Things are picking up and we are moving! We are active, the bees are active, and everything seems to be in such a constant state of motion. This past month our gardeners have started to see their plants sprout and grow larger. They have been applying mulch and setting up irrigation systems. They have started to see some pest problems and have seen pressure from deer and rodents (although one of our gardener’s cats wanted to take matters into her own hands–no chipmunks were actually harmed!) This past month, our gardeners also received a Panicled Aster, which blooms July – October and will complement the bloom time of the Red Bee Balm to keep encouraging pollinators. 

Our last workshop was super engaging and informative, as Heidi, who is soon to be a registered dietician (woohoo!), presented on Heart Healthy Habits and gave a cooking demonstration for a Quinoa Veggie Salad Recipe that utilizes ingredients from our summer season gardens. Heidi gave me permission to share the recipe (below). Inspired by her demonstration and presentation, I made this exact same salad this past week and dusted off an old (new) cookbook, from which I have also been pulling some recipes. There is so much creativity that happens in the garden, and in the kitchen as well! 

Quinoa Veggie Salad Recipe 

1. Gather your salad ingredients
2. Combine all your salad ingredients 
3. Make your lemon vinaigrette (see instructions below)
4. Drizzle with the lemon vinaigrette

Homemade Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe 

1. Gather your ingredients.
2. Juice your lemons.  Feel free to zest them as well and add the zest to the dressing. 
3. Combine all ingredients together in a container with a tight fitting lid. A mason jar works great!
4. With the lid on tightly, shake the contents of your jar vigorously for 30 seconds.
5. Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad. Store any leftovers in the fridge.