Photo courtesy: Marcie Rosenton
By Marcie Rosenton
Contributing Columnist
It’s summer gardening season! Even in the opening chapters of the Torah, we learn that Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden “to work it and to guard it” (Genesis 2:15). From the very beginning, Judaism recognizes the connection between people, the land, and the responsibility of caring for what has been entrusted to us.
From now through early October, many fruits and vegetables reach their peak harvest. At the grocery store and farmers markets, these items are often more affordable simply because they are in season and plentiful. Your grocery bill may be a little smaller when your cart is full of produce this time of year, and with all the concerns about tainted lettuce and parasites in the news lately, fresh, home-grown produce can ease some worries about the quality of what you’re eating. Summer favorites include fruits such as watermelon, peaches, cantaloupe, and berries, along with vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, and kale.
Doing your own gardening can certainly give a person a greater appreciation for why several Jewish holidays are so closely connected to harvests. When you spend months watering, weeding, waiting, and hoping, it becomes easier to understand why our ancestors marked the agricultural seasons with gratitude and celebration. Suddenly, the themes of abundance, dependence on rain, and appreciation for the fruits of the earth feel much more personal.
Of course, most of us garden today more as a hobby than as a necessity. We are fortunate to live in a time when grocery stores, refrigeration, and modern transportation allow us to enjoy almost any fruit or vegetable year-round. Here in the Cincinnati area, we are especially blessed with a plethora of farmers markets and specialty stores. Even if you don’t have a garden of your own, fresh local produce is never too far away. Still, there is no denying that nothing from the grocery store can quite compare to the taste of a fresh-picked tomato still warm from the sun or a cucumber harvested right before its thrown into a salad.
For me, gardening is cathartic because it offers emotional release. Being outdoors, hearing the neighbor kids playing, accompanied by a distant lawnmower and the chatter of birds, provides a welcome escape from daily stress. The simple acts of watering plants, checking on new growth, and pulling stray weeds here and there help quiet my mind and encourage me to be present in the moment. There is something deeply satisfying about nurturing a living thing and watching it flourish over time.
Gardening is also metaphorical in many ways. Recently, I read a personal story by Chana Gittle Deray about her marriage and her Jewish faith. She married a man who enjoys gardening and reflected on the optimism he and his gardening brought into their lives. “What I had not realized…this crazy, wonderful gardener had brought something magical into our lives. He brought a simple faith that if you stick a seed into the ground, something wonderful will grow.”
His gardening also brought a healthy dose of humor. One afternoon, after picking up the babysitter, she reflected: “And at that moment, as I gracefully explained to the babysitter why there were 500 pounds of manure in the back of my van, I needed to remember how blessed I was.” Any gardener can probably relate. Gardening has a way of teaching patience, humility, and the ability to laugh when things don’t go according to plan.
Metaphorically speaking, life can be a lot like a garden. There may be decent amount of manure, weeds to pull, droughts to endure, and creatures determined to sample your hard work before you can. Yet with regular tending, persistence, and a little faith, the rewards can be tremendous. Judaism often reminds us that growth rarely happens overnight. Whether we are cultivating plants, relationships, knowledge, or faith, meaningful growth usually comes one small step at a time.
So, how is your garden growing? We are entering the very beginning of prime harvest season for many backyard gardens. If you find yourself with more herbs, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers than you can possibly give away to the neighbors, I’m here with options to help answer the age-old summer question: “What do I do with all of this?”
Happy harvesting – from my kitchen to yours!
Traditional Shakshuka – Serves 4
Back in 2014, our family hosted a young woman from Israel and one day she made this for us for lunch. She said her father taught her to make it, and we could tell the dish was meaningful to her. Served with some warm pita, this is a quintessential Israeli dish.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds chopped plum tomatoes (or 2 -14oz cans diced tomatoes and 2 tablespoons tomato paste)
1 large pepper (bell or Anaheim), diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
Pinch of Cayenne
Salt & pepper
4 eggs
Pita and hot sauce for serving
• In a large, deep skillet with a lid, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the pepper and sauté 5 more minutes. Add all other ingredients except the eggs and simmer on low until the tomatoes are soft and everything is heated through.
• Turn the heat back up to medium. Make 4 wells in the sauce with the back of a large spoon. Crack 1 egg into each well. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve with hot sauce and pita for dipping into the sauce.
Note: to make a “green” shakshuka with leafy items from your garden, replace the tomatoes and peppers with:
5 cups baby spinach
3 cups baby kale or Swiss chard
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Crumbled feta for topping (optional)
Grandma Jane’s Pickles
An easy way to make delicious, crisp pickles without any canning equipment.
Ingredients:
1 gallon glass jar with a tight seal, thoroughly washed.
Enough whole small pickling cucumbers to fill the jar (10-15 depending on size)
3/4 of a bulb of garlic, peeled and minced
2 heaping tablespoons pickling spice
1/2 cup fine salt (canning or table salt will work)
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh dill (optional)
• Put all ingredients except the cucumbers in the jar, then fit as many cucumbers as you can in the jar.
• Place the jar on a trivet or other heat-resistant surface where it can sit undisturbed for several hours.
• Pour boiling water over everything, leaving about a 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar. Seal it, then set aside and let cool completely.
• Once cool, shake the jar thoroughly to mix the brine. Let the jar sit out unrefrigerated for 3 to 7 days before opening (the longer you wait, the stronger the flavor). Shake the jar once or twice a day.
• Once open, refrigerate the jar. The pickles will keep for 2 weeks.
Cindy’s Zucchini Bread – makes 2 loaves
This recipe is courtesy of my sister (thanks, sis!) These loaves freeze well so you can eat them later in the year.
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries (optional)
• Preheat oven to 325⁰ F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
• Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl.
• In a separate large bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar until combined. Add dry ingredients to the wet bowl and beat well. Add zucchini and nuts (and cranberries if using). Stir just to combine.
• Bake 40-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of both loaves comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes.
Fried Green Cherry Tomatoes – 4 to 6 servings
This tart, bite-sized treat is best served with dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
2 cups small green cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg white from a large egg
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
Dipping sauce (I recommend ranch or remoulade)
• Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan to 375⁰ F. (The smaller pan allows the correct depth of oil with the least amount of oil used.)
• Wash the tomatoes and remove any stems. Pat dry with a paper towel.
• Place the flour in a bowl or shallow dish. Lightly beat the egg white in a second medium-size bowl with a whisk or fork until foamy. Combine the cornmeal, breadcrumbs and seasoned salt in a third bowl.
• Add the tomatoes to the flour and toss until well coated. With fingers or slotted spoon, add the flour-coated tomatoes to the bowl with egg white, shaking off any excess flour. Gently stir or fold the tomatoes into the egg white just until well coated.
• Add the egg white-coated tomatoes to the cornmeal mixture, stirring gently to coat the tomatoes.
• Gently lower tomatoes into the hot oil, a few at a time, with a large slotted spoon or a strainer. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, in batches, or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with dipping sauce.
Pasta with “Raw” Tomato Sauce – 8 servings
Adapted from EatingWell.com
Ingredients:
2 pounds plum and/or heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved, divided
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (any color or a combination)
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, chopped
(optional – 1 teaspoon brine from the capers)
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound whole wheat rotini or fusilli
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• Combine chopped tomatoes, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, capers, garlic, vinegar, salt, ground pepper and crushed red pepper in a food processor or blender. Pulse until slightly chunky. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in oil and blend just until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the remaining 1 cup cherry tomatoes.
• At this point you can cover and refrigerate this sauce for anywhere from 1 hour to two days. You can use it cold, or you can put it in a saucepan and simmer (do not boil) to use immediately.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to the sauce along with basil. Toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
