Composting

This is a picture of our new compost bins. We went with the three sections. For the last few years we just had one pile where we put all of our kitchen scraps. In the fall and spring when my dh would till, he would just spread out the contents and till them into the garden. This caused several problems -
1. The pieces were too big to till.
2. Objects did not break down.
3. The pile smelled bad.
4. It attracted bugs and animals.
5. Weed seeds still alive.

Now we are going to improve our composting. Dh got a load of manure from a local organic farmer. It was very important to me not to be putting chemicals into our compost pile/garden.

So today we were raking leaves to put a leaf layer on the compost pile...



...and the kids had fun jumping in it.

Tangy Honey Dipping Sauce

Because I cannot find any BBQ Sauce at the store without High Fructose Corn Syrup or Excitotoxins, I decided to try my own sauce with ingredients fresh from my garden.

1 peck tomatoes, peeled
2 Bell Peppers, seeded and diced
3-5 Jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 onion, chopped
4 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic
1 Tablespoon Blackstrap Molasses
1 cup Honey
1 teaspoon Real Mineral Salt

Saute the peppers, jalapenos, onions, and garlic in butter until soft. Puree in blender. Also puree the peck of tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until mixture has reduced to 1/2 the amount (this took all day). Remove from heat. Add the honey, molasses, and salt. Stir until mixed. Makes about 3 quarts.

My kids like to have something to dip their leftover chicken or beef roast. I also tried warming the meat, mixing the dip, and serving on buns. It was a hit. Now I need to make more.

Don't Tell Them It's Ketchup

I harvested two buckets of tomato's from my garden that needed to be used. I froze as many containers of tomato sauce as would fit into my freezer. Now what?

I decided to try lacto-fermented ketchup. That is a stretch for me. I have never made ketchup before and I didn't have a recipe using fresh ingredients.

I boiled a pot of water to remove the tomato skins. I put the skinless tomatoes in the blender and poured them into a large pot. They cooked all day and reduced to about 1/3 of the original amount. I added 1 cup of maple syrup, onion powder, and salt. After it cooled to room temperature, I added 1/4 cup of whey, poured into glass jars, and let them sit at room temperature for 48 hours before transferring to the refrigerator.

My kids actually ate it. Whew! They dipped their chicken in it, ate it with hamburgers, and put it on their fried potatoes. I also made Sloppy Joe's with it and they loved it. I didn't tell them it was ketchup. I called it Tomato Dipping Sauce. I didn't want them to have ketchup in their mind when they tried it because this is not like your bottled ketchup. It reminded me of the ketchup in Europe. It actually tastes like tomatoes.

Zucchini Harvest

Finally, I could harvest some zucchini from my garden after 3 plants dying. I have been watering faithfully through this drought. Three of the plants just shriveled up and died. A friend came over and looked at the plants. He saw a worm hole in the stock. This indicates the indwelling of a Squash Vine Borer, a large white worm with a brown head.

I sprinkled my vine plants with Diatomaceous Earth. Hopefully, the other two plants can be saved.

Meanwhile, I'll be cooking up my favorite zucchini dishes. Zucchini Fritters, Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips, Zucchini Pizza Crust, and of course, Fried Zucchini.

What are your families favorite Zucchini recipes?

Pickles

This is my first jar of pickles for this year. Yeah! I actually have cucumbers and dill ready in my garden at the same time. Lacto-fermenting is great for pickling just one jar at a time. When I can pickles I have to wait until I have 3 lbs of cucumbers ready at the same time. Plus I have to be available to can. And have all the other necessary ingredients ready, including jars and new lids.

Someone told me that my pickles were the only crispy homemade pickles they had ever tasted. I attribute my success to these tips.

1. Pick cucumbers in the morning and use right away
2. Use a fresh head of dill in the jar

What works for you?

Recipes

Forest of Dill

Forest of Dill
I love to grow dill. I make my own pickles- lacto-fermented. Also good for Dilly Dip and Garlic Dill Potatoes.
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