It’s mid-July and it has been hot, hot, hot! Despite the heat, the vegetables have been thriving. We are starting to see zucchinis, cherry tomatoes, and peppers coming in. On top of that, we harvested our garlic. Some of which are almost as big as our fists! They won’t be ready for eating yet as we have to let them dry for a few weeks.
In other news, we finally finished our rain garden project in the Sullivan Memorial Garden! We have been dealing with occasional flooding and we thought that a great way to manage it is to build a rain garden. In the rain garden, we have planted a bunch of native flower species that can attract pollinators to help our vegetable beds! We included Coneflowers, Black Eyed Susans, Blue Lobelias, Foxgloves, and Golden Alexanders. We were also able to take some existing lilies and hostas from the old pollinator beds and successfully transplant them into our rain garden. With our varieties, are looking forward to seeing the blooms in future years!
Our 100 square foot rain garden in the Sullivan Memorial Garden
What is a Rain Garden?
A rain garden is a shallow depression filled with flowers and shrubs. Rain gardens are a great way to reduce pollution from water run-off, like fertilizers, from getting into our local water systems. The plants in your rain garden help to absorb the excess water and fertilizer. As the plants grow and mature, the rain garden will work more efficiently every year. They are low maintenance and also a great way to reduce the amount of water you use for your yard or garden!
In planning our rain garden, The Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office gave us advice and connected us with resources to bring our vision to life!
Did you know?
That the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office is offering free one-on-one virtual consultations to design your rain garden? Visit their website here for more information.
Weekly Feature Recipe
Jools’ Asian Style Salmon by Jamie Oliver
Garlic is a great way to flavor all kinds of things but may favorite way is to use it in sauces. Here I’m featuring a salmon recipe by Jamie Oliver. I love Jamie Oliver’s recipes and he makes a special emphasis to bring great, easy and healthy recipes to families. I encourage you to check out his website (linked above) for tons of free recipes!
Salmon is a great protein source and it’s rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and B-Vitamins. Studies have indicated that Omega-3’s can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Children are recommended to eat 1-2 servings of fish a week and salmon is a great low-mercury fish option. It’s personally my preferred fish!
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 cloves of garlic
6 cm piece of ginger
1 lime
6 tbsp of reduced sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoon of oil (preferably sesame, but you can go with any oil)
1 lbs of salmon filet
2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
Skewers for grilling
Instructions
1. Peel and crush the garlic and peel and grate ginger into a bowl. (Tip: peel ginger with a spoon).
2. Grate the zest of the lime (only the green skin) and mix with the ginger and garlic.
3. To the bowl, add the soy sauce, lime juice, honey and oil and mix .
4. Cut up the salmon into cubes big enough to skewer
5. Add salmon to the marinade sauce you just mixed and let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Preheat your grill and prepare a tin foil pan
7. Skewer the salmon, making sure they are not too close together.
8. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the salmon is cooked. Brush with the remaining marinade.
9. Transfer to a plate. Enjoy! Serve with brown rice or other sides!