I've not been growing veggies or herbs for specific recipes but I do grow these. For instance I like growing thai basil and corriander to add to Asian recipes. What kinds of recipes do you seek?

Ianna

I have not been on garden web for ages
just spending a little time looking over the postings and here is a name I remember seeing.
How does your garden grow.
I have pots of basil, Cilantro and dill growing up from over winter just here and there in the garden.
Mint in pots good for those Mohito drinks you know, got to have fresh mint. Oregano etc. in pots seems to me pots are the way to go for herbs
np particular recipies. but love
tomatoes, basil and oregano from the garden, cucumber and oil and vinegar dressing that I mix with the herbs with maybe some feta cheese
Think that is my favourite summer salad.

I grow things specifically for making wine :-) I have a "wine & pie" garden but have expanded it into the veggies garden area, as well. I just made 5 gallons of rhubarb wine and will be making 5 gallons of strawberry soon.

There's nothing like the taste of a tomato picked right off the vine and that's why I go to the trouble of growing my own tomatoes.

I also grow cucumbers and various herbs for the same reason, and zucchini because they are the most rewarding to grow.

That being said, even with just 4 plants, it's easy to be inundated with zucchini at this time of year. That means we've been eating lots of stir-fry and zucchini fritters lately.

This summer however, I discovered another tasty use for my zucchini: I substitued them for eggplant in Parmigiana and the result was simply delicious.

We also tried the Zucchini Loaf recipe from Good Housekeeping - delicious when baked in an 8x8 pan and topped with cream cheese icing; and for a savory treat, we love Martha Stewart's Zucchini Parmesan Loaf.

dianasan, try zucchini blooms, stuffed with herbed ground beef, dipped in egg and fried. Serve with a side of tomato sauce.

Yum!

MMM! they all sound delicious. I also grow zucchini to make zucchini walnut bread. I'm also growing pumpkins for pie and Squash for soup!
Does anyone here make their own pasta sauces? I'm thinking of trying that next year.

I make my own pasta sauce... all the time. No need to wait til next season. I make large batches and freeze them so I can have these anytime.

I begin with sauteeing garlic and onions in olive oil, add ground beef, ground pork and italian sausages (w/c are raw) bay leaf, cracked peppercorn, tomato sauce and then tomato paste. Add oregano or basil (depending on preferences). Salt. Let this simmer for several hours... Hours because the flavour develops fully this way. adjust the flavour with seasoning later. You can add a hint of sugar to balance off the acidity.

In a separate pan, I sautee the vegetables including carrots,green and red bell peppers, onions and garlic. I let this cook down. Then I blend everything to a paste. This I add to the tomato sauce - which I let simmer for longer. The carrots and bellpeppers will add a different flavour component to the bolognese sauce.

At this point you can add more cooked whole veggies if you want like zucchini and brocolli.

And here's a twist to lasagna using the sauce above:

While the sauce is cooking, I start off the pasta which I will cook al dente. The pasta may be spaghetti, penne or even lasagna.. all depends on personal choice.

Once cooked, i put down a layer of pasta on a casserole dish, then layer on some sauce, cheese (cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan) and a layer of pasta again and repeat.. until you fill the dish. Put in a hot oven and let the top layer of cheese melt and burn slightly. Serve while hot. Add gratings of parmesan.

We love salads and I make my own dressing with apple cider vinegar and olive oil and lots of herbs from the garden. So I grow tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce and as for herbs:parsley, cilantro, oregano, 3 types of thyme, basil (2 types), sage, green onions, lavender, and these go into the dressing, seasonings and marinades, as well as hot pepper sauces. For the hot pepper sauces I have about 12 pots full of ripe peppers right now, plus cayennes for salsa. I grow zucchini to make bread and a pie (I got the recipe from my cousin), and of course in stir-fries. I have loads of butternut squash which I will share with neighbours, but I use them for pies, soup, and baked with garlic. I also love okra, but I am not very successful with them, and lots of beans (Kentucky Wonder, Scarlet Runner, and French Filet), baby bok choy, and Swiss Chard.
I turned to veggies. these past years because you just don't know what's in the vegetables you buy. Although we don't spray our apple tree, I use the good parts of the apples for pies and freeze them. This year I missed out on potatoes: there's nothing like fresh potatoes just boiled and lathered with butter and pepper!! Wow, I'm getting hungry and it's 5:00 a.m.