March Garden-to-Table Recipes
The only thing more fun that watching the miracle of a garden growing is eating the bounty from the garden! At Monarch Garden, we’re committed to learning together as a community how to enjoy the foods we are growing in our gardens. In a world that’s becoming further removed from its food source and less familiar eating at home, it can be a challenge to know what to do with the food we are growing or how to prepare it. Thankfully we have so many foodies in our Monarch Community!
Collard Green and Brussels Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pecans
Not sure you’re a fan of collard greens? Marcia Smart’s Collard Green and Brussels Salad with Apples, Pomegranate Seeds and Pecans will change your mind! My favorite thing about this salad? Even if you pour the dressing on, this salad is delicious for days! It holds up so well in the refrigerator. The dressing is delish and really versatile - use it on any salad!
SHOP our 2024 Planting Calendar! Find the exact planting dates our team uses to keep our clients’ gardens thriving in Houston year-round. Gardening is our full-time job. The Monarch team works in gardens all over Houston Monday-Friday, every single week. We guarantee our clients’ can eat out of their gardens 52 weeks of the year! When you make a promise like that one, it’s important to have a solid planting plan. We pass all of our knowledge on to you in our planting calendar!
Lemon Dill Hummus
This Lemon Dill Hummus from Nora Cooks screams spring. It’s so easy to make and delish with veggies or pita chips. Perfect for an Easter appetizer!
Did you get your tomatoes planted? Download Monarch’s Tomato Guide to get your tomatoes off to a great start this season!
Herb Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta
Who knew adding ricotta and spring herbs to scrambled eggs would make a Saturday morning at home feel like you’re on vacation? These Herb Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta from Le Creuset are really yummy and a fun way to use up so many of the spring herbs in your garden!
Roasted Cauliflower Salad With Sesame Date Dressing
This salad is a hit. It’s a perfect way to use cauliflower from the garden and salad greens! This Roasted Cauliflower Salad With Sesame Date Dressing is one of the many yummy recipes in Kathleen Ashmore’s new cookbook Big Bites.
FREE! Download our Monthly Tasks and Tips for the garden and landscaping. We’ll keep you on track throughout the year. You’ll know when it’s time to add compost, what flowers are in season, when to plant bulbs, when to mulch, and so much more.
Strawberry Olive Oil Cake
This cake is so perfect. My friend, Rita with Old Country Olive Oil, recently taught us how to make it.
This cake is not too sweet, and you can use just about any fruit that’s in season! It’s perfect for any spring or Easter celebration you have planned!
To watch the video of us making it go HERE.
RECIPE:
3/4 cup plus 2 TBS sugar
1 cup milk
zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/3 cup plus 1 TBS Old Country Olive Oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 carton of strawberries (or really any fresh fruit) quartered
butter
slivered almonds (optional)
WHAT YOU DO
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grind almonds in blender into relatively fine powder and set aside
3. Butter and flour spring form pan. Then line bottom with parchment paper.
4. In saucepan, over medium heat, mix milk, sugar, vanilla (seed and bean) and lemon zest.
Simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. DO NOT BOIL! Once dissolved, remove from heat, cover and let cool.
5. Once cooled, remove vanilla bean pod from milk mixture, scrapping it with knife to release any additional vanilla yumminess. Stir vanilla gooyness into milk mixture. Discard pod.
6. In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together
7. Pour cooled milk mixture into dry ingredients. Stir until batter is smooth.
8. Pour into prepared spring form pan. Top with fruit. Do not push fruit into batter. It will sink a little when baking. Sprinkle with slivered almonds, if desired.
9. Bake at 350 degrees on center rack for approximately 30-35 minutes. Skewer inserted into middle of cake should come out clean.
10. Remove from oven and cool IN PAN, on rack for approximately 10-15 minutes. Then carefully remove sides of pan, slide off and cool completely before serving.
11. Serve with whipped cream and additional fruit, if desired.
Enjoy!
HELPFUL LINKS
Buy our 2024 Planting Calendar now!
Follow us on Instagram and/or TikTokfor daily garden inspiration!
Wanting to start a patio garden? You’ll love our Patio Salad Planter! Grow salad greens and herbs year-round on your patio AND get our online course to learn exactly how to care for your planter for FREE!
Need help designing and installing landscaping beds or rethinking your outdoor spaces? We'll be right over. Get started HERE.
Check out our Amazon Storefront for products we love in the garden and other fun items we use to bring the garden to our table!
Order your plants and compost for delivery! Spring Plant Order
Want seasonal recipes and ideas for how to make the garden a part of your everyday life? Check out Monarch Living!
Wanting a garden of your very own? Want to add more garden beds? We'd love to help you create your dream garden space. Click HERE to start the process.
Looking for ongoing help taking care of your vegetable garden? Check out what Monarch Garden Company Maintenance has to offer (it's a lot)!
Need garden coaching? Wanting to plant something new? Things not going great in your garden? Want some help troubleshooting? Learn more about our Garden Coaching and get on the schedule!
