In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

It’s salad season in my garden and kitchen.

Romaine, Lolla Rossa lettuce, mustard and arugula

Frequently, I gather just enough greens for a salad lunch. Here’s what I selected one day this week.

Add red pepper, pickled garden beets, fennel, red onion, sunflower seeds and green olives.

Raspberry balsamic vinegar and California olive oil dress the salad with a sweetness to balance the other flavors.

Seed-grown calendulas, ‘Flashback’ from Renee’s Garden

My calendulas are just beginning to bloom so I’ll have petals for salads along with the violas pictured above. It’s also edible flower season.

‘Dorsett Golden’ apples from my tree and Bartlett pears

I had a few apples languishing in the fridge, suitable only for cooking. Organic Bartlett pears from Trader Joe’s have been especially nice.

Prepping for Roasted Pear and Apple Sauce

Ina Garten offers a recipe for Roasted Pear and Apple Sauce with the zest and juice of navel oranges and lemon. I used my oranges and a neighbor’s lemon. Add light brown sugar, butter and cinnamon and roast in a non-reactive Dutch oven. You’ll see the fruit become a sumptuous, fragrant compote and the kitchen will smell amazing.

There were dozens of tangerines and oranges gathered in and a few limes. The kumquats will be ready in a week or so. Next Harvest Monday will take a citrus theme.

Scabiosa, vitex purpurea and ‘Ruby Streaks’ mustard

Scabiosas were one of my grandmother’s favorite flowers. They’re also one of mine. They grow especially well in my winter garden, reseeding freely. That’s how my grandmother grew them too. I remember.

See what other garden bloggers are harvesting at Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Our Happy Acres.