Parsley

Parsley. We have TONS of it. After months of buying ratty little bundles for two bucks a pop, we will have as much as we'll ever need for the next three months. That's a 3x5 foot bed of Italian Parsley in front, with sweet and Thai basil behind it, and then a smaller bed of curly parsley, and a gigantic tarragon bush. The big garden is across the field.

In the summer, I use parsley as a vegetable. It is a once strong and mellow, cutting excessive heat, salt, or bitterness and adding a bit of fresh green flavor to just about everything (especially garlic). You can make a good pesto out of parsley, which wonderful with grilled meat and (especially) fish.

While we're enjoying this sudden glut of parsley, we didn't have quite as many peas (shell and sugar snap) as we would have liked. So this orzo side dish was born.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a full boil and stir in 2 cups or so of orzo. When it is almost done, add around a pound of trimmed sugar snap peas. Return to a boil and cook for a minute or two (times are approximate; you have to test it). Drain thoroughly and return to pot with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and lots of finely chopped parsley and mint.