Mar 08 2009
Spring Planting in the Mid-West
A warm spell these past few days has brought out my planting instincts. In an earlier post, I planted lettuce on the snow, a technique that usually works. There was so much ice and snow for so long that some hungry juncos picked most of the seed off the ice and ate it before it got a chance to grow.
So one day last week I planted more lettuce, and this time I planted spinach and radishes along with it. I used a small raised bed that is my starting bed, and as I mixed in some compost and stirred it all together, I caught a whiff of basil that was the last thing I had started in the bed last summer. There were some basil roots in the mix…and what a breath of fresh air!
So I used some dried basil to make my youngest son’s favorite soup. He uses a can of condensed cream of tomato soup, adds a can of milk, one can of diced tomatoes with all the juice, then he stirs in about 2 Tablespoons dried basil and 3/4 cup instant rice. Stir often over medium heat until the rice is tender, and serve with your favorite grated cheese on top.
Note: If using home canned tomatoes, use one pint of tomatoes with all the juice, and rice equal to the amount of tomato juice. i.e. one cup of juice, use one cup of rice.
