A little surprisingly, all of the tomato plants still look identical. I wonder if they will ever look easily distinguishable from each other or if they will always look the same to my untrained eye.

Right now, the mixed pepper leaves are much smaller than the cayenne peppers, but I’m assuming that’s just because they sprouted about a day later.

Sadly, some of the parsley and cilantro sprouts can’t seem to hold themselves up anymore and they have collapsed. I’m hoping it is just a watering issue and made sure to give them each an extra spritz of water today. Hopefully they will perk right back up.

The eggplant finally sprouted, with tendrils that seem to circle around themselves, until they straighten out and look quite similar to the tomato sprouts.

The cantaloupe seeds all sprouted as well. I can’t wait to have garden fresh melon this summer!

So in total so far we have sprouted:

• 4 parsley cells
• 5 sage cell
• 4 rosemary cell
• 5 thyme cells
• 5 cilantro cells
• 5 tarragon cells
• 5 oregano cells
• 5 chive cell
• 2 lavender cell
• 5 basil cells
• 5 cayenne pepper cells
• 5 yellow grape tomato cells
• 5 tomato cells
• 5 cherry tomato cells
• 5 zebra tomato cells
• 4 carrot cells
• 5 snap pea cells
• 4 yellow squash cells
• 3 zucchini cells
• 4 cantaloupe
• 4 cucumber cells
• 4 eggplant

The only seeds that we are still waiting for any action on are the mint…a bit surprising to me since mint is supposed to grow like a weed! Well, in that case, maybe it’s better that they haven’t gotten going just quite yet!

Over in the newer seeds I planted, mint, cantaloupe, eggplant and cucumber, 4 cucumber cells sprouted! Their sprouts, unsurprisingly, look very similar to the zucchini and yellow squash, though the leaves are just a bit smaller.

A second yellow squash cell sprouted, with a beautiful, tall, straight stem.

The second zucchini sprout is also standing proudly.

The snap peas just keep getting longer and longer…

…and the herbs keep on multiplying.

So in total so far we have sprouted:

• 4 parsley cells
• 4 sage cell
• 1 rosemary cell
• 5 thyme cells
• 5 cilantro cells
• 5 tarragon cells
• 5 oregano cells
• 5 chive cell
• 1 lavender cell
• 5 basil cells
• 2 cayenne pepper cells
• 5 yellow grape tomato cells
• 5 tomato cells
• 5 cherry tomato cells
• 5 zebra tomato cells
• 4 carrot cells
• 4 snap pea cells
• 2 yellow squash cells
• 2 zucchini cells
• 4 cucumber cells!!

Hopefully by tomorrow some of the other new seeds will have sprouted!

The initial zucchini sprout is getting enormous! It is now the tallest plant in the bunch with two very large leaves and a thick stem.

The sugar snap peas just keep getting taller and taller! I’m assuming that I’ll need to plant some sort of stake in the ground for them to grow around. I better start researching now so I’m prepared when it’s time to transplant them!

The carrot sprouts are also getting quite tall and are competing with the tomato plants in their plentifulness now! I also need to do some research on how to tell when a carrot is ready to be picked since I obviously won’t be able to see the vegetables ripeness in the same way as the other veggies.

So far, 2 parsley cells have sprouted. 1 currently looks like the cilantro and 1 looks like the rest of the herbs, so I guess it needs a day or two to figure itself out. Also, 1 of the sage cells sprouted. Interestingly, none of the herbs have a unique smell yet. I wonder when they get that.

So in total so far we have sprouted:

• 2 parsley cells
• 1 sage cell
• 1 rosemary cell
• 5 thyme cells
• 5 cilantro cells
• 5 tarragon cells
• 5 oregano cells
• 4 chive cell
• 5 basil cells
• 5 yellow grape tomato cells
• 5 tomato cells
• 5 cherry tomato cells
• 5 zebra tomato cells
• 2 carrot cells
• 4 snap pea cells
• 1 yellow squash cells
• 2 zucchini cells

At this point we are only waiting for the cayenne peppers and lavender to sprout! Also, don’t forget about the new group that we planted with the mint, cantaloupe  cucumbers, and eggplant…we haven’t seen any action there yet, but I’m hoping they’ll pop up any day now!

When I sowed these seeds I was told to do a bunch of each because all of the cells may not sprout. It seems as though I have the opposite problem now! I planted 5 cells of each veggie and herb, though I had 4 different varieties of tomato, meaning that in total, I had 20 tomato cells. I’m not sure if it’s fortunate or unfortunate, but at this point, all 20 cells have sprouted! The yellow pear tomato sprouts have gotten so tall that I may need to lose the greenhouse cover!

A second zucchini cell sprouted and looks so different from the first. The first one that sprouted was just a long white and green strand, however, the second one looks like a zucchini flower! It’s beautiful!

The snap peas no longer look so devilish, but instead stand tall in their cells.

Two of the carrot cells have also sprouted!

Over in the herbs, the basil that I thought was going to push through yesterday, has. All 5 cells!

So in total so far we have sprouted:

• 5 tarragon cells
• 5 thyme cells
• 3 cilantro cells
• 1 chive cell
• 5 basil cells
• 3 snap pea cells
• 5 yellow grape tomato cells
• 5 tomato cells
• 5 cherry tomato cells
• 5 zebra tomato cells
• 2 zucchini cell
• 2 carrot cells

I hope my family is ready to eat their veggies this summer! I also need to figure out exactly how I’m going to plant these. My backyard retains a lot of water and has a tendency to turn into a pond, so perhaps I need to look into building raised beds. Have any of you ever buit one?

The snap pea tendrils are looking more and more devilish every day and a third snap pea cell sprouted.

The thyme sprouts are all slowly growing little brownish red dots on their ends. I guess those are what will eventually actually be the thyme leaves. All 5 of those cells have now sprouted! I better start thinking up thyme desserts too! I’m guessing there will be lots of simple syrups in my family’s future.

Most of the basil cells look like the soil is being pushed up, so hopefully tomorrow morning there will be basil sprouts!

In total so far we have sprouted:

• 5 tarragon cells
• 5 thyme cells
• 3 cilantro cells
• 1 chive cell
• 3 snap pea cells
• 4 yellow grape tomato cells
• 3 tomato cells
• 1 zucchini cell

And as promised, I just had to rectify the issue of not having planted any mint initially, so I went ahead and did that this morning, along with cantaloupe, cucumbers, and eggplants! Can’t wait to see how those sprouts look!

It’s been pretty amazing watching the seedlings grown. So far, all of the thyme, cilantro and tarragon sprouts look identical. They all have very short, skinny stalks with two green circles on the very end. I guess they have to still grow a bit to get their individual characteristics.

On the other hand, the snap pea shoots look distinctively like pea shoots. So different from the herbs with a thick, light green curly tendril.

The tomato plants have a tall, skinny stalk with a small, flat leaf on the end.

And the zucchini sprout’s pencil-thin stalk seems to just keep getting longer and longer! It is now half white and half green.

When the sprouts come up, they tend to push the dirt up with them, making the cell look like an earthquake hit. There are a couple of cells that look like the dirt is getting pushed up, so hopefully there will be sprouts in them tomorrow morning.

In all of my hastiness planting my seeds, I forgot to plant any mint! How could that have happened? I’m definitely going to need to rectify that and plant some this weekend!

In total so far we have sprouted:

• 5 tarragon cells
• 4 thyme cells
• 3 cilantro cells
• 2 snap pea cells
• 3 yellow grape tomato cells
• 1 zucchini cell

When I planted all of the seeds, I planted 5 cells of each, assuming that some of them wouldn’t grow…apparently I’m going to be making a lot of desserts with tarragon this summer as all 5 of them have sprouted!

Looking forward to checking on them tomorrow!

This morning I came down to spray my seeds with some water when I was thrilled to notice that we have sprouts!

I’m so excited to announce that some of the plants have started sprouting! All 5 tarragon cells have sprouted as well as 2 thyme and 1 cilantro cells.

I didn’t think any vegetable seeds had started growing yet, but then I looked a little closer and wouldn’t you know it but one of the zucchini cells sprouted!

I’m so excited to come down and check on them each morning! I can’t wait to see what appears tomorrow morning!

I lived in New York City for 10 years and each year tried to grow a small herb garden on my fire escape. However, year after year my plants all died, mostly because I would forget about them. Out of sight, out of mind…

My husband and I moved to the suburbs in September and I am now determined to grow a veggie and herb garden in our beautiful backyard. A friend of mine, an avid farmer, convinced me to try and grow from seeds and so, I will give it a shot.

The process was actually surprisingly easy. All we did was place some potting soil into 2 50-cell growing kits and put a couple of seeds into each one. We labeled them, thoroughly watered them, brought them inside in a sunny spot, put the plastic tops on the kits and we were on our way!

We planted 5 cells each of 10 herbs: flat leaf parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, tarragon, chives, lavender, oregano, and basil, and 10 vegetables: chili peppers, 4 types of tomatoes, sugar snap peas, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, and peppers.

Each day I’ll give them a little water with a spray bottle and hopefully I’ll be able to keep these guys alive! I can’t wait to see how they grow!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream has three required ingredients: egg whites, sugar, and butter. This will make a buttery base to which you can add additional ingredients to get your desired flavor. You can add chocolate, extract, or any flavor puree to do this.

The ratio for Swiss meringue buttercream is easy to remember. It is 1 part egg whites: 2 parts sugar: 3 parts butter.

A basic recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
4 oz egg whites
8 oz sugar
12 oz room temperature butter

The steps to making Swiss Meringue Buttercream are quite simple:

1. Cut up the butter into tbsp sized pieces. Set aside.

2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a bowl and place over simmering water. Whisk the two together gently, but consistently, until the temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 160 degrees. If you do not have a thermometer, test the mixture by using the finger test. Dip your index finger in the mixture and rub between your thumb and index finger. The mixture is ready when it no longer feels grainy.

3. Once the mixture has reached the right temperature, remove the bowl from the water and begin to whisk with an electric mixer. Start off slow and as the mixture gains some volume increase to high speed.

4. When the mixture has reached firm peaks and the outside of the bowl feels cool to the touch, reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add in all of your butter at once. Continue to beat until light and fluffy.

5. If adding in any additional flavoring, extract, or puree, this is the time to do so.

How to store Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

This buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for up to a month. When ready to use, bring it to room temperature and whip for a few minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.

FAQs:

Q: Does all of the butter need to be added at once?
A: Yes. Adding in the butter further reduces the overall temperature of the egg mixture. If you add the butter in slowly, the first couple of dabs will simply melt.

Q: When adding in the butter, my buttercream looks curdled. Is this ok?
A: Yes. Sometimes if the butter is added a bit too soon the buttercream can get a curdled look. This is fine and just keep beating to fix. The issue will resolve itself.

Q: Is this buttercream ok to use on a cake that will sit outside?
A: In my experience, this type of buttercream should only sit outside for an hour or two. If you are making a cake for an outdoor event, I’d recommend using Italian Meringue Buttercream instead.

Q: Is this buttercream safe for pregnant women or the elderly?
A: If you are making a cake for pregnant women or the elderly you should either use pasteurized egg whites in this recipe, or make Italian Meringue Buttercream instead.

Walking into a store like Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table can be an overwhelming experience. How do you know which tools you need to have in your kitchen and which are unnecessary and will forever be gathering dust? To help answer some of these questions, I’m starting this Kitchen Essentials column.

Ever wonder how restaurants get that fine dusting of chocolate onto the top of your dessert? How about how to get that fine lemon zest a recipe calls for?

Enter the zester! Developed initially by the company Microplane, as a new type of woodworking tool these hand graters can now be found manufactured by many different brands and are a real lifesaver in the kitchen.

How to Use a Zester

Run it over citrus to get that fine citrus zest you need, just make sure to only remove the skin, if you zest the white pith it is very bitter and not what you want.

Run some chocolate over it to create chocolate shavings that can be used to decorate plates or desserts.

Carefully rub whole cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom along the zester to get fresh ground spices.

You can even use it in savory cooking to grate cheese, garlic, or ginger finely.

If you don’t already have a zester, I highly recommend you run out and buy one. You’ll find it instantly useful in a myriad of ways.