A Summer Squash Recipe and Blueberry Pests

The summer squash is coming in nicely now.  I wanted to share a new recipe we've been grooving on.  The original recipe is here.  As the last bag of avocados I bought ended up in the compost (don't you hate it when you get a bad batch?),  I've yet to try the recipe with them.  But I will.  (update: I've made it with avocado, & love it both ways ).  Here's the version I've been making.

Quinoa with Summer Squash

1 cup quinoa
1 cup yellow summer squash, diced and sauteed in a little olive oil until the edges get a bit brown (8-10 mins)
1-2 tbs onion, diced small

1 avocado, chopped

Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil.  Add the quinoa, reduce to a simmer & cook for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.  Let cool.  Place the quinoa in a bowl, along with the squash and onion.

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Whisk ingredients together.  Pour over quinoa and combine.  Enjoy at room temperature.  Serves 4.

 I'm not fond of raw onion, and add it to the squash as I'm turning the heat off, so it's not exactly cooked, but not quite raw either.  Instead of fresh lime, I've used this... no measure, just a few good squirts until it tasted right.  *Update: it's fabulous with fresh lime, though good with the other stuff.  I plan to try some fresh parsley in it too.  I've been wanting to use quinoa more often, as it's such a great grain.  It's gluten free, and seems to be the perfect summer grain, cooking up in only 15 minutes.  This recipe is a good, encouraging start to that.

When I first began growing blueberries, I read in more than one place that they have no pests.  To that, I say hogwash.  From the beginning, here on the homestead, there have been challenges with tiny worms.  The photo below shows the sort of damage they do.  Early in the season, I try to pull off any parts showing signs of them, which often show up as dark berries and drooping stems. That has helped minimize the damage.  I have read about them in the past, but have forgotten their name.  Sorry about that.

This year, we had a new pest.  Tent caterpillars, seen below.  We hand picked them (there were dozens) and tried to feed them to the chickens, but they didn't want anything to do with them.  I can't say I blame them, ugly little critters that they are.  You can see the damage they're doing to the leaves.

Now the chickens have found the blueberries, and eat all the ripe ones they can jump and reach.  Oh well, I don't mind them so much.  They're desired members of the homestead, after all.  And they turn those berries into eggs. Speaking of chickens...  poor Pickles, the Burger King chick, is the low chick on the totem pole.  We've been keeping him/her (we're still not sure) in a separate space, as the other chickens peck the skin off his neck when they're kept together.  We do let them all free-range in the evenings, but keep Pickles nearby if we're out, or keeps our ears on them, and that's worked out well.  They're mostly too busy with all the wonders on the homestead to bother Pickles.  We're now sure 2 of the Delaware/Lakenvelder chicks are roosters, and have decided to offer them to good homes, as the rooster we have is the best ever, and we just don't want to deal with the typical aggressive posturing of several roosters.  If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in one or both roosters, drop me an email, and we can fix you right up.

Blooms and Summer Squash Bliss

On Sunday, J & I went to the Larkspur Party in Raleigh. It's an art show and plant sale in some lovely gardens. I came home with a few plants, including a dwarf pomegranate, and also one of Laura Avery's spirit houses. A friend turned me on to a new summer squash recipe, which I made last night. It's a keeper, and my favorite way to eat yellow squash to date. I expect we'll be eating this a lot this summer, from the looks of our squash plants. If you're an olive lover, you'll want to try this.

Yellow Squash/Zucchini with Kalamata Olives

4 medium squash (approx 1.5 lbs), sliced crosswise

1 tbs salt

3 tbs olive oil

1 small onion, minced

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp oregano (I used a handful of fresh oregano)

black pepper

1/4 c kalamata olives (tip: the 2.25 oz can of Mario sliced kalamatas makes this easy)

Put squash in colander & sprinkle with the salt. Let drain over a bowl approx. 30 mins. Remove & pat dry. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion & cook until almost soft, approx. 3 mins. Increase heat to medium-high & add squash & lemon zest. Cook until golden brown, approx. 10 mins. Stir in lemon juice, oregano & kalamatas. Season with pepper.

I'd love it if you'd share some of your favorite summer squash recipes. Does anyone know the name of the red flowers? They were in a wildflower mix I spread last year.

Summer of Squash & Frugal Accomplishments

While watering the pond garden, J noticed a different reptile, this broad-headed skink.  Apparently they spend most of their time in the treetops, and the males have orange red heads which fade after mating season.  A dinner was made from our fruit, herbs and vegetables... fried apples, stir fried broccoli, and potato salad.  I was thinking, sometimes cooking during the summer feels like damage control, using up what most needs using while you can.  Cucumbers, tromboncino squash and eggs were given to friends during the week.  A batch of blueberry lime jam was made, some of which I plan to use as gifts.  It was made using lemon seed pectin, and appears to have set up nicely, so I'll be trying that again.  Sometimes I just stand and watch the variety of pollinators on the mountain mint (above).  The second dye experiment, this time with trumpet vine (below) instead of virginia creeper, yielded no more color, which is to say very little.  I'm going to research to remind myself how many marigolds it takes to use as dye, and if I have enough, will try that next.  If you've been following here a very long time, you may remember the first marigold experiment. 

I made some bathroom redo purchases at Lowes during a 10% off sale, using my cc (5%), and got another 4% through ebates, for 19% savings.  Plus, I qualified for a free Google home mini with my purchase, which will be shipped to me.  I didn't know what it was, but my understanding is it is similar to an Echo, which a friend gifted me last Christmas and I still don't have up and running.  I need to remedy that.  I'll likely save the mini for a gift.  J took a sledge hammer to the tub on Tuesday, so outdoor showers are the only option for a while.  The only challenge I see is if it's raining.  Right now, I'm enjoying taking a shower with bird song and moon light.  I received a phone call from my bank, telling me that during their transition week when they changed hands in April, I won a $100 gift card from the giveaways!  I did make sure I entered daily that week.  What a lovely surprise!

I tried a new recipe for summer squash, zucchini rice gratin, and a new cucumber recipe with dill and lemon.  We both liked the zucchini dish, though it messed up a huge amount of things to be washed, and took quite a while to make.  J liked the cucumber dish, but I didn't love it.  My sister took vacation time this week, and we met for breakfast one morning, then visited two thrift stores.  I made 4 purchases, but my favorite find was a vintage set of dishes I plan to use in the fall.  Everything was half price, so 8 pieces were $5.  Several pieces have interesting cracks that don't go all the way through and one is chipped.  They look quite old, though there is no makers mark.  I think they'll go nicely with the other vintage brown dishes I bought not long ago, and plan to use them for our hayride dinner in the fall.  I gifted my sister cucumbers, tromboncino squash, and blueberries.  This tanager's colors seem a cross between a male and female, but I expect it's a juvenile.

I received a refund on the incorrect card reader I purchased.  For a dinner, I cooked a mix of our frozen lima beans and butter peas, frozen okra, and gifted brown rice.  It removed four bags from the freezer, making more room for this year's harvest.  There was one gifted zucchini remaining, which I didn't want to waste.  Now that our summer squash is coming in, and the gifted one was a baseball bat of a squash, I decided to cut it up and add it to the broth bag.  No waste, and we can enjoy our lovely, tender squash without guilt.  Several things were decluttered, and added to the give away box.  I ended up with only one parsley plant producing anything, and another that just isn't growing, so I picked one up while getting home supplies, which had 4 plants in one cell.  I watered it when we got home, promptly forgot about it a couple of days, and got the 4 plants in the ground on Friday.

Making a quick visit to see a friend before running some errands, I arrived just in time to see a swallowtail butterfly she'd been assisting since caterpillar stage fly to some lantana to finish drying it's wings, then fly off to a hopefully long and happy life.  I also learned about spicebush caterpillars, and have been keeping my eyes open for them.  I'd been a little under the weather, and trying to figure out what to have for lunch, decided to make hummus with lots of garlic and lemon, both good for what ails you.  I cut up carrots, celery and our ever present cucumbers to enjoy it with, which I did.  For dinner, I used our squash, herbs & cherry tomatoes (frozen last year) to make my Mom's zucchini soup.  I added a good amount of garlic and onions in it, upping the medicinal value.

I brought the first basket full of potatoes in to store in the basement, but then realized I needed to clean the area, as some squash had molded there and left some residue last winter.  I ended up sweeping the entire basement, and wiping down the area where the potatoes are going with water and a few drops of tea tree oil.  A bit longer task than I intended, but it looks and smells great now.  After a very dry past several weeks, we received a couple inches of rain Saturday night.  On Sunday, I gathered over 8# of tromboncino squash, and more than 26# of spaghetti squash.  If I'd known there were that many spaghetti squash, I'd have brought the wheelbarrow instead of my largest basket.  I'm going to have to find some new recipes for them, as there's only one I use now.  We're not fond of the usual faux spaghetti dish, but I'm sure I can find other ways we'll think they're yummy. 

tromboncino squash

Still on a garlic binge, trying to knock out my cold, I made us a dish my grandmother, Mama Rosie, called Popeye cream eggs for breakfast.  It's scrambled eggs with fresh garlic and tomato.  I used our first tiny ripe tomato, along with store bought, and eggs from our girls.  J requested it, and I was happy to oblige.  He's been working very hard on the bathroom redo.  Adding the garlic to the herbs I'd been taking seems to be working, as I'm feeling almost back to normal today.  I was happy to see four nice sized cheese wheel pumpkins, several butternut squash, some humongous cushaw squash, and some pretty large Hopi Grey squash after gathering the spaghetti squash.  We plant things in that garden that don't need constant attention, so I don't visit there as often.  Looks like I'm going to have to get creative with winter squash ideas too.  Our fall seeds are beginning to germinate.  The only seeds we should have left to plant are kale and lettuce. 

The way things are shaping up with the bathroom project, it looks like we'll have an indoor shower again in a few days.  Here are a couple of views from the shower.  The only window that you can see from the shower is in our bedroom, and it has a large stained glass window sitting in it, so it feels quite safe.  I love the enameled soap dish I found for the shower.  I was looking for something that would hold up well outdoors.  I considered pottery, but living in the woods, limbs fall on a regular basis, so this seemed a better choice.  I thought the color seemed perfect for a shower in the woods.  Well, that's the latest on the homestead.  Many wishes for a lovely week.

Mornings in the Garden

Last night brought lovely rain, and this morning found many cucumbers and squash ready to be picked.   There is also some broccoli in the bottom of my basket, and two precious red raspberries from the harvest.  I'm finding Japanese beetles on the ripe peaches and berries this year.  I don't seem to remember that from past years, but it may just be a gardener's selective memory there.  We're growing several varieties of summer squash this year- yellow crookneck, golden bush scallop, and tromboncino.  Last night, I fixed some of the scallop squash in a manner suggested by Henrietta.  She and her husband, Rick, are local organic market gardeners.  Their gardens and produce are awesome, and Henrietta knows just how to cook up their bounty.  No exact recipe here, but I don't think you can go wrong with this.

Skillet Roasted Summer Squash

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put butter in your skillet, enough to cover the bottom (1 tbs does well for my 9 inch skillet) & put in the oven to melt.  Cut squash in rounds & make three layers of squash in skillet.  Pour a little maple syrup with some melted butter (doesn't take a lot of either) over the squash & layer more squash & maple syrup/butter until you've filled your skillet.  I added a little salt before popping it in the oven.  Cook at least 30 minutes, until tender.  You can turn the oven up to 500 degrees at the end to brown it if needed.

I'm canning the first Kosher-style dill pickles of the summer this morning.  My new etsy shop, SoulSeeds, is now open!  Happy Summer, friends!

Peace, Squash and Thankfulness

On my walk this morning, I was happy to see a young doe and buck munching happily, when I arrived at the back field. They smelled me before long, but didn't see me for a time, so I got to enjoy their beauty. I'm thankful for that. We've been in summer squash bliss here lately. I must admit, I don't love the taste of either summer or winter squash, but if I doctor them up in some manner, they're good eating. Both of them grow so well here, I've been searching for good recipes, and having done that, I want to share them with you. The first one is a Zucchini and Ricotta Galette from the Smitten Kitchen. It requires the most work of all the recipes, and requires a lot of waiting time. So, I'd suggest you read it over before you commit. I didn't, & that night, we sat down to dinner at 10:30! It's worth it. This next recipe was Ruby Brown's, the mother of my Mom's partner:

Calabazas con Elote (Italian Squash with Corn)
1 pound zucchini (4 smallish), washed & cut in 1/4" rings
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can whole kernel corn (or the equivalent fresh)
3 medium tomatoes, cut in 1/8's
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp pepper

In large frying pan, heat 4 tbs olive oil. Add onion & saute for 3 mins or until tender. Add zucchini & saute for 5 mins, turning often. Add corn, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring for 10 mins or until squash is just tender. Serves 6.

Next is my Mom's zucchini soup. Not new to me, but it hit the spot, along with some homemade bread, on a recent rainy night. Sorry, I have no measurements for this one, but will give suggestions. Feel free to improvise.

Mom's Zucchini Soup

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil. Add zucchini (4 cups) & fresh tomato (1-2), chopped up, and celery (1 stalk), chopped, a handful of basil, chopped and some parsley (optional). Cover with water, and cook until squash is tender. Add small pasta (optional), such as stars, last 10 minutes. Salt to taste.
After ladling into bowls, top with a good amount of Romano cheese.  *If you save the rinds from your Romano cheese, this is a good time to use them.  Just throw in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, then fish out when soup is done.  This typically makes enough for the two of us with a little left over.

Spaghetti Squash Florentine

1 small (1.5 lb) spaghetti squash
2 c spinach, firmly packed (I used lambs quarters)
1 tbs butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs heavy cream or sour cream
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil/spray a baking sheet. Halve squash lengthwise & scoop out & discard seeds. Place cut-side down on the baking sheet & bake 40 mins, or until flesh is just tender. Meanwhile, cut spinach into very thin strips & set aside. Set the squash right side up to cool. Once cool, use a fork to scrape the spaghetti-like strands of squash into a small bowl. You should have approx. 2 cups.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, spinach & nutmeg, and stir until the spinach is wilted & the mixture is well-combined, approx 2 mins. Stir in heavy cream or sour cream, & season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

Today, I'm making my second batch this week of Green Tea soap. I'm stocking up, getting ready for the Seagrove Potters for Peace event. Tomorrow, I'm off to Virginia Beach with Teresa. Every so often, we just need a road trip. J will be holding down the homestead in my absence. Eat well, and have a marvelous weekend, friends!

This and That & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  I hope your week was a good one, with whatever makes it so for you.  Last week, I strained jars of apple cider vinegar, and added the apples to the compost bin.  I think I've left the apples in too long when I've made it in the past, and hope this does the trick to make good vinegar.  I'm following at least one of the recipes I've seen, so we'll see how it goes.  I found this caterpillar of the Eastern Black Swallowtail on some parsley, which made me happy.

ACV

I've been researching, gathering and making in the natural dyeing realm.  I harvested some of the woad seeds, and let others fall to propagate new ones.  I've gathered oak galls and lichen on my walks.  I've learned oak galls are a good mordant for plant fibers such as cotton.  Lichen has been a traditional dye plant for Scotland tweeds.  Lichens can take decades to grow, so I am only gathering downed limbs that are covered with what I believe is mostly parmotrema, and pieces of cladonia aka reindoor moss that I find already uprooted by critters.  I gather the pieces that are already crispy, and either leave or relocate to a nearby more conducive spot any that are still moist.  There is a delight and reverence as I gather these gifts from the natural world.  I prepared an iron mordant by soaking used nails in a water and vinegar mixture.  This is used as an after mordant, and a good use for recycled jars.

I walked every day with the pups for exercise.  This week, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, basil, okra, summer squash, apples, peaches, and our first figs of the year were harvested.  With cooler, temps, we've been able to open up the house most nights.  The past few weeks, I've used the toaster oven in place of the gas oven whenever possible to cut down on the heat put into our home.  I colored my hair at home.  I made my initial daily swagbucks goal each day, and redeemed points for a $25 amazon gift card.  I canned summer squash, and made Pasta Norma for dinner, which used our eggplant, onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs.  It's funny, but as it was often one of the few if not only vegetarian options, I tried Pasta Norma at two restaurants while in Italy, and both times J and I agreed mine was better.   I suppose having home grown vegi's and herbs helps.  Canning water was used on outdoor plants and in bird baths.  J also uses the dehumidifier water to water outdoor plants.  It is still terribly dry here, and we try to keep things watered as well as possible.

I've come to realize I should not can jams, jellies or butters in pint jars, unless they are going to be gifts.  The two of us just don't eat them often enough to keep from going bad once they're open.  A half pint jelly jar is a better size for us.  Two or three weeks ago, I opened a pint of apple butter, made before my epiphany, and there was still a bit more than half left.  Rather than watch it get moldy, I found a recipe for Apple Butter Bars.  In addition to our apple butter, it used our fresh apples, an egg, home ground wheat (I subbed half the flour with this), and homemade vanilla.  I almost never use icing on cakes, and left it off of this recipe.  We enjoyed it for dessert and breakfast.  I gratefully accepted three large boxes of canning jars of assorted sizes, which included a few rings.

For the first time, I canned apple pie filling.  Our apples were quite small, and many had been chewed on by hornets and wasps due to the dryness here, so prepping them was rather time consuming.  I'm hoping a slice of pie once it turns cooler will make it all worth while.  My first attempt at using UltraGel was a bit of an adventure, but I've researched a bit, and will try doing something different next time.  I had followed directions for Cleargel in the recipe, but learned this product is an instant version.  I listened to free Pandora while I worked.  Two more jars of apple cider vinegar were started with the cores and peelings.  One night, I made a frittata using our potatoes and eggs.  Another night was caprese salad using our tomatoes and basil.  Tomatoes and garlic went into a tomato rice loaf another night.  I wanted to use up a little bit of leftover peas, so added that to the loaf as well.

Today's garden harvest was a little of this and that... some okra, two apples, pawpaws, the first of the lima beans and some volunteer butter peas.  On my way to check the figs, I noticed there were several hazelnuts on the ground, so those got gathered too.  They're small and I think a bit early, probably due to lack of rain, but I hope that will be remedied tonight and tomorrow, and maybe again this week.  There are cherry tomatoes to harvest too, and maybe some larger ones.  For now, there are hazelnuts to dehusk, and beans to shell.  We grilled tonight, with okra, summer squash, asian cucumbers, brats for the guys, a neighbor bringing roasted potatoes.  I was hoping for ice cream, but ended up making a cobbler with our peaches.  Wishing you peace and good things this week!

Mushroom Weather & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  Hot, rainy days have made it perfect mushroom weather.  There seem to be so many varieties everywhere.  I recently joined a fb mushroom group in our state, hoping to learn more, especially about which are edible.  Though I've taken a class, I don't feel confident enough to risk it.  Before heading to town one day, I cut up a banana along with our pawpaws and blueberries, for a snack for J & I.  While stopping to return a few things at the hardware store, I checked the marked down plants, and brought home 4 red thyme plants for .25 each.  We planted them in the bed next to the porch, hoping they'll be happy enough to crawl over the rocks, and mingle with the creeping jenny.  Another day, we planted lettuce and broccoli seeds, and replanted chard.  For some reason, I'm having a hard time growing chard this year.  The spring lettuce that had bolted was given to the chickens, with a few plants left for seed.  When planting the lettuce, I noticed both packets were a few years old.  Reading something reminded me that oak leaf lettuce does well in both the heat and the cool, so I ordered both a red and a green variety of it.  I used hay a neighbor gave us to mulch mullein and other plants in a bed near the pond.

Like the pickles, we still have lots of canned summer squash on the shelves, so I am not planning on canning any this year.  I've tried it frozen and dehydrated, and am not fond of either, so we'll eat what we can fresh, and share it with the critters and anyone who wants some.  We shared some with one of J's customers one day, and his business partner and some friends other days.  Our friends gifted J a couple of pieces of their pottery, saying J didn't charge them enough for work he did.  A new batch of throat spray was made, using colloidal silver and essential oils.  For a dinner, I made a dish using summer squash and kalamata olives, one using collards we froze last fall, and cut up cucumbers and tomatoes.  Though the collards look beautiful, like the day they were frozen (we just put a pile of whole leaves with stems in a paper grocery bag, fold it up and tape it), they are getting rather tough.  We've planted some in the fall garden, so with any luck, will be eating them fresh by late September.

After delivering soap to a B&B, I went by two thrift stores.  I bought a shirt at one for $3, and at the other, resisted a gorgeous handmade pottery bowl that would have been a lovely dog dish, but much too expensive at $18.50.  Both stores had been totally rearranged since the last time I was in, and there didn't seem to be near as many good bargains.  I stopped by a market and bought 6/$1 ears of local corn.  It's the second time I've been to this fairly new market, and the owner has encouraged me to try my soaps there.  I'm not sure I want to add another consignment spot, but she may be interested in buying them outright, so I'm considering it.  I received a lovely note in the mail, along with some food gifts from friends I recently helped.  A few days ago, I read of a group that does gleaning of farms in this state, and I signed up to be a volunteer.   I used to do more volunteering when I lived in the city.  It's a bit more difficult living so far from anything now.  I love the idea of the gleaning group, which helps feed the hungry.  Having some knowledge of harvesting produce makes it seem like a good fit.  Being I live in a rural area, I'm hopeful some opportunities will arise that are not too far away.

some of the harvest

I purchased what I hope is the last few things for our bathroom redo, and paid for a portion of it with a gift card.  I got all the potatoes put away and crunched the numbers, and it appears we harvested over 50# of potatoes!  And we still have a small patch left to harvest.  That's much better than we thought.  I got an email invite to Pinecone Research, but like last time, when I put in my info, it said my demographics weren't needed.  It was worth a try.  I received a dollar in the mail from Nielsen, which made me laugh, as we're not television watchers.  They called some years back, and I had to tell them we did not watch TV, but they did have me fill out a diary with the few movies we watched. This time, they followed up with a phone survey, and will be sending "enough for a cup of coffee" as a thank you.  M treated J & I to dinner, as thanks for taking him to the restaurant.  Occasionally, when the local farmers bring their equipment here for J to fix, there are visitors that come along, such as the time there was a bird's nest.  Not long ago, he found a chipmunk in some equipment, which promptly ran under a tarp in front of the shop.  We've been seeing it around the bird feeders, but it moves so quick, it's been tough to get a good photo.  This one's the best I've been able to do.  There were several that lived here before the cats showed up years back.  Now that we're down to one cat, maybe it will have a chance to prosper.  I love to see them, and hope so. 

the elusive chipmunk

On a walk one morning, the sole of one of my muck boots separated from the rest.  I kept walking, picked it up on the way back, and repaired it when I got home. It's a good thing it was fixable, because the next day, I planned to clean the chicken coop, and you definitely want muck boots to do that.  When I cleaned the coop, I brought in a large, interesting limb that had fallen in their yard for extra roosting space.  J plans to add some roosts, but until then, I'm hoping this will help.  I spent some time going through things, and putting things away.  It always feels better when I take the time to do that. J harvested most of the winter squash.  Between all the rain and squash borers, vines were dying and some were starting to rot, so it seemed the time.  We weighed them as we brought them in, and ended up with over 100# of winter squash, with the largest cushaw weighing close to 14 lbs!   The two largest cheese wheel pumpkins had begun to rot, so they were cut up and boiled.  We used 2 1/2 cups of it to make ice cream.  Years ago, I had saved this recipe (scroll to bottom), and thought it was the perfect time to try it out.  It calls for a different winter squash, but I interchange them in other recipes, so why not this one?  I had to make up some pumpkin spice, but that was quick and easy.  J's grilling our potatoes with herbs, okra and summer squash for dinner.  I'm thinking it's a perfect summer homestead dinner. 

Late April in the Garden & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  Last week, swagbucks points were redeemed for a $25 amazon gift card, and purchases were made through ebates for $1 cash back, and swagbucks for $5.78.  I was asked to shop sit three days at a gallery where my soaps are carried.  I'm happy to add a new job to my repertoire, as I stopped filling in at one of my jobs the first of the year.   The job I let go of was fairly physical demanding; shop sitting will serve me much better as I age into my sixties.  We're getting some nice rain, helping to settle in the new plants, and the seeds to sprout.  I noticed beet seeds sprouting on Monday, and carrots later in the week.  We found spinach seeds up on Sunday. 

Seeds were saved from Meyer lemons.   I set them aside when I made a cake, froze most for pectin and kept the biggest ones to try and sprout.  I did this with regular lemons a couple of years ago, with good results.  They were in a bowl on my counter for a couple of days before I got around to reminding myself how to prepare them.  Well, all the instructions said not to let them dry out.  Oops!  I decided to try the ones in the bowl, and a few that I'd frozen, figuring it was worth 5 or 10 minutes of my time.  I'm hoping for the best, though know that the likelihood is slim.  If none sprout, I'll buy another one the next time I see them, and not let the seeds dry out next time.

Most every day, I stop by the roses and pick off and stomp tent caterpillars.  J has been removing them from the apple trees on a regular basis as well.  I finished one library book, then requested and started Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher, which I'm enjoying.  I walked with the pups for exercise.  An omelet was made using just picked dandelion, violet and nettle leaves.  The usual composting, saving vegi bits for broth, shredding paper and washing plastic bags for reuse was done.  Yogurt, hummingbird food and bird suet were made.  In the suet, I used the leftover skins and seeds from canning tomatoes and berries last year, which were dehydrated for this use.

Clumps of thrift and homestead verbena were transplanted.  I made cream of asparagus soup with a mixture of our asparagus and some that were gifted to me.  I haven't had enough asparagus to make this the past couple of years, and was delighted to be able to make it now.  I planted another flat of seeds, mostly flowers this time, and planted seeds of several different marigolds and sunflowers in the ground, and zinnias and nasturtiums in pots.  Another day, I planted several herb and flower seeds.  Half a dozen eggs were boiled for us and the pups.  I heated a pan of summer squash casserole I'd previously frozen.  Tomato rice loaf was made, which used our garlic, homemade bread crumbs and a few of our cherry tomatoes I'd frozen.  A vegi version of my grandmother's stuffing was made, which used our parsley and sage.

Knowing I'd be working the next 3 days, and getting home around 6, then needing to do evening homestead chores, I did more than the usual cooking Wednesday afternoon.  First, I made butternut squash crumble, which has a note I wrote on the recipe "time consuming but good"; then came spanakopita, and working with phyllo dough for the first time ever, using several bags of frozen lambs quarter in place of spinach.  J requested some of our lima beans to round out the meal, so they were prepared.  There were phyllo sheets left, so I found a recipe for apple strudel, using apple pie filling, and used a jar I'd canned.  That still didn't use up all of the roll of phyllo dough.  My tendency was to compost it, being it would be days before I had any serious cooking time again, but J wrapped and put it in the freezer.  If you've got suggestions or recipes for using phyllo dough, please share.  J hilled up the potatoes while I was at work yesterday, and planted sweet potato slips and spaghetti squash.  Today, he planted cucumber and summer squash seeds.  We've had lovely spring weather the past few days.  I saw a forecast of 86 for later in the week.  Please say it isn't so.   Wishing you a lovely week as we ease on into May.

Eggplant Caponata & Frugal Accomplishments

I was saddened to see our local feed & seed is going out of business.  We've gotten lots of our seeds there, many plants, organic fertilizer & amendments, and chicks & chick feed.  I'm sure it's tough to make it in these times, but I will miss them.  I stopped in to get seeds, not knowing until I drove up about the closing.  The seeds were 1/2 off.  I got organic fertilizer at 25% off, and plants for $1.  The plants included stevia, 2 Provence lavender, marigolds, and 2 Jewels of Opar.  The Jewels of Opar are new to me, & I was pleased to find while researching that it blooms from June to frost, readily reseeds, is a good pollinator plant & is edible.  I think they're quite lovely to look at too.  I'm joining in with Frugal Accomplishments today.

My sister & spent a day together, making the rounds of a few thrift stores.  My main goal was to find pillows that I could sew covers for, & I found two 16" & two 18" pillows for $6.50.  I'm always on the lookout for cashmere, & scored 3 sweaters and a scarf for $1- $2 a piece. I also found a cute summer blouse, a fleece vest for winter, & 2 flannel pillow cases for .49 ea.   I harvested cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, raspberries, tomatoes, basil, oregano, blueberries.  Hand picked japanese beetles & fed them to the chickens, along with greens. Did lots of weeding in the garden.

I harvested the first of the year's elderberries, and began a jar of tincture.  I harvested eggplant with the thoughts of canning them, but then decided to make a batch of my Mom's caponata.  She always tripled the recipe & I did too.  I only measured the seasonings; most of the ingredients were added by sight.  It freezes well, and is especially nice eaten with a good loaf of Italian bread.  Here's the recipe:

1 eggplant (I used 4 smaller asian eggplants for each eggplant), cut in cubes
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup tomato sauce or a little tomato paste ( I used fresh cherry tomatoes, did not use the water & added 2 or 3 tbs tomato paste for a triple recipe)
1 tbs wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of dried oregano or some fresh
1/4 cup water (see note above)
A variety of olives to taste, pitted (around 1/3- 1/2 cup)- I used a mix of black, kalamata & cracked green olives this time.  Use what you have.

Saute eggplant & celery in olive oil for 10 minutes.  Add onion & garlic and saute another 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients & simmer covered for 5-10 minutes.  Add more sugar, salt or vinegar to taste if desired.  Some also add peppers or capers.  Enjoy!

This is the table I painted last week.  I'm glad I took the class when I did, as it's already gone up $6 and now requires another basic chalk paint class as a prerequisite that costs $99, so taking it at the right time saved me $105.  I bought supplies to do the pieces I have in mind, with a 10% student discount.  A neighbor I had taken a mushroom class with years ago came by.  She was interested in wild foods, so we did a little weed walk around the garden.  She tasted lambs quarter & purslane, & went home with a few cucumbers.  I planted all my dollar plants from the feed & seed, & watered them in with a bit of nettle tea.  Squished a number of squash bugs.  It's been very hot, so I've been bringing a wash pan of ice water to the chickens each afternoon, along with cool treats like cucumbers & cut up pineapple.  A friend gifted me with cantaloupe rind & berries she had made jelly with to give to the chickens.  They loved it.

This is McNibs asking me "are you ready to walk yet"?  I pulled all but the two smallest cabbages, put one in the crisper, & made my first batch of sauerkraut with the rest.  I canned dill pickle relish with our cucumbers.  After picking the first of our lima beans, I blanched and froze them, & plan to add to the bag as they come in.  If enough come in at one time for a meal, we'll have some fresh.   J & I went out to the garden Sunday morning to find our bean trellis twine had snapped from the weight.  He says that's all they ever used in their garden when he was growing up, & this never happened.  We expect the quality of present day twine has diminished.  We replaced the top row with a metal wire & pulled it all back into place.  J created a teepee for the tromboncino squash, & after seeing signs of squash borers in our summer squash, worked on those areas & killed the eggs he saw.  We're not sure if it's rabbits or deer, but something chewed off all the sunflowers I planted in the newest garden.  That's the life of a gardener.

Small Creatures & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  Last week, J's cousin gifted us her Berkey water filter, as she wasn't using it.  It was a size up from ours, so we're keeping it, and sending ours to our daughter.  She also gifted us a pet waterer, which I'm going to try for the cat.  She rarely drinks water, which I understand is common for cats, but she said her cats loved it, so we'll give it a try.  I mostly feed the cat kibble, so I expect she could use some water.  I needed to make yogurt, but only had half the amount of milk needed.  For the remainder, I mixed up some powdered milk.  After my morning walk, I go to the garden each day, check the squash plants, often do a little weeding, and train the tomatoes.  On Monday, I saw the first tiny tomatoes.  Yay!  Every so often, we find points that previous inhabitants left here.  J found one while working in the pond garden, and gifted it to me.  I love to wonder about what their lives must have been like.

While I was powder coating orders one day, a five lined skink dropped down from the tree above, and kept me company for a bit.  It was a juvenile, with a blue tail.  Warm up shower water was used for flushing.   For a while now, I've been searching for a comfortable bra, ever since my favorite was discontinued.  The first two I tried were awful, but I believe I've found it in the third one.  It's created by Hara, is made from organic bamboo, dyed with plant dyes in gorgeous colors, and they donate a portion of profits to the Environmental Justice Foundation.  A tad more support would have been nice, but I believe comfort wins out.  Now that I'm starting to harvest summer squash, I made quinoa with summer squash, along with our chard, and a roasted radish recipe from Doug & Stacy.  I generally don't like radishes, but wanted to try them this way.  We both thought they were OK, but not great.

I strained all the jars of thieves vinegar, and put three quarts in my cleaning closet.  I had a hard time putting the 26 cinnamon sticks, which still smelled like cinnamon, in the compost, so put them in a pan to dry, and will reuse them for future cleaning vinegar.  All the overflow tomatoes, the ones that we had to stake because we ran out of cages, were tied.  A watermelon rind was shared with the chickens.  I ground wheat, so I could try a recipe for a new cake.  It's made with honey instead of sugar, and used my homemade yogurt and applesauce, so even though it breaks the no caffeine recommendation, I wanted to try it.  Neither of us likes super sweet things, and enjoyed it.  I would recommend the additional choc. chips on top.  

Healthier Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 c flour ( I used half whole wheat/ half unbleached white)
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c runny honey
1/4 c applesauce
1/4 c oil
1 egg
3 tbs yogurt/sour cream/vegan substitute
1 1/2 c grated zucchini (I drained and squeezed mine some, to decrease moisture, & it was perfect)
1/3 c chocolate chips or chunks, optional (& more for on top)

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.  Prepare an 8 x 8 pan with parchment, or lightly oil it.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together honey, applesauce, oil, egg and yogurt.  Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, just until combined.  Add the zucchini and chocolate chips, if using, and mix until just combined.  Put in pan and smooth out top of cake.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake no longer jiggles when lightly shaken.

If you'd like to add chocolate chips to the top of the cake, sprinkle the cake with them as soon as it's removed from the oven.  Let sit a few minutes, and then spread evenly over the cake with a spatula (mine didn't melt very much, but it still turned out fine).  Allow cake to cool on a wire rack, and store at room temp in a covered container.

A melon bed was created by J.  He dug the garlic Friday evening, and we hung it under the carport to dry.  The Japanese beetles have arrived.  I began hand picking them, and gave several rounds to the chickens.  J harvested the remainder of our cabbage.  My only excursion this week was taking the recyclables to the dump.  Earlier in the week, I tried a recipe for Pasta with Smashed Zucchini Cream.  It uses 2# of zucchini, which is a plus when the zucchini is coming in.  It was decent as is, but I'm going to try various additions in the future, to up the taste.  There was one bird caught in the netting last week, which we got free.  After that, I added more rows of bright contractors tape, and so far so good.  There have been several small creature sightings this week.  One day, I came across a tortoise that couldn't have been more than 2" long.  She was a cutie.  Another day, I saw a tiny frog on it's back on the service road.  I thought it was probably dead, but when I reached down and turned it over, it sat there looking at me.  It didn't appear hurt.  I don't believe frogs can get stuck on their backs, like some beetles do, but perhaps it got washed down the road during heavy rains the night before, and had not recovered.  Here's hoping it soon after carried on with it's day.  A garter snake kept me company for a few minutes while I was picking Japanese beetles, and my GD and I spotted an anole in the garden.  The first blackberries, thornless and wild, have been picked this week, and there are a few raspberries forming.

J and I set up a trellis for the cucumbers in the main garden.  On Sunday, our son and GD came for a visit.  We grilled our yellow and zucchini squash and okra, along with corn and chicken.  She and I gathered eggs, we took a walk, she helped me with dinner, and afterwards, while I used the seam ripper on a pillowcase I'm shortening, she created some things with pipe cleaners.  She also helped me dig holes to plant seedlings of swiss chard, basil and parsley in the ground.  Laundry was hung on the line.  J moved the large house plants off the porch to their summer spots.   He also planted several varieties of melons, and made beds for and planted black eyed peas and crowder peas.  Books have been requested from the library, including some mentioned in the last post.  I'm enjoying getting up early, and being in the garden in the cool morning hours.  There are some cooler than average temperatures coming, including a high in the low to mid 60's on Monday.  These cooler long days energize me, and allow me to accomplish quite a bit.  I'm really enjoying them while they last.  Wishing you energy to accomplish all you desire this week.

Happy Summer

Hello, friends.  Last week, J's business partner gifted us a bag of summer squash he grew.  The yellow squash were picked a bit late, so I cut out the large seeds in the middle, and added it to the broth bag.  No waste.  It was lovely to have the squash now, as our tromboncinos are still pretty small, and our yellow squash is taking it's time growing.  Basil and oregano were harvested for a saute using the squash.  I cut more oregano than I needed for the recipe, so dried the remainder.   I earned $12 in rewards at FL, and got .79 avocados & dogfood on sale for $6 off x 3.  When I asked J to level our refrigerator, he found the coils were pretty dirty.  Only the front ones could be reached with the vacuum, after removing the front panel, so he got his air compressor, and blew the rest off.  It inspired him to change the filters on our air returns too.  Hopefully, these things will now run more efficiently and cheaply.  

J harvested our onions, and worked on creating a swale in the garden, which he's been wanting to do.  There's one corner that stays too wet, and he wanted to remedy that, which he finished before we got a nice rain.  On Sunday, I noticed the first tomato just beginning to ripen.  It can't happen too soon.  The dogs were bathed in the outdoor shower.  We had a couple of cool mornings in the 50's.  On one, the ironing was caught up.  On the other, I cleaned the chicken coop.  I usually do it much earlier in the spring, but my hands were raw for so long, I didn't think that was wise, even with gloves.  Thankfully, they're 90% better, though were not very happy after the dog bathing. I should have worn gloves for that too.  Lesson learned.  

I've enjoyed harvesting blackberries and raspberries.  I also harvested basil and rosemary for pasta sauce, which used our tomatoes, onion and squash from the pantry.  A bouquet of gardenias and another mixed bouquet were cut for enjoying in the house.  I went through Swagbucks for 4% back on a purchase.  On another purchase, I found a $10 off coupon code to use.  Both purchases were items needed for our little side business.  Our electric bill went up $40 this month, not unusual when we go from wood heat to a/c, even though we open up each night.  I virtually attended our annual electric co-op meeting, and found out they're going to be raising rates later this year.  It's been 5 years, so I suppose I can't complain.  Two books were requested from the library.  I won a cookbook from a giveaway on a blog I follow.  

As suspected, M caught a deer nibbling on our thornless blackberry on his webcam.  He also caught a cardinal, which I'm sure was looking for, if not nibbling on the berries.  We're going to try a cage around it, with some netting.  Just about every day, I'm noticing more plants that are deer browsed, which is pretty concerning.  I suppose I've been very lucky, but in my 25 years here, they've stayed away from the gardens and orchard, until they munched the peanuts and sweet potatoes in the pond garden last year.  This year, they're even braver, coming up to the main garden and orchard. A neighbor told J he's seen them often this year out by the road.  It's wooded between the road and our garden area, so we had no idea.  Our main garden fence is only 4' tall, and I can tell they've been in there already.  It looks like we'll have to do something, if we're going to keep growing food as planned.  I'm not really sure what they might eat, though the beans are a concern.  There's a whole bevy of things that want to eat our food, that's for sure.  Many wishes you have a most lovely first week of summer!

A Fairy Ring & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  So many things are coming into bloom here, the sights and scents are lovely.  On Monday, I hung a load of laundry before heading out to run errands and deliver soap.  Then I processed the 15 spaghetti squash, freezing most in meal sized bags.  I tried a recipe for sp. squash carbonara for dinner, using vegetarian bacon, which I would make again.  I shared some with M, and froze the rest.  I changed out sheets, swapping out the winter flannel for cotton sheets.  Batches of hummingbird food and bird suet were made.  Wanting to eat more legumes, I tried a new recipe for roasted spiced lentils, which are meant to be added to salads.  They were OK, but next time, I'll tweak the spices a bit, to make them more to my liking.  If I get them perfected, I'll share the recipe.

mushroom fairy ring

Last week, J worked out of town several days.  I decided Tuesday would be a me day, to take advantage of it, and do whatever I wished.  I gathered a bouquet for the house, gave myself a pedicure and painted my toenails.  I give them a break over the cooler months, and always find it cheering to have pretty toe nails again.  I was hoping to finish sewing the summer bed cover, but the machine didn't cooperate once my bobbin ran out.  If J can't fix it, I'll bring it in to be serviced.  Seeds of zinnia and jewels of ophir were planted.  While planting the zinnia seeds, I noticed a nearby fairy ring.  I made dinner from almost entirely homestead ingredients... sweet potato, lettuce with cat brier tips and violet leaves, asparagus, and maitake mushroom with garlic.  Except for salt, olive oil and a couple more salad ingredients, it was all home grown or foraged, which is a satisfying feeling.

On Wednesday, I used up the left over asparagus and maitake in an omelet.  I finished cleaning the last several kitchen cabinets, which was started during spring cleaning.  I fertilized several new plants, then picked up trash from the ditch at the road.  I started out with a regular grocery bag, but had to come back and get a feed bag, and filled them both up.  I just don't understand the sort of person who would throw their trash out the window.  There was even a chewed up tire out there.  Sheesh!  A friend had shared a couple turmeric in the fall that another friend had grown and given her.  I had thought I might try dyeing with them, but decided to try growing them, for future food and dyeing.  I planted them in the largest available pot.  A batch of sweet potatoes was started in the dehydrator.

My main goal on Thursday was to clean a winter's worth of straw and poop from the chicken coop, which I succeeded in doing. Over the years, we've tried various things over the colder months, and the deep litter method has worked best for us.  Some time in October, I stop removing any straw, instead just throwing the used nest box straw on the floor before replacing the nest boxes with new straw.  The material on the floor keeps the coop noticeably warmer during the cold months.  Does it get stinky?  Yes indeed, but that's life.  I noticed earlier in the week that some of the long ago planted mint (bad mistake) was edging its way into the garden, so I took the opportunity to pull up a 5 gallon bucket worth, and distributed it among the nest boxes.  It smells lovely in the coop for a couple of days, and now that I've gotten up all the old stuff, and there's more ventilation with the warmer temps, it should be more pleasant in there.  I'm happy to cross that chore off my to do list.  I made an asparagus frittata with our eggs and asparagus.

The winter clothes were switched out to summer in my dressers.  I also switch around my sock drawers and closet arrangement, to make it easier to access the current seasons things.  While I was adding the summer things to the drawers, I decided to try the Marie Kondo method of folding clothes where you can see them all, rather than piled on top of each other.  So far, I like the ability to see my choices.  Whether I can keep the drawers tidy remains to be seen.  Though I haven't mentioned it in a while, I'm still growing my gray hair out.  Who knew after 8 months, there would still be such a long way to go?  J was able to fix the bobbin problem on my sewing machine, so I need to get back to sewing. 

Almost every day, there are a few asparagus to harvest.  A friend and I went to a local antiques festival on Friday.  She kindly printed a coupon for me, saving .50 on admission, and gifted me 2 hazelnut and 2 persimmon trees.  We each brought home one small treasure.  Mine was a vintage glass refrigerator dish.  On Saturday, I ground all the dried bread ends up into bread crumbs, and froze them.  Egg shells were crushed, and added to the compost bin.  I tried another recipe for lentil salad sprinkles, and baked them during the cool morning hours.  J's son came, and helped him fill the remaining raised Trex beds with soil.  I shared a dozen eggs with he and his partner.  J plasma cut 6 metal barrels into thirds, giving us 18 containers to grow tomatoes in this year.  I put layers of newspaper on the ground before placing the barrel pieces.  In the evening, we bought top soil and mushroom compost to fill them with, and will mix that with our shredded leaves and aged mulch.  We're hoping for a bountiful tomato year.  I was mad at myself for a frugal fail, a $10 off $50 coupon I forgot, which expired that day.  I did find a 6 pack of lavender, normally $9.98 for .50 on the mark down rack, which eased the sting slightly. 

Windows were opened for fresh air each day, and closed on warmer days, to keep the cool in.  Another batch of sweet potatoes was started in the dehydrator.  I went through the remainder of sweet potatoes in storage.  There were a number that went to the compost, and several that I used the good bits from for the pups. A recipe my MIL sent was made, a sweet potato, cheddar, pecan dutch baby.  I suppose it was geared more for breakfast, as it said to serve with bacon, but I made it for dinner.  I cut the sugar from 1 tbs to 1 tsp, but it really needed the extra sweetness.  J enjoyed finishing it the next morning with maple syrup.  Received my first free Southern Living magazine through Recyclebank.  Swiss chard seedlings were transplanted into larger pots.  Frugal fail:  I was mistaken about when a library book was due, and paid .30 in fines when picking up more books.

On Sunday, J & I filled the 18 tomato containers with a mix of topsoil, shredded leaves, aged mulch and mushroom compost.  We then planted them with the heartiest seedlings.  I replanted the two parsley I overwintered in the house, and planted the 6 Ellagance lavender purchased for .08 each.  Two are pretty spindly, but I think they might all make it.  A batch of yogurt was made.  It appears we have 3 broody hens.  As soon as I cleaned the coop earlier in the week, they must have liked those fluffy, fresh nest boxes, because they've been broody since.  So far, I'm collecting all the eggs.  We have two roosters on the side that the broody area is on, and have to do something different before we can let one sit. 

An order was placed through Swagbucks for 4% off, and a $5 coupon code used.  Our canned green beans were used for garlicky green beans.  I tried another spaghetti squash recipe, this one a vegan version of Pad Thai.  I thought it was pretty good, but J was not a fan.  Oh well, back on the lookout for other spaghetti squash recipes to try.  J & I planted the hazelnuts and persimmons.  He also dug up some figs that came up at the edge of one, and we replanted those.  We're a bit tired and sore, but it's been a good gardening weekend.  Wishing you a beautiful week!