Sunflowers Provide Multiple Gifts to the Garden

I was busy harvesting the seeds of the giant sunflowers when I noticed my smaller sunflowers were blocking the walkway through my garden. I decided to select a few flowers from the plant to reign it in. These flowers look spectacular in my kitchen.

Sunflower Seeds in Abundance

My first harvest of sunflower seeds was quite productive. It was a bit of work. First, I hand picked the seeds from the flower head. Some seeds had not pollinated and those were composted. Next I sorted through the seeds to remove any flower parts which remained. After a quick rinse and dry, the seeds pod is ready to crack open to reveal a delicious nugget.

Tomato Reverie Actualized

Who doesn't love tomato harvest time when the spring dreams of home grown tomatoes become reality? We are inundated with tomatoes of all colors and sizes. Last night's dinner included green fried tomatoes, which I actually prefer if the tomato has a touch of pink. They were magnificent.

As the "home chef", I have a minimalist approach to cooking. I like the fresh flavors of the food to stand out. Therefore, my green fried tomato recipe is not the traditional batter-based recipe. This lighter flouring lets the flavor of the tomato shine though and lightens the recipe as the flour does not absorb as much oil as traditional batters do. You must be mindful during the turning process to use the spatula carefully to make sure you do not leave behind the golden crispiness.

Green Fried Tomatoes (For one or two)
1 large Tomato (green with a touch of pink)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons oil (vegetable or olive)
1 tablspoon butter

Slice tomato. Mix flour, salt and pepper on a flat plate. Dredge both sides of the tomato in the flour mixture. Pat flour in place to make sure if is adhering to the tomato.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 tablesoon of butter in a large non-stick pan. Carefully place in hot oil. Brown on first side. Turn carefully and add the remaining oil and butter, as needed, to brown the second side.

Serve and enjoy!

Name These Seeds

While on a visit to L.A. to see my son, I found a plant growing near his apartment. Mother nature is one amazing lady. She can make things grow where if we humans tried to grow things, we would have no success.

Anyway here are the seeds of the plant which was growing in a precarious dirt patch wedged in the concrete jungle which is L.A. No obvious source of water, this plant grew and flowered.


And, I give you a hint by the number of seeds in the picture.

The answer is Four O'Clocks. This is a great plant I knew from my childhood. The blossom opens in the afternoon and range in color from yellows to pinks to whites.