The Harvest Season is Winding Down

We still have a plentiful supply of fresh fruit and veggies.  Today our lunch salad included heirloom tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green beans, farmer's cheese, apples and pecans dressed a balsamic reduction and a generous amount of olive oil.  This was served over a thin slice of whole wheat spoon bread.

However, Fall has arrived and the first frost is right around the corner.  Since we are eating local, we'll soon have to switch from our fresh veggies to our canned ones.  We are canning like crazy here and another batch of tomato sauce came out of the canner this morning.

Chili Sauce

Yesterday I put up 8 quarts of what I'm now calling "Chili Sauce."  It was supposed to be another batch of salsa.  However, it was blisteringly hot and not quite salsa tasting....so it has been dubbed Chili Sauce and will be used this winter when making hot, spicy chili.   If, and only if, I can keep my hubby from using it up before winter arrives.

To make the sauce, 40 lbs. of tomatoes were peeled, seeded, and cooked for several hours along with 2 lbs. of jalapenos, 6 chopped onions, 3 tablespoons of garlic, 3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper, and big bunch of herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil), 2 tablespoons of salt.

We have harvested 98 pounds of tomatoes from our little 25 foot row and the plants are still laden with ripening fruit.  The next big batch will be used to make more pasta sauce.

Not everything in our 2013 garden has been a success, but the tomatoes have not let us down.

Oatmeal and Garden-Fresh Berries for Breakfast!

Hot Steamy Oatmeal with Garden-Fresh Berries

It's a cool 65 degrees here this morning and a light rain is falling.  This weather makes it a perfect morning for a breakfast of hot, steaming oatmeal and garden-fresh raspberries and blackberries.  Delicious!

We are so lucky to be getting these golden raspberries and there are many more coming on.  I can hardly believe that these plants were mere sticks when planted this spring.

Berries, fresh from the vine, are so much more yummy than those available in the stores.

Thinking about growing a few berries in your backyard?  Do it!

Salsa Success!

27 Pounds of Tomatoes Cored and Ready to be Skinned

Today was salsa making day.  What a job.  First 27 lbs of tomatoes were cored, plunged into boiling water for about 30 seconds and then plunged into ice water.  They were then skinned and seeded.  This took me two hours and I felt like I was stuck in some sort of tomato Twilight Zone from which I would never escape.  But escape I did and the task continued.

Cored Tomatoes Were Plunged,
First Into Boiling Water and Then Into Ice Water 

The tomatoes were placed in a large stock pot along with eight finely-chopped onions, two pounds of finely-chopped, seeded (very mild) jalapenos, 1/4 cup ground cumin, 1/4 cup ground garlic, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, three tablespoons of salt, three tablespoons of ground cayenne pepper, and the juice of seven fresh limes.  A hand blender was used to adjust the texture to the desired consistency - just slightly chunky.   Then the  salsa was simmered on the stove for about three hours, ladled into sterilized, pint-sized canning jars and processed in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.  All the jars sealed themselves immediately.  Hooray!

Twelve Pints of Picture Perfect Salsa

We had just shy of eight cups of salsa left.  This means that 27 pounds of tomatoes equaled 16 pints of salsa.  I am going to freeze a quart of it just to see how it tastes after being frozen for a few months.  Everything I have read on the subject indicates that the texture of the salsa goes downhill after being frozen.  Being who I am, I will have to prove it to myself in order to believe it.

Almost Eight Cups of Salsa Leftover to Enjoy

Now it's time for dinner.  I'm thinking tacos and refried beans...and, since I've worked up a fierce thirst - maybe a Cuba Libra - yes!

Rose Petal, Lavender Blossom Tea

My Lavender Bush in Full Bloom

 Oh how I love the clean, fresh scent of fresh lavender!  Last year I planted a tiny little seedling and it grew and grew.  This year it is blooming for the first time.

Since the lavender is blooming at the same time as my newly-planted, extremely fragrant, climbing rose bush; and because it is blisteringly hot outside, I decided to try making lavender/rose petal tea.







I placed the petals from one rose, four sprigs of lavender blossoms, and four cups of cool water in a mason jar and placed it on the back deck in the blazing hot sunshine.

It did not change color - perhaps because I did not use boiling water.  However, it was highly fragrant and very refreshing over ice.

Dehydrated Asparagus Powder

Blanch for Two Minutes

Plunge Into ice Water

We love asparagus and work hard not to waste any of the spears we harvest.   To this end, we save the woody ends of our asparagus, blanch them, shred them with our food processor, dehydrate them, and grind the dehydrated spears into a fine powder.

 Shredded Spears
After 12 Hours in Dehydrator

Shredded Spears Ready for Dehydrating

We then use the powder to make
Cream of Asparagus Soup and
 also to thicken chili's and other
 homemade soups.  Hubby and
 I try to avoid consuming wheat
 so this asparagus powder works
for us as an excellent, thickening
alternative to flour.

Dehydrated Spears
after Grinding Into Powder

Homemade Butter - Now That's Local!

Using the cream from locally raised, grass fed Jersey Cows, today we made a lovely batch of beautiful, Acvitator X laden butter.  Just look at the picture comparing the "good stuff" to the anemic butter offered at the local grocery chain.

Shaken in a mason jar until the butter formed, then drained
 The buttermilk will be used for baking.

Our beautiful, golden butter on the right.
The anemic grocery story version on the left.

Holy Smoke....aka Sunday Breakfast!

Turnips and Beets...

The turnip and beet seeds we ordered arrived in the mail today along with an email regarding the upcoming furlough notices.  We don't really like beets or furlough notices, but will be trying to live with both...but the beets were our idea...we just want to see if they taste better right out of the garden.  I found this recipe and plan to give it a try.

ROASTED BEETS & TURNIPS 

WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE   

modified From Veganista

3-5 red beets, peeled and sliced into discs
3 or 4 turnips, sliced into discs
2 turnips, cut into chunks
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
salt & pepper to taste

Place beets, turnips, onion, & garlic on a lightly oiled platter. Toss with coconut oil, balsamic, rosemary, & salt & pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for about 1 hour or until edges are crispy.
http://www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com/blog/balsamic-glazed-turnips-beets/detail.htm