Would that my sugar snap pea crop survived the storms. But it didn’t. The half-hearted climbers are dried out and a mess. They are compost now. Perhaps I’ll seed again.
Meanwhile, the mint can apparently weather weeks of drenching rain, without so much as bowing its head. Maybe it’s in a section of garden that drains well–or at least better than the snap pea field.
I wish I had some home grown snap peas to use in this plot-2-pot recipe. At least I have the mint. This recipe comes from Melissa Clark and appeared in the NYTimes’ Wednesday section on dining.
Sugar Snap Pea Salad
3/4 cup sliced radishes
4 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (about 1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn (about 1/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch kosher salt, more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
1. In a large bowl, toss together the radishes, peas, ricotta and mint.
2. Using a knife or a mortar and pestle, make a paste of the garlic and salt. Place in a small bowl and add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and stir well to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil, stirring constantly, and add pepper to taste.
3. Pour dressing over salad and toss well to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Yield: 4 servings.
My mint, now in its fifth year of production, is threatening to move right in and overwhelm its neighbors–chive and parsley. Sometimes I have to pull it out by its new roots. But when it starts growing big and tall, I take a shears to it. What I don’t use, I pop into a pretty glass and set it out as I would a bouquet of flowers. The mint smells and looks crisp and clean. It freshens up the kitchen and the bathroom as well.
My mint has returned in full force. It’s the herb that keeps giving. A few years ago, when I asked a friend for a cutting, he gave me one. When I looked at him as if he were being a bit ungenerous with the mint, he warned me: put this in the ground, then stand back. Indeed. It is threatening to take over the whole herb garden. But it is a key ingredient for a tabouleh recipe I got from a Lebanese friend. Frankly, I can’t get enough of the stuff.
