Hasty and Tasty: The tiniest of harvests

It's happened, it's finally happened. I have eaten the spoils of my labor. So, get this: I was able to eat TWO tiny strawberries of my own making, little broccoli heads, a small head of cabbage, and herbs. The herbs don't count though because they pack a huge punch with very little effort.

Below, you will see a hearty breakfast. The giant, chopped, beautiful strawberries are store-bought. If you look closely, just below the eggs to the left of center is the tiny strawberry I grew. I gave this little jewel to Roy and I found a matching strawberry in the plastic container to put on my plate. I lied and told him they were both home grown but only made it through half the breakfast before I broke down and told him the truth. I felt a little inadequate.

I used our small broccoli yield to make a broccoli and cheese quiche which was delicious and satisfying. I actually made two. Roy and I ate one and the other was split and given away as part of our food co-op swap.

Tonight, I was out in the garden doing some pruning and realized that it was time my cabbage was eaten. I pulled it out of the pot and headed inside, resolved to make my cabbage experience as sexy and memorable as possible. Obviously, Irish and German-style cabbage were out of the question although, to be fair, a leafy green that leaves you gassy doesn't exactly scream sultry. I doubt even the French, who somehow made reptiles and fungi seem romantic, could make a lusty cabbage dish. So I turned, as I always do in troubled times, to Indian cuisine. Here's what I did. I chopped up my cabbage, a red onion, and a few garlic cloves. Helpful Hit: I use this Japanese soup spoon to crush my garlic because it has a wide, flat bottom and I'm too scared to use the side of my knife. I've also heard that a large stone is equally as useful for garlic as long as you keep it clean.

Next, I heated some olive oil in my pot and sauteed the onion and garlic. Then, added the cabbage, oregano, and some white balsamic vinegar.

I covered the pot and let it boil for about 15 minutes. When the cabbage became soft, I added some ginger, salt, turmeric and garam masala to the mix and let the cabbage boil for a few more minutes.

I removed the lid to the pot and added the greatest spice known to man kind: butter. I left the pot open so that the liquid would start to boil off and create a creamy sort of sauce and then I added some chickpeas for more texture.

When most of the liquid was evaporated, I dished the mixture into my bunny bowl and ate my sexy cabbage. It was creamy. Yeah, creamy cabbage. It's real.

While all this was going on, I started infusing some vinegar with pineapple sage and orange mint. For instructions, see here.