All the apples this year! We have a bumper crop, on every tree! Chelsea came by yesterday made a dutch apple pie. Since it tasted so good it was gone in no time. So I am making another one today. Here's her recipe:
Crust: 3 C. flour, 2 C. shortening; cold water
Syrup: 1/2 C. butter, 3 T. flour, 1/2 C. sugar, 1/2 C. brown sugar, 1/4 C. water
Filling: 6-8 apples, peeled and cored, sliced, cinnamon, nutmeg. Egg white for brushing.
Prepare pastry dough-halve. Line pie dish. Roll out remaining dough to 1/4" thickness. Fill pie dish with apples. Mound slightly in the middle. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour to form a paste. Add sugar, water. Reduce temperature. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour over apples. Top pie with lattice crust. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and continue baking for 45 minutes. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream. YUM!
09-07 Intensive Gardening Brings Beneficial Critters
Since I planted my garden a lot denser this year (even more so than I usually do), I am seeing a lot of the little frogs that have been missing from my garden for a long time. Bumble bees and honey bees are buzzing around collecting pollens from the veggie flowers. I also see quite a few lady beetles. And pests such as cucumber beetles, flea beetles are reduced significantly.
Earlier in the season, I had a flee beetle infestation, causing me to remove all my Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) prematurely. I have always been a proponent of intensive gardening. What happened in my garden this time around made me a even firmer believer. I think planting every thing closer together not only choked out the weeds, it also brought back the frogs, lady beetles and the bees as well. The returning of the beneficial insects are a big help. I hope they will stay for next season.
Earlier in the season, I had a flee beetle infestation, causing me to remove all my Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) prematurely. I have always been a proponent of intensive gardening. What happened in my garden this time around made me a even firmer believer. I think planting every thing closer together not only choked out the weeds, it also brought back the frogs, lady beetles and the bees as well. The returning of the beneficial insects are a big help. I hope they will stay for next season.
09-07 Matured Garden
It is fall already. My gardens are filled with vegetables. Tomatoes are turning red, peppers, cucumbers and eggplants are all in full production and Asparagus beans are just producing enough to keep up with demands. Not to mention the big hit in the Farmers market-Chinese Kohlrabi! I am very proud to have turned so many people on this tough yet delicate vegetables. The Germans don't need much convincing, they have a tradition of using kohlrabi. In fact, it is not hard to find Germans giving me recipes on how to cook them. But as for the rest of the crowd, it only takes a little sample taste, and they are sold! I have people come back every week ask for it now....
I made enchilada sauce today using fresh tomatoes, roasted peppers and fresh onions. Added a little lime juice, garlic, vinegar, cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano (it has a sweeter taste than the regular ones) as spices. I added a dash of cayenne pepper, just to give it a little kick and adjusted salt to taste. I heat it up to a boil and let it cool on the stove. The sauce turned out really good. I am going to make a enchilada dish tonight. I can see making more of it and canning it for the winter.
I made enchilada sauce today using fresh tomatoes, roasted peppers and fresh onions. Added a little lime juice, garlic, vinegar, cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano (it has a sweeter taste than the regular ones) as spices. I added a dash of cayenne pepper, just to give it a little kick and adjusted salt to taste. I heat it up to a boil and let it cool on the stove. The sauce turned out really good. I am going to make a enchilada dish tonight. I can see making more of it and canning it for the winter.
Helpful Tools for the Garden
Vegetable gardening can be intensive. Helpful tools in the garden can make a huge difference. After years of practice, I have discovered some of the tools that set my mind at ease going into every gardening season. Here is the list of my favs:
(1) The Minihooper: This is a neat little device that will allow you to plant your garden earlier in the spring and extend it later in the fall. The minihoop house (by New Dimension Seed) sets up directly in your vegetable garden, protect your vegetable starts from frost. How many times have you guessed when the last spring frost is??? and that is not an easy task!
(2) A "D" ring hoe. This is by far the best hoe I have ever purchased (and believe me I have purchased a LOT!). I like this hoe from a mechanical engineer's perspective: it allows you to use the least amount of force to archive the best result. Buy one that is well constructed so the screws don't fall out on you. I carry it with me whenever I go into the garden, especially when the veggies are still small. Kilis the weeds before they take over.
(3) A Garden Seeder (from Midwest Products, available from www.newdimensionseed.com/tools). This is is a device no serious gardener should go without. If you plant a large garden like I do, this can give your garden a professional look and draw admirers from miles away... The seeder comes with different disks for sowing different seeds. You will get perfect spaced straight rows that not only is good looking, but produce tons of veggies. It is ideal for market gardeners!
(1) The Minihooper: This is a neat little device that will allow you to plant your garden earlier in the spring and extend it later in the fall. The minihoop house (by New Dimension Seed) sets up directly in your vegetable garden, protect your vegetable starts from frost. How many times have you guessed when the last spring frost is??? and that is not an easy task!
(2) A "D" ring hoe. This is by far the best hoe I have ever purchased (and believe me I have purchased a LOT!). I like this hoe from a mechanical engineer's perspective: it allows you to use the least amount of force to archive the best result. Buy one that is well constructed so the screws don't fall out on you. I carry it with me whenever I go into the garden, especially when the veggies are still small. Kilis the weeds before they take over.
(3) A Garden Seeder (from Midwest Products, available from www.newdimensionseed.com/tools). This is is a device no serious gardener should go without. If you plant a large garden like I do, this can give your garden a professional look and draw admirers from miles away... The seeder comes with different disks for sowing different seeds. You will get perfect spaced straight rows that not only is good looking, but produce tons of veggies. It is ideal for market gardeners!
Zucchini Pineapple Bread(from the Taste of Oregon cookbook): Cooked in Jars
3 eggs
1 C. oil
2 C. sugar
2 C shredded zucchini
1 can (8.5 oz.) crushed pineapple
3 C. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. nutmeg
1 C chopped nuts or currants
Mix all wet ingredients together, mix all dry ingredients together, be sure to sift the flour, it makes a big difference. Fill quart canning jars half full. Use a canning funnel so you don't leave batter on edges. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Leave ample space between jars so they cook evenly. Remove jars one at a time, cover with canning lid, screw band on tight. Leave jars in a cool non-draft place until sealed. Can keep up to 6 month. Great for the cold winters!
To make jar-bread
3 eggs
1 C. oil
2 C. sugar
2 C shredded zucchini
1 can (8.5 oz.) crushed pineapple
3 C. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. nutmeg
1 C chopped nuts or currants
Mix all wet ingredients together, mix all dry ingredients together, be sure to sift the flour, it makes a big difference. Fill quart canning jars half full. Use a canning funnel so you don't leave batter on edges. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Leave ample space between jars so they cook evenly. Remove jars one at a time, cover with canning lid, screw band on tight. Leave jars in a cool non-draft place until sealed. Can keep up to 6 month. Great for the cold winters!
To make jar-bread
8-25-08 The Garden is in Full Production
Tomatoes are turning red, tons of zucchinis, lots of peppers, giant green onions, even eggplants are producing like mad, and don't forget the delicious Stallion White Cucumbers (from New Dimension Seed)! My watermelons are about 8" across, should be ready in about a week or two. I can't wait. I harvested all my Yukon Gold potatoes. The lettuce is gone, but I picked the leaves and stuff them in a ziplog bag and through them in the fridge, they will last a while. Corns are almost filled, but still on the young side, since I like mine chewy sweet.
Summer is finally here, So many choices of fresh vegetables to use. Here are some ideas of how to use these wonderful vegetables:
Tomato soup made with leftover steak and fresh tomatoes;
Egg Flower Soup with fresh tomatoes;
Fresh salsa with tomatoes, peppers and BASIL! It was delicious.
Zucchini Pineapple bread;
Zucchini pancakes;
Chilli Releno with Estella Pepper;
Cucumber salad
Hot German Potato Salad;
On the fruit side, pears are ready, Akeen Apple, my sure producer is loaded with apples and they are turning bright red. It's a very good fresh eating and cooking apple, tart and sweet. The Italian prune tree didn't do well this year, I guess non of the plum and prunes did good.
Summer is finally here, So many choices of fresh vegetables to use. Here are some ideas of how to use these wonderful vegetables:
Tomato soup made with leftover steak and fresh tomatoes;
Egg Flower Soup with fresh tomatoes;
Fresh salsa with tomatoes, peppers and BASIL! It was delicious.
Zucchini Pineapple bread;
Zucchini pancakes;
Chilli Releno with Estella Pepper;
Cucumber salad
Hot German Potato Salad;
On the fruit side, pears are ready, Akeen Apple, my sure producer is loaded with apples and they are turning bright red. It's a very good fresh eating and cooking apple, tart and sweet. The Italian prune tree didn't do well this year, I guess non of the plum and prunes did good.
08-02-08 Little Apples Big Taste
One of the unspoken pleasure of having apple trees is the apple dessert made with the small, not quite mature apples. These small apples are drop offs, or thinned out ones that are often thrown away, but they make a delicious apple dessert. They are tart like granny smith, but with flavors of their own. I always enjoyed these in the early summer days. Add some ice cream and you'll get a perfect a la mode!
Here's the recipe:
3 C. cutup peeled, cored small apples,
1/2 C. sugar,
1 T. butter,
lime juice from half lime,
2 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon,
dash of slat,
A few blackberries (Optional)
For the dessert topping:
1/2 C. instant oat meal,
1/2 C. brown sugar,
2 T. flour
3 T. butter
Heat the butter in a frying pan until melt, add the apple pieces, add lime juice, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Please in a baking dish. Place blackberries on top of the apples. Blend the topping ingredients together, place it on top of the fruit. Bake at 350 F preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Cool, serve with vanilla ice cream and whip cream. Yum!
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