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):

Take time to see the beauty

The world really is a beautiful place- despite it's ugly side.  It's hard to remember sometimes.  Even looking out my own window, at my own life, in my own garden, I have trouble seeing the beauty.  But somehow, looking at the world through the lens of a camera changes my perspective just enough that I can start to catch glimpses of the beauty once more.  Here is a bit of what I saw today. 

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! 

The plan seems to be working

Back in April I had a plan.  I mounded, I weeded, I planted, I watered, I discovered a few things. 

1. Squash transplant ok, but they do MUCH better if directly seeded.

2. I can save old gourds and even if they get mushy and moldy, the seeds are still good inside.  I had a few gourds that I just didn't get around to cutting open.  So I just put them on the mound and broke them open and they sprouted just fine.

3. Zucchini are awesome!  I know they can get out of control easily, but they are one of the first edible squash to produce, which is exciting, they are prolific, which is exciting, and you can easily coerce young children to check them daily (but not to eat them- that is another story).  Plus, zucchini pickles are awesome... recipe to come. 

4. This dry Spring in Oregon was NOT conducive to cucumbers sprouting.  I don't know what my deal was but I planted cucumbers 3 times before they finally took!  Now I have about 8 plants, so I'm content.

5. I LOVE squash.  It is absolutely AMAZING how quickly they grow- literally before your eyes.  One plant will have visibly grown inches over the course of a day.  Absolutely AMAZING!

6. I also planted corn and sunflowers on each mound.  The sunflowers didn't do anything, but the corn seems happy.  We shall see.  

And that is it.  I left many of the weeds (after digging, mowing, and weeding for 6-or-so weeks) but I don't' really mind them.  What do you see in the garden?  The weeds or the veggies???

What's Growing: July

   

seasons

In the winter, my skin is pale and soft
My body is comfortable and resting
My time is spent indoors eating and planning and cultivating family
The world is resting, retreating, renewing, empty with the readiness for spring

In the summer, my skin is rough, ever darker, and stings from Sun and scratches of unknown origin
My body is alive with each muscle telling me of its presence
Dirt is permanently pressed and etched and embossed into my fingernails and calluses
Time is an urgent race to plant and harvest and preserve
The world bursts forth into three dimensions growing and changing before my very eyes
The energy is palpable, the garden challenges me to keep up with its vigor. Knowing full well that I never will