Spending time outside in your garden is not only a great way to enjoy the outdoors, it’s also an engaging way to keep your yard beautiful and improve your mental health. Why not let it improve your diet too?
Eating backyard-to-table, rather than just farm-to-table, gives you complete control over the food you eat. Worried about the possible long-term effects of chemical pesticides and fertilizer? You can decide which of those to use, if any. Fruits, vegetables and herbs can also be pleasing to the eyes: Strawberry plants sprout delicate white or pink flowers, tomatoes bloom a cheerful yellow before developing fruit, and greens such as arugula have an interesting leaf shape for excellent low ground cover.
“When you integrate home-grown produce into your daily life, you are getting the vegetables, herbs and fruits at their peak flavor, ripeness and nutritional benefits,” says Marcy Ragan, who owns and operates Relish Your Chef, a personal catering and meal planning service in Rumson. “When produce travels any distance, the quantity of nutrients and the quality of the crop diminish. Growing your own ensures that you can pick at peak flavor. That means less work in the kitchen for more delicious results—the food needs less help with seasoning and can be enjoyed with minimal effort.”
Ragan’s top choices for nourishing, beautiful plants are tomatoes. She also suggests soft herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley and chervil. Each of these veggies and herbs are delicate and benefit from the fresh-picked treatment.
What to do after you’ve picked your backyard produce? Use some of your home-grown ingredients in an appetizing (and healthy) salad:
CAESAR SALAD WITH CHICKEN
Yields 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 7 oz. broccoli
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup plus 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 10 anchovy fillets, rinsed
- about 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 5 cups loosely packed basil leaves
- 1 1/3 cups pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 2/3 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- focaccia for serving
DIRECTIONS
Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness with a meat mallet. In a shallow dish, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with salt and black pepper. Place the chicken breasts in the dish, turn to coat, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. While the chicken is marinating, soak the anchovy fillets in vinegar to cover.
In a blender puree the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Then add 2/3 cup grated Parmigiano and blend until thickened. Set aside.
Drain the anchovies and mince them. In a bowl, whisk together the minced anchovies, egg yolks, and remaining 1 cup grated Parmigiano until thick and well-combined.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then remove the chicken from the marinade and cook until opaque in the center and lightly browned on the surface, about 5 minutes per side. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes, then cut into strips.
Shred the Romaine lettuce. In a bowl, toss the shredded lettuce, the anchovy mixture, and the chicken until combined. Arrange the salad on individual plates and include a slice or two of focaccia with each serving. Drizzle the basil sauce around the rim of each plate.
Want to see more ideas for your home-grown herbs and vegetables? Check out this recipe for San Pietro salad.