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DAVID DANGLE’S NEW SUMMER GARDEN

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If you follow me on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK, you might know I’m a bit of a jack of all trades. I love interior design and fashion, love architecture and building houses, the theater, opera, travel. But when I want tranquility and to really recharge my batteries, I find myself turning to my garden.

I’ve always had a little patch where I could grow a few things, tomatoes, herbs and such. Last summer I decided to take the leap and build a full vegetable garden with enough room to grow my own food, all summer long. It was a big task that began with the construction of the stone wall that surrounds the garden and the iron fence that keeps the critters out.

And the results have been amazing!!

This year’s crops includes okra, 3 types of eggplant, 14 varieties of tomatoes, 4 different cucumbers, gherkins, 8 types of pepper plants, zucchini and yellow squash, and about 25 herbs of all varieties!! Sounds like a lot, but when you love to cook and entertain, it all gets put to good use!!

One of my favorites is corn, okra, tomato salad! (I bought the lima beans at the farmer’s market!)

My favorite easy pesto recipe from the classic cookbook, The Silver Palate.

2 c Basil leaves, fresh thoroughly washed & patted dry
4 lg Garlic cloves peeled & chopped
1 c Pine nuts
1/4 c Oil, olive extra virgin
1 c Cheese, Parmesan (imported) freshly grated
3 tb Cheese, Romano (imported) freshly grated

Combine the basil, garlic and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. Leave the motor running and add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Process until smooth.

Shut the motor off, add the cheeses, a big pinch of salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine, then scrape out into a bowl and cover until ready to use.

Fresh basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan cheese. Perfect pesto every time!

Here’s a neat trick. I like to mix about a quarter cup of pesto into fresh hummus and serve with cucumber slices for dipping. Healthy, fresh homemade hors d'oeuvre!!!

Sometimes nature has a sense of humor:

I love fried okra. Heck, I like anything fried….

The best thing about gardening is the delicious meals, grown by me!! (and a beer from our local brewery, Victory Beer!!)

And when you have more cucumbers than you know what to do with, MAKE PICKLES!!!!

And no blog is complete without you-know-who!! Roscoe always likes to help:

And remember your garden doesn’t have to be big or fancy. Some of the most delicious tomatoes I’ve ever eaten were grown on my fire escape in NYC!!!

Please join me on Thursday, July 28^th for our biggest value of the year, starting at midnight!!
I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on!!

OUR UPCOMING APPEARANCES:

Thursday, July 28^th – TODAY’S SPECIAL VALUE!!
Midnight-2am Joan Rivers Classics Collection
3-4am Joan Rivers Classics Collection
6-9am Fashionably Early with Jayne and Pat
11-1pm Joan Rivers Classics Collection
3-5pm Jayne’s Closet
7-9pm Joan Rivers Classics Collection
11-Midnight Joan Rivers Classics Collection