You can almost feel it in the air, can’t you? A little more sunshine peeking through, a little more daylight lingering at the end of the day. Yes, spring is on its way. And you know what that means?
Time for planting, of course. Yes, even for those with not-so-green thumbs like myself, this is the time to start thinking about the wondrous possibilities that we can nurture in our very own little window pots or in raised beds in the backyard.
To entice you further, the kind folks at the Cook’s Garden, a gourmet retailer of vegetables, lettuces and herbs, is allowing me to do a great give-away: Three winners will receive the seeds necessary to grow most everything in that colorful salad shown above. (OK, except for the cheese and olive oil, you wise guys.) Not only that, each winner also will receive a beautiful artisan oval cutting board to cut all those home-grown veggies on.
Call it the ultimate do-it-yourself salad when you grow the Myway Arugula, Lettuce Baby Red Mix, Tomato Persimmon and Tomato Carmelita, all by yourself.
When harvest time rolls around, slice the tomatoes about 3/8-inch thick, and alternate them in a row on a serving dish. Layer Myway Arugula and Lettuce Baby Red Mix over the top. Next, add slices of your favorite cheese over the top. Finally, whisk together olive oil, crushed garlic, dill, chives, salt, pepper, wine vinegar and dry mustard to taste. Drizzle over salad, and enjoy.
Here’s how to score those seeds and cutting board: Name the fruit, vegetable or herb that’s most like your personality, and why. Enter the contest by the end of the day, March 13. The three most clever or memorable responses will win. Contest results will be announced on March 15. Participants must reside in the continental United States.
To get you started here’s my own response: Kabocha squash. It’s Asian like me, as well as a little sweet, very versatile, and distinctive. It’s resilient — you can buy it, stick it on the counter, and it’ll keep just fine for quite a spell all to its self. It’s a bit starchy, too — and I never met a carb I didn’t like.
And without further adieu, here are the five winners of the last contest, who will each receive a bag of the new Peet’s Uzuri African Blend coffee:
1) Paul Glasse, who wrote “What perks me up? … The perfect, burning, Cannonball Adderley, alto saxophone solo — careening, swooping, landing perfectly with the rest of the sounds in the band. My kids and their smiles when they say that it’s time to get up and start the day. The love of my life when she’s ahead of me on her bike encouraging me up that hill, saying “You are MY man!â€
2) Sameera, who wrote, “What perks me up: I am 39 weeks pregnant and every morning I wake up excited with the possibility that today could be the day my first baby comes. I can’t wait for this excitement to be replaced with that which comes with holding my baby…”
3) Alan, who wrote, “This is kinda cheezy, but it really describes what perks me up first thing in the morning:
There once was runner named Alan,
For whom mornings were always a challenge,
Now he can compete,
If he stops first at Peets,
Where he gulps down dark roast by the gallon.”
4) Joy, who wrote, “What perks me up: the smell of ‘Milk Soap†on my grandaughter, all the cases are finished and I can go home, when my Marine corps instructor for civilian boot camp called me an athlete at 60y, those smells of cooking that hit you whether you are in the mall, a five-star restaurant, or your own kitchen…it’s the smell of someone who loves food.”
5) Mrs. L, who wrote, “What perks me up? My kitten. I can be tired, grumpy or having a bad day and just a minute or two of watching her perks me right up. Seeing her little butt wiggle back and forth when she’s ready to pounce on a spider; the way her tail gets as big as a raccoon when she’s scared by an unfamiliar sound; how she’ll sit and stare at the ice maker in the door of the fridge because she just knows somethings going on in there; or how she’ll lay on top of my husband watching me when I get up in the morning (not to mention the foot tag that sometimes occurs before I get out of bed). It’s been almost 18 years since I’ve had a kitten and I’d forgotten how much fun they can be.”
To collect your Peet’s coffee: Send me an email (you can use the link on the right-hand rail of the home page) with “Contest Winner” in the guide. Include your full name and mailing address.