What else can I do with my harvest?

What do you think of when you hear "chef's garden?" Most of us will think of vegetables and herbs used in savory dishes. Maybe we will even consider some fruit trees & bushes or sweet pumpkins for pumpkin pie.  But how many of us think about growing in order to drink our garden? 

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The concept has always intrigued me. I started out small adding some herbs and edible flowers as garnishes on cocktails.  Then, one hot sunny day, my sister invited me to her backyard to sun ourselves while drinking a truly lovely dry white wine. Well the wine ran out, as will happen while enjoying good company and  good conversation, and we were left with this overly sweet bottle of white wine that she received as a gift.  At this point I had been experimenting with herb and fruit infused water, and noticed the crisping benefits of adding fresh basil.  We added fresh basil from her potted herb garden and we swear we fixed that too sweet wine... We weren't too buzzed to tell, I promise ;)

 

From there the drink your garden idea grew.  And it only expanded after reading, Garden to Glass: Grow Your Drinks from the Ground Up, by Mike Wolf.  It is just another way to experiment and play in the garden.  If you would like to experiment drinking your garden too, you can check out my garden cocktail of the week for some inspiration!