Gardens Full of Bounty

According to Mary Freeman, master gardener and Garden to Table program manager, the recent hot weather combined with regular rain have been a boon to the Garden to Table crops. "If we didn't have the rain to go along with the heat, it would have been a different story," she says. 

Freeman reports that gardeners are currently harvesting beets, beans (green, purple, long Asian beans), peppers (green, jalapeno, harbinger), peas, basil, cilantro, zucchini, yellow squash and onions, and are looking forward to sinking their teeth into plum and cherry tomatoes soon.

Garden to Table is a program of the and Patch is following up on the gardens' progress throughout the growing season. (If you want to know more, see the previous update.)

This month, personal chef Ginni Lambert (of The Satisfied Palate) shares with Patch readers a recipe for an egg bake using lots of garden-fresh ingredients. 

On Saturday, Aug. 6, Lambert will flip burgers and grill hot dogs when Eagan Resource Center celebrates Community Garden Day. The event is free and open to the public. 

Community Garden Day at Garden to Table

Saturday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m. - 2. p.m.
3910 Rahn Road 
Free-will donations

Garden Patch Bread Pudding (serves 8)

Feel free to try different vegetables or combinations, depending on what is coming up in your garden and what you like. Try different cheeses, or sans cheese.

 Ingredients:

• 1-2 T vegetable or olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions/green onions, sliced (use all of onion)
• 2 zucchini or yellow squash, or combo, diced (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups julienned spinach
• 2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, blackened*, skinned and chopped
• 8 ounces sausage, bacon, ham (optional), cooked and crumbled or chopped into small pieces
• 1 loaf (16 oz) day-old bread or rolls, etc. ripped into bite size pieces (approximately 8 cups)
• 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, etc)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp dry herbs or 2 T fresh, chopped herbs of your choice (basil, thyme, marjoram, chives, etc.)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 Preparation

• Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and set aside.
• In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Add onions and squash; sauté for approximately 2 minutes, or until they are just starting to get tender, then add peppers and spinach and cook until all the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
• Stir in chopped meat, if using, and set mixture aside to cool.
• Spread half the bread pieces in the bottom of the greased baking pan, topping with half the sautéed veggie/meat mixture and sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers, ending with remaining cheese sprinkled over top.
• Whisk together eggs and milk. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover with plastic and chill overnight (about eight hours).
• About an hour before serving, preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
• Cover pan with foil (DO NOT BAKE WITH ONLY PLASTIC COVERING) and place in oven for one hour or until hot throughout dish. 

 *Peppers can be blackened over burner on a gas stove, or under the broiler in the oven. Watch them carefully, turning them as the skin blackens until the majority of their exterior is black. Place peppers in a paper bag to steam for a few minutes, and when cool enough to handle, peel skin off. Peppers are then ready to chop.

Roasted peppers taste wonderful, but if this sounds like more work than you want to do, just chop peppers and sauté with onions until tender.