Urban Gardening in Baltimore (Part One) - Arugula

I love my very first small urban garden. I love it so much that I can't wait to see it every morning when I wake up. 

It's funny but even picking weeds around my veggies is so relaxing. So far so good... some leaf miners attacked my Swiss chard tough. First I was devastated and in shock, then I fought against those gross white worms and I beat them. I just cut off all damaged leaves and remove eggs attached to the back side of the leaves.

My garden is loved and organic, poison free.

Last summer when we were buying a house and when we saw our new house with a quite big backyard for a town house we made our mind. My husband and I said "that's for our kids to play", but we already thought about our future garden.

My neighbors think that I can feed the hungry people with my veggies but that's not true. Though I have plenty of stuff to make food for my family and to feel a little bit sustainable.

Arugula was the first veggie that I harvested. Very easy to grow. Great flavor. There are two recipes with arugula that I want to share: Pesto with Arugula and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Pears.

In the next posts will be more recipes with stuff from my garden: Kale, Swiss Chard, Fennel, Zucchini, etc... stay tuned.

Pesto with Arugula

To get 2 cups of pesto you need:

5 cups of packed arugula

2 tablespoons fresh basil

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

3 1/2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. lemon juice

Steps:

In a food processor put arugula, basil, garlic, roasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Pulse it for a couple of seconds until smooth. Add the olive oil through the top hole. Blend it until all oil is distributed. Add lemon juice if you wish.

You can keep pesto in the jar in the fridge for up to one week. Or you can freeze it in the ice tray for much longer.

Serve it with pasta, potatoes or in sandwiches.

Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Pears

You need for 4 servings:

4 cups arugula

1 firm pear, sliced

4 oz goat cheese

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

for dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of sugar

Steps:

In large bowl mix arugula and sliced pears. Toss in dressing. Top it with sliced goat cheese and walnuts.