Herbs and Farmers Market Season

One week ago we took a trip to our local Target's garden center and picked out a couple of different indoor-growing-friendly herbs and a bag of soil. We also got suckered in by two lonely garden gnomes that were hanging out on a nearby shelf... they only cost $15 each so we couldn't resist. (And if you know anything about gnomes... buying just one when there's a pair standing there is completely out of the question. You don't want to encounter the gnome curse! Trust me, you're much better off leaving no one behind.)


What? Haven't we told you about our gnome collection? Yeah, we're those people.


The two colorful ones on the outside are the newest addition to the family. Gnomie East and Gnomie West were acquired from Home Goods last summer. The tall guy is the oldest Gnomie - I found him at another Home Goods a few years ago; he's the only one that has actually spent time outside, but one day we hope to have a real garden for them all to look over.


We picked up a few packets of cat grass to bring a little of the outdoors indoors. It's really simple to grow, and it grows super fast! It's a nice addition to the living room, sitting in a couple of small pots along the windowsill.


We planted some basil, rosemary, and oregano. So far, only the oregano has sprouted, but the basil is starting to peek through the dirt as of yesterday.


Although I'm not a big fan of the heat that summer brings, I am a huge fan of all the local fresh fruits and veggies that I'm able to find more easily lately! I picked up strawberries, cherries, spring onions, and honey on my most recent trip to the farmer's market.



On last week's trip I had picked up some strawberries and asparagus. Here's what I ended up doing with the asparagus:


I boiled it for just a few minutes, keeping it crisp and crunchy, and then I topped it with a simple lemon dijon mustard vinaigrette. We served them along side hasselback potatoes and pan-fried catfish. The potatoes ended up being undercooked but everything else was absolutely delicious!


We purchased the catfish from our local market, where we also bought some chipped steak from our usual meat vendor. Here's our take on the Philly cheesesteak: chipped steak with sweet red peppers and muenster cheese on a cheesy foccaccia roll with a little bit of honey mustard.


I'll end this photo-heavy post on a sweet note. How does a slice of lemon bundt cake sound? It's even better topped with fresh strawberries and hand-whipped cream. I know it's summer, but that doesn't mean we can't all indulge just a little bit!