Thursday, May 3, 2012

A Plea to Arugula Lovers

This spring I planted arugula (or roquette, rocket) in the garden because my nephew and Mother Earth News told me it would take care of the nematodes that were eating the roots of my watermelon plants.  I wondered why, and then I ate one of the leaves.  Let's just say the nematodes aren't the only ones turned off by arugula.

I have two rows of the stuff, planted where I'm going to put the watermelon.  Any ideas on how to make it more palatable...especially fresh?  I tried it in a modified version of this recipe by Pioneer Woman, but I used strawberry jam instead if fig spread and didn't use any meat.  Though it worked really well, and is less offensive when cooked, I need more ideas...

...because I have a lot of it...
...and it sure does look pretty, doesn't it?

I'm linking up to Rural Thursdays.  Even if I can't get the margins in this post to work anymore. 
Rural Thursday Blog Hop

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8 comments:

  1. Lisa @ Two Bears FarmMay 3, 2012 at 10:02 AM

    I wish I had some advice, but I've never planted arugula!

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  2. CharadeMay 3, 2012 at 12:56 PM

    I love arugula, but I'm the only one in my family who will eat it by itself. Everyone else prefers it mixed in with other salad greens for a fresh, European taste. It also mixes well (again, with other greens) with feta cheese, olives and lemon.

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  3. NancyMay 4, 2012 at 7:59 AM

    I've never planted, bought nor eaten arugula -- but I love the fact it is supposed to protect your other garden plants.

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  4. The Prudent HomemakerMay 16, 2012 at 2:04 PM

    I had the same problem and I swore off aruula for several years.

    I decided to try it again, and I can eat it now--because I have other lettuce growing in the garden. Mix it in small amounts with other greens.

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  5. TinaMay 16, 2012 at 2:52 PM

    It definitely has a bite to it and isn't for everyone. I personally enjoy arugula but if you're new to it I highly suggest mixing it with other greens for sure! I also recently had an arugula caprese salad with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing and it was amazing!!! Good luck-I hope you can learn to like it. I never knew it was good for protecting plants so I may be planting some in mine this year and getting two uses out of it!

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  6. AnonymousMay 16, 2012 at 4:16 PM

    Pioneer Woman has a pizza recipe with arugula on it and it looks really yummy.

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  7. RachelMay 16, 2012 at 9:41 PM

    I'm definitely an arugula-phile, although it must be said that it took me several years to get my palate used to eating bitter greens. I find that cooking and cheese tend to mellow out the bitterness - I've got a recipe for an arugula omelet on my blog. Also sweet fruit can help - try a mixed-greens salad with strawberries or peaches. Sunset Magazine has an article about cooking with greens, some of which are far more bitter than arugula - http://www.sunset.com/food-wine/kitchen-assistant/quick-easy-winter-greens-recipes-00400000054839/

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  8. Laura @ Green Legacy FarmMay 17, 2012 at 8:22 AM

    Thanks for all the tips and advice! I am finding that it's better cooked.

    ReplyDelete

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