Sue Ryba – Horticulturist
Bertog Landscape Co.
Bringing Visions to Life
Wheeling, Illinois
http://www.bertoglandscape.com
Recipes:
Classic Mint Mojito
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. lime juice (squeezed fresh)
1 tsp. finely granulated sugar
3 mint leaves
2 oz. white rum Club soda or seltzer
Instructions:
Muddle the lime juice with ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar and mint leaves.
Fill the glass about 2/3 with ice and add rum.
Garnish with used lime. Top off with club soda or seltzer.
Strawberry Basil Mocktail
Ingredients:
1.5 cups fresh strawberries
4 to 5 fresh basil leaves
12 oz. seltzer (1 can)
1 lime (half juiced, half sliced)
Instructions:
Wash, hull and roughly chop the strawberries.
Cut the lime in half. Slice one half for garnishes. Reserve the other.
Muddle the strawberries, lime juice and basil together using a large mortar and pestle. You can also use a fork or a potato masher. Break the mixture down enough so that it can fit through a straw but will still maintain its texture.
Garnish the glass with a slice of lime and more fresh basil (optional).
Notes:
To make Strawberry Basil Mocktail for a pitcher, quadruple the ingredients. Follow the instructions to muddle the strawberries, lime and basil. Add the mixture to a large pitcher. Add 2 to 3 cups of crushed ice, lime slices and seltzer. Gently stir before pouring into glasses. Makes 8 cups.
To prepare in advance: Prepare the strawberry mixture. Store it covered in the refrigerator for up to one day. Prepare the drinks just before serving.
Bloody Mary Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 cup vodka
2 tbsp. hot sauce
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Celery salt, for seasoning
Instructions:
Combine the vodka, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a jar.
Poke a couple holes into each cherry tomato with a toothpick. Place the toothpick through the center of each.
Add the toothpick-ed tomatoes to the vodka mixture. Soak for at least two hours, ideally overnight.
Drain the contents of the jar into a glass. Sprinkle the tomatoes with pepper and celery salt to taste.
Serve immediately.
Tips:
-Most herbs, a few vegetables and some fruits like strawberries – can be grown in a container, as well as in a raised bed or small garden area.
-Strawberries do well in a small to medium sized container, as do jalapenos and cherry tomatoes. Think about growing cucumbers, bell peppers – even celery – in a larger sized container. Or do what we’ve done here: this one large container is holding several different herbs with plenty of soil space below for the plants’ roots to grow into.
-Fertilizing foods in containers? You can but for the most part it’s not necessary. They essentially need good soil, sun/shade and water. But if you’d like to, you could use a light, organic granular fertilizer specifically for tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. 3 Place it on top of the soil at the base of the plant. If you purchase your herb and vegetable plants from an independent garden center – and many in our area still have them in their stores – read the plant tags for planting and care information.
