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June In The Garden
This month in the garden should be a time of fast growth of garden plants. The cool weather crops should be done and the summer crops should be taking off. May is typically a rainy month and this year rain it was in Texas. The temperatures begin to heat up which allows for fast growth of plants, blooms appearing, and hopefully bees buzzing. . With heat comes the need to water whether it is from rain or your method of watering. Vegetable gardens need one inch of water each week. Soaker hoses do the best job as they water the base of the plants and keeps the foliage dry. This…
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May In The Garden
This month had me thinking of Cinco de Mayo which is a regional celebration in Mexico. The holiday commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces over French forces in the Battle of Puebla in May, 1862. The date is observed in United States and other areas around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. There are foods associated the these celebrations and many are found in the garden. Jalapeno peppers, green chiles, salsas made with fresh tomatoes and even calabacitas made with fresh squash and zucchini. We also think about the weather in May. This is the season for heavy rain, hail, and winds which we’ve had…
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Gifts From The Garden
We all love the warm feeling we have that comes from receiving a handmade gift, but so many of us in this busy world we live do not have time. There are some quick gifts which may already be in your pantry which you canned during the summer garden harvest. There are alot of short cuts you can take such as using your canned treats and some simple packaging with a recipe card to share your gift. Most of the treats may only be finding a cute basket, stenciled recipe cards, or jar toppers to assemble a cute gift with a jar tucked inside. Fruit Honeys Topped with a…
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Grow and Cook Pumpkins
When the pumpkins start turning orange, we know fall is not far off and that means football. We are football fans. My husband played football and my son did as well. My daughters were on the sideline cheering on their brother and Friday night football was a fun family time. Of course not everyone loves football but pumpkin harvesting also means changing of seasons, cool weather, and fall feastivities. There is a lot of good food wasted when untold numbers of nutritious pumpkins get turned into jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkins make a very good custard and put into a pie shell you have pumpkin pie. During the early years the pumpkin menu…
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Types of Squash: Summer and Winter
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 a big production in large amounts. It is a summer staple for our family. Squash is divided into summer squash and winter squash. Summer 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…
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Baking With 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 hand grater works fine…
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Homemade Fruit Roll Ups
As my son transitioned to food and milk at one year I quickly realized he had a huge appetite. It was hard to keep him full and I soon introduced a pretty large size snack time in the late afternoon. I have been very committed to homemade food for him to avoid preservatives and unhealthy ingredients. So, I needed to get creative with our snack time for a good variety of healthy snack options. Well, we get some amazing fresh strawberries locally that are delicious. My son LOVES strawberries. So, I found a creative way to use our strawberries that would be a new snack to introduce. I decided to…
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Spring Salads
Spring brings in some amazing produce and one of the best ways to enjoy it is in fresh salads. From snap peas to spinach to radishes. Winter brought lots of roasting of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. As good as that was it gets a little old as I push into February. The days are getting longer and warmer. Spending time outside and not in the kitchen is welcomed in my house! I have put together some simple and quick spring salads which can get you out of the kitchen quick and outside working in the garden. Salads are a great go to meal for a nutritionally packed menu…
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Growing Herbs
When I first started out gardening I wanted to begin small with something I could manage. I was not very knowledgeable or informed yet on all the ins and outs of gardening, nor did I have the space for a large garden. So, I started with herbs. Herbs are an easy place to start. They just need a little sunshine, soil with good drainage and some room to grow. Herbs can turn ordinary meals into something special with a pinch of this and a bit of that and meals can be transformed. I have planted herbs for a few years and they bring an interest to gardens which otherwise would…
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Homemade Applesauce
An “apple a day” is what my mother always told us as children therefore, each and every day growing up we all had an apple in our lunch. I believe that is why I am so fond of apples. I eat them several times a week. (I had one today for lunch.) As a nurse, by profession, I have always been about eating healthy for myself and my family. Apples are one of the top healthiest foods. They have long been known for the antioxidants, flavonoids and dietary fiber. Including them in your daily diet is highly suggested and it is not hard because they are tasty. …
Home Grown is Best
