Potato What Salad

My new favorite take on a summer classic, Potato What Salad! I love to eat and I like to cook but sometimes the things I grow all come due for harvest at different times and I'm left with having to be creative to use my harvest while it's fresh. So last week I had cilantro that needed harvesting, white bunching onions, string beans and potatoes. This is what I made.

Potato What Salad

•  6-8  cubed new potatoes, mine were purple potatoes but you can use baby red or baby white too
•  Two large handfuls of string beans chopped
• One large white bunching onion, or 1/2 cup scallions or chives
• 1/2 cup of cilantro chopped
• 2 tablespoons mayonaise
• sea salt to taste

Boil potatoes until soft, drain, cool and set aside. Chop string beans, cilantro and onions, mix in a bowl with mayo and salt. Once potatoes are cool add to the chopped mix and cool in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy! The raw string beans and onions give a great crunch and zing to the salad, and the cilantro gives it a very fresh tatse.

 Baby potatoes, burgundy, yellow and green bush beans

Basil

I LOVE basil, it's not that I'm a huge pesto fan, although I am, I just love the smell of it. I also love all different the varieties you can grow of basil. Many of you are familiar with the Italian variety Genovese. It's bright green and super delish on tomatoes and mozzarella, but the more uncommon varieties are what really spark my interest. This year I have three varieties in the garden, Italian Genovese, Blue African basil and Thai basil. Each has a distinct fragrance, texture and taste. Blue African basil is coarse and woody but the scent is fantastic. It closely resembles it's cousin the mint plant. Genovese is smooth and soft and very delicate with a more mild flavor. Thai basil smells almost like licorice and has a great taste that compliments shrimp dishes. Here's an easy recipe as posted on my friends blog http://www.myjudythefoodie.com/2012/06/a-homegrown-experience-making-fresh-pesto/ My Judy the Foodie. Check it out! I helped her with her garden planning and she's promised some good recipes in return. Enjoy!

How to make a self watering container out of bottles

Here's a fun DIY project to do with kids. It's easy requires few supplies and works great for indoor our outdoor use.
Supplies:
Empty bottle (water bottles work well, as do larger 1 liter soda bottles)
Scissors
knife
Duct tape
Cotton ball
Potting soil
Starter plant ( long root plants work well, you want to select something that won't outgrow its container too quickly so herbs and lettuces are best)
Have fun!