This Week at the Greenmarket: Don’t Toss It, Compost It
Posted in Around the Garden on June 26 2012, by Ann Rafalko
At the Garden’s weekly Greenmarket you’re going to find more than just beautiful veggies and fruits for sale. At the Greenmarket, we’re hoping you will also find the inspiration to grow your own healthy crops! And we’re here to help you along the way.
This week, amid the greens and beans and peas and cherries, you will also find experts from the NYC Compost Project who will demonstrate how to turn your food scraps into beautiful, rich garden soil that can feed you for years to come! While they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, growing your own and using what would normally be thrown comes pretty close.
The weekly NYBG Greenmarket near Tulip Tree Allée happens every Wednesday through November 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free to shop at the Greenmarket and EBT, WIC, and FMNP are accepted. Stay tuned to Plant Talk for information on weekly special events, produce updates, and recipes for using your freshly bought produce.
For a special healthy grilling recipe, head below the jump!
Weekly Walking Club – Meets every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. by the NYBG information table.
Join Public Education staff for an invigorating 1.5 mile loop around the Garden. Wear your walking shoes and bring a bottle of water for a walk that makes a great part of a healthy lifestyle.
Compost Q&A – 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Take home some tips from the NYC Compost Project on how to recycle garden trimmings and food scraps into a nutritious amendment for garden soil. Compost bins will also be available for sale.
What to Cook: Grilled Vegetables with Poor Man’s Pesto
It’s prime grilling time. Why not try something super fresh, and super healthy? Grilled vegetables pack a tasty punch when paired with this “poor man’s pesto” recipe from Gardener for Public Education, Sonia Uyterhoeven.
Grilled Vegetables
Ingredients
A selection of your favorite vegetables, which may include (but is not limited to): summer squash, onions, tomatoes, heads of romaine, cabbage, beets, leeks, fava beans, corn, eggplant, fennel, asparagus, peppers, green beans, kale, radicchio, par-cooked potatoes, and maybe some fruit, including cherries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, melons, or citrus
Oil (Olive, Canola, or your favorite oil suitable for high heat)
Salt & Pepper
Instructions
Cut the vegetables into pieces that will not easily fall through the grill’s grate.
If grilling smaller vegetables or fruit, leave them whole, or use a grilling grid to keep them from falling in.
Place the vegetables in a bowl, coat lightly with oil, and season with salt and pepper (optional for fruit).
Grill until done.
Serve with “Poor Man’s Pesto,” a salad, and some bread.
Parsley Pesto aka “Poor Man’s Pesto”
Ingredients
2 cups loosely packed parsley
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place all ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor (this can also be done by hand, but it will be chunkier).
Pulse until chopped.
Add a bit of olive oil and set the processor to low.
Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil until the mixture is loose, but not liquidy.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can also add chili flakes to the pesto if you prefer a spicy kick!
(This recipe was modified from David Hirsch’s The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden, 2005)
