It's really hard to grow anything on the island unless you fence in your yard, or at least your garden. Deer are prolific and they eat up everything. we had tulips on the deck, next to the house and didn't fence them in, yep, overnight they were completely munched away. I've wanted to have herbs for the longest time because I love the idea of being able to head outside, snip a few delicate branches and prepare a fragrant meal redolent with fresh herbs. Not only do I love the idea of using really fresh herbs, but it is more economical since I can just take what I want and not let the rest languish in the fridge.
I was finally able to make it happen a couple of weeks ago. Early one Saturday morning I headed over to the local nursery and picked up a variety of herbs, small planters, and a greenhouse.
First, I re-potted my thyme, dill, rosemary, oregano and marjoram. Next, I set up my mini greenhouse. And, finally I put the little plants in their new home. I'm really looking forward to finally being able to use the herbs in my recipes.
For Easter, I made up a batch of ricotta and then chopped up a bunch of herbs to make a smooth, creamy, tangy spread for our crackers. Recipe for Herbed Ricotta adapted from Ina Garten's recipe in Barefoot Contessa's How Easy is That? I halved the recipe because I knew we had tons of food for the main meal and I really wanted just an appetizer.
Herbed Ricotta
1 cup ricotta
1 Tbls minced dill
1 Tbls minced green onions
1 Tbls chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped garlic
Mix all ingredients and let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Serve with crisp crackers.
Dad had also made an appetizer, pickled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. So easy, but a really stunning dish gorgeously presented.
And finally, I want to share with everyone what I missed so very much while I was in the South. I love the beautiful farmland of the South, but this is pretty special too.
