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Spring Gardening Tips for a Flourishing Garden
As the vibrant colors of spring burst forth and the air fills with the sweet scent of blossoms, it's the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and tend to your garden. Whether you're a seasoned gar...
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Recipe: Crustless asparagus quiche with pancetta and gouda
Better than any vegetable, asparagus represents spring; it’s literally spring shoots of a perennial fernlike plant. (Asparagus actually is a distant relative of onions.) Asparagus has been a spring favorite since ancient Egypt. The Romans figured out how to freeze the shoots (in Alp snow) for later use. A recipe for cooking asparagus is included in one of the world’s oldest cookbooks, dating to first century A.D. After generations of asparagus love in their native countries, European settlers brought asparagus crowns with them to the New World. Dutch immigrants grew asparagus as early as 1655 in the colonies. Now, asparagus is a California specialty and plentiful this month, which makes it a good choice for building spring meals. This easy no-crust quiche works nicely for Easter brunch – or any spring meal. It combines asparagus, pancetta and gouda cheese in a creamy egg filling. Pre-cooking the asparagus keeps the quiche from getting soggy. Crustless asparagus quiche with pancetta and gouda cheeseMakes 6 servings Ingredients:
2 cups fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons butter plus butter for pan ½ cup onion, chopped ½ cup pancetta or slab bacon, cubed 2 cup gouda cheese, shredded 5 eggs 1 cup heavy cream ½ cup milk 2 or 3 dashes hot sauce Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Steam or microwave cut asparagus until fork tender but still vibrant green. (For microwave, cook about 6 minutes on high with ¼ cup water.) Drain and set aside. In a frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Saute onion until soft. Add pancetta and saute until edges start to brown. Add drained asparagus and saute lightly. Butter a 10-inch pie pan or quiche pan. Transfer asparagus-pancetta mixture to pan, spreading evenly on bottom. Top asparagus mix with grated cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add cream, milk and a few dashes of hot sauce. Carefully pour egg mixture over cheese and asparagus mixture in pan. Place on center rack in preheated 350-degree oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden and a thin-bladed knife stuck near the center comes out clean. Let cool about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers
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A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.
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Garden Checklist for week of May 19
Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
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