My Italian Garden

When I heard that we would be going to Italy for three months and staying through June, I have to admit that I was not liking the fact that I wouldn't have a garden. I love being able to plant something, watch it grow, and then eat and share the fruits of our labor. There is such a satisfaction to me in providing for my family in that way ... even though they don't always appreciate all the yummy tastes.

What an unbelievable blessing it was to me ... an unbelievable gift from God ... to find out that the place we would live would have a little courtyard AND in that little courtyard would be a little spot to have a garden. God didn't have to do that for me ... for us ... but He did!

 

When we first arrived, I went out and bought some lettuce, spinach and beet seeds. With some extra special help, ages 12, 10, 8 and 6, we got in as much seed as we had room for. It has been so fun to watch things grow ... even the neighbor has enjoyed it.




Here is one row of the lettuce and another row of spinach. I was able to get two rows each.

 


Here are the beets. We won't be here long enough to have the beets, but we really like to add the greens to our salads. A great way to get extra iron!

 After I had my seeds in, I noticed I had some extra room for a few herbs. Who could live in Italy and not have fresh oregano or basil?! I went to the garden store and bought parsley, basil, oregano and sage plants. They have been fun to have in the garden and maybe the next person who lives here, will enjoy them too.

As we have been studying Medieval Times, we have also been studying about the way herbs were used in that time period. Today we will learn about some of these same herbs and have Spaghetti with Herbs and Garlic Sauce for our supper. I'll share the recipe below....




Oregano, Sage and then Basil. The Parsley is behind it.



Spaghetti with Herb and Garlic Sauce

1 pound Spaghetti

1T butter

8T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4T each, chopped fresh Parsley, Basil and Oregano

salt and pepper

Cook spaghetti in large saucepan of salted water. Meanwhile, heat a little butter in a smaller pan and add garlic, cooking very gently over low heat. Do not allow garlic to brown. When the pasta is done, drain it well and return it to the pan. Pour the oil, garlic mix and herbs in to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Mix quickly and thoroughly. Serve immediately with a little parmesian cheese if desired.