Page 24 April 2015 By Lisa Weisenburger Mary Celle’s garden grows with lots of love and little hands! When Mary is not working full time as a financial advisor with Edward Jones, she is hanging out with her husband and two children. When Mary is spending time with her children, they are most often found outside in her garden or in the kitchen with chairs pulled up to the counter, all hands on deck. “I always had a garden as a child. Growing up in Kentucky, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the garden was a simple part of my everyday life,” says Mary. Mary has lived in Phoenix, primarily in the Arcadia area, since 2001. For some, having a prolific garden in the desert may seem impossible. Mary makes it look easy. She plants produce she knows her family likes. In fact, Mary says they eat – or share with neighbors – 100 percent of what they grow. Mary’s garden is created primarily from seeds. “Seeds are much more cost effective than purchasing the plants,” said Mary. She says it’s gratifying for her kids to plant seeds, water them, watch them grow and harvest them when the plants are ready. When asked where she gets her seeds, Mary produced a dog-eared, sticky noted seed catalog from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. in Missouri. “Taylor and Luca love to go through the catalog and pick out seeds. I tend to go for things like purple cauliflower and green beans with reddish purple stripes. You can’t find these in the typical grocery store,” said Mary. After following the family out to the garden to gather produce for the dinner salad, it was a joy to watch them go crazy pulling out carrots. Gardening must breed patience because Mary calmly coached her children on how to tell when the carrots are ready. “Look for the ones that are poking their colorful heads out of the ground,” Mary said. “Just use your fingers to pinch off the lettuce leaves you want to eat – don’t pull out the whole plant.” The colander filled quickly with lots of little hands to help. Have you ever seen a red carrot the size of a 4-year-old’s forearm? Check the Celle garden. Mary says her children would be thrilled if all she ever planted were carrots. “They love carrots. All of them.” By that she means: There are no orange ones in the patch right now. Red, white and purple, but no orange. Mary has six kinds of lettuce, as well as kale, celery, carrots, snap peas, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, beets, dill, parsley, thyme and that’s just scratching the surface. She will soon have tomatoes as well. In addition, the Celle family also has fruit trees, including peach, apple, grapefruit, Valencia orange, lemon and lime. With all this beautiful produce, it’s a good thing Mary likes to cook. Often on the weekends Mary finds time to get a head start on the week’s cooking. Many Sundays she makes a large dinner for her immediate and extended family with the plan to make enough to freeze. A treat for her Sunday dinner is the kale and carrot raviolis she prepares with fresh produce from her garden. The garden salad is fresh and has homemade dressing made from her homegrown herbs. The children participate in the preparation. Taylor loves putting the pasta through the pasta roller and then helping to spoon in the filling. Luca runs the carrot tops out to the composter. (If Mary’s freezer wasn’t already full, she would make vegetable stock with them.) With the chair pulled up to the counter, even the neighbor kids get involved. Mary says, “This is very typical around here. I start with one or two and eventually have four or more kids lined up to take their turn in the kitchen.” Tiny hands roll out fresh pasta in the kitchen. ARCADIA COOKBOOK The Celle garden has six kinds of lettuce and a slew of different vegetables. Your new best friend. Scottsdale Quarter 39th Street + Camelback NOW OPEN jubytrue.com from your friends at Pete’s Happy Easter Happy Easter WE’RE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU AT ANY OF OUR 8 CONVENIENT VALLEY LOCATIONS! • 22 S. Mesa Dr, Mesa • 1017 E. Apache Blvd, Tempe • 1111 E. Buckeye Rd, Phoenix • 2628 W. Van Buren, Phoenix • 3920 S. Central Ave, Phoenix • 4121 N. 44th St, Phoenix FAX: 602-952-9233 • 5516 W. Glendale Ave, Phoenix • 9309 W. Van Buren, Tolleson Need a menu? Visit our web site: WWW. PETESFISHANDCHIPS .COM Burgers, Dogs, Burritos! Scrumptious Fish & Chips! Fresh Breaded Onion Rings! Children’s Menus at Some Locations! Drive Thru/Take-Out Is Our Specialty! ☞ ☞ ☞ ☞ ☞ Family Owned & Operated Since 1947 Mary, Mary... How does your garden grow?

Page 25 April 2015 Salad Dressing • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon sugar • 2 teaspoons shallot, finely chopped • 1/3 cup fresh herbs, chopped; I use dill, thyme and giant leaf parsley • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil • fresh ground pepper In a small bowl, mix ingredients together. Use dressing over a salad made from mixed greens, peas, shredded carrots, shredded radishes and herbs. Ravioli Pasta • 2 cups flour • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon flour, plus extra for dusting pasta and surface • 3 extra large eggs • 1 tablespoon olive oil In a bowl, mix dry ingredients. Make a well and put in wet ingredients. Stir. Wrap dough in plastic and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. Cut dough in quarters and work with one quarter at a time. Keep the rest wrapped. Flatten. Fill with carrot and ricotta or kale and ricotta fillings (see below). Cut. Pinch pasta to make sure closure is tight. Rub a bit of water along the edges before pressing to help dough stick together. Gently lower stuffed ravioli into bowling water and cook for 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift the raviolis out of the water. Douse with olive oil. Add freshly ground pepper, salt and Parmesan cheese. Carrot and Ricotta Filling • 3 large carrots, chopped; I use red and white carrots • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 2 teaspoon unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon shallot, minced • 1 tablespoon heavy cream • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese • 6 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano • pinch ground nutmeg • 1 large egg yolk • freshly ground salt and pepper to taste Heat oven to 400° F. In a bowl, coat chopped carrots in olive oil. Transfer carrots to a baking pan and roast until carrots are soft. In a skillet, melt butter, add shallot and cook until softened. In food processor combine cooked carrots, shallot and cream. Puree until smooth. Transfer puree to a bowl and add ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, nutmeg and egg yolk. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Stuff pasta. Kale and Ricotta Filling • 6 tablespoons olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, smashed • 3/4 pound kale leaves, ribs removed and leaves cut into small pieces • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese • 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest • 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg In a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add garlic and brown on both sides. Discard garlic. Add kale to oil and cook until tender. Drain greens, let cool, then place in a bowl. In the same bowl, add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Stuff pasta. Carrot and Ricotta Filling Heat oven to 400° F. In a bowl, coat chopped carrots in olive oil. Transfer carrots to a baking pan and roast In a skillet, melt butter, add shallot and cook until softened. 602-956-0178 4144 E. Indian School closed Easter Sunday Book your holiday parties today! Happy Easter from the Tee Pee PHOTO BY NTK PHOTOGRAPHY