by hard workers in your own region. Not sure where to start? Take a look at this guide to learn how to find food and drinks that are local to you.

• Connecticut- Check out the City Seed website, where you can locate and map 5 different Farmers’ Markets. Each one operates throughout the fall- the market in Wooster Square even runs through December, which means you can use it to host a local Thanksgiving, too!
• Maine- Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, Maine, is getting ready to harvest its potatoes in September. Sign up for the Potato Sampler of the month, and you can have an 8-pound box of potatoes sent right to you each month. Each box includes 3 different delicious and distinctive varieties of potatoes.
• Massachusetts- Hilltop Orchards has expanded hours through October, so this is a great time to visit. Here you can pick your own apples, plums, and pears, as well as purchase locally made wines and hard ciders.

Midwest Region

• Minnesota- The Wedge Natural Foods Co-Op in Minneapolis is a terrific source for local foods. Right now, they have a great selection of seasonal local produce, including locally grown heirloom eggplants and tomatoes.
• Illinois- If you live in Chicago, then lucky you. Since you are in the largest city in the Midwest, you have lots of options for local eating. Visit The Beet, which is a great guide to eating local. You can also enter your zip code in the upper right corner to find a Farmers’ Market near you. This is a good time to find local apples, pears, beans, cabbage, eggplant, squash, and sweet potatoes.
• Nebraska- The Historical Haymarket Farmers’ Market in Lincoln features over 200 different vendors, and takes place every Saturday from 8 am til noon. In addition to local produce, this is an awesome place to find all sorts of baked goodies, such as muffins, croissants, pies, cookies, cakes, and baklava. Yum!

Southern Region

• Alabama, Georgia, and North Florida- Boutwell Farms is an USDA certified organic family farm that specializes in grass-fed beef and pork. You can pick up meat directly from their farm, or purchase it at a local Farmers’ Market that they supply.
• North Carolina- Check out Eat Local NC. It is an excellent guide to North Carolina’s Farmers’ Markets and local farms. You can also check out this guide to local produce, meat, and dairy farms in the Triad area. There’s even an ostrich farm in Winston Salem! Ever tried ostrich meat before?

New York- (Let’s face it, it’s a region of its own)

• The New York Metro Area Wheel shows what’s in season and local within a 150-mile radius of New York City. You can purchase your wheel for just $12.95.
• New York has a terrific selection of wineries, so make sure you check out your options for local wines. We recommend Warwick Valley Winery, where you can select from a variety of hard ciders and wines. This time of year, you can also pick your own apples and pears.
• The Local Fork is the locavore’s guide to dining and shopping in New York City. It will assist you in finding local produce, grains, dairy, nuts and seeds, poultry, and more. For a really special treat, get your hands on some local maple syrup or honey. Berkshire Berries makes honey from hives on NY City rooftops. How cool is that?

Central Region

• Colorado- Boulder county is hosting Eat Local week from August 28 to September 4. How appropriate- that’s just a couple days before the Labor Day holiday! Eat Local week is a perfect opportunity to discover local food sources and meet local food growers. Take a look at the website for a list of the week’s events.
• Kansas- Check out the Kansas City Food Circlefor a list of local Farmers’ Markets, where at this time of year you can purchase locally grown beets, cantaloupes, cauliflower, celery, carrots, pears, spinach, and much more.

West Coast Region

• California- Locavorism began in San Francisco, so if you live in this region, you are at the heart of the movement to eat local! Visit this website for a guide to local Farmers’ Markets and wineries. One particularly awesome thing about eating locally in San Fran is that you can get your hands on local seafood, such as anchovies, black cod, oysters, salmon, and squid.
• Oregon- The Ten Rivers Food Web is a wonderful guide to the area’s local co-ops, farms, Farmers’ Markets, and other local food groups. Make sure to visit the comprehensive local food directory.
• Hawaii- About 90% of the food that is available in Hawaii has been imported from the mainland. So, eating locally can prove to be a bit of a challenge here. It’s not impossible, though, as author Debbie documents here in her Eat Local Challenge blog. On the bright side, Hawaii’s climate means that you can get your hands on local bananas, papayas, and other tropical fruits pretty much at any time. You can visit this website, Eat Local Hawaii, for a list of good local markets to visit.

If we didn’t cover your home state here, try out some of the great national resources that are available to you. At the Local Harvest website, you can type in your zip code as well as the product you are looking for. You can also visit the USDA website for a listing of Farmers’ Markets near you. Have fun with your Local Labor Day bash, and enjoy the fruits of local labor!

Anticipation, fear, excitement, dread, relief, joy: There are few things in this world that can match the great mixture of feelings that are evoked with the time of year notoriously known as “back to school.” For parents, teachers, and students everywhere, the late summer season means shedding swim suits in favor of starched shirts, and sunglasses in favor of study time. But year after year, there is one aspect of back to school that makes it merry. That, of course, is back to school shopping! Here at aHa! Modern Living, we have a great selection of items to make back to school fun.

(1) The Popoutz Seed and Peanut Feeders

These eco-friendly and 100% recyclable bird feeders make a wonderful first day of school gift for any teacher. The Popoutz Seed Feeder holds small varieties of bird food such as sunflower seeds and dried mealworms, while the Popoutz Peanut Feeder holds larger types of feed such as suet pellets and peanuts. Both varieties come in an array of colors, so you can choose them to match your son or daughter’s school colors.  And at just $3.50 each, you can afford to select several! These fun little feeders are great for kids and adults alike, as well as a terrific way to keep hungry birds fed when food becomes more scarce in the fall and winter.

(2) The Plant Nanny and Petal Drops

If there is one thing we know for sure, it’s that back to school is a super busy time of year for every parent. It’s time for school open houses, PTA meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and the transformation of your Chevy to a kiddie shuttle bus. And because of this, we know that every little thing you can do to help simplify your hectic schedule is a good thing. Plant Nanny and Petal Drops make it a snap to ensure that your indoor and outdoor plants are adequately watered every day. Just allow the Petal Drops to collect rain water in your yard into a recycled water or soda bottle, then turn the plastic bottle onto your Plant Nanny. Simple.

(3) Cacao and Spice Hand Wash

Back to school time also means sniffle and cough time. What is the best line of defense against these late summer sniffles? Plenty of hand-washing, of course. Keep a bottle of Daub and Bauble Cacao and Spice Hand Wash by each sink in your home. The delicious chocolatey cinnamon scent guarantees that they won’t forget to lather up before their after-school snack. Plus, Vitamin E and Aloe will leave their hands feeling soft and luxurious, not stripped of moisture. Daub and Bauble Hand Washes also come in 3 other yummy scents too, so you can select different ones for each sink in your house.

(4) Felt Wine Sleeve and Roost Menagerie Bottle Openers

If you are a first year college student, stop and take a moment to think about all the things you have to thank mom and dad for right now. They helped you pack up your bedroom at home, and haul all your boxes up 3 flights of stairs into your new dorm room. Dad helped you figure out how to screw together your bunk beds, while mom organized your sock drawer and stretched your new extra-long twin sized sheets onto your mattress. This is all on top of the hefty check they wrote for your first year of tuition. Wow, mom and dad are major champs, and it’s time to pick out a nice thank you gift for them.

Check our Gifts by Recipient section, where you can choose the perfect thank you gift based on mom and dad’s interests, whether they are bird lovers, entertainers, or gardeners. Two of our favorites are the Felt Wine Sleeve and the Roost Menagerie Bottle Openers. You can slip a pretty bottle of sparkling french lemonade into the felt sleeve, and let them pop it open with a fun wooden sculptured bottle opener. (The apple shaped bottle opener is definitely appropriate for back to school.) What a sweet and refreshing way to say “thanks.”

(5) Sprouts

As a parent, of course you care deeply about making sure that your child receives adequate nutrition during the school year. Plenty of studies have shown that when kids eat well and avoid junky processed foods, it enables them to be attentive in class and do their best in school. Sprouts are a bonafide super food that will help to keep your kid fueled throughout the school day, as well as help boost his or her immune system.

Try mixing a little bit of alfalfa sprout juice in with your child’s apple or orange juice at breakfast. The sprout juice is mild and practically tasteless, so it mixes easily. Or, toss a few sprouts onto a ham and cheese sandwich and pack it up for lunch. Their unique crunchy texture makes them fun for kids to eat. For little kids, get them interested by giving the stringy strands a goofy name, like baby spaghetti.

Alfalfa sprouts are one of the highest sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in nature. Plus, they, along with other types of sprouts, can easily be grown on a counter top at any time of year. Check out our Sprouting section for a selection of sprouts, including mungbean sprouts and broccoli sprouts. All of our Botanical Interests seeds are now 25% OFF, so it is a great time to start sprouting!

Not just any vegetable will survive and thrive when planted in August. Planting during the late summer requires some strategic planning, since you must make sure to plant only crops that can handle the extreme heat of August afternoons, as well as the chillier temps of cool autumn evenings.

Save 25% OFF all Botanical Interests Seeds. Click to view all seed varieties.

Hardy Vegetables for Late Summer Planting

Carrots- Carrots may be sown from August through September in 10 day intervals for a steady supply.

Chard- You can plant chard in your garden up until mid-August. In milder areas, you can even overwinter your chard by covering it with a protective coat, such as fleece. Tender baby leaves are ready to be picked and consumed after just 4 weeks.

Peas- Peas can be sown up until mid-August. They are extremely tolerant plants, and are super versatile, since they are perfect for eating raw, canning, freezing, steaming, mashing, and more.

Coriander- You can sow coriander seeds up to the end of August, and if you repeat plantings every 2 weeks or so, you’ll have plenty of cilantro leaves to use in your cooking and cocktails.

Broccoli- Broccoli is one of the best and easiest crops to grow in the late summer. You can even plant broccoli seeds in your garden through early September.

Salad greens- Oriental greens, kale, arugula, spinach, mesclun, and a variety of lettuces all thrive in the late summer.

Radishes- Radishes, as well as other root crops such as potatoes and turnips, all thrive when planted in the late summer.

Snap beans- Late summer planted snap beans often thrive better than those planted in the spring. This is because snap beans benefit from cooler temps once the plants begin to produce. Plant them in August of late September to take advantage of this.

Tips for planting in the late summer:

• Make sure to plant cool season crops, and plant them early enough that they can get a good head start on growing before there is any chance of frost in your area.
• Plan not only what you plant, but where you plant. Your spring-planted garden may still be flourishing in August. Make sure you do not plant your late summer crops in a spot where the seedlings will be choked out by other plants.
• Your veggies may take a couple weeks longer to mature than you would expect. This is simply a result of cooling temperatures.
• Appropriately prepare your garden spot for new seedlings by clearing away any old, finished vegetable plants and weeds. Turn over your soil to a depth of at least 8 inches, and add a good layer of compost. This helps to re-nourish the soil where you have previously planted.
• Whiteflies, stink bugs, aphids, and caterpillars are all commonly seen in late summer, so monitor your garden closely for pests.

Fresh, local produce

We have a dream here at aHa! Modern Living. Our dream is that all of the produce we consume will be fresh, organic, and locally grown. If we don’t grow it ourselves, we want to know exactly where it comes from. Ideally, we’d even like to have a relationship with the farmer, and the opportunity to visit his or her land. Sound like a far off and starry-eyed hope? Well, by participating in CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, it can be a reality rather than a distant dream.

Becoming a member of a CSA is an excellent way to ensure that you will have a steady supply of fresh produce, as well as to support a local farm. Therefore, it is a great way for you to maintain a healthy diet, try new foods, avoid giving your money to large farming corporations, and bolster your local economy all in one.

When you become a member of a CSA, you make a financial contribution to a local farm, therefore becoming a member or shareholder. In return, you are supplied with a season’s supply of fresh food from the farm, (with a season typically running from late spring through early fall.) Check out this video to learn more about how CSAs are formed, and why they matter:

To find out if you have a CSA in your area, you can visit the Local Harvest website and type in your zip code in the space on the right side of the screen. CSAs have gained popularity in recent years, so it is likely that you can find one near you. While in 1990 there existed only approximately 100 CSAs in the United States, today that number has grown to over 1,000.

7 Questions to Ask When Joining Community Supported Agriculture:

1. What does the farm grow? Ask for a harvest schedule and a list of crops. Make sure to consider that you may also find farms that offer meat, eggs, dairy, herbs, and/or flowers.
2. What is the farm’s season? Most farms do not harvest during the winter. But depending on where you live, you may find one that does.
3. Is the farm organic? Some farms practice organic farming, yet do not undergo the costly process to receive legal organic certification. Decide ahead of time what your standards are in regards to organic farming, and find a farm that meets your standards.
4. Does the farm offer delivery? Most farms deliver produce on a weekly basis to their shareholders. Find out if you will receive home delivery, or if you will need to pick up your food at a local headquarters, such as a Co-op. Make sure that delivery dates, places, and times fit your schedule.
5. How big is a standard share? Will you be receiving one pound of produce per week, or five pounds, or ten?
6. How are payments made?Most farms require the season to be paid for up front. However, some will accept weekly or monthly payments.
7. What happens when you go on vacation? You don’t want your lovely fresh produce to be delivered to an empty house.

Every year when we plan our steamy-season summer vacation, we make a list of things that must be cared for in our absence. Take the dog to the kennel, contact the post office to stop our mail delivery, set a timer so the living room lights automatically go on and off, and ask the neighbor next door to water our plants. Yet every year when we return, our foxglove doesn’t look so foxy, our potted geraniums hang their red heads sadly, and our sweet basil looks more dried out and crusty than sweet. Drat!

Well, we recently discovered an easy way to insure that our plants are watered while we’re on vacation. No offense to our neighborhood kids, but we think that the Plant Nanny is a more sure-fire way to make sure our gardens are reliably watered in our absence!

Earn TRIPLE aHa! Rewards during the month of August when you buy Plant Nanny Singles & Petal Drops Rainwater Catchers.

Enjoy Peace of Mind with Plant Nanny Singles

All you need in order to use the Plant Nanny is a used plastic soda or water bottle. (So this is a cool way to recycle plastic, too.) The Plant Nanny consists of a special ceramic stake and a drip-free bottle adapter. All you have to do is place the ceramic stake in the soil, and overturn the filled plastic bottle, with the adapter attached, into the ceramic stake. As your soil dries out and becomes filled with air, the bottle releases just the right amount of water. Since the stake is in the soil, this is a super efficient way to water, wherein the water is delivered directly to the roots, allowing your plants to develop healthy, hardy roots.

Plant Nannies come in two different sizes to fit pretty much any need. Plant Nanny Singles are great for if you’re just going on an extended weekend trip, or if your container garden consists of smaller pots. The single size uses a plastic bottle up to one liter in size. For a longer vacation, or if you have a window box or larger pots, you should try the Plant Nanny Add-A-Bottles. These adapters can accommodate up to a 2 liter sized plastic bottle, so even if you’re gone for a week, your windowsill herb garden will still stay healthy and hydrated.

If you love the idea of recycling an old plastic bottle rather than letting it sit in a landfill, then you will love this second product that we just recently added to our gardens as well. We’ve recently begun using Petal Drops in our gardens, and we think they’re just adorable!

Price: $3.99
Buy Plant Nanny Singles Now!

Repurpose Rainwater in Style with Petal Drops

Petal Drops are just as simplistic and easy to use as the Plant Nanny. They are not only a useful way to recycle plastic water and soda bottles, but also a handy way to re-purpose rain water. All you need to do is attach Petal Drops, which are cute little flower-shaped funnels, to the tops of emptty plastic bottles, then place them outdoors. The Petal Drops utilize the same concept as a rain barrel, but are much more space efficient. You can use Petal Drops even if you just have a small cement porch or iron balcony.

Recently, after a glorious, heavy July thunderstorm, we found that all five of the Petal Drops bottles we had placed throughout our backyard were filled with water. So what did we do? We took the bottles and overturned them into our Plant Nannies. We are thrilled- watering our plants has definitely never been so easy, or so earth friendly!

Price: $6.00
Buy Petal Drops Rainwater Catchers Now!

Over the past 5 years, the locavore movement has picked up steam. In 2007, the New Oxford American Dictionary made the term itself their word of the year, which helped to garner some support and attention to the movement. Many people are discovering that eating locally has numerous benefits: food is more nutritious and tastes better, the conservation of fuel is promoted by avoiding supermarket fare that has been trucked hundreds of miles to get there. The locavore way of life is both nutritionally and ecologically sound.

When preparing to become a locavore yourself, you may find yourself wondering, what is the most logical first step? The first step to the locavore way of life is to embrace the fact that no effort you make is too small. Any step you take to support farmers in your area, protect your family’s health, and save the environment is a worthy step.

Here are ten ways to become a locavore:

(1) Shop at a farmers’ market. Farmers’ markets are a wonderful way to support local businesses because you buy directly from the farmers; the middle man is eliminated. While many people assume that a market will contain only produce, we would encourage you to attend one in your area- we think you will find that much, much more is available. You can often find local meats, cheeses, and even handmade beauty products such as lotions and soaps. One of our aHa! contributors shops her local farmer’s market in North Carolina for everything from local honey to goat cheese. So bring your own canvas shopping bags and prepare to stock up. To find a farmers’ market in your area, you can search the USDA’s guide to farmers’ markets.

(2) Closely examine your supermarket. Some grocery stores have recently made a concerted effort to carry local products. If you are not able to clearly identify where your meat, dairy, and produce come from, ask your supermarket manager. Inquire as to where your favorite products come from. Grocery stores do have the ability to change their purchasing practices. So make sure you voice your opinion, and encourage others to do the same. You can affect a change if you lobby!

(3) Choose 3 foods per week that you can swap out for local products. It is not practical to throw away every item in your pantry and fridge all at once and replace it with all local products. Instead, make an effort to select 3 to 5 different local foods that you can stock your fridge and pantry with each week. Make a gradual, slow transition. Overall, this may take a few years. That’s okay.

(4) Find your local Community Supported Agriculture. A Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a program that allows you to be directly affiliated with a local farm. You invest in the farm in exchange for a weekly supply of its products. Being a member of a CSA is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to various types of fresh local produce that may not otherwise find their way into your cart. It also gives you the opportunity to eat ultra-fresh and nutritious produce, and develop a relationship with a local farmer. To find a CSA in your area, visit this website and type your zip code in the box on the right hand side.

(5) Learn to preserve local foods. Eating locally means that depending on where you live, you may have a lack of fresh fruits and veggies during the winter. So take the time now, when summer veggies are delicious and plentiful, to pickle, freeze, dry, and can them. Come winter, you’ll have a great supply of yummy, local fruits and veggies available to you. Chutneys, sauerkrauts, jams, jellies- you have many different options.

(6) Frequent restaurants in your area that support local farmers. Most restaurants have websites now, so do your homework! Look for the restaurants in your area that use local produce, meats, fish, and cheeses. Depending on where you live, you may be surprised by what you find. There are hundreds of seafood restarants in coastal areas, but many of these restaurants serve imported, rather than local, seafood. Don’t make assumptions based on location.

(7) Host a 100-Mile Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated with a feast of all locally caught, hunted, and harvested foods. So this year, host a Thanksgiving celebration in which you ask all of your friends and family members to bring a dish that was made only from foods that have come from a 100-mile radius of their homes. And while you’re at it, why wait til Thanksgiving? Try hosting a local dinner party or brunch.

(8) Buy from local vendors. While the local coffee house down the road from you may not have grown their own coffee beans, you are still helping to support your local economy by buying your beans from them. There is a difference between “locally grown” and “locally produced.” You can support your economy and the locavore way of life either way.

(9) Keep a journal of the instant and long-term health benefits of eating locally. A locavorian diet is not a weight-loss plan, but it does stand to improve your health in many ways. Be aware of how good and energized you feel; this will help you stay motivated to continue to make the effort to eat locally. One drastic change that you will notice right away is that you will eliminate nearly all (if not all) processed foods from your diet. And unless you live on the corn-belt or near a factory that produces corn-derived food additives, you’ll find that you will eliminate corn syrup from your diet.

(10) Prioritize your expenses. Local, organic milk may be more expensive than the cheap stuff at the grocery store. But if you cut out just one cup of espresso per week, it makes up for the added expense. When making a transition to the locavore way, accept that there will be a few start-up costs. Your first year of being a locavore will require the most time, effort, and monetary expenditure. You must research the best sources for local products, and be willing to spend time picking up and preserving certain foods that may be available for only a brief period of time each season. However, remember that when you buy a tomato locally, you are paying for just the tomato. You are not paying for the gas that was used to truck the tomato hundreds of miles across the country.

Image courtesy of Country Living

It’s definitely true that nothing spruces up a homemade meal and adds delicious flavor quite like your own home-grown garnishes. Herbs such as basil, cilantro, and thyme can add wonderful color and fragrance to your dishes- not to mention the best part of chowing down on them. Here is another idea that we love for fresh herbs- mixing them into some chilly and refreshing summer cocktails. Yes, it’s true. Not only can you cook and garnish with fresh herbs, but you can also mix them up with booze and drink them. The fresh herbs create an aromatic cocktail, which when drunk, creates a particularly complex and lovely sensation on the palate and nose.

At your next outdoor party, try making one of these your signature drink. Mix it up ahead of time in some pitchers, then keep plenty of ice on hand. Or, just shake up a couple of cooling drinks for you and your honey on a balmy summer night. Sip, savor, repeat.

Country Thyme and Berry Cocktail

Recipe from H. Joseph Hermann and Square One Vodka.Supplies: 1 muddler 1 10-ounce highball glass 1 cocktail shaker or mixing cup 1 cocktail strainer

Ingredients:
1 and ½ ounces vodka
A handful (approximately 10-15) fresh blueberries, huckleberries, or blackberries
1/2 ounce of fresh organic lemon cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 ounce organic agave nectar (natural sweetener)
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Preparation:
1. In the bottom of a mixing cup or cocktail shaker, add the berries and lemon. Muddle to juice both.
2. Add the vodka, agave nectar, and ice.
3. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds.
4. Take 3 sprigs of thyme and slap them between your palms to release the natural aromatic oils.
5. Place 2 sprigs in the bottom of the highball glass, then fill it with ice.
6. Strain the cocktail over ice and stick the last thyme sprig in the cocktail as a garnish. It should stick out a bit like a small straw.

County Line Strawberry Basil Spritzer

Recipe from Allison Evanow and the 2008 Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco. Supplies: 1 muddler 1 tall Tom Collins glass 1 cocktail shaker or mixing cup 1 cocktail strainer

Ingredients:
2 ounces vodka
3 strawberries
2 whole basil leaves
½ ounce of lemon juice
½ ounce of agave nectar
Club soda

Preparation:
1. Muddle the strawberries and 2 basil leaves in a cocktail shaker or mixing cup.
2. Add all of the other ingredients except for the club soda.
3. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds.
4. Strain into a Tom Collins glass filled with ice.
5. Top with club soda.
6. Thinly slice (chiffonade) an extra basil leaf. Serve the cocktail garnished with the basil chiffonade and a couple strawberry slices.

Fresh Basil Martini

Recipe courtesy of Square One Vodka.Supplies: 1 muddler 1 chilled martini glass 1 cocktail shaker or mixing cup 1 cocktail strainer

Ingredients:
4-5 basil leaves, lemon basil leaves, or Thai basil leaves, torn
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce of organic agave nectar

Preparation:
1. In the mixing cup or cocktail shaker, briefly muddle the basil leaves to release their oils.
2. Add crushed ice and all of the other ingredients.
3. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
4. Strain into the chilled martini glass.

Oh Rosie! Rosemary Lemon Martini

Recipe from Cheri Loughlin and The Intoxicologist. Supplies: 1 cocktail shaker or mixing cup 1 chilled martini glass 1 cocktail strainer

Ingredients:
1 and ½ ounces gin
½ ounce orange juice
¼ ounce rosemary syrup*
½ ounce of fresh lemon juice
Sprig of fresh rosemary for garnish

Preparation:
1. Slap the rosemary sprig between your palms and rub gently to release the fragrant oils. Brush the inside of the martini glass with the sprig, then set it aside.
2. Combine all of the liquid ingredients in the cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 20 seconds.
3. Strain into the martini glass, add the rosemary sprig for garnish.

*Recipe for rosemary syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 4-inch fresh rosemary sprig

Directions:
Combine the water and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring the mixture frequently until the sugar dissolves completely. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the syrup from the heat source. Place the rosemary sprig in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the syrup over the rosemary. Allow this too cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container and storing it in the fridge. This will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Kiwi and Cilantro Mojito

Recipe from Melissa Parks and Suite 101. Supplies: 1 muddler 1 mojito glass (or other tall, slender glasses like the Large Botanical Inspired Glasses by aHa!)

Ingredients:
3-4 sprigs of fresh cilantro
3-4 fresh spearmint leaves
2 slices fresh lime
1 kiwi, peeled and halved
1 tbsp. sugar (or simple syrup)
1 and ½ ounces light rum
Club soda

Preparation:
1. Lightly muddle the cilantro leaves, spearmint leaves, fruit, and sugar together in the bottom of the glass.
2. Add ice, rum, and enough club soda to fill glass.
3. Stir lightly to mix, and garnish with an extra slice of lime.

Successive Plantings

These plants do well with plantings either throughout the growing season or in spring, and again in the fall.

• Entire Growing Season: Dill, cilantro, arugula, chives, parsley
• Spring and Fall: Lettuce, beets, kale, spinach, onions, carrots, leeks

Mid-Summer Plantings

Some seeds will give you more bang for your buck if you plant them later in June, rather than in early May. The ground is warmer, certain pests that like to munch are gone, and a later planting will give you more harvest after your neighbors plants have produced themselves into exhaustion. Here’s what to plant now:

• Squash (summer and winter-if you have a long growing season)
• Corn (if you have a long growing season)
• Pumpkins

Check out all of our Botanical Interests Seed varieties, many heirloom and organic edible seed varieties. Enjoy a 20% discount on our bush bean and pole beans.

There’s been some discussion among gardeners lately regarding the benefit of companion planting. That’s the idea of planting vegetables and flowers together, or radishes with cabbage, or carrots and tomatoes, for mutual benefit. Is there solid research to prove this? Not really. Is it a bad idea? Not really.

Why Good Radishes make Good Neighbors

Radishes, in particular, are frequently cited as good companion plants. Something about their scent deters pests. Their flowers—tiny, delicate, and open-faced—attract small insect pollinators. That’s something that every vegetable (or, botanically speaking), fruit, can benefit from. Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, blueberries, apples, peaches—all require pollinators for maximum quantity of production. If you let your radishes bolt (go to seed), you have a built-in pollinator beacon.

Other Plant Combos that Work:

• Tomatoes & Basil
• Beets & Onions
• Marigolds & Everything else!
• Mint & Cabbage
• Lettuce & Strawberries
• Dill & Broccoli

Right up there with apple pie and baseball, cookouts are definitely one of America’s favorite summer pastimes. We think it’s not just the scrumptious fare that makes cookouts so great; it’s the smell of lit charcoal and lighter fluid, the carefree attitude of cooking out in the open air, and the simple joy of washing your barbecue-sauce smeared hands in a hose rather than in a kitchen sink. All of these things make summer grilling, in a word, awesome.

Now despite all the many joys of outdoor grilling, of course we are not going to deny that devouring the food is the very best part. And grilling is a wonderful opportunity to use some of the fresh veggies and fruits from your garden. Fresh home-grown veggies are wonderful straight from the garden, but when you grill them over an open flame, their flavor is magnified, and suddenly some simple garden fresh produce becomes a true treat.

Basic guidelines for grilling vegetables from your garden

• Onions- Cut them into 1/2 inch slices, and cook for 10-12 minutes.
• Bell Peppers- Cut them into halves or quarters, and grill them for 6-8 minutes.
• Eggplant- Cut them into 1/2 inch slices, and cook them for 8-10 minutes.
• Asparagus- Leave them whole, and cook them for 6-8 minutes.
• Corn-Peel back the husks to remove the corn silk, then replace the husks. Pre-soak them in water for one hour to prevent them from charring. Cook them for 20-25 minutes.
• Summer Squash and Zucchini- Cut into 1/2 inch slices, and cook them for 6 to 8 minutes.
• Cherry Tomatoes- Pierce the skins and cook them whole for 2-4 minutes.

We know what you’re thinking right now. Despite the fact that you have all of these wonderful grilled veggies straight from your home garden, you still have a friend/spouse/child who will insist on reaching for a brat or hamburger. You’ll need to entice this person a bit in order to get him or her to reach for something fresher and healthier instead. No problem! We’ve got a terrific marinade recipe that will pump up the flavor of your veggies and make anyone’s mouth water.

Lemon and Thyme Vegetable Grilling Sauce:

Whisk together 1/4 cup of melted margarine or butter, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 finely chopped shallots, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of grated lemon peel,  and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme. You can add salt and pepper to taste. Brush both sides of your veggies with this marinade before grilling them. Keep any of the remaining sauce warm in order to serve it with your veggies.  If you’d like, you can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in a sealed container in your fridge.

Hints for Grilling Veggies:

• If you would like to try grilling vegetables that are too small to sit on your grill, try using either a grill basket, or a foil packet. For a simple foil packet recipe, try cutting up Brussels sprouts, pearl onions, carrots, green beans, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes. Place them all on a large piece of foil and season them with salt and pepper. Lift the edges and add one tablespoon of water, or one large ice cube. Bring the sides of the foil up so that they meet, and fold them over twice. (The sealed packet will look kind of like an envelope.) Grill this on the hottest part of the grill for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• Full-size tomatoes are great for grilling, too. Just cut them in half and cook them directly on your grill.
• Any time you place a fruit or veggie directly on your grill rack, first brush them with a little bit of olive oil or spray them with cooking spray to keep them from sticking.

Image source: Fresh From Florida