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Homemade Italian Spaghetti Sauce
Where the flavor starts… Italian cooking is not a quick process. It is a social event. The kitchen is the gathering place, and as I cook, there are wooden spoons flying around tasting my sauce. When I make tomato sauce, it slowly cooks 2-4 hours depending on the amount of sauce I am making. The house is filled with such a pleasant aroma. The meal is greatly anticipated and enjoyed. As many Italian cooks declare “flavor in Italian dishes builds from the bottom up”. True authentic cooking like my dad did started with lard as the base with finely chopped onion and any other vegetables like celery, carrot, or garlic.…
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Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Growing up in a large, Italian family, big family meals were routine. For Italians, food is not just a meal. Family meals were frequent and often centered around food and extended family. My grandparents where straight from Italy and moved to the USA when they were young. My dad was one of 5 boys so there was always big stomachs to fill. Everything was home made and tomatoes seemed to be served in some form everyday. My Aunt Angie made homemade bread daily and as you can imagine it did not last very long. My dad made homemade tomato everything including pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, roasted tomatoes, and all…
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All You Need To Know About Growing Cucumbers
I love growing cucumbers. The best memory I have is taking a big bite out of an extremely bitter cucumber. That was early in my gardening journey and I had planted a cucumber meant for pickling, not eating raw. Who would have thought there was a difference? I sure didn’t. So, when picking seeds to plant make sure you read the seed package carefully. Decide What To Grow Cucumbers have a refreshing taste mostly because they are high in water. They are divided into 2 categories: those used for pickling and those used for slicing. Pickling cucumbers tend to be bitter and are not good when eaten raw.…
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Peach Preserves
I have so many peaches ready on my peach trees, so I’ve been in the midst of making my peach preserves! Many of my readers have been asking for the recipe, so here it is! [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:7] SaveSave SaveSave
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Canning Peppers: How To Preserve Peppers
My favorite gifts to give are canned goods. So, once my garden starts taking off I like to begin some of my canning. I get asked frequently for my canned pepper recipe each year – Enjoy! I have harvested my first round of peppers (mostly different types of jalapeños) and it is time to preserve them for later. The heat level of the peppers can be adjusted based on the type of pepper planted however, mine all go together in jars. My family can handle the heat. I do put a mixture of red and green peppers together as it makes a pretty combination especially for Christmas gifts. 2 quarts…
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Zucchini Bread
The Ever-Prolific Zucchini We learned a lesson from zucchini over the years. We always grew 3-4 plants each year and you probably can guess the rest of the story. We ate zucchini. We cooked with zucchini. We froze zucchini. We gave away zucchini. We now grow 2 plants and that seems to plenty to fit our needs and we do not feel as if we are being wasteful. We like baked goods with zucchini the most. Zucchini bread and other baked items are very easy to make. Grating the zucchini is a snap if you have a food processor with a grating feature. (It really saves the knuckles.) A…
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Pecan Trees
When I am in the garden and need a break in the shade my go to place is always under my pecan tree! Pecan trees are native to the United States and they thrive in the Southern locations. They are of the most desirable trees for home yards. They are large trees, and provide natural shade and the nutritious value make them a favorite. They do very well in Texas. My pecan tree was transplanted from a Pecan Farm 17 years ago and with this one tree we have plenty of nuts for our family plus plenty for holiday gift giving. We live on a little over a acre and…
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How To Make Sourdough Bread
I love getting lost in my kitchen on days when it is too hot to be in the garden. How many of you can relate? Living in Texas during the dog days of summer, some days are too hot to get out in the garden. It can get to 90-95 degrees by noon. Those days I make sure the garden is watered, harvest what is needed in the morning and move to the kitchen. Today is was one of those days. My sourdough starter was in need of a feed so I decided to make fresh sourdough bread. It requires minimal work once you get your starter going however, it…
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How Hot Are Your Peppers?
Peppers are a favorite in most gardens behind tomatoes and herbs. They are often grown in container gardens and they do well. Peppers are a warm season favorite however, they require higher temperatures, grow more slowly and are smaller in size compared to a tomato plant. They require full sun and they need to spaced 12-18 inches apart. Peppers are a thirsty plant and need plenty of water. The soil must drain well so the roots do not get saturated which can water logs the roots. A little history about the spiciness/heat of pepper began in the 1900’s. The Scoville scale of heat is a measurement of the spiciness/heat of…
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Is Squash A Vegetable?
Well, that’s a good question, as there are various opinions! Technically it is categorized as a fruit because it develops from a flower and it has seeds Summer squash is producing in large amounts in my garden and everyday I pick a basket full. Squash is divided into summer squash and winter squash. Summer squash includes zucchini and yellow squash. I grow both types. They are picked while they are still somewhat immature, small and tender. The outer skin is delicate and easy to eat. The plants need to be checked daily for new produce, and when removing the squash, cutting versus breaking them off at the stem is…
Home Grown is Best
