Roasted Beet Hummus and our Summer Garden

 Summer is normally such a busy season for us, but this year it’s slowed down in almost every way. As a result we’ve been able to tend to our yard and put in a gardening space, long on the list of to dos! The garden, while somewhat new for us, has been a journey of learning and growing, with the reward of plenty to harvest. Today I’ll be showing you around our veggie garden, while also sharing this tasty easy roasted beet hummus, paired with harvested garden veggies! This is somewhat of a new blogging topic on Posh, but I hope you enjoy seeing what I’ve been up to during quarantine, along with the first of some occasional savory recipes! 

GROWING YOUR OWN GARDEN

If you enjoy gardening or have been looking to start one of your own, now’s a great time. We started by planting veggies in pots on our back patio 3 years ago and have expanded a bit as our experience and gardening knowledge has grown. Starting small is best and you won’t need a massive space, to reap the rewards of growing your own food, you won’t even need full sun. In fact, you can plant veggies that do well in shade if you get less than 3 hours of sun at your home. It just takes a little research and experimentation to understand what works for your zone and location and you’ll ultimately learn what grows best for you from there!

OUR SUMMER VEGGIE GARDEN

We graduated from our first patio potted garden 3 years ago, to a 6×6 foot garden last year, which has now become our herb garden. This year my husband built a two tier 17 x 20′ space, which is where I’ve spent most of my spare time, during spring/summer.

We have plans to start a new fenced in garden next summer, so we opted to not put up traditional fencing in this temporary space. Fortunately the fishing line technique has been enough to keep the deer away…although a few bunnies have gotten through to poke around.

WHAT WE’RE GROWING

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was able to squeeze in a large seed and start order form our local garden nursery, with remaining seeds coming from amazon. We ordered many new items never grown before as an experiment, and I’m happy to report that almost everything’s done well!

Some of the veggies are already finished and my only regret is not taking photos sooner, but that’s all the more reason to grow them again. Once I received our seed and start order, I drew out a birds-eye map to determine where to plant each veggie/or seed. I also ordered a variety of perennials that would return each year in zone 8a without having to plant again.

VEGGIES

Here’s a list of what we’ve planted/experimented with so far!

Artichoke – Perennial also ornamental when not harvested. Our first artichoke popped up last week!

Arugula – Replanting Fall crop

Asparagus – Perennial (can’t harvest until year 2)

Broccoli – Brassica

Brussel Sprouts – Brassica

Beets – Red & Golden – Replanting fall crop

Bok Choy – Replanting Fall crop

Butternut Squash – Fall crop

Bush Beans- Summer crop – Great for pickling

Carrots – Done for the season

Cauliflower – Brassica

Celery – Cold weather crop – Planted from store bought stalk

Cinderella Pumpkins – Fall crop

Cucumbers – Summer crop/Pickles

Eggplant – Hopefully we get some

Field Pumpkins – Fall crop

Green Onions 

Kale – Perennial – Brassica

Jalapeno – Summer Crop

Lettuce Greens – Replanting Fall crop

Nasturtium – (Often returns each year) completely edible

Okra – Hot weather crop

Peppers – Red & Snacking – Hot weather crop

Purple potatoes

summer vegetable garden

Radish – Cold weather crop and so easy to grow!

Shallots – 120 days to harvest.

Snow Peas – Cold weather crop

Spinach – Cold weather crop

Sorrel – Perennial

Sweet Peas – Cold weather/early summer crop

Tomatos (10 varieties) – Summer crop

Watermelon Radish – Cold weather crop

Zucchini – Summer crop

FRUITS

Cantoloupe – Summer

Raspberries – Perennial

Rhubarb – Perennial

Strawberries – Perennial

HERBS

Basil – Summer

Chammomile – Summer perennial

Chives – Perennial – Flowers are edible

Cilantro – Harvest coriander seeds and dry over winter. Plant in the spring for fresh cilantro. 

Mint – Perennial

Oregano – Summer

Parsley – Perennial

Pineapple Sage – Perennial in certain zones – Smells amazing and attracts hummingbirds

Rosemary – Perennial

Sage – Perennial

Thyme – Perenial

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED

 Over time we’ve learned how much work gardening can be, but the harvests are a great reminder of how much the hard work pays off. One of our favorite veggies from the garden this season were the beets. In fact I can’t wait to plant another crop! I am usually the only one in our family to enjoy beets and all their earthiness, but surprisingly, this variety of beets was enjoyed by everyone. They are mild and sweet, easy to prep and cook, make a great side dish or in today’s case, roasted beet hummus!

EASY ROASTED BEET HUMMUS

Roasted beets, garlic, lemon juice, chickpeas and spices and herbs, make up this delicious and vibrant summer hummus! Served with garden crudités.

Beets are gorgeous, vibrant, good for you and delicious! They can easily be transformed into a fresh summer dip, that pairs well with just about any garden vegetable, chip or cracker!

HOW TO MAKE EASY ROASTED BEET HUMMUS

A few beets go a long way, so you’ll only need two medium sized beets for this recipe, along with two cloves of garlic and fresh thyme and avocado oil for roasting. Roast the beets whole with garlic cloves, thyme and avocado oil on a foil wrapped baking sheet. Roast for 20 min at 400 until fork tender.

While the beets are cooking, heat the rinsed chickpeas on the stove with 1 tbsp avocado oil, salt, pepper, cumin to taste. Cook at medium for 15 minutes or until chickpeas begin to split. Transfer cooked chickpeas to food processor. Pour remaining tablespoon avocado oil, tahini, lemon juice into the food processor. Meanwhile, check the beets. Once tender, remove beets from oven and use a paper towel to peel away the beet skin. It should peel off easily. Once removed, cut the beets into quarters reserving one of the quarters for dicing and topping the hummus (set aside). Place beets into food processor with garlic, thyme. Puree until smooth, season to taste, then transfer to a serving dish.

Top beet hummus with diced  beets, a dash of oil, flaky salt, pepper and thyme. Serve with garden veggies.

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This hummus is healthy and tasty with mild spice and just the right amount of earthiness from the garden beets.

It’s also vegan, gluten, soy and nut free for healthy snacking and so easy to whip up!

Try on crackers or paired with veggies of choice.

And be sure to bookmark or pin to give the recipe a try the the next time you have beets on hand.

What are you growing in your summer garden?

I’ll end by saying that the garden has been a therapeutic place to spend time during the pandemic. It’s also eliminated excess trips to the grocery store for produce. I love most that I’ve been able to share so much from the garden with family and can decide what to make for dinner based of of what’s thriving and ready to harvest! 

More on the way soon!

This post titled Easy Roasted Beet Hummus and our Summer Garden was seen first on Posh Little Designs. All Rights Reserved. 2020