ArcaMax

Picky about Petunias...

I planted petunias in my “gardens” this year for the first time in almost two decades. I bet you can guess I have not had a ton of luck with petunias. That seems funny since petunias are supposed to be so easy to grow. I think they start children off in kindergarten planting petunias! Part of my dislike for petunias comes from the fact that they have a tendency to get gangly come July. I hate gangly. By then they start to get dried edges, look crinkly, and they get fewer blooms. My history with plants (including indoor ones) is I either give then a huge “haircut” and banish them to a place not seen by my guests; daring them to come back lush or die, or I just yank them altogether. A petunia didn’t stand a chance in my garden.

I’ve since become smarter, so let’s see if I actually act like it. In past, I never cut back my petunias when they got to six inches-- in order to get them to branch out. No wonder they got these long legs and no middles. I used to spend way too much time deadheading. Now I learned the new species don’t need deadheading. That’s good news. I learned recently that hummingbirds like petunias. I never knew that.

I saw my first hummingbird of the season fly over my first floor deck just last night. There’s hope for hummingbirds feeding in my garden yet! Last year they loved my rooftop midnight black and blue salvia. You can bet I planted a ton of that this year. I’m going to have a whole “wall” of it on my rooftop deck.

Petunias are back in my garden. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, hope for the best and see if I treat them right this year. P.S. Happy Memorial Day Everybody! And remember: “A duck could be somebody’s mother.” More on that next week.

Cajun Pork Roast with a Pineapple Dinner Salad
Serves 4

For the pork
1 pork center-cut loin roast. Approx 1.5 pounds. Or you can use a pork tenderloin which will serve 2, or get two pork tenderloins.
1 Tbl (or to taste) of Cajun seasoning. There are lots of Cajun blends all set for you at the spice section of your local market.
For the pineapple dinner salad
16 oz. of pineapple chunks. Fresh (1 medium pineapple cored and chunked) or canned will work (See Note on Pineapple in the directions below)
1/2 cup of pineapple juice from the can or you can use 1/2 cup of apple juice. I use the baby juice available in the baby food section. That way you can buy a small bottle.
1 red pepper cut into dice
4 cups of baby greens. I used baby romaine but you can use a Spring mix or rocket greens too.
1 cup of chopped black walnuts (optional)
1/2 cantaloupe sliced thinly

For the Dressing
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1 tsp of lime zest
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 Tbl of honey
1 tsp of Cajun seasoning
1 pinch of cayenne (optional)

Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Oil the meat with olive oil spray and rub the Cajun seasoning all over. Put in an oven-proof pan and roast until your meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees. If you are using pork tenderloin your cooking time will only be about 15 minutes. The pork roast will take 45 to 50 minutes. Check your thermometer at the 30 minute point to see how it’s doing. When roasted, just take it out of the oven while you finish up the salad. A 160-degree pork will still show a slight hint of pink. This is perfectly safe. Or you can always cook it longer if you prefer no pink.

To make the salad and plate your dinner.

Take the cantaloupe slices and fan them out in a leaf pattern across half of the dinner plate.

In a large bowl add your greens, pineapple, nuts, and red pepper.

(Note: During summer I like to grill my pineapple before I add it to the salad. I like the juxtaposition of the warm pineapple with the cold veggies and the grill marks give it extra character).

Whiz the dressing ingredients in a small blender or you can put them in a jar with a lid and just shake like crazy until it’s emulsified (well mixed).

Pour 1/2 of the dressing on the salad and toss. Place the tossed salad on the other side of the dinner plate. Slice your pork and fan it across the salad. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the pork and the cantaloupe.

A very flavorful and healthy dinner.

Cheers!
Enjoy,
Zola

Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.