HAPPY 'AUTUMN COMPANIONS' FEED GARDEN AND SOUL (Echinacea - Toad Lily) ~ BABY GREENS with CHICKEN, DRIED CHERRIES, PEARS & PECANS

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”

~ George Eliot

October Garden Abstract

(Toad Lily ~ Echinacea)

Echinacea

(faces still shining early October strong)

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BABY GREENS with CHICKEN, DRIED CHERRIES, PEARS & PECANS

~ Memorable autumn flavors blend together like perfect plants in the garden ... a taste of autumn at its best (Fine Cooking - Oct 2008)

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1 medium garlic clove

coarse salt

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. fresh thyme

freshly ground black pepper

1 peeled, cored, diced firm-ripe pear

1/3 cup dried tart cherries (Michigan dried are best)

8 oz. (8 loosely packed cups) mixed baby greens

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

(Rotisserie chicken easy and tastes great)

1/2 cup toasted pecans

Gorgonzola or Feta cheese

• Chop garlic, sprinkle with salt, and mash to paste with flat knife side of chef's knife. Put paste in large serving bowl and whisk in olive oil, vinegar, thyme, and pepper.
• Gently stir in pear and cherries. Add greens, chicken, and pecans. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with crumbled gorgonzola or Feta cheese. Serve immediately. (4-6 servings)

Tiny Toad Lily

No fall garden should be without toad lilies. These Asian curiosities bloom with orchid-like flowers that demand a close look, when the garden is winding down in fall. They do best in light shade in humus-rich soil that retains moisture, and are suitable for borders or less formal parts of the garden and among shrubs gradually becoming large clumps. Some self-seed but not aggressively.

"Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things."

~ Author Unknown

'JUST FOR ONE'S HEALTH' ... ~ PURPLE CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea) / 'NOT YOUR ORDINARY' BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

"Just for one's health ... it is very necessary to work in the garden and to see the flowers growing."

Vincent Van Gogh

PURPLE CONEFLOWER

(Echinacea purpurea)

'NOT YOUR ORDINARY' BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

~ On the lighter side, these are always a family favorite from ...

PICNIC! Recipes and Menus for Outdoor Enjoyment

1 2/3 cups flour

1/3 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 t sp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups MICHIGAN blueberries

(preferably small wild ones)

1 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter

• Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
• In large bowl, combine flower, wheat germ, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add blueberries and stir to coat. Add buttermilk and butter. Stir until just mixed.
• Spoon batter into greased muffin pans. Bake 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pans for 2 minutes.

"The purple coneflower isn't really purple at all. The large, eye-catching flowers are bright rose-pink. Each flower has a bristly iridescent orange center cone that provides lively contrast with the reflexed petals and a feeding station for butterflies. Growing on moist prairies and open woods, this American native was collected in southern Michigan more than 150 years ago but typically occurs to the south and west of the Great Lakes state. Native American have long used purple coneflower and its relatives for medicine, and today echinacea is enjoying a renewed popularity in health food stores as a treatment for the common cold ..."

MICHIGAN GARDENER'S GUIDE

A FLOWER ... 'SIMPLE DELIGHT'! ('BIG SKY' WHITE CONEFLOWER)

"The actual flower is the plant's highest fulfilment, and are not
here exclusively for herbaria, county floras and plant geography: they are here first of all for delight."

~ John Ruskin

CONEFLOWER

(ECHINACEA 'BIG SKY')

ENJOY THE 'SIMPLE' THINGS IN LIFE ~ CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea 'Doubledecker') / GRILLED BOURBON SALMON

"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

~ Hans Christian Anderson

CONEFLOWER

(Echinacea purpurea 'Doubledecker')

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GRILLED BOURBON SALMON

~ Guests proclaiming they don't like salmon, love this! Give it a try ...

(great for a buffet brunch or dinner ... )

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For each 1 1/2 lb. of salmon fillets (skin or skinless)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbsp. Bourbon

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. chopped green onions

additional green onions

• Combine brown sugar, bourbon, soy sauce, olive oil and chopped green onions. Pour over rinsed and patted dry salmon fillet. Marinate several hours.
• Remove salmon and reserve marinade. Grill salmon over hot coals until opaque or until oil breaks through surface ( 9-15 minutes depending on thickness and outdoor temperature).
• While salmon is cooking, bring marinade to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes (sauce should be thick and coat spoon). Add reserved green onions to sauce or pour sauce over salmon and garnish with green onions.
  
  
  Note: Delicious served with roasted rosemary redskin and/or sweet potatoes. For a buffet, surround with tri-colored julienne sliced peppers (red, orange & yellow) sauteed in a touch of extra-virgin olive oil seasoned with a pinch of coarse salt & freshly cracked pepper.
  
  

JULY DELIGHTS: TIGER SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY & ECHINACEA ~ FROZEN RASPBERRY MOUSSE

"Nothing is too polished to see the beauty of flowers.

Nothing too rough to be capable of enjoying them.

It attracts, delights all."

~ Daniel Webster

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucas)

Coneflower (Echinacea)

FROZEN RASPBERRY MOUSSE
~ Fast becoming a favorite simple summer dessert (Bon Appetit -July 2008)
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3 cups fresh raspberries, divided (about 16 oz.)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cram
1/2 cup sour cream
6 mint springs (garnish)

• Puree 2 1/2 cups raspberries, powdered sugar, and kirsch in blender until smooth. Transfer to large bowl.
• Beat Cream in large bowl until firm peaks form. Add sour cream and beat just to blend.
• Fold whipped cream mixture into raspberry puree just until incorporated.
• Divide mousse among 6 (6-oz) parfait glasses. Cover each with plastic wrap and freeze. About 2 hours before serving, place mousse in refrigerator to thaw slightly. Uncover mousse and top with remaining 1/2 cup raspberries. Garnish with mint sprigs.((6 servings)

Note: Easy to double recipe and place in glass serving dish. Finish the same by removing 2 hours early and placing in refrigerator to slightly thaw. Spoon into dessert dishes, top with berries and mint.

SUMMER GOODIES ... RASPBERRY SPINACH SALAD / WHITE CHEDDAR WALNUT PIE

"People take pictures of the Summer,

just in case someone thought they had missed it,

and to prove that it really existed."

- Ray Davies

~ Purple Coneflower (Echinacea)

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RASPBERRY SPINACH SALAD

~ Make vinaigrette ahead so flavor melds for this lovely summer lunch or supper.

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8 cups baby spinach

1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

1 - 1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

3 peeled and thinly sliced kiwi fruit

Place spinach in large chilled salad bowl (glass looks great). Add 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, 1/2 of the raspberries and 1/2 of the sliced kiwi. Toss with vinaigrette as needed. Top with remaining macadamia nuts, raspberries, and kiwi. Serve with side slice of Vermont Cheddar Walnut Pie (8 servings)

Vinaigrette:

2 cups raspberry vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

4 Tbsp. fresh chopped tarragon (2 Tbsp. dried)

1/2 cup maple syrup

pinch coarse salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine raspberry vinegar, mustard, tarragon, maple syrup and salt & pepper. Slowly whisk in both olive & vegetable oil. Allow to rest before serving.

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WHITE CHEDDAR WALNUT PIE

1 pre-baked (9-inch) cooled pie crust

4 organic eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream

12 oz. grated aged white Cheddar cheese

6 thinly sliced scallions

dash Tabasco sauce

coarse salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat eggs and place in double boiler with cream, grated cheese and scallions. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly, until mixture is creamy and cheese melted. Remove fro heat and cool slightly. Season with salt & pepper and dash of Tabasco.
• Pour mixture into pie shell and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle top of pie with walnuts and continue baking for 20-30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and top i slightly browned.
• Serve at room temperature beside Raspberry Spinach Salad. (6-8 servings)

THE ART OF NATURE ~ PEEKING in a JULY GARDEN

"All gardeners need to know when to accept something wonderful and unexpected,

taking no credit except for letting it be."

~ Allen Lacy

Allen Lacy information ~

http://www.ibiblio.org/london/agriculture/literature/1/msg00057.html

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~ Daisies, daylilies, rose, and Monarda (beebalm/bergamot)

~ Oriental lily

~ Coneflower (Echinacea), dahlia, Ligularia, Herb Robert, astilbe, Moombeam coreopsis, and Heuchera (Key Lime Pie & Creme Brulee)

~ Daylily

~ Coneflower (Echinacea), daylilies, rose, Monarda, phlox and New Guinea impatient