Peppers are makin’ Flowers already

I planted my pepper plants back in the beginning of December – the 6th to be exact.   So it’s been a bit over 3 months and flowers are starting to develop.   Since I still have another 3 months before the frost will be gone for good here I may have to take on the task of some pollinating with these peppers.   Normally, outdoors the peppers will pollinate on their own between the bugs, bees and wind helping the situation – indoors, is another story.   I have helped along my gourds the past 2 years since I wanted to guarantee a good harvest.

Once the flowers fully develop and open all that is needed is either a small paintbrush or a q-tip.   Simply swipe the pollen from one flower to the next and keep doing this randomly – you can pretend to be a bee buzzing from flower to flower.

A while back I wrote and published this great post titled Peppers Planted and I am looking forward to making the Red Pepper Soup once again.  It is simply delicious with the Alma Paprika Peppers adding just the right kick of heat and flavor.   A recent arrival in the mail made my day this past week – a new magazine …..

…..looks like some good gardening information for me to read

How to Make Graham Crackers

I have always wondered how to make Graham Crackers and finally came across a recipe and guess what……they taste just like store-bought graham crackers!   Once again I left the topping off, but if you want the total graham cracker experience, sprinkle on the topping!

Graham Crackers

• 2 1/2 cups plus 2 TB all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat as a substitute for 1 cup all-purpose)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tspn baking soda
• 3/4 tspn coarse sea salt or kosher
• 7 TB unsalted butter, cut into 1″ cubes and frozen
• 1/3 cup clover honey
• 5 TB milk
• 2 TB vanilla extract

Topping – 3 TB granulated sugar and 1 tspn ground cinnamon

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in bowl of mixer.  Mix to incorporate.  Add butter and mix on low until consistency of coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla extract.  Add to the flour mixture until dough barely comes together.   It will be quite sticky.   Lay on large piece of plastic wrap, dust with flour, form into rectangle 1″ thick.  Wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to make crackers – roll out half the dough; returning other half to chill.   Layer down the flour (very sticky to work with until you get the flour integrated in).  Roll dough 1/8″ thick.   Cut the dough into squares and place on baking sheets.  Chill again for 30-45 minutes.   You can use the knife and make line indents to resemble the graham cracker look (see pictures).

Bake 20-25 minutes on 350 degrees depending on thickness.   Watch carefully so they don’t burn!  I created some shapes with cookie cutters.

Head on over to Munchie Monday to see more recipes or add one of your own!   Enjoy!!

 

Press those Flowers!

~ Now is the  time to bring a little summer sunshine into your surroundings ~  and I will show you how!

With temperatures dipping well below zero and winds gusting outside with a high pitch screech and lasting echo, it’s hardly time to think hot summer days.   Let’s … for a moment … forget the current outdoor conditions and relish in the past … the hot days spent lounging poolside, gathering flowers to adorn the table and taking a few sprigs here and there and “pressing them” to save for later.   As we gaze into the fire as we sip our hot cocoa, we can envision the swaying sunflowers dancing in the breeze.     Let’s talk flowers!

Using pressed flowers is not a new idea … earlier this year I created this post and it is an easy art to conquer.   I think we simply overlook all the possibilities to save those moments of celebration.   Saving our corsages, bouquets or even a bundle of  flowers picked up from the market will extend the memory and bring joy long after the event has passed.

My stash of saved pressed foliage has a variety of flowers, ferns and even herbs that were picked and pressed in heavy phone books for several weeks to several months.   I always thought the flower had to be small and flat to press successfully, but I have had great success with bigger and thicker flowers as well.   The trick is using heavier weights and longer drying time.

Working out your design and what you intend to create using your pressed flowers should be fun and care taken to handle the flowers carefully since they are now rather fragile.   Tweezers are ideal for handling and if petals or stems break off, you can glue right back into place.   The recommended glue to use for placement and also sealing is a product called Mod Podge.   It can be found at craft stores – most supermarkets also carry this product.

A favorite design I enjoy is using the flowers on cards for special occasions and special people.   There are many ways to use your precious flowers and there is no limit on what your imagination can create.

As you browse through the gardening catalogs on these cold snowy days, envision the colorful, fragrant fields of flowers you can grow or better yet… Jump in the car and head to the store for a bundle of beauty!   Enjoy them now and save some for later!

Apple Ring Pie

Last year I canned up Apple Rings …

The recipe is from “Ball Blue Book of preserving” and the ingredients called for are 10 lbs. of apples (a variety of eating apples good for cooking to help maintain shape and texture), 4 cups sugar, 4 cups water and red food coloring (optional).   Core the apples, but do not peel.   Set apples to the side, treat to prevent darkening.    Combine sugar and water, add food coloring, if desired and bring to a boil.   Boil for 5 minutes.   Add apple rings and let stand 10 minutes.  Then bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes.   Remove apple rings while returning the syrup to a boil.   Pack apple rings into hot canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.   Ladle hot syrup over apples and process in boiling water canner – quarts 20 mins., pints 15 mins.   You can add a spice bag filled with cinnamon, whole cloves and other spices during the syrup prep., but remove before canning apple rings.

I made Apple Ring Pie last year and just recently made up another pie for the freezer to serve on Thanksgiving Day.    I used 2 store bought pie crusts, drained the apple rings from the syrup in the canning jar.

Then I just added the apple rings to the pie crust, sealed the dish with the second pie crust, slit vents so the steam could release and packed up for the freezer.   It is quite good and quite easy!

I came across this neat Apple Pie in a Jar recipe while visiting over at Mixing Bowl and I need to make this … little apple pies cooked in canning jars.    How cool is that!   I did make this Harvest Apple, Cheddar and Sage Bread which is also posted over there, as well as, in their latest magazine, their Baking Issue!

I brought in a nice harvest of Sage yesterday and will use some for the above recipe … I really enjoyed the Harvest Bread.   I did hang a bundle of the sage to dry since it can be used in dried flower arrangements very nicely and I can save dried sage for future recipes also.

I will be sending out a Newsletter in the near future so if you would like to receive a copy, please sign up from my facebook fan page (tab showing on top of the page that says Email Signup).   WordPress doesn’t allow javascript so until I learn more about this, the signup will be on the website and facebook.   I plan to highlight my blog posts from both blogs, discuss the workings of Garden Dish, craft talk and small business promotion ideas.   By using the newsletter I will be able to combine all my interests so everyone doesn’t have to click all over looking for something.

Tomato and Garlic – 3 easy recipes!

Gourmet Garlic Giveaway will be posted 9/7/10!  

Will be posted at this blog and at GreatGiveaways!

This time of year tomatoes are ripening up faster than we can eat them and the garlic is awaiting its chance to liven up our recipes!   Earlier in the week I made up a quick quiche, a tasty salsa and a light pasta dish using plenty of tomatoes and garlic.   I really didn’t measure up I just added as I went along and it all came out fantastic.

The quiche got a little toasty on top but that made it more unique and tasty!   I started with a pre-made crust and added a layer of zucchini which I sauted a bit to soften up.   I added the garlic for a few minutes to the zucchini in the pan before adding both to the crust.   I used the Persian Star garlic and this is the first time I tasted this variety and I love it!   I don’t have any for sale this year but I will be planting for a harvest next year.   It has the right amount of kick and large cloves for easy peeling … a keeper!   I then added egg substitute and a few handfuls of mozzarella cheese along with chopped basil and spoonfuls of ricotta cheese.   The final topping was tomatoes and more cheese.   I baked it in the oven at 350 for about a half hour.

The salsa never lasts long in this house – it’s so fresh tasting … you can’t stop eating it!   I used Cherokee Purple tomatoes so it appears rather dark and I did drain off liquid several times since these tomatoes are very juicy.   I simply chopped the tomatoes, onion, garlic, fresh cilantro and jalapeno pepper and let chill in the refrigerator.

Lastly the pasta dish which is chilling right now and will make a great lunch for me in a few hours!   I boiled up the bow tie pasta, chopped some smaller roma tomatoes and also added some dried tomatoes (they have such a nice sweet flavor), added black olives, garbanzo beans, onion, basil and of course the garlic!   A few shakes of an oil and vinegar dressing and a dash of pepper and it’s all set.

Healthy and Easy …… can’t beat that!!!

Garlic For Sale and Pickled Recipe

The garlic has been cured for a month now and I spent several days cleaning it so I do have some which I will be listing in my store next week for sale!

There are 4 different varieties but the quantity will be limited since I am working on planting more each year so I need to save some for that and I am rethinking which varieties I will grow.   With the move down south in the future I have to consider the different climate elements…it appears the hardneck do much better than the softneck down south.

A while back I pickled up the garlic scapes and I really enjoy them so I decided to try canning up some actual garlic.   I found this simple recipe in Ball Blue Book of preserving and decided on 3 different varieties to try… Chet’s Italian, Inchelium Red and Chrysalis Purple – 2 softs and a hardneck.

The first step in this process was peeling all the garlic (keeping each type separate from the other). 

Then I blanched the garlic  in boiling water for 1 minute & drained.   The recipe yields 6 half pints using 6 cups of peeled cloves garlic, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon canning salt and 3 cups vinegar.  Combine the sugar, salt and vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pack the hot garlic in your canning jars and ladle the hot liquid over the garlic leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Adjust two-piece canning lids and process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Someone suggested peeling some garlic and storing in a jar in the refrigerator for easy and quick access when cooking stating this would encourage more use of the garlic .   I agree but not so sure how long the garlic will keep this way and stay fresh – thinking it would need to be used within a short timeframe.   Any suggestions??

Garlic now listed for sale at my store

Seed Paper Flowers and The Big Card!

I have seen this idea posted on the internet in the past and I thought I would give it a try since I have been accumulating little scraps of paper as I work with my Cricut.   This is quite easy and I was unsure if it would work, but it Did!   First, I took the scraps of paper and put them in the blender ..

Added water and blended  ..

You can see the paper and water turned to mush and it’s even colored which is neat.   I added marigold seeds to the paper mush and added all this to a colander to squeeze out the excess water.   I had a flower mold which I then added the mush or pulp to – you can spread this out on a cookie sheet and cut out shapes if you don’t have a mold.

 Plastic flower mold

I am letting these air dry.   I did read you can dry them in the oven on low heat but since I haven’t tried that I can’t say how it works.   If you are in a hurry it might work out.   These flowers or any shape you create can be added to a card for Easter or Mother’s Day.   The idea is to plant the whole flower – paper and seeds and let it grow!   Cool idea – now we will have to test it and see if the flowers grow.

Speaking of cards, I have been working on a BIG card for my son.   He is turning 21 in May and the idea hit me this week to create a card and bring it along to the holiday parties this weekend (he is away at college, so he won’t see it) and have all the family members sign it.

 This is designed on a full sheet of poster board and the images cut on the Cricut.  I will bring along the tags for everyone to write something on and then glue them in and add more designs to finish it off.   I left plenty of space since I don’t know how many signed tags I will end up with.

 Inside of card

I have realized that working and creating cards and designs takes quite a bit of creative imagination.   You may see something you want to create but sitting there with all the supplies in front of you seems to just draw a blank.   So I have been doodling or just playing around with different items like stamps and cut out shapes and words and this is working for ideas.   For instance – I saw this concept of stamping the background of paper (heavy and light) and using it as a design ……

So I just started doodling with the stamps and shapes and I like this idea.   I will make up some cute Easter cards to give out this weekend … doodle thoughts work great!!!

Growing Garlic in your Garden

Looking back at how and when I started growing garlic I can honestly say it was quite by accident.   I had some cloves and I don’t recall what prompted me to plant them but I did.   I will venture to say it was the wrong time of the year because I remember they died down and I forgot about them leaving them in the ground until the next year.   They sent up sprouts the next year and I left them to grow and decided to do some research on growing garlic.   I found that they should be planted in the fall (October) and harvested 9 months later when the leaves start to turn brown and fall down.  The middle of July arrived and I dug up a few and was amazed that I had full heads of garlic!   I never realized they needed such a long period in the ground! 

Garlic is pretty simple to grow since it is a light feeder and its basic needs are full sun and rich soil.  The garlic head should remain intact until you are ready to plant – then you break apart the head into individual garlic cloves planting 2-3” deep with the pointy end of the clove in the upward position. 

Space the cloves or bulbs 4” apart in all directions and top with mulch.

There are two basic kinds of garlic – softneck and hardneck.   Hardneck garlics have a “hard” stalk in the middle, they are more difficult to grow and more perishable, but they have a wider range of flavors. 

They also have larger cloves and are easier to peel.   Softneck have a longer shelf life and this is the garlic usually used for braiding since the stalks are softer.   You can see the different varieties I have in the ground this year here.

Fresh garlic has the best flavor in the first few months after harvest.  Designer or gourmet garlic is more expensive than store bought since there is a lot more character and flavor.   Garlic tastes may vary from variety to variety and even a single clove may taste different from person to person – same as with fine wine.   When growing your own garlic, harvest and hang to dry for 2-3 weeks before using.   Then store in cool, dark place and do not refrigerate or freeze.

It is said that garlic repels Japanese beetles and many other pests so you can plant around roses or other flowers that suffer from Japanese beetles.    You can also mix up a garlic spray as an insect repellent.   Chop a few cloves, add to a quart of water (mixing in a blender works well).   Let sit for several hours and then strain the mixture through cheesecloth.

A few tips on cooking with garlic – Mincing or chopping garlic into fine pieces produces a bright and lively flavor.   If you smash the garlic before cutting, the flavor will be stronger.   Using a garlic press will produce a very strong flavor so use when looking for a dramatic garlic taste in your recipe.   Pressed and grated garlic is much stronger than chopped or minced. 

Cook garlic slowly on the stove over low heat – do not burn – burnt garlic is bitter.   You can use garlic many ways – raw, sautéed, dry roasted or oven roasted.

Experiment in the garden and in the kitchen with garlic! 

You will simply fall in love with fresh grown garlic from your very own garden! 

Garden Soup and Chili Powder

There is nothing better on a cold winter day than a nice hot bowl of yummy soup … Garden Soup – fresh from the garden!  Only glitch is … we are covered with snow and the temperature is just plain COLD!  The garden regretfully is not producing ingredients for the Garden Soup I dream of.

With a little imagination and the desire to jump in and see what I could come up with I managed to create “one of the best soups I ever made”!  I had some tomatoes in the freezer.  Here is how I made tomato base for the soup and will continue to use it in future recipes.  After canning all the tomatoes, my plants were still producing so I simply cut the whole tomatoes  into quarters and froze them as is in a plastic bag.  Tossing a couple in soups and stews was my intent.  What I actually did was took a whole baggie of frozen quartered tomatoes and simmered them down, removed the seeds & skins as best I could and Voila I had my tomato soup base!  My thoughts were a minestrone soup so I added chickpeas (which I plan on growing this season). I didn’t stop there … I kept adding -

 Garlic

 Peas

Both grown in the garden!!  Then diced celery, carrots, onions, cabbage and spinach.  No exact measurements, just diced and added.  The spinach I blanched before freezing and I have also frozen the spinach just as is.  The only drawback with the spinach frozen as is it takes up a considerable amount of space. I love spinach and last year it actually grew back after the cruel winter weather – quite a surprise!

 Fresh Spinach 

I think the ingredient that really made a difference in this soup was the Delicata squash. Earlier in the week I had baked up several and planned to eat them throughout the week.   Instead I peeled the skin and chopped them adding to the soup.  They acted as a thickener and the taste was Good! 

 Delicata squash 

Several types of beans, corn, broccoli … whatever you have on hand can be used.  Herbs would add great flavor – I just sprinkled parmesan cheese on and enjoyed my Garden Soup!!!

Now for the Chili Powder!  I didn’t add it to the soup, but I could have!  We had made up a batch of chili and were not happy with the chili powder – it seemed flavorless, so we decided to try making our own.  Simple procedure really.  First we purchased the dried peppers and deseeded them. 

 Using the coffee grinder we whirled until we had powder!

 Before

 After

Homemade Chili Powder – the peppers we used are Arbol and if this chili powder stands up in the cooking (not too hot) we will be growing these peppers this year!

               …..   A day spent creating warmth during the deep chill of winter!

Homemade Goodness

Homemade gifts are treasured gifts … gifts from the heart created with care and love.  The time taken to create these gifts cannot be measured in numbers and the goodness that flows from the gift cannot be measured in words.  There are many among us that have a natural talent and are able to create crafts with the whirl of a pen or the hum of a machine.  The gardeners in us are able to create homemade goodness fresh from the earth and as we plan ahead for the coming planting season we should think beyond our summer harvest and look to share the harvest with gifts of goodness that will no doubt be received without hesitation.  Canning our summer crops is an art taken and continued to this day from our ancestors and one that  carries a message of our hard work in the garden.  At times it truly is difficult to part with our canned goods but this act holds a true connection to the earth and the homemade goodness we pass along to those we care about as we give them a gift from ourselves.  Take some time to plan for those gifts now .  Grow extra tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers along with your normal plantings. 

Browse some preserving cookbooks and articles to find great combinations or create your own recipes that may become your next family favorite! 

Remember to include herbs which can be used fresh or dried for later use – these can even be used as a great gift …. dried herbs!  

Flowers need to be included in your garden plans as well.  Fresh flowers are gifts that  will brighten anyone’s day and a nice vase brimming with homemade goodness lightens up any room in the home.  Certain flowers dry well and can be used in dried flower arrangements and there are dozens of craft ideas you can create with them.  A few of my favorites are lavender, globe amaranth, baby’s breath, statice and strawflower. 

 

I did have my sewing machine humming along just recently making the new pup her own place to lounge.   Earlier in the year I spent some time creating this doggie bed for the bigger puppies and they seemed to have forgotten all about it until the new pup arrived.

Now they are very possessive SO I had to make the baby puppy one all her own!  It’s so funny – how she knew it was hers!  These doggie beds are homemade and the best part about them is I used old bed pillows and throw pillows to stuff them.  Took the old worn outer layer off and used the insides to make these.  I could have made new throw pillows but I am guessing the pups like their beds better!  Good way to recycle those worn out pillows –

Once I had them all put together I did pop them in the washer for a good cleaning using this Homemade Laundry Soap.  I have been using this soap for almost a year now and I love it!  I have posted these directions in the past and wanted to make sure to share it once again.  I was asked if it works good in a front loading machine. Yes, it does and that is one of the reasons I searched out this laundry soap recipe. Store bought laundry soap is ridiculously high priced and I wanted an alternative and it does a fantastic job!!!

Three simple ingredients – 1 bar castile soap, 3/4 cup “washing soda” and 3/4 cup borax

Probably the hardest part of all this is grating the bar of soap – I found this GREAT grater and it works perfect!  I did try freezing the bar of soap to make it easier, but it really grated the same (it’s a hard soap).

The finished laundry detergent seems soooo clean!  Use 1 tablespoon for light loads and 2 tablespoons for heavily soiled laundry.  For the most part I use 2 tablespoons and the results are wonderful.  I keep a copy of this recipe in the same drawer as the laundry soap so when I am running low I can make up another batch.

 Finished laundry soap