While out watering our fruit and vegetable garden yesterday (in the 90 degree heat I might mention!) I was pleasantly surprised to see the progress our garden had taken in just the 3-weeks since we planted everything.  Most notably was the lovely rocket, also known as arugula, that was ready to be picked.  A long leafed green that has a peppery bite, this lovely green was put to work immediately in my kitchen.

I paired this lovely peppery rocket with a handful of fresh mint from the herb garden for a lovely warm- weather salad at dinner.  Tossed with a light lemon vinaigrette, I added in some creamy feta cheese, tart raspberries, cucumber slices, and crunchy pistachios to the fresh salad base.  A well-balanced mix of ingredients that was even more enjoyable knowing that we had grown both the rocket and fresh mint ourselves!  Gardening is a super rewarding hobby, whether it be a simple herb garden, a flower bed, or even a full-blown vegetable garden.  It all goes back to eating as locally, sustainably, and organically as we possibly can; not only for the environment, but for our overall health as well.

 

The mixture of fresh rocket and fresh mint

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Tagged: Arugula, cucumbers, feta cheese, fresh mint, gardening, lemon vinaigrette, mint, Raspberries, rocket, Salad, side salad, vegetarian