A Weed of the People

We find vegetable gardening is a little difficult when we can’t water. This is why you need to grow ARUGULA  in your garden. It is actually a weed that doesn’t need much water, it grows wild in many parts of Europe, especially Mediterranean areas and it will grow wild in your garden, too. People in Europe pick it wild and throw it in their salads. Arugula is a weed of the people.

And it’s good for you, high in vitamin A, folic acid, iron, potassium, calcium. It’s a veritable miracle. The small, young leaves are our salad of choice (see previous recipe for Freitasalad), but as the leaves grow larger and stronger in flavor, sauté them like spinach and they lose their bite and take on an entirely different flavor and texture, not as slimy as spinach can be.

ARUGULA SAUTE

1 T olive oil

½ LB mixed wild and cultivated mushrooms

1 small red onion, slivered

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 c dry vermouth

¼ t coarse sea salt

A pinch of red pepper flakes

8 c washed, dried arugula

parmigiano

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add mushrooms , onions and garlic for about 4 minutes.  Add vermouth and continue to sauté until liquid is mostly absorbed.  Add salt, red pepper flakes and arugula and stir until the arugula is wilted, about 3 additional minutes.  Sprinkle with a little cheese and never eat spinach again.

Image Credit:
Arugula – Creative Commons, Mushrooms with arugula by yosoynuts is licensed under CC by 2.0

Brent and I have become friends with Jonathan Reichlan and Natalie van Zelm over the last few years, not just because they use our products in their projects, but also their work is beautiful, conscientious and imaginative and Natalie and Jonathan are completely interesting, engaging people. A great way to get to know them and their style is to take a look at the website for their company Urban Eco Design (). It is evident that together they draw inspiration from native planting and xeriscape design, both so necessary with current climate change issues.

Natalie recently brought us up to date on a current Urban Eco Design project in which they have been collaborating with the owner of a local property. They agreed that they needed to update the gardens to be congruent with the future of landscaping while respecting the local environment. They installed a lemon orchard, a simple drought tolerant knot garden, and gorgeous antique pottery from Eye of the Day, concentrating much of the design design on an inviting, soft hued hardscape. The best part? There’s not a lawn in sight.

“Urban Eco Design’s primary focus is to create a relationship between the property owner and the garden, developing a personalized ‘Eden’”, says Natalie. “We consider the relationship to be a long lasting one that will fulfill all the senses, enjoying the tastes of edible plantings, the scents, colors and the feeling of being in a nurturing garden. Our intention is to incorporate low maintenance, drought tolerant and edible plantings, several usable and inviting spaces and plenty of enticements to spend time outside enjoying the majority of the square footage of one’s property.”

Jonathan and Natalie’s inventiveness and awareness are present in each of their designs, fully taking into consideration their clients’ taste, budget and the ecology of each property to bring fulfillment to their interpretation of ‘Eden’, free of lawns.