A Jersey Girl in Texas: Simple Grilled Zucchini

Simply Grilled Zucchini, using Rosemary Stem Cuttings

Spring is here and we are knee deep in garden chores in South East Texas!

We've already begun planting our vegetable garden, and believe it or not, we've been cutting the grass again for over a month. One of the yearly chores that I do in the garden is cutting back my potted herbs. The new growth has begun and you can see it around the base if the plants.

Take this sage for example:

This plant is about 6 years old. We leave it on the porch most of the year. Water it and trim from it as needed, and bring it in the house for the 2 - 3 weeks of actual winter.

Once spring bathes warmth over the plant it begins to wake up! These little leaves around the base are the beginning of fantastic potential, but you have to help.

At the end (of the very long) growing season, plants will make a last ditch effort to survive. They'll shoot long leggy stems and small leaves.

They don't know I'm going to take them inside :-)

Then they enter a semi dormant stage where they stop growing and look a bit pathetic. This is the point where many give up and consider buying new plants next year. The fall is not the time to drastically cut them back, as you don't want to traumatized them before the winter. I usually cut back on watering them in the fall, move them to the warmest spot on the porch, and bring them in if the weatherman warns of freeze.

Rosemary

Then, in the spring they come alive again and can be just as productive as a new nursery plant if you take some steps to rejuvenate them.

First, cut back the stemmy growth from last fall to give the new growth a better chance to grow. Then give your plant a good soak. If your plants have grown too big for their planter, now is a great time to replant, and treat with some miracle grow.

Your plants will thrive and you will save a few dollars by not having to replace them.

Thyme

Once you trim the plants down, don't discard your cuttings! Get creative in the kitchen, and use them, or hang them upside down in bunches to dry! The smell of drying herbs in the kitchen is very inviting!

Sage

Here is a simple recipe to use Rosemary cuttings:

Throw a handful of cuttings into a freezer bag or plastic bowl with some zucchini sliced about 1/4 inch, long-wise. Add a few splashes of extra virgin olive oil.

Leave it in the fridge for a few hours, or up to 3 days. Then grill them on a pre-sprayed grill at about 275 degrees for a few minutes on each side.

Grind some fresh sea salt over them once they hit the serving plate.

Delicious!!

This is a great recipe for camping or tail-gating. The freezer bag packs well, and there is no rush to cook them right away as zucchini keeps well after being sliced for several days, and the rosemary flavor just gets better in a long marinade.

Here is another little trick... After the zucchini goes on the grill, remove the rosemary from the bag and mince up about a tablespoon. Put this into a dipping cup with the infused olive oil from the bag, and use it as a flavored dipping oil with rustic bread.