Veggie Sausage

It's not soy. It's a combination of barley and potato. And it is quite delicious. The meat-eaters at the party were able to tell quickly that it was not "real" sausage, but didn't complain about it. Usually that denotes politeness, but I actually think they enjoyed it. I used "Field Roast" available at Rainbow Grocery or Valencia Whole Foods. I cut it into bitesized morsels, marinaded it overnight in a cuban style marinade, i.e., lots of cumin. It was a mixture of fresh lemon, lime and orange juice with olive oil, paprika, oregano, cumin and salt and pepper. I added organic small tomatoes, mushrooms, squash, bell peppers (red, green, yellow), and onion to the marinade. In hindsight I think I should have added a little jalapeño or some smokey habanero. The red pepper was off the hinges... it was so good--tart and fleshy.

For dessert I chopped up a heap of organic cherries and strawberries and marinaded them in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, lime and sugar with orange zest. Let that sit for about a half hour and then added vanilla ice cream to individual servings. Holy sheise, it was good.

I'm working on clearing space in my backyard to start growing some stuff of my own (greens, tomatoes, etc.), but I'm going to need some help. I wonder if any of you gorgeous experienced farm-folk could help me out in planning the garden and giving me some tips on organic cultivation. I've got loads of time now that I'm done with school. Any help will be immensely appreciated.

-Ru