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As I type it is still dark outside and the thermometer is reading 27°F.  Today my compost heap is going to get an extremely large addition of plants that were frozen overnight.  Before the frost hit I dug up and repotted some herbs and brought them indoors, did one last final harvest of green tomatoes, tiny squash, sugar snap peas and said goodbye to the nasturtiums and borage.  It’s always sad to see the gardening season end but, on the other hand, it’s also a good time of year to start planning next years garden.

tiny harvest before the freeze

Still trying to figure out what kind of squash that is...

goodbye nameless squash...

goodbye yummy dill...

Goodbye borage. I enjoyed you in cocktails. Sorry you're frozen solid right about now.

Well, it’s time to have some coffee and wait for the sun to rise before ripping out frost-bitten plants.  Enjoy your Wednesday everyone!

this will make me feel better

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Happy Friday everyone! 

The weekend has arrived and a lot of us gardeners look forward to playing in the dirt,  harvesting produce, dead heading plants, planning new projects and focusing as much time as we can being and living in our gardens.  Although some view tending to the garden as work, I view it as cheap therapy.  There’s something about the smell of a tomato plant, herbs, and even the soil that can lower my heart rate and lift my spirits.  With that it mind, let’s take a walk through my garden, the Dirt & Martinis little patch of heaven.

Welcome to my garden…

 I have a few butterfly bushes and lots of bergamot!  The bees and hummingbirds love it….

Here’s some Russian sage, more bergamot in the background and I don’t know what the red flower is, do you?  My garden is also full of rocks.  I heart rocks…

Along the way I have nasturtium, basil, dill and cilantro growing in pots.  Here’s some I have planted in an old toolbox… 

I’m fond of succulents, hummingbirds and, yes, there’s more bergamot…

All throughout my garden I have mystery plants popping up.  I think this may be a pumpkin that appeared one day from underneath the flowers. 

Here’s some echinacea.  I find the colors of this flower mesmerizing and I think the bees do too…

 

I do have lots of flowers, but I assure you I have some edibles growing too.  Here’s one that is both edible and ornamental, a daylily…

 In my veggie garden I have shallots ‘saffron’ from Annie’s Annuals…

Here are Kentucky blue pole beans growing up an old ladder… 

There’s more veggies in my garden to show you but it’s time relax with something icy….

  I hope you make time to eat, drink, and play in the dirt this weekend garden friends!  Stay cool and thanks for joining me on a short tour of the Dirt & Martinis garden!

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My borage is finally getting put to use!

Summertime blues are easily erased with a glass filled with love, happiness and citrusy goodness.  Ok, that may be a little over the top, but after a day of rolling in the dirt, aka gardening, nothing hits the spot more than an icy cold cocktail that tastes crisp, cool and clean.  An example of a cocktail that has those 3 ingredients is the Pimm’s Cup.  There’s many variations of this herbaceous summery cocktail but I like the simple version most:

Pimm’s Cup

• 1 1/2 ounces Pimm’s No.1 Cup
• 2-3 ounces of lemonade, lemon-lime soda OR ginger ale
• Lemon slices
• Cucumber slices
• Optional garnish ideas: orange slices, borage flowers, mint leaves, apple slices, berries)

Directions:

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add a measure of Pimm’s and lemonade.  If using soda, add the soda after the Pimm’s has been shaken, otherwise you’ll have a big mess.  Shake until cold and then strain into a glass filled with ice (if using soda, add now and then stir)  Add lemon and cucumber slices and garnish accordingly.

Notes:

• Borage is the traditional garnish of the Pimm’s Cup and is used for it’s cucumber flavor.
• Pimm’s Cup is the official drink of Wimbledon.
• Pimm’s No. 1 is made from fruit, spices and is gin-based.
• Pimm’s is low in alcohol.

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I know, infusing vodka at home is  nothing new, but it is new to me and it has been quite an adventure!  To begin my vodka-infusing journey I began to experiment with savory  herbs, specifically, rosemary, thyme and sage. All you need is to follow a few steps and in no time you will be creating stylish cocktails with depth of flavor and flair.

Biergarten Sage

This past weekend I took a bottle of homemade biergarten (beer garden) sage-infused vodka out of the freezer and stared at it for a long moment.  What does one do with sage vodka anyway?  After searching for cocktail recipes I found that many feature sage as an ingredient, but not many actually showcase sage-infused vodka and especially vodka infused with biergarten sage.

Since I tend to lean toward non-sweet drinks I decided to experience sage vodka very simply and enjoy it martini-style.  Typically, martinis are stirred not shaken, but I found that the sage vodka didn’t become cloudy when shaken vigorously with ice and a little lemon juice.

Biergarten Sage Martini

If you love the taste of dirty martinis I think you will enjoy the taste of sage vodka.

• squeeze of fresh lemon juice 
• 2 oz homemade sage-infused vodka 
• Garnish- sage flowers, sage leaf, lemon twist

Fill shaker with ice, squeeze in fresh lemon juice.  Add vodka and shake until very cold.  Strain cocktail into a small chilled martini glass.  Add garnish.

Have you made your own vodka infusions?  If so, I’d love to hear about what you have made and various cocktail recipes! 

TIPS: Store vodka and martini glasses in the freezer.

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Hello everyone!  Today’s post is brought to you by  Andrew Odom – author, designer, community manager, homesteader, and (some would say) dreamer.

 Let’s face it. Herbs can become a bit stale sometimes. And no, I don’t mean tasteless or unpalatable from age but rather stale…as in old from familiarity. Most gardeners begin each spring (or continue in the case of all-season gardiniér) with the usual suspects of basil, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, mint, etc. In fact, I wrote about the herb essential here. But it takes a special person to find multiple callings for the flavorful foliages other than culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual usage. And by that I am talking about libational use of herbs (and some spices).

That’s right. When your whiskey has become a bit too sour or your Manhattan has begun tasting a bit more like the Jersey Shore, you can use those same dainty, delicate, redolent, botanicals for something a little more mature, if you will.

I encourage YOU to use the five recipes listed below to add a little garden spice to your already “nice” (reference to sugar and spice and puppy dog tails, etc….okay, it sounded better when I said it) to old recipe classics.

Cucumber Mint Gin & Tonic

SERVINGS

1 drink

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices cucumber

3 mint sprigs

3 ounces gin

4 ounces Q organic tonic water

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

PREPARATION:

1. Muddle 1 slice cucumber and 2 sprigs mint in highball glass.

2. Fill with ice.

3. Add 3 ounces gin, 4 ounces tonic and 1/2 ounces lime juice.

4. Stir and garnish with a cucumber wheel.

Pepper Basil Caipirinha

SERVINGS

1 drink

INGREDIENTS:

1 bar spoon white peppercorns

1 bar spoon sugar

1 ounce lime juice

10 basil leaves

2 ounces cachaça

1 basil leaf

PREPARATION:

1. Muddle 1 bar spoon of white pepper corns and add sugar, 1 lime quartered and basil leaves.

2. Add cachaça and 1 ounce lime juice.

3. Shake the mixture and strain into a rocks glass over ice.

4. Garnish with sprig of basil.