Pasta with Feta & Fresh Tomatoes
Courtesy of Annette Ipsan
Ingredients: 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ clove garlic, finely chopped ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese ½ lb. spaghetti or fettuccini Salt and pepper to taste
Toss tomatoes with onion, garlic, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and basil. Marinate 30 minutes. Cook and drain pasta and put on platter. Spoon tomato mixture over pasta and sprinkle with feta. Serves 3.
Butternut Squash Pizza
Courtesy of Natoma“ Cookie” Reed-Vargason
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked butternut squash 3 – 5 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 1 bunch fresh scallions A sprig of fresh rosemary A roll of phyllo dough
Follow instructions on the package of phyllo dough. Create the crust using the phyllo dough, topping every third layer with Parmesan cheese. Cover the top layer with butternut squash and garnish with bacon, scallions and rosemary. Add the remaining Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Country Ketchup
Courtesy of Joseph Weagley
Author’ s note: Seven years ago, when I was overwhelmed by an abundance of tomatoes from my garden, I decided to make some ketchup. Using a favorite family recipe, I successfully made my first batch. Over the next few years, I experimented with a few varieties of plum tomatoes. Now, I exclusively use a variety named Health Kick. The plants produce and abundance of tomatoes that are full of flavor and have a higher percentage of the antioxidant lycopene than other tomatoes.
Ingredients 3 cups cider vinegar 1 lb. light or dark brown sugar 4 cups sugar or Splenda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon red or cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon cloves ¼ cup salt 2 gallons of tomato juice
Boil juice down to remove water. When it first comes to a boil, add sugars and salt. Boil until thickens. Add cider vinegar and spices. Stir well. Seal in Mason jars.
In the kitchen of Black Eyed Susan, Chef John Walla( top) chops fresh herbs for a meal. John has grown a variety of items for use in his kitchen, including arugula, asparagus and salsify. Cookie’ s Cooking Company owner Natoma“ Cookie” Reed-Vargason( above) grows a variety of fresh herbs at home and loves cooking with fresh produce from gardener friends.
“ I enjoy using fresh ingredients.”— Chef John Walla
by four-foot bed grows plenty of herbs that can be enjoyed all season long and dried for winter use.“ Herbs are lovely and attract beneficial insects,” Annette says.“ I interplant them in my vegetable and flower beds.” Berries are another easy-to-grow and healthful addition to your garden and plate, she says.“ Try them in muffins, stirred into yogurt, whirled into smoothies or sprinkled on granola.”
IN THE GOURMET GARDEN Chef John Walla, owner of Black Eyed Susan, grows arugula, asparagus, tomatoes and strawberries in his garden at Black Eyed Susan South in Williamsport. He also grows salsify, an edible taproot that is also called the oyster plant because the cooked root resembles the taste of an oyster. Favorite herbs include dill, rosemary, garlic, mint, lemon balm, cilantro and basil.“ I enjoy using fresh ingredients,” says John, who uses these vegetables and herbs as ingredients and garnish in his restaurant. Natoma“ Cookie” Reed-Vargason, owner of Cookie’ s Cooking Company in Sharpsburg, does not have her own garden, but still enjoys using fresh vegetables and herbs in her cooking.“ I am fortunate to live in a community surrounded by likeminded friends who have the space for a garden and share the bounty.” Some of her vegetable suggestions for gardeners include eggplant, kale and plum tomatoes. At home she grows herbs in containers and loves the convenience of stepping outside to cut fresh herbs to up a meal’ s gourmet factor.“ Rosemary is a wonderful herb to use with potatoes or butternut squash,” she says.“ Fennel is a nice surprise flavor to add to fresh greens, and I also like to toss fresh cantaloupe with mint.”
FOOD YEAR‘ ROUND For Eldon Martin of Waynesboro, Pa., gardening was part of growing up.“ In my family, we worked in the garden from the time we could pull weeds and pick peas or lima beans.” When Eldon and
92 March / April 2013 Hagerstown: The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond