Ingredients
1 1/2 parts Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Whiskey
½ part Tuaca®
1 part cream of coconut
2 parts pineapple juice

Directions
Mix ingredients with 1/2 cup of ice in a blender until slushy. Pour into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry. Serve immediately.

Add a comment on the Jack Daniels page over at FB. (Always drink responsibly )

I mentioned I’m doing things a little different this year because I’m planting a square-foot garden instead of a typical garden with rows of vegetables. A SFG is essentially a new way to garden in less space with less work. The garden is planted in 4′ x 4′ blocks, which are further divided down into square feet. Within these squares, you can grow a variety of vegetables such as one green pepper plant, 16 carrots, or four heads of lettuce. If you have any type of vine vegetables, such a cucumbers or tomatoes, you train these plants to grow vertically, so they only take up a square foot as well. If you want to learn more about SFG, I recommend picking up the book, Square Foot Gardening, written by Mel Bartholomew. There may be a newer edition out, but this is the one I have. A great book that explains all the details from making rich soil, to building your own trellis (and other growing contraptions), to planning out your garden.

Future Square Foot Garden

I’m using three 4′ x 4′ blocks (shown above after a rough winter) to plant my vegetables. You can easily start out with one block, which should be able to grow enough veggies for two people. I’m using three because we’ll be canning tomatoes and pickling cucumbers later this year, so we need a bit more room. Plus, I tend to over-do things, so we’ll at the end of season if I actually needed the three blocks.

I’m in Zone 5, so typically we still have frost/freezing nights in March (all this week), so I haven’t really done much outside at this point. This week, I’ll be focusing on creating two trellises that we’ll need for the cucumbers and beans we’ll be planting. These will be approximately 4′ wide (to fit the block) and about 6′ tall and will look similar to the trellises pictured here.

Trellis using conduit and netting

You probably noticed the existing trellis in the first photo above. This was a trellis we added last year, originally used to grow pole beans. We’ll be using it again this year, but probably for tomatoes, so we’ll have three trellises total. For the two new ones, I’ll be using the following materials which I picked up at a local Home Depot:

• 3/4″ conduit (4 x 10′, each cut into a 8′ and 2′ piece)
• 3/4″ Elbows (4, two for each trellis)
• 3/4″ Couplings (2, one for the top of each trellis)
• Garden Trellis Netting (5′ x 15′, cutting into two 4′ x 6′ pieces – bought at Burpee’s website)

The cost came out to roughly $30-$40, but these trellises should last for years. I could have gone with the 1/2″, but it seemed a bit flimsy to me. And if I ever decided to plant melons on a vine, I’m not sure if they could withstand the weight, so I went with 3/4″ (definitely solid). The 8′ pieces will be driven about two feet into the ground for support with the smaller 2′ pieces creating the horizontal bar across the top (connected with a coupler). The netting will be interwoven on the frame and will help to support the vegetables as they grow. There are other methods you can use to accomplish the same thing, but I decided to go with netting because of the horizontal support it provides as the vegetables grow. Supposedly this netting has 60 lb. breaking strength, so it should provide more than enough support. I’m just hoping when I cut it down to size to better fit my trellis, it doesn’t start to unravel.

I didn’t have time to start any seeds indoors, so everything I’m growing will either be from seed or a store-bought plant. Here’s a list of vegetables/herbs I’m planning on growing this season.

• Cucumbers (pickling/slicing) – I’m trying White Wonders from Burpee…a free gift when I ordered the netting
• Pole Beans
• Snap Peas
• Green Peppers
• Jalapenos
• Onions
• Tomatoes (not sure on varieties yet, but indeterminate) What does indeterminate mean?
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Lettuce
• Leeks
• Herbs – basil, cilantro, oregano, thyme, parsley, dill

We’ll also be growing 8-ball squash and a couple stalks of corn, but these will be planted elsewhere in the yard. Depending on the type of squash you grow, it isn’t always the best candidate for a SFG…just ask my buddy Scott about the pumpkin he grew last year in his backyard…10′ vines in all directions (lol).

- 2 baseball-size squash  (chopped large)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped fine)
- 1 cup of Quaker oats
- 3 medium-sized mushrooms (Button or Baby Portabellas) – chopped small
- 1 Jalapeno pepper (chopped fine)
- 1/2 cup tomato (chopped small)
- 1/2 cup cucumber (chopped small)
- Salt/Pepper to taste

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 3-4 people

1. Start by steaming the squash until it’s tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Once the squash is tender, mash it in a bowl with a potato masher until it’s broken down.

3. Add the garlic, mushrooms, pepper, and oatmeal. Stir until thoroughly mixed. The Jalapeno pepper will give the dish some heat, so depending on how hot you want it to taste, you can use a whole pepper, half, or just leave it out altogether. Remember, including the membrane and seeds will make the dish hotter. I used a whole pepper without the membrane/seeds for a nice heat, but not overwhelming.

4. Put mixture in a casserole dish, bake at 350° for 30 mins.

To serve, scoop a large spoonful on a plate and top it with the chopped tomato and cucumber. When you eat it, be sure to get a bit of tomato and cucumber with each bite. The taste and crunch go well together.

I think this is also a good base recipe to make your own creations. Add whatever you want and see how it comes out. Let me know the outcome.

Enjoy!

Three layers of chips with two cheeses and chicken between each layer.

Topped with a cheesy sauce of Monterey Jack, cheddar, onion, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne.

On top of that, two salsas…

Charred Tomatillo Salsa made with tomatillos, sweet onion, jalapeno, cilantro, mint, and fresh-squeezed lime juice.

Black Bean and Cherry Tomato Salsa made with cherry tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, and lime juice.

They were fantastic!