Recipes

Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

Nothing tastes as good as a hot bowl of chili after a long afternoon of raking leaves, or a brisk stroll in the Garden.

Perennially on the menu at the Garden, our vegetarian chili is surprisingly easy to make at home. Traditional ingredients form the base for this recipe—modify it with cilantro, squash, or other vegetables and spices to make it your own.

Fennel and Potato Soup

Bulb fennel is native to the Mediterranean region, and is known to grow wild along roadsides there. Resembling a pale, stout version of celery, bulb fennel is grown mainly for its broad, bulbous leaf base, which is eaten as a vegetable. It can be served raw in salads or crudités, cooked in hearty winter stews, added to pasta dishes or baked and served with grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

Walnut Trail Mix

A winter harvest crop and annual holiday treat in Europe, the walnut is gaining popularity in the hearts of Americans — literally! Particularly in studies on the cardiovascular health of men, the gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E found in walnuts has been found to provide significant protection from heart problems.

Candied Cranberry and Walnut Scones

The cranberry, which belongs to the same plant family as the blueberry, has drooping, pink flowers; small, thick evergreen leaves; and shiny scarlet berries. Cranberries often grow in huge, sandy bogs as low, trailing vines. The plants grow wild in northern Europe and in the northern climes of North America, where they are also extensively cultivated — mainly in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Washington and Oregon.

Pumpkin Bisque

Cucurbita maxima 'Prizewinner' is one of the pumpkin cultivars favored by gardeners attempting to grow the world's largest pumpkin. Glossy skin in dark orange with a classic shape and ribbing makes these 100- to 300-pound pumpkins a favorite of gardeners attempting to win pumpkin-growing contests. This cultivar is a hybrid developed by the Burpee Seed Company, and it continues the long and distinguished legacy begun when 18-year-old W. Atlee Burpee started the business in 1876 in Philadelphia.

Walnut Bread

Walnuts are one of the oldest tree-grown foods known to man, dating back to 7000 BC. Inscriptions on Mesopotamian clay tablets reveal that walnut groves were part of the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Today, 99 percent of U.S. walnuts are produced in California, the source of two-thirds of the worlds walnut supply. Commercially grown walnuts are typically English walnuts, which actually originated in Persia and are not hardy in the Midwest.

Pecan Pie with Kahlua and Chocolate Chips

The pecan is a large, stately deciduous tree. Under favorable conditions it may grow to more than 100 feet in height, with a trunk diameter of 6 feet and a limb spread of some 100 feet.

Pecan trees are very long-lived; some native trees in the Southeast are known to be more than 1,000 years old. Although the pecan needs a frost-free growing season of 140 to 210 days, a cool period is also required for good nut production.

Winter Squash Soup

The squash probably originated in Mexico or Central America, where it was gathered by indigenous people as early as 8000 BCE. Today, squash, gourds, and pumpkins are grown all over the world and rank 11th among the world’s most popular vegetables. Winter squash has a thick rind, tough seeds and orange-yellow flesh, and is always cooked before eating. Varieties include acorn squash, banana squash, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash.

Ginger Pumpkin Muffins

There is an old saying: To be a successful gardener, grow pumpkins. With this truth, you need only one thing to produce pumpkins: seeds!

Pumpkins require at least 8 hours of sunlight each day and adequate space for the sprawling vines. Sow seeds directly into the soil about 4 weeks after the last frost to give the soil enough time to warm up to 60 to 70 degrees.

Apple Cobbler

In our climate, apple trees are best planted in either the early spring or fall, when they are still young. A 4' whip, or central stem that has yet to branch, is a good and inexpensive way to start.

Apples like a sunny site with good drainage. If you want only one tree, make sure that it is self-pollinating. Otherwise, plant at least two trees, as they need one another for pollination.

Determine the expected height of the tree and plant the whips at least that far apart.

Black Grape Sorbet

Grapes were probably one of the first fruits cultivated by man. Archaeological evidence suggests that people were growing grapes for food and drink as long ago as 6000 BC. Today, grape production is one of the largest food industries in the world, with over 72 million tons of grapes grown every year.

Grapes can be grown successfully in the Upper Midwest, and success depends upon choosing a variety suited to this climate, selecting an ideal site and carefully following proven cultural practices.

Grilled Eggplant and Pesto Sandwich

The eggplant is a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, along with tomatoes, peppers and tobacco. Native to India and southeast Asia, eggplants were introduced to Europe in the 6th century by Moorish invaders. Europeans regarded eggplants with suspicion and referred to them as "mad apples." Today they are staple ingredients in Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines.

Red Pepper Recipes

August Peppers

Peppers are members of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. Widely cultivated around the world, peppers add their distinct flavors to mild or quite spicy dishes.

To grow peppers, sow seeds indoors, 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep, 8 to 10 weeks before the Chicago area's average last frost date of May 15. Seeds germinate in 7 to 10 days when provided with 75- to 80-degree temperatures Fahrenheit.

Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad with Herb Dressing

The tomato plant is native to the Americas, and was cultivated by Aztecs in Central America as early as 700 A.D. The earliest tomatoes probably resembled the cherry tomato, with small fruits growing in clusters on vines. Cherry tomatoes grow vigorously and produce copious amounts of fruit even when grown in containers. For best results, plant tomato transplants outdoors after danger of frost has passed. Tomato plants need warm temperatures, bright sunlight and even soil moisture. Early varieties are ready for harvest in 60 days or fewer, but most tomato crops mature in 70 to 80 days.

Cherry Tomato Relish

The tomato plant is native to the Americas, and was cultivated by Aztecs in Central America as early as 700 C.E. The earliest tomatoes probably resembled the cherry tomato, with small fruits growing in clusters on vines. Cherry tomatoes grow vigorously and produce copious amounts of fruit even when grown in containers. For best results, plant tomato transplants outdoors after danger of frost has passed. Tomato plants need warm temperatures, bright sunlight and even soil moisture. Early varieties are ready for harvest in 60 days or fewer, but most tomato crops mature in 70 to 80 days. 

Citrus Thyme Chicken

Thyme is a hardy perennial herb in zones 5 to 9. Although it prefers full sun in a light, dry, well-drained soil, it will tolerate some shade. Sow seeds indoors where temperatures are 70 degrees. Most gardeners have more success planting small transplants directly into their gardens. Thyme requires little care. When watering, avoid splashing the leaves. Harvest snippets as needed during the growing season or harvest the entire plant in late summer, leaving several inches of woody stems above the ground. Next year’s new growth will emerge from the old wood.

Zucchini Carpaccio

 Zucchini, a summer squash, is native to the Americas (as is winter squash). Zucchini belongs to the family Cucurbita, along with cucumbers and melons. Dating back from 7,000 to 5,500 b.c., this Mexican native was an integral part of the ancient diet of maize, beans and squash. That pre-Columbian food trio is still the mainstay of Mexican cuisine and is known as the "three sisters."

Sweet Peas and Artichoke Hearts

The best time to plant peas is 6 weeks before the last frost of spring (May 15) or 6 weeks before the first frost of fall (October 15). Plant seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep, 1 inch apart, in rows that are 3 feet apart. Water well after planting. Seeds should germinate in 8 to 10 days in spring and 5 to 6 days in fall.

Asparagus and Shiitake Risotto

 Asparagus is a member of the lily family and is related to onions, leeks and garlic. First cultivated in Greece about 2,500 years ago, it is the premier vegetable of spring. Grown for its slender, immature stalk, this perennial plant multiplies through its root system and will grow for many years in climates where the soil freezes.

Spring Greens

Cool-season annuals, lettuces and other salad greens can be grown in the spring and fall from either seeds or transplants. They taste best if planted when soil is between 60 to 65 degrees and receives at least 4 to 6 hours of sun. In summer, plant non-bolting varieties and site some plants in part shade.

Pick lettuce by hand early in the day and immediately plunge into cold water to prevent wilting.

Mushroom Barley Soup

 While mushrooms may appear to be a type of plant, they are classified in the fungi kingdom. Mushrooms are the “fruiting body” of a fungus. While we are most aware of the mushrooms we see at the market, another important type of fungus is yeast.

Multi-grain Bread

Grains are grasses that produce edible seeds. They are native to what is now Iran, Iraq and Turkey, or the Fertile Crescent, where they were first cultivated some 10,000 years ago. Grains enjoyed today include wheat, rye, rice, oats, barley, corn, sorghum, millet, buckwheat and flax.

Most grains are undemanding about their growing situation. They enjoy full sun but do just fine in cool, cloudy climates with poor soils and little water. (Rice, a semi-aquatic annual grass, is the exception here.)

Double Chocolate Brownies

Real chocolate is actually cocoa paste made from the seeds of the cacao tree, an evergreen that is native to and cultivated in Central and South America. It is grown as a crop in the East Indies, West Africa and Hawaii. The cacao tree needs a warm, humid climate with shade and regular rainfall. It can grow to 40 feet in the wild, but only to 25 feet when cultivated.

Blood Orange Compote

The red-blotched skin of this fruit peels away to reveal pulp that can be as red as burgundy wine, giving it the name of blood orange. A favorite of Italians and gaining popularity in America, the blood orange is thought to be the result of a mutation that occurred in Sicily during the 17th century. Blood orange flesh is sweet, not bitter, and has a hint of strawberry flavor.

Trail Mix

Attracting Winter Birds

As your garden rests this winter, it can still be a hot bed of activity. Try attracting winter birds to your yard. They ask little of you and in return provide months of entertainment, beauty and song.