Good Morning. Gardeners! Whether you garden large or small, indoors or out. Or maybe you come for the photos? All are welcome and please feel free to comment and post your own photos. Houseplants, too!
Well….this is what my front garden area, including the enclosed vegetable patch, looks like today….the ladder is from cleaning the gutters but it snowed before we got done. I know….UGH. Not going to be ready to garden there for few weeks.
I decided that with all the cold and snow here, I would focus on something very GREEN for the upcoming garden season. I went over several ideas and finally landed on highlighting one of my favorite leafy vegetables — Arugula. Funny name but so good tasting from mild to very spicy. And easy to grow in ground or in pots!
Arugula, or Eruca Vesicaria for those of you who like to know the Latin names of plants, is part of the brassica family of vegetables such as cabbage, kale, collards, mustard greens, bok choy, radishes. etc. Other common names are rocket and garden rocket. The Arugula Wikipedia write up says it has been popular in Italy since Roman times and shows up in many world food cultures. It has also been naturalized in the wild.
According to WebMD, Arugula's Nutrients include calcium, iron, vitamins C, A, K, folate, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants. The site does suggest one caution if you take blood thinners because vitamin K aids in blood clotting. Otherwise, this leafy green is a nutrition powerhouse.
I became a fan of all things arugula probably 20 years ago when I discovered it in salad mixes in grocery stores. When I began vegetable gardening a few years ago, I discovered that it is one of the hardiest of leafy greens. We had a drought in Central NYS the summer of 2020 . The arugula had no problems. Also no problems the summer/fall of 2021 when we got more than the normal amount of rain. The seeds did not even rot in the ground when I did a replanting in early September. It survived 20 degrees and snow! Arugula may get bitter if it grows really large but I have not found that to be the case. However, I LIKE bitter greens so I might not notice a bit extra of that flavor.
So what CAN you do with Arugula? Lots! First pick whether you like mild or spicy. I found the spiciest reminds me just a little of horseradish. Easiest way to try it raw is in the mixed greens salad of your choice. If you’d like to try arugula as the only salad green, here’s an idea (and I THINK someone posted a similar salad on the DK What’s For Dinner Saturday night diary last Saturday) :
Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan
You like soup? This is my absolute favorite way to cook with arugula. You can substitute beans or tofu, for example instead of chicken. And I used rice instead of pasta. This recipe is very adaptable.
Rachael Ray's Chicken Soup with Arugula
To grow your own, check any seed catalogs and seed displays that are up in stores for the new growing season. I have six seed catalogs and they ALL have one or more varieties: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Burpee, High Mowing Seeds, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, and Territorial Seed Company. I have used the seeds to great success from Baker Creek and High Mowing.
So what’s your favorite vegetable to grow? How do you use it? Please post photos!
Thanks for coming by today. I can’t end without posting some flowery cheer for those of you in path of the East Coast storm…..