Indoor garden

Last fall I brought in my herbs… I harvested all the basil (LOTS of Basil – theres’s still pesto in the freezer), stevia (it’s still hanging where I left it to dry… how to go about powdering it?..) I even dried up some leeks and zucchini. The Rosemary, Oregano and Sage were all potted and put on my pub table in front of the window.

at 42” off the floor, this was the best chance at keeping the cats from getting it – though they already scarfed the hops after they sprouted, and any attempt I’ve made at growing garlic indoors…

Yes, this is a north facing window, but it gets good reflected light from the shed… and I’ve “been gonna” make a glassed in greenhouse box in one of the other windows, but for now, this was about as bright as I could get without being too close to the wood stove. I don’t want to dry the herbs until after I harvest them ;)

At one point I put these over on top of the antique pie safe, where I have the aero garden, (and could take advantage of the grow lights there) but it seems the outdoor hardy plants had some “passengers” that the indoor lettuces didn’t like, and I had to start those over.

Not technically on the “window sill” the lettuce can see outside, and is looking good, and doing great! (especially for winter!)

The lettuce isn’t the only thing gowing – a boule of peasant bread also rises

The oregano and rosemary continued to do very well (the sage just kept drying out, which is fine, I kept freezing what I didn’t use)... and in Jan, I built a counter in the laundry room, complete with grow lights, I set out to get an early crop of tomatoes going (just experimenting with an indoor crop that I’d read would work from seedlings…) I also moved the herbs in there too… and lo, it seems even the meager northern exposure was indeed preferable to the workings of man… so back to the table they go, and will remain, until back outside they can go.

Yes, I’ve since read that the sage and oregano are perennials and could have stayed outside, the rosemary had to come in though. But if I kept them outside under the ice and snow, I couldn’t have been able to put them in soups and such all winter long.

Plenty of oregano has gone into homemade soups: My favorite this winter is made with homemade chicken stock, pureed ratatouille mix (frozen bag from Trader Joes… just never got around to cooking it, so into the soup it went, (then In went the immersion blender to hide the eggplant from the picky eaters in the house) then a mix of millet, quinoa, rice or what have you. and some herbs de provence. (dried, plus some fresh oregano!)

A couple of years ago I made shortbread cookies with Rosemary. they were good, more savory than sweet – and a good way to keep you from eating all the cookies in one sitting. But even better, a couple of tablespoons of dried rosemary and some sea salt on homemade flat bread. I took a cooking class this fall, and LOVE this bread:

Rosemary Focaccia Bianca
(adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, September 2008)

3 Cups (15 oz. unbleached, all purpose flour
1 2/3 cups (13 oz.) water, room temp
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons whole, fresh rosemary leaves

1. Place towel or rubber shelf liner beneath stand mixer to prevent wobbling. Mix flour water, and table salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until no patches of dry flour remain, 3-4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Turn off mixer and let dough rest 20 minutes.
2. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over dough. Knead on low speed until fully combined, 1-2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and knead until dough is glossy, smooth, and pulls away from sides of bowl, 6-10 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)
3. Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 Tablespoon oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl and pour 1 Tablespoon oil over top. Flip dough over once so it is well coated with oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until nearly tripled in volume, and large bubbles have formed, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
4. One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to middle position, place pizza stone on rack, and heat over to 450 degrees.
5. Coat rimmed 18×13 baking sheet with 2 Tablespoons oil. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto baking sheet along with any oil in bowl. Using fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan, taking care not to tear it. (Dough will not fit snugly into corners. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5-10 minutes before trying to stretch again.) Let dough rest in pan until slightly bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Using dinner fork, poke surface of dough 30 to 40 times and sprinkle with kosher salt.
6. Bake until golden brown, 20-30 minutes, sprinkling rosemary over top and rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Using metal spatula, transfer pizza to cutting board. Brush dough lightly with remaining Tablespoon of oil. Slice and serve immediately.

-- southern NH. - smack dab in the middle of 5a and 5b - with lots of shade and full sun, in all the wrong places.