Now not only do I have an over-abundance of herbs, banana peppers and cucumbers, but Zucchini have now been added to the mix.
With one zucchini I made 2 dozen batter-fried zucchini last night, and I'm planning on making 2 dozen chocolate zucchini cupcakes tonight. All with ONE zucchini. One down - 2 left in the fridge - 3 more almost ready to pick in the garden!!! I'm going to have to research more recipes!!! I also am planning on making charred chili salsa and chili BBQ Sauce with my banana peppers sometime this week/weekend!!
I'm excited to try this Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake Recipe!!!
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
from: tasteofhome.com
Ingredients:
1 - 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 - 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 - 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrots (I'm going to try using more zucchini instead of the carrots)
1 can (16 oz) chocolate frosting
1 recipe cream cheese icing (optional - to follow)
Instructions:
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each egg.
3. Stir in vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Alternate adding to the creamed mixture: dry ingredients and yogurt. Beat well after each addition.
6. Fold in zucchini and carrots.
7. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
**Optional - Hollow out about a TBS section of the cupcake and add a spoonful of cream cheese icing.**
11. Frost with chocolate frosting.
12. Enjoy!!
Cream Cheese icing:
Ingredients:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese icing
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered), sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. Cream together cream cheese and butter.
2. Add in vanilla
3. Slowly add sugar.
4. Store in refrigerator.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Freezing Green Beans/Recipe
So today, instead of trying to can green beans, I decided to freeze them. I had about 1-2 lbs of fresh green beans in my fridge, with TONS more growing, so I figured I better do something with the ones I had before they went bad.
Freezing Green Beans is pretty easy. Cut the green beans to the size of your choice, then, all you have to do is boil them for 3 minutes, then shock them in ice water for 3 minutes. Then package them in ziplock bags. (I tried to do it in portion sizes) and then throw them in the freezer. When ready to use, just pull them out of the freezer, throw them in boiling water and prepare to recipe of your choice.
Today's harvest: 5 cucumbers, 1/2 lb of green beans, a few sugar snap peas, 1 zucchini, 2 Green Peppers and 1 tomato!!!
The chickens have doubled in size since yesterday...I swear!! haha maybe not double, but definitely have gotten bigger since yesterday, hopefully we won't have to worry about them fitting through the crate anymore!
Tomorrow I'll be making zucchini-chocolate chip cookies, and probably fried zucchini!! I'll be sure to post recipes!!
I think for the next party or cookout I go to this summer I'm going to use the below recipe for a green bean salad!
Green Bean Salad
courtesy of allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe site!!!)
Ingredients
1 lb green beans
1 (15 oz can) peas
1 (15 oz can) corn (maybe I'll have fresh corn I can use by then!!)
1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I have plenty of these)
dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
Instructions:
1. Combine vegetables in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. Pour over vegetables, and stir to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours or overnight.
Freezing Green Beans is pretty easy. Cut the green beans to the size of your choice, then, all you have to do is boil them for 3 minutes, then shock them in ice water for 3 minutes. Then package them in ziplock bags. (I tried to do it in portion sizes) and then throw them in the freezer. When ready to use, just pull them out of the freezer, throw them in boiling water and prepare to recipe of your choice.
Today's harvest: 5 cucumbers, 1/2 lb of green beans, a few sugar snap peas, 1 zucchini, 2 Green Peppers and 1 tomato!!!
The chickens have doubled in size since yesterday...I swear!! haha maybe not double, but definitely have gotten bigger since yesterday, hopefully we won't have to worry about them fitting through the crate anymore!
Tomorrow I'll be making zucchini-chocolate chip cookies, and probably fried zucchini!! I'll be sure to post recipes!!
I think for the next party or cookout I go to this summer I'm going to use the below recipe for a green bean salad!
Green Bean Salad
courtesy of allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe site!!!)
Ingredients
1 lb green beans
1 (15 oz can) peas
1 (15 oz can) corn (maybe I'll have fresh corn I can use by then!!)
1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I have plenty of these)
dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
Instructions:
1. Combine vegetables in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. Pour over vegetables, and stir to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours or overnight.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Making Pickles (with recipe) and having visitors!!!
I had my first two visitors to the mini farm today. My friend Christina and her mom Bobbi came to visit the chickens and get a tour of the garden! They were impressed by how little space the garden was and how much produce I've gotten so far!!!
We had a slight fiasco with the chicks. They both wanted to hold them and when Christina was trying to grab one, one of the birds squeezed through the brooder/dog crate wall - and was LOOSE!!!!! Then, when worried that it's wing would get stuck, I tried to get it to put it back in safely, it squeezed right back through!! Looks like Jeff is going to have to put higher walls until they're too big to squeeze through!
I also cooked Bread-and-Butter pickle chips this morning while it was cooler. They can keep in the fridge for a few weeks, so I'll can them when it gets cooler around here.
Bread-and-Butter Pickle Recipe
from: Put 'em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton
Ingredients:
5 pounds cucumbers, ends removed and sliced into 1/4 in coins (I used my Pampered Chef mandolin with the zig-zag blade)
1 pound large onions, roughly chopped
1/2 cup plus 1 TBS kosher salt
2 cups ice cubes
4 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 TBS mustard seed
1 TBS black peppercorns
1 TBS celery seed
1 TBS tumeric
Instructions:
1. Layer the cucumbers and onions with 1/2 cup of salt in a large bowl. Cover with ice cubes. Set aside for 2 hours. Drain and rinse in colander.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the drained vegetables and return to a boil, stirring to ensure that all of the vegetables are heated through. Remove from heat.
**Cucumbers will turn from a bright, Kelly green, to a brownish, olive green.**
Refrigerate: Ladle into bowls or jars. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Can: Follow normal canning procedures, processing for 10 minutes. Can be stored for up to 1 year.
**Once I begin canning items, I will post canning instructions.**
We had a slight fiasco with the chicks. They both wanted to hold them and when Christina was trying to grab one, one of the birds squeezed through the brooder/dog crate wall - and was LOOSE!!!!! Then, when worried that it's wing would get stuck, I tried to get it to put it back in safely, it squeezed right back through!! Looks like Jeff is going to have to put higher walls until they're too big to squeeze through!
I also cooked Bread-and-Butter pickle chips this morning while it was cooler. They can keep in the fridge for a few weeks, so I'll can them when it gets cooler around here.
Bread-and-Butter Pickle Recipe
from: Put 'em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton
Ingredients:
5 pounds cucumbers, ends removed and sliced into 1/4 in coins (I used my Pampered Chef mandolin with the zig-zag blade)
1 pound large onions, roughly chopped
1/2 cup plus 1 TBS kosher salt
2 cups ice cubes
4 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 TBS mustard seed
1 TBS black peppercorns
1 TBS celery seed
1 TBS tumeric
Instructions:
1. Layer the cucumbers and onions with 1/2 cup of salt in a large bowl. Cover with ice cubes. Set aside for 2 hours. Drain and rinse in colander.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the drained vegetables and return to a boil, stirring to ensure that all of the vegetables are heated through. Remove from heat.
**Cucumbers will turn from a bright, Kelly green, to a brownish, olive green.**
Refrigerate: Ladle into bowls or jars. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Can: Follow normal canning procedures, processing for 10 minutes. Can be stored for up to 1 year.
**Once I begin canning items, I will post canning instructions.**
Friday, July 22, 2011
cooking...
Seriously. I am being cooked alive by this heat!!! It has put a damper in my canning/preserving plans, as I'm afraid to turn on my stove top and add to the 90+ degree temperature that my house feels like it's at.
So...it has been delayed until a little bit cooler weather. Seriously - how did our grandparents can/preserve in the summer!?!?! I couldn't even begin to imagine!!! But anyway, I am going to get some of the cucumbers prepped and ready for canning as soon as it starts to cool down...
I'm picking another zucchini today, more green beans (of course), and lots more cucumbers. Who likes pickles? I'll have plenty to share!! Too bad I don't have my dart team anymore so that I can pawn off produce every week!!!
I'm happy to report that the chicks are in a new and bigger brooder. and...guess who moved each one of them?! I did!!!! I was panicking and had to talk myself through each move, but they ended up ok!! The cats started pawing at them so we had to put them in a separate room. The dogs just watched them, which was really cute, and I'm hoping they will continue to be such good "friends" as the chickens continue to grow. Their feathers are starting to come in!!
Stay cool this weekend!! : )
So...it has been delayed until a little bit cooler weather. Seriously - how did our grandparents can/preserve in the summer!?!?! I couldn't even begin to imagine!!! But anyway, I am going to get some of the cucumbers prepped and ready for canning as soon as it starts to cool down...
I'm picking another zucchini today, more green beans (of course), and lots more cucumbers. Who likes pickles? I'll have plenty to share!! Too bad I don't have my dart team anymore so that I can pawn off produce every week!!!
I'm happy to report that the chicks are in a new and bigger brooder. and...guess who moved each one of them?! I did!!!! I was panicking and had to talk myself through each move, but they ended up ok!! The cats started pawing at them so we had to put them in a separate room. The dogs just watched them, which was really cute, and I'm hoping they will continue to be such good "friends" as the chickens continue to grow. Their feathers are starting to come in!!
Stay cool this weekend!! : )
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Picture Updates
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| Chickens 2 days old - wait to you see the 1 week old picture!!! |
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| Berries!! |
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| Me picking berries |
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| Quading |
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| 2nd berry picking score - the first one is a little more than both of these bags combined and there's still more to get!!! |
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| Last week's harvest for grilled veggies - Bell Pepper, Banana Pepper, and lots of Fresh Herbs |
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| Today's harvest - 5 cucumbers, some green beans a bell pepper, 3 sweet banana peppers and some lavender flowers |
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| The mini farm today! |
whoa!! What a day!!!
So tomorrow I'm going to be making pickles!!! I picked a total of 6 cucumbers today and they'll need to be pickled tomorrow. Put 'em up! (an AWESOME preserving book) is going to help me along but it's going to be a HOT day in our kitchen with canning, etc, so it will get interesting!!!!
I also picked another Green Bell Pepper, some more Sweet Banana Peppers (which will need canned soon too!), MORE green beans, and some lavender flowers that I will dry and use in some cookie recipes!!
The garden needed a lot of grooming today - I had to tie back some of the tomato plants - I forgot how wide these grow - and I trained some more of the cucumber plants. The pumpkins are getting bigger! I'm hoping I have a bunch so I can carve some pumpkins this year - and roast the pumpkin seeds - yum!
I'll take a picture of my bushel basket and be sure to post it soon!! Wish me luck tomorrow!!! : )
I also picked another Green Bell Pepper, some more Sweet Banana Peppers (which will need canned soon too!), MORE green beans, and some lavender flowers that I will dry and use in some cookie recipes!!
The garden needed a lot of grooming today - I had to tie back some of the tomato plants - I forgot how wide these grow - and I trained some more of the cucumber plants. The pumpkins are getting bigger! I'm hoping I have a bunch so I can carve some pumpkins this year - and roast the pumpkin seeds - yum!
I'll take a picture of my bushel basket and be sure to post it soon!! Wish me luck tomorrow!!! : )
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Great harvest today!!
Sorry I've been out of touch for a few days...
I still owe you pictures from my berry picking!!
Today was an awesome harvest!!
I picked about 9 sweet banana peppers and another 1/2 pound of green beans - I'm probably up to 2 lbs of them! I also picked a huge zucchini that I'm planning on making beer-battered zucchini and maybe zucchini cakes with!
I'm going to pickle the banana peppers, and try to find some good recipes for canning the green beans. I also will be picking a bunch of cucumbers (hopefully enough to make into pickles or relish). Also soon to pick: more zucchini, more bell and banana peppers, and HOPEFULLY tomatoes!!
Did I mention?!?! - I now have a watermelon and about 5 jack-o-lantern pumpkins growing!!! I'm hoping the pie pumpkins start coming in too for pumpkin preserves and pumpkin pies!! The corn is continually getting higher and the squash planted with it is coming in pretty good too!!! More pictures to come soon!
If anyone wants to try their hand at pickling/jamming/preserving, let me know - I would love to show you (and have someone here to help.)
I still owe you pictures from my berry picking!!
Today was an awesome harvest!!
I picked about 9 sweet banana peppers and another 1/2 pound of green beans - I'm probably up to 2 lbs of them! I also picked a huge zucchini that I'm planning on making beer-battered zucchini and maybe zucchini cakes with!
I'm going to pickle the banana peppers, and try to find some good recipes for canning the green beans. I also will be picking a bunch of cucumbers (hopefully enough to make into pickles or relish). Also soon to pick: more zucchini, more bell and banana peppers, and HOPEFULLY tomatoes!!
Did I mention?!?! - I now have a watermelon and about 5 jack-o-lantern pumpkins growing!!! I'm hoping the pie pumpkins start coming in too for pumpkin preserves and pumpkin pies!! The corn is continually getting higher and the squash planted with it is coming in pretty good too!!! More pictures to come soon!
If anyone wants to try their hand at pickling/jamming/preserving, let me know - I would love to show you (and have someone here to help.)
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