Magic, that’s what it is.  Yes, I am quite aware that I’ll sound like a blathering idiot when I say this, but I truly believe that gardening is tantamount to pulling rabbits out of hats or finding a quarter in your nose that you had no idea was there. Despite the fact that I have always had a black thumb as far as botany goes, somehow the queer combination of an unseasonably cool summer and a liberal daily dousing of rain has left me with…..a GARDEN.  A REAL GARDEN.  One that grows things, and everything!

It’s amazing, absolutely amazing, to think that I planted seeds and now I have vegetables. Every day I wander around outside with unfocused eyes and a slightly slack jaw, poking at roots and shaking my head in wonder.  I get the process, right?  I understand germination, photosynthesis, and the life cycle of your average plant.  It’s just….I’ve never really been a part of it before.  I’m generally the voyeur who scopes out other people’s gardens and mutters nasty comments under my breath about chemical fertilizers and “the luxury of time to pull weeds”.  But this year, I am a convert.  Because this year?  I have a garden.

Those little packets of seeds from the dollar store have yielded jalapenos the size of a baby’s arm.

My tomato grove, because that’s officially what it is, stands almost 5 feet high and there are currently about 25 lbs of green tomatoes hanging heavily on the vines.

These little babies and keening out, “When I grow up, I wanna be PESTO.”  If I had an Italian Nona, she’d be proud of this basil bush.

And my favorite, the absolute jewel that I just can’t get enough of, are the hirsute little edamame which went from flower to pod over the space of one very sunny afternoon. I keep eyeing my sesame oil and licking my chops when I walk by, but all subtle like so as not to alarm the wee tots.

This all to say, however, that the next few weeks will likely be rather heavy on the whole jalapeno/tomato/zucchini/bean front, because that’s what I’ve got an abundance of right now.  So, in honor of fresh produce, let’s start with the jalapenos.

I was thinking of doing a big batch of stuffed jalapenos, but then I remembered that I’ve already posted about bacon wrapped jalapenos….and pub style baked jalapeno poppers.  We’ve got jalapeno cheese bread, salsa del sol, and jalapeno spiked salads out the wazoo.  So…hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to poultry we go!

Honey and Jalapeno Drumsticks

Serves 4-6

• 10-12 skinless chicken leg drumsticks
• 3 large jalapeno peppers
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp dried  oregano
• 2 limes (juice only)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Peel the onion and garlic.  Give them a rough chop before putting them in the bowl of your food processor, along with the dried oregano, honey, soya sauce, and the juice of both limes.

Cut the tops off of the jalapenos and give them a quick once over with the knife before adding them to the mix. You can leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapenos if you like, because they add a touch more heat to the mix.  After the chicken is grilled, the legs will only be about a medium spice level, so you don’t need to worry about snorting out fire with each bite if you left the peppers whole.

Puree the honey jalapeno mixture until it is smooth and saucy.  Give it a taste (I know, it’s spicy NOW, but just wait until the chicken hits the grill!  All that heat just fizzles right off) and feel free to season with more salt and pepper if you really think it’s necessary, remembering that your salty soya will have done most of the work already.

Dry the drumsticks with a paper towel and put them into a large shallow dish or a zip-top plastic freezer bag.  Pour the honey jalapeno dressing over the meat, and shake the bag around to make sure that each leg is well coated.

Sit the drumsticks in the fridge and let them soak up the marinade for at least 1.5 hours, or up to 4 hours, turning them occasionally to make sure the meat marinates evenly.

Preheat your barbecue until it’s fairly hot.  Do you do the steamboat test?  About 4 steamboats seems about right.  Or, if you’re one of those high tech people who has a temperature controlled grill, keep it at about 425ºF.

Grill the drums for about 25 minutes, depending on size, or until the juices run clear.  After you take the legs off the heat, let them sit for about 5-10 minutes, tented in aluminum foil, so they can remind themselves how juicy life can be.

The sugars from the honey and lime caramelize the outside of the chicken in a not-too-sticky sort of way, and the jalapeno adds just the right touch of bright flavor and heat without being overwhelming.

Onto the plate as fast as my little legs could go, along with olive oil roasted new potatoes and a healthy hay stack of green beans…..from the garden.

(I never get tired of saying that)