Potato Harvest

Potato Harvest    

It was a beautiful coolish, sunny day (still drought-y out there).  Perfect for potato harvest.  Potato harvest feels a little bit like Christmas.  You can watch the potato plants growing - sometimes they yellow, sometimes they flower, sometimes they are green and lush and you just know that there is magic happening.  That's what happened this year.  The potato plants just kept growing and growing despite 115 degree temperatures and drought.  My expectations were high and my excitement was that of opening a long-anticipated gift.  

It's always fun and somewhat magical to dig up potatoes. This year it was slightly less fun as the soil took more "busting" than usual due to dryness. I try to work methodically so that I don't accidentally pierce the potatoes or lose any of the small ones.  Large potatoes go into storage.  Small potatoes go back to the garden shed for re-planting.  

Potato skin is somewhat delicate when first emerging from the soil.  I accidentally scraped a few when trying to remove dirt clods.  The skin will toughen as the potato cures.  Potatoes prefer to cure in the cool and shade.  I usually give them a quick bath to remove most of the dirt but try to resist any sort of scrubbing.  They will need to cure for about 2 weeks in a well-ventilated area.  A garage or a basement works nicely if you have one. 

After curing, you can store in a cool, dry place (not your refrigerator) for winter.  As with all stored produce, check regularly for any signs of rot.  It is quite unpleasant to find a box of liquified potatoes.  I used to store potatoes and onions on the floor of my pantry and then I read that that is not a good combo.  Onions will actually cause them to begin sprouting.  Instead, I read to store them with an apple.  I have not yet tried this trick out as my potatoes seem to store just fine on their own in the garage.  

To check out a picture of my suburban potato harvest for 2021, click on the link below. 

Potatoes on Instagram 

To finish out my day in the garden, I added compost to the spot the potatoes came out and planted cabbage and peas. 

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See more posts on farming, gardening, and the natural world on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Z0r8AlmUq/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Year of Small

This year, God has been speaking to me about the small life.  I don’t want to call it small though, because that has a negative connotation.  Small does not mean that your reach is small or your impact is small.  To me, small is reducing your external hubbub – frenzy, activity, extensions – to increase your internal activity - growth, nurturing self, investing in relationships.

At the end of 2018, I started pruning things out – activities, groups, projects.  And it felt good.  More space to breathe again.  In January, I started committing to writing – 5 days a week, I try for at least 30 minutes, 2 hours is ideal.  In January, I also traditionally vision for the new year.  This year, God gave me the image of Mother Teresa – talk about small life, big reach.  What did she say? 

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

The greatest disease in the West today is not TB [Tuberculosis] or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love…

At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by “I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.” (Matthew 25:35)

Changing the world was not her goal.  Loving those in front of her was her goal, her mission, her passion.  And through her devotion to love those close to her, her simple actions had a world-wide ripple effect.  That is the small-life I seek.

Sometimes, I struggle to feel that what I’m doing, how I’m spending my time, is making any impact whatsoever (Enneagram 4 anyone?).  My culture is all about your “brand,” how the wide-world perceives you.  What platforms are you on?  Who are you influencing?  How many likes did you get?

The small life is teaching me that the time and energy I spend investing on my internal self is just as important, if not more important, than the time and energy I spend investing on my external self. 

And God is confirming that for me again and again. 

What a great God we serve.

And so, here we are in April and my family is downsizing our outside-life. 

Ironic?

 Significant? 

Guided by a cosmic force? 

And the peace I have is comforting; and the trust I have that God’s got an awesome plan for my life is humbling and exciting.  My inner-self is not screaming, “NO, you can’t loose your yard, your identity is in the garden, you will loose yourself!”  In fact, I’m thinking, “This will be such a great opportunity to explore how my green thumb expresses itself in a smaller setting.  I’m content having a ‘normal’ suburban yard.  Not everyone can have a giant yard and that’s ok.” 

This is so unlike me.  I am amazed. 

And then, my God is so kind to me… I see posts like this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw4iSnIl5ix/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“Whether you are a gardener, a farmer, or the manager of a park or nature reserve, you can take action to protect and restore habitat.”  - Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces Society Executive Director

and

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw0jag-Arq3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“In our molecules and in our dreams, we are what we eat. Eating close to home is not just a matter of convenience – it is an act of deeply sensual, cultural and environmental significance.  – Gary Nabhan

To me, these words remind me that my identity is not rooted in my love of gardening and my knowledge of fruits and vegetables and my passion for food use.  My identity is not my brand or my self-made persona.  I can release all that into God’s hands because he is trustworthy and because MY IDENTITY IS ROOTED IN HIM and who he says I am! 

Here are some other encouraging posts about the small life.  May they encourage you to focus less energy on your external self and more energy on your internal self.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-Vc2tlgx0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“Live for the things most meaningful – and your life will be the most beautiful.” – Ann Voskamp

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv_y9rZA--h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“Your to-do list is worthless if it’s at the cost of driving a destructive need-to-get-it-all-done bulldozer all over everyone who you love and care about.” – Lyndsey Garber

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvoz_ScADsS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“JOMO (noun) – Joy of Missing Out. Feeling content with staying in and disconnecting as a form of self-care.  Antonym: FOMO”  - Brene Brown

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

He Will Guide Your Steps

The house I was excited about smelled like cigarette smoke.  Our realtor smelled it, we smelled it, we went outside for 5 minutes and came back in and smelled it even stronger.  Our realtor advised us that it is really, really hard to get smoke-smell out.  It’s in every soft surface – walls, ceilings, rugs, etc.  Strange thing, the owners don’t smoke.   

If it hadn’t smelled like smoke, we might have put in an offer.  My husband said he was trying really hard to be as excited about it as I was.  I LOVED the neighborhood – cute, wide, quiet streets, literally a 5 minute walk to a really cool playground – with bathrooms!  A great straight-shot 15 minute commute for him.  And everyone gets a bedroom!

But… it really did smell like smoke - that acrid smell that hits you when you enter a room. 

That was Friday.  Monday we went to look at one I had seen at an open house back in February.  I remember walking in, being unimpressed with the 4^th bedroom (no carpet, small closet) and thinking, this is a good house for people who want to see nature but not be outside (the backyard is less than tiny, but it backs up to a green space).  But this time, I walked in and thought – doable, doable, all doable.  Funny how your real estate perspective can change in three months.  The kids were excited – everyone gets their own bedroom and they stay at the same school.  The husband was excited – our bedroom is gigantic and on the other side of the house from the kids.   And there is nothing better on the market at this time.  So, we put in an offer. 

Inspection was Friday.  I give earnest money tomorrow.  Looks like a move is coming. 

We are leaving our giant yard and giant garden.  We are passing-on our chickens and re-homing our big dog.  The cats are coming with, but there’s no guarantee that they will stick around.  They may not adapt to the in-town life.  We are down-sizing our outside-life.  … and we’re all ok with it.

The funny thing is that it’s become trendy lately to buy land out in the country and start a mini-farm.  Homesteading (#homestead) some are calling it.  I have a friend who moved here last year from the city.  She and her husband and 3 kids bought 20 acres in the country and moved.  They have cows, peacocks, chickens, goats, llamas, bees…  and she loves it.  A bit ironic that “outsiders” can afford to start a farm in the neighborhood but those of us from the valley can’t.  I guess that’s just the way it goes.  If she can afford it and loves it, more power to her.  I will move into town and take a few years off from the mini-farm life.  A Sabbath is good for everyone – even farmers. J

What's Growing: April

blossoms on the plum tree

I knew I had slowed down on my gardening - life gets busy and full.  But looking back at what was growing April 2015 is a little embarrassing.  

https://likeatreeplantedoregon.blogspot.com/2015/04/whats-growing-april.html

Here's a comparison as to what I have growing in 2019.

Arugula - overwintered and transplanted.  I'm not sure if they will grow or bolt.

Asparagus - not up yet

Blueberry - flowering

Celery - planted from kitchen scraps but having trouble establishing.  The ones from last year didn't overwinter well.  I suspect varmints.

Garlic - overwintered and starting to come back. https://www.instagram.com/p/BuxNZtelYCf/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Grape - pruned, no buds

Kale - Didn't overwinter.  Planted in March.

Nasturtium - wasn't successful last year

Onion- planted in March

Oregano - overwintered and coming back

Pea - will plant in April

Plum - blooming

Potato - they won't grow! We even dug out the potato bed last year and took out a ton of tree roots.  The tree roots are back but I suspect some kind of varmint.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BluLPZzBm4z/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Raspberry - this year's canes aren't quite coming up yet

Rosemary - overwintered 

Rutabaga - the few that overwintered are being eaten by slugs. yuck.

Spinach - just planted in March

Strawberry - overwintered but weak

Thyme - overwintered but weak




New to this list:

Brussel sprouts - overwintered and gave some nice sprouts but are now bolting.  I will save seeds!

Chives - perennial herb 

Greenbeans - planted in March

Lettuce - planted in March

Marionberry and Loganberry - pruned but no new canes yet.



This will be my 7th summer gardening this land (mini-farm).  I have added and lost bees.  I have added and lost and added chickens.  We have cats and a dog.  I grow less seed crops and more perennials.  I have noticed seasonal clues to planting (like when the daffodils come up).  Each year is a bit different.  Each harvest unique.  All are enjoyable.  Planting is a passion I will not easily give up.  Cheers to 2019!  Let's see what the season holds.

Time to Blog Again

It's been over two years since I last blogged. 
Did I stop gardening?
No.
Did I stop having info to share?
No.
Did I stop having things to say?
Ha!
Did I stop writing?
... kind of...
but I'm back!

And, in the meantime, I have started and enjoyed an Instagram account. 

Check it out:  https://www.instagram.com/gretch_ging/

My Blog has moved Locations

I have LOVED blogging (as I suspected I would) over the past year.  I've been surprised and interested at the posts people found interesting and which they ignored.  Thanks to all of you who read. 

I'm moving on to 'Phase 2'

Moving to a different site with a few more options. 

You can now find me blogging on the same topics at:
http://likeatreeplanted.sitey.me/

Thanks to blogger.com for all the fun times. :)

Green Beans

This year was my first year growing green beans.  I grew bush beans (which don't need support) and climbing beans (which do need support and, therefore, are not usually commercially grown).  Green beans are great to grow.  They grow easily, add nitrogen to the soil and have a small footprint.  Every time I grow something new in the garden, I make a discovery.  What I discovered about green beans was very important:  I'm the only one in my family who likes green beans!  I don't know how this is possible.  They are not an offensive vegetable, but there you have it.  Beautiful beans, and I'm the only eater.  It's one thing if a veggie is easy to grow, but if it's easy to grow and no one eats it, then what's the point?  Lucky for me, I am resourceful when it comes to veggies.

Sauteed Green Beans
by Gretchen Gingerich

Green Beans

Chop green beans.  Saute in your favorite fat with salt.  Viola!



Frozen Green Beans
by Gretchen Gingerich

Green Beans

Chop green beans.  Dump into boiling water for 30 seconds (blanch).  Freeze in a double layer plastic self-sealing bag.



Dilly Beans
by Gretchen Gingerich
makes 4 pints

Everyone's favorite bean pickle!

2 lbs Green Beans
5 Cups white vinegar
1/2 Cup pickling salt
2 tsp red pepper flakes
8 tsp dill seed (not the green part)
8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Chop green beans and pack into clean, warm canning jars with red pepper, dill seed, and garlic cloves. Leave 1/2 inch head-space.

Bring vinegar and salt to a boil.

Pour hot brine over beans leaving 1/2 inch head-space.

Process in a hot-water bath for 5 minutes according to conventional USDA canning recommendations.  Let the pickles rest and cure for at least 2 weeks before opening.

Beets

 

October was a beet - harvesting month for me.  Beets grow continuously through the year, but tend to be happiest in the cooler months.  Beets are one of those veggies that can get a bit "earthy" tasting (aka "tastes like dirt") and so folks either love'em or hate'em.  I do tend to love'em and here's how I love to eat'em:  Beets and Bacon, Boiled Beets, Simple Pickled Beets, (Beet Relish to come)


Beets and Bacon
by Gretchen Gingerich

Beets, peeled and chopped
Onion, chopped
salt
Garlic, minced
Beet greens, chopped (optional)
Bacon, cooked and crumbled.

Saute the beets and onion with a dash of salt (I prefer to use bacon fat to saute).  After the beets soften, add the garlic and cook until garlic browns.  Add the beet greens and cook until they wilt.  Finish with crumbled bacon. 



Boiled Beets
by Gretchen Gingerich

This is a classic way to enjoy beets.  Can be served plain or with butter.

Beets

Remove the top and bottom of the beets.  Boil in water until soft (about 20 minutes).  Remove from hot water, place into cold water, and peel.




Simple Pickled Beets
adapted from Pickled Pantry- Andrea Chesman- 2012
by Gretchen Gingerich
makes 8 pints

This is simply a beet-pickle.  A simple pickle for a simple vegetable.

18-20 Beets
4 Cups cider vinegar
1 Cup water
2/3 Cup sugar
2 Tbsp sea salt


Remove the top and bottom of the beets.  Boil in water until skin becomes soft (about 15 minutes).  Remove from hot water, place into cold water, and peel.  Leave the beets whole, cut into wedges, or chunk.  Pack the beets into canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch head-space.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once the sugar dissolves, pour the mixture over the canned beets, leaving 1/2 inch head-space.

Process in a hot-water bath for 30 minutes according to conventional USDA canning recommendations.

Let rest for 6 weeks before eating (for full flavor to develop).



There is also Beet Relish which is a sweet, aromatic, type relish.  I'm still developing my recipe for this one.  Haven't quite gotten it to where I like it yet.

CRANBERRY!

Mid-October is about the time that cranberries appear in the grocery stores.  Mid-October is about the time to make your cranberry sauce, so that it has plenty of time to cure/gel/marinate/season- whatever it does- before Thanksgiving.  So, apologies to all that it is now Mid-November when I am finally posting this.  Print it out and mark your calendar for Mid-October 2016.  You'll be ahead of the game. Or, if you're happy with the taste- serve straight from the pot on Thanksgiving Day 2015!

There are three types of cranberry sauce that I have come to appreciate:  Sweet Cranberry Relish, Savory Cranberry Relish, and Citrus Cranberry Relish (honorable mention to that "cranberry gel" that comes out of a can.  That stuff is pretty good too).  Here are the recipes for you to try.

Fall is in the Air - Applesauce

Nothing says, "Fall" quite like the smell of applesauce slowly simmering away in the house.  And, for us Pacific North-westerners, That wonderfully, fresh smell to the air when the rains finally return.  The Summer's dust has finally been washed away and we can breath again.

This year I made my applesauce in a crock-pot.  All the steps are the same:  peel, core, slice, reduce, season...  it just is a bit of a slower pace so that I can make it an all-day project and do it in chunks of time as they become available (those with little ones will understand this strategy).

Last year, I had an extra hand and was able to do my batches more efficiently.

This year, my son and I picked about 10 gallons of apples.  It took me two days to get them all put-up but it ended up being just over 6 quarts in the end.

One addition this year is an attempt to make Apple Cider Vinegar from the scraps.  I will let you know how that goes. 

These are the Hands 2

Now that's more like it! 
Back in January I was feeling remiss that my hands were getting soft and plump - the effects of indoor-rest season.  Now I rejoice at the dirt-caked fingernails, dark skin, cracks, calluses, hardened finger-tips...  the joy of a body well-used.  Now when I reflect on my manicure again in January, I will not feel ashamed.  I will be able to feel satisfied in a well-deserved rest for weary hands. 

Pickle Time!

It's pickle time again.  I really like my dill chip recipe from last year.  They were super-yum and pretty simple.  I used the large-batch measurements which made enough brine for 10 pints.  The first 5 pints I cut by hand to about 1/4 inch.  The second 5 pints I cut with a mandolin so they would be thinner, about 1/8 inch.  I'm curious to see how it affects the taste.  The thinner pickles were easier to stuff in the jars, but I'm not sure I got more stuffed over-all.  To find out, I'll have to first wait six weeks for the pickles to season. 

Seeds

There is talk of rain tomorrow.  And, especially THIS season, that's a big deal.  We haven't had rain since......  Well, we've had sprinkles, but no real rain that I can remember since April-ish.  And now it's August.  So I've been allowed to procrastinate on harvesting seeds.

Harvesting seeds is not my favorite thing.  It's a bit tedious, a bit messy, and the benefits are delayed.  However, it is very satisfying to look at a jar of pickles and know not only are the cucumbers, onions, and garlic from my garden, but also the coriander, dill, celery seed, and mustard seed! 

Step one - Grow the plant

Mustard seed comes from mustard plants, dill seed comes from dill plants, celery seed comes from a year 2 celery plant, and coriander comes from a cilantro plant.

Step two - dry the plant

Dill, celery, and coriander dry sufficiently well on the plant in-ground as long as you're not getting crazy rain or over-watering.  Mustard must be pulled and dried to a crisp.  If not sufficiently dried, the harvested seeds can easily mold.  Which happened to the seed I harvested last week!  Boo, so disappointing.  At least it molded quickly and before I tried to use it. 

Step three- seed collection

Dill, celery, and coriander can be collected straight from the plant into a bucket or bowl and then transferred into a storage container.  I really like to use sanitized glass jars and keep the lid off but handy.  This allows good ventillation, I can write on the side, and there's no organic matter in the container itself to mold (such as would be in a paper-based container).

Mustard seeds are in seed pods that pop open when crushed or even sometimes touched.  The trick is to remove the seeds from the pods without seeds going every which way and without too many pods getting into your seeds.  I've finally settled on crushing the pods over a giant bowl and then skimming the pods off the top before transferring to a glass jar.  Another trick- if I blow at the seeds while I pour, some of the smaller chaff blows away.  It's a labor of love because it makes a big mess and is a huge project both in space-occupied, and time it spends lying around drying out.  But my goal is to one day have enough mustard seed to both add to pickles AND make home-made mustard!  Plus, the bees LOVE the flowers and it grows easily. 

Zucchini Recipe: Green Nachos

No, my kids were not fooled into thinking these were really nachos.  But I was.  They tasted great - crunch, cheese, how could you go wrong?

Green (Zucchini) Nachos

Zucchini
Cheese

Thinly slice the zucchini into "cookie" shapes.  Sprinkle with grated cheese (I used Tillamook garlic cheddar- yum).  Microwave until cheese melts, about 2 minutes.


Other Zucchini Recipes:
Zucchini Medallions
Zucchini Pickles (recipe to come)

What's Growing: August

It's been sooo DRY for sooo LONG!  It's a wonder anything is growing outside.  I've been watering since March and the spots where I've been slacking are noticeable.  I don't know if I can blame it on the weather, but my enthusiasm's been about as dry and crusty as the lawn.  There are things growing "out there" but it's not as lush as previous years and I have more blank-spots than usual.

Here's a peek at what's growing (see also, Take time to see the beauty for a visual guide):

Local Peach Comparison

My friend, Sarah, canned 70 quarts of peaches last year - local, summer goodness for her 3 growing children.  This year, she's thinking 80.  They looked so gorgeous and tempting - golden orbs floating there in a sea of syrup.  "I'll give it a try," I thought.  "Peaches can't be that bad." 

The local hubbub about peaches is TK Orchards in Aurora, Oregon.  They have awesome quality, awesome prices, awesome variety.  People plan their picking around the ripening of the Dixie Gems.  I "u-picked" the Dixie Gems last year.  They were yummy, they were easy to pick.  They were wonderfully priced.  But, I was jealous of their neatly arranged, non-bruised "we-pick" boxes as I checked out.  So this year, I thought, "pay a little more, get the pre-picked peaches."  I ended up with 10lbs of star-fire peaches for $15.  Great price, right!

Now, the Facebook hubbub has been about Milk Creek Produce in Mulino, Oregon.  They get their peaches from Gunkel Orchards in Maryhill, WA.  And they were selling theirs for 20lbs for $14.  Even better price!  Now theirs were not as beautiful, nor as local, and the Facebook gossip was that they were not free-stone (gasp)!  I nabbed myself some of these as well... just to see if I could see a difference.

Results...

TK orchards peaches looked better and de-stoned better and were more-consistently ripe.

Milk Creek's peaches were more economical and de-stoned easily when ripe, but the box was of varying ripeness (might be an advantage when consuming over time).  These peaches were also not as beautiful.  Probably 1/10 was moldy inside where the stone is and 1/11 contained earwigs!  I'm not bug-shy, but it did make de-stoning them a bit of an adrenaline rush.  I was less-than-relaxed anticipating bugs bursting forth and scurrying across the counter every time I opened one up.  The kids, however, loved the added excitement.

Bottom line- if you're feeling economical and don't mind extra excitement, you can't beat Milk Creek's price.  If you want streamlined peach-processing and consistent quality, go for TK.


And, how did my canning go?!?  Easy enough, but extremely sticky.  I don't know how Sarah does 80 quarts.  Props to her! 

This is Why I Love My Cat

No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this photo.  That mouse she's got, however, was definitely eaten.

  

I am not a "cat person."  My cat doesn't come inside, she doesn't really play with toys, she has no interest in cat nip, and yet, she is an important part of our family.

I decided to take on the cost and complication - hello vet and vacation sitter - of owning "cats" after our second summer in this house.  Not only were voles eating ALL my red cherry tomatoes - ya, they were voles, I caught one but that's another story - but, they were also starting to gnaw and chew and dig around my house.  And I was NOT interested in having a house-mouse issue.  So we "picked - up" two cats.  "Picked-up" because here in rural Oregon, practically every farm and farmer has "barn cats" that widely breed and roam.  So, we caught one from a farm, and had a farmer catch an additional one for us (Smokey).  Well...  farm kitty #1 was not the brightest (though she was super-cute).  After having them both fixed and vaccinated, Buttercup was hit by a car.  Smokey was alone for winter #1.

The next Spring, I said, "ok, we can try for another cat, a companion for Smokey."  And so, we got Pickle.  Pickle was a champ.  Friendly with the kids, even following them into the kiddie pool (or was it a kitty pool?  ha!).  But a bit too brave.  Before he was even old-enough to be fixed, he disappeared in the night.  He had taken to escaping from the safety of the outbuilding and I'm afraid he was eaten.  Possibly by an owl or hawk.  More likely by a coyote.  Smokey was again alone.

But not for long.  A neighbor wanted to pass-on an older cat, Ginger, to give her space to roam as well as make space in their suburban home for two new puppies.  I said, "sure," giving fair warning about the demise of two previous kittens.  I hoped that this cat would be wary enough to survive as well as big enough to stand up to tough Smokey.

Here it is, about to be summer again and Smokey and Ginger are still around.  I wouldn't say they are the "dynamic duo." But they are learning to abide together.  They each staked out their prospective corners of the property but have learned to co-habitate enough to report for morning roll-call.  Every morning they wait patiently at the glass door for their breakfast treat and tolerate a quick pat on the head.  

So, that is why I love my cat.  She has survived the dangers of being a "barn cat."  She reports, dutifully, every morning so I can keep tabs on her.  And, she is the most-awesome rodent-control!  I feel WAY better about having a murderous cat patrol my house than leaving piles of rodent poison out everywhere for rodents and slugs to crawl through and ingest (yes, slugs- you squish them and green rodent poison comes out, it's super-gross!).  And, even though she is very "cat" about it - everything is on her terms - she is a part of our family. 

Make your Own Yogurt

My friend, Emily, turned me on to this a year ago.  You use a purchased yogurt culture and milk to create your own yogurt at home.  Because we can go through a lot of yogurt at my house and because the stuff my wallet likes isn't the best stuff for my body, I gave it a try. 

You have to start this project on a day when you will be home because there is lots of waiting.  But, it's simple, easy, and delicious. 

I recommend reading a few "recipes" first to get an idea of how it works and some tips and tricks.  Then give it a shot. 

You will need a slow-cooker, a large-thick towel, a whisk, and a milk thermometer. 

You will also need cheese cloth and strainers if you want Greek yogurt.  But I skip this part because straining yogurt is a MESS!

Here are a few sites to check out:
http://livesimply.me/2013/05/06/homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot-recipe/

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/10/foolproof-crockpot-greek-yogurt-and-i-mean-foolproof.html

Last Pumpkins

My stored squash have been mostly eaten.  The last butternut and spaghetti had their soft spots removed and their insides roasted sometime in January. The last acorn went well before that.  But the plethora of pumpkins was not was easily overcome.  Shelves lined with pumpkins large and small waited for use.  Occasionally a few would succumb to mold and mildew. A few were eaten by slugs... my bane.  And my husband reports that some were visited by mice.  (Seriously Ginger Cat, you sleep 5 feet away!)
And now we come to March and the last remaining 4 pumpkins.
I brought them inside, washed them off, oiled them up and baked them at 350° for 45 minutes. I then cut their tops off and allowed them to cool.  I scooped their seeds out.  I scooped their flesh out. And I sent the rinds to the compost.

Here were my last 3 tributes to garden pumpkins.

Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds
Oil
Salt n pepper

Rinse seeds until free of most slime.  Put in a bowl with oil and salt n pepper. Toss to coat. Place evenly on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350°.  Turn once on the cookie sheet and bake until golden brown.


Pumpkin Soup

Roasted pumpkin
Roasted apples
Roasted onion
Roasted garlic
Broth
Salt n pepper
Thyme

This recipe is really nice if you can roast all your veggies until brown (about 30 minutes) before hand but is just as nice with sauteed veggies or raw veggies.

Add all ingredients and begin to warm.  Use an immersion blender to blend away all chunks.  Season to taste.

Nice toppers are:  yogurt, sour cream, paprika, fresh thyme, or roasted pumpkin seeds.


Carmel Pumpkin Pie

Pie crust shell
1 Cup roasted pumpkin
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup cornstarch
1 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup brown sugar

If you want a creature texture, puree the pumpkin prior to use.

Beat the eggs add spices then pumpkin, sugar and cornstarch.  Mix thoroughly then add to pastry shell, leaving at least 1/4 inch room for caramel.

Heat butter on stovetop over medium heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Drizzle over pumpkin pie.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.