Zucchini, Zucchini, and Zucchini

Today is for recalling the comedy of Paula Poundstone (again). It is a day for zucchini.

We got some zucchini shredded for the freezer.

I made a zucchini butter. I already know I’ll be making this again. I want to see how it freezes, because if does well I’ll make some batches for the freezer. There’s recipes out there for this, but - without measuring - I just sautéed some finely chopped onion ‘n’ garlic in a little unsalted butter until translucent, then added some grated zucchini and cooked it down - slowly - until it was soft. I did smash it a bit with my slotted potato masher, and seasoned it with a little salt at the end. This will be really nice addition for our next tapas night.

I made a new recipe for double chocolate zucchini bread. I baked it longer than the recipe called for, and it did sink a bit while cooling, which makes me suspicious about the center. It turned out of the bread tins nice, and we're still waiting for it to cool enough for the taste test. And for the record: This is cake. Just because it's baked in a bread tin does not make it bread. It's cake. Same goes for banana, and any 'n' all others. This had to be said.

And we’ll be making some cheesy zucchini fritters out on the deck this evening to have with dinner, and to pop into cartons for the freezer.

So yeah, today is all about the zucchini. And there’s more in the fridge, and still more coming in the gardens!

Hail the gods ‘n’ goddesses of the mighty zucchini!

🕊 Peace.

Minestrone Love

This morning was all about rooted Medicine ‘n’ rejuvenation in the form of breakfast with a friend.

This was followed by a farm visit to pick up some peaches. The farmer asked me, “What are you gonna do with them?” I said, “I don’t know yet.”

There was also stop at our local Feed & Supply, and now I’m home, looking at 10 beautiful quarts of minestrone soup (just add pasta!), a favored dinner during the winter months... I’m preparing to wash the jars, so they can be labeled and put away.

Then I’ll be making plans for zucchini - that’s right, more zucchini- and the beautiful peaches that I picked up.

It seems to be a day overflowing with blessings, and I am grateful.

EDIT: In care you're curious, the recipe, such as it is:

🕊 Peace.

Mustard Relish

Today’s for making room on the pantry shelves for 8 half-pints of mustard relish. I haven’t made this in years, and I hope it’s as good as I recall.

Like so many relishes and chutneys, I enjoy them with a nice scrambled egg, omelette or frittata. But - of course - they’re also good with burgers and hotdogs, blended into salad dressings and salads, and other inspirations. 

I didn't have a recipe documented, so I used this recipe as a guide, using about 2 teaspoons of fresh ground celery seed, and no ClearJel® .

🕊 Peace.

Zucchini Pineapple and Bonus Syrup

Today we’re making space on the pantry shelves for 3 bottles of zucchini-pineapple-n-lemon syrup… a byproduct of the zucchini pineapple that I canned yesterday. That's right, zucchini pineapple. And it's exactly what it sounds like.

This is my first time making this, as historically I’ve judged it as a waste of good zucchini. But this year, what with our zucchini invasion ‘n’ all, I opened up my mind ‘n’ heart to revisiting this strange possibility. And I’m glad I did. It’s weirdly remarkable!

I bow down to the weird ‘n’ wonderful mind that first dreamt of this and made it manifest. I offer thanks, too, to Ashley for posting her zucchini pineapple, and thereby inspiring me to give it a go.

There's recipes out there, but here's what I ended up doing...

16 cups zucchini, peeled, chunked (or chopped/shredded)
64 oz. pineapple juice, unsweetened, not from concentrate
3 cups lemon juice, bottled
6 cups cane sugar

Bring to a boil in an open pot, then simmer for 20 minutes, also uncovered. Pack into sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2" headspace, process in a HWB (Hot Water Bath) for 15 minutes.

If I ever experience another zucchini glut, I’ll likely revisit this. ::nods::

🕊🥒🕊 Peace.

Zuc Soup with Peas 'n' Basil

Nine pints of zucchini soup with peas ‘n’ basil are ready to be labeled and placed on the pantry shelves.

This is a new soup to me. It was discovered in my search for zucchini possibilities, since the zucchini has been over-the-top generous this year. I feel I’m really going to enjoy this, with the basil sparkling bright yet subtle within it. It's a variation of this recipe, adapted to use my garden harvests, including spring peas that were in the freezer. 

I'm betting that this is one of those soups I'll open up on a winter day, purée it, add some milk or cream and grating of hard Italian cheese, to have with a little crusty bread... and enJOY the flavor of a warm summer day in August.

Peace. 🕊🥒🕊

Sweet, Sweet Corn

Yesterday and today have been all about the sweet corn. With much gratitude to Bristol's Farm in sunny Canton, Connecticut we put up…

 

Dried corn (about 10 to 12 ears worth in those two jars)...

Beautiful corn silk... 

Eight pints of canned corn, 2 big bags of the spent cobs to share with the chickens - and the compost- in the weeks ahead, 11 pints of frozen corn (not pictured)...

And a dozen pints of amazing corn cob stock.

Feels good.


Peace. 🕊🌽🌞🌽🕊

Sweet 'n' Spicy Zucchini Salsa

 

Today we have a nice little stash of sweet ‘n’ spicy zucchini salsa that’s ready to be labeled, and find a space on the pantry shelves.

While it’s a tad sweet for my taste, my spouse loves it, and declares it perfect. And I would definitely make it again. It’s one of those recipes to keep on hand for those years when the zucchini just overflows with generosity. 

And if you’d like to make it you can find the recipe I used here, at Wildflower Seed Acres.

Peace. 🕊

Classic Pickled Beets

 

Put up five pints of classic pickled beets today. These are like summer jewels in a jar… sweet and tart, imbued with the flavors and fragrance of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. It’s one of those things I look forward to enjoying when the weather turns toward cold.

And the color just dazzles me; so much so that I had to toss in an extra photo in full sun to try to capture it. Alas, cameras can’t see what the eyes ‘n’ heart can.

Plus there’s the bonus of cooking up some beet greens to add to whatever we end up making for supper.

I am so grateful for the abundance and beauty of the season. It nourishes and sustains me in so many ways.

Peace. 🕊

Dried Collard Greens

Today was for dehydrating some collard greens.

I harvested a beautiful arm full, washed them...

...blanched them, and laid them on the racks...

...and - on a day like today - let them dry in the sun. Once they’re blanched they dry pretty quick. I give them a finish in the dehydrator before jarring them up.

This is our second batch for the season. I love having dried collards and kale on hand throughout the winter to add to all manner of food preparations.

Peace. 🕊

Poppy Seeds Saved

Finally got the poppy beds cleaned up and the seeds collected. Six ounces worth, which leaves me plenty to plant, plenty to share, and some to bake with as well.

And, of course, plenty reseeded themselves during harvest!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again, Nature is so very generous.

May we mirror her behavior.

::nods::

Peace. 🕊

Dinner

I’m not done harvesting for the day yet, but I do know that in this basket of random harvests I will find dinner.

And I am grateful.

Peace. 🕊

PS

The Cucumber Saga Continues...

I’m trying something new today… salt ‘n’ vinegar cucumber chips. Someone posted this on a recent #EveryBitCountsChallenge, and I had to try it.

So I took out the mandoline, sliced up four cucumbers, tossed them with 2 tablespoons each of extra-virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of fine sea salt. Laid 'em on the racks, and here we are.

As you can see here, I got them started with a little passive solar drying on this absolutely glorious day, and now they’re in the dehydrator at 350°F for 10 to 12 hours.

I’m really looking forward to tasting these. ::nods::

🕊🥒🌞🥒🕊

Peace

Cucumber Harvest

“I don’t have enough cucumbers to make a half gallon of half sours,” she said.

“I’ll just run out to the garden, there must be a few ready to harvest out there to add to this batch, “she said.

And there was. And then some. Nine pounds to add to the 1.5 pounds will be plenty to get those half sours started. And then some. 😁

🕊🥒🌞🥒🕊

Peace

 

Quite the Zucchini Year

 

I’ve said it already, and I’ll say it again: This is quite the zucchini year!

This morning I processed about 10 pounds of zucchini. A little for the freezer and a lot (more) for the dehydrator. Then it was beans… and back to the gardens for more harvesting.

And I count my blessings.

🕊🌱☀️🌱🕊

Peace

Garden Sage

 

For a number of reasons I’m keeping things simple today. Aside from the necessary garden harvests, and the preparation‘s for a birthday dinner this evening for my spouse, I’m just trimming a few branches of garden sage - lovely Salvia officinalis - to hang for drying.

🕊☀️🕊

Peace

Zucchini Relish

Today’s preserves from yesterday’s harvest.

Sweet zucchini relish was today’s main project. It started last night with the chopping of the zucchini and the onions so they could sit in their salt bath overnight, and so I was able to get this work done early in the day today.

And once this was done, and cleaned up, I did some zucchini prep for supper, and made some zucchini fritters for lunch served with the first of our garden tomatoes, and tomatillos too.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, this has been quite the zucchini year!

And we are grateful.

Day 9 of #EveryBitCountsChallenge - join us!

🕊☀️🕊

Peace

Making Room for This Year's Tomatoes

We’ll be harvesting the first of our ripe tomatoes today, or tomorrow. So begins my annual ritual of checking the stores of last year‘s tomato harvests. Aside from canned jars of purée, sauce, and other tomato creations, we have several jars of dried tomatoes that we’ve not yet used.

So, to make space on our pantry shelves for this year’s harvests, I’m creating oil packed dried tomatoes. You know, the kind that are easy to pluck out of the jar to eat with some bread, add to some pasta, pizza, a main or side dish, and so on and so forth. ::swoon::

I thought I’d share the process I use to make these. It’s simple, and can be modified for the flavor profiles delight you, or simply what you have on hand...

In a pan, cover the dried tomatoes (I had a quart's worth) with water, a little salt if desired, and about a half a cup of vinegar.

I bring this to a boil, then simmer for five minutes or so, strain, lay out on a rack (or lint free cloth) and let them air dry for a couple/few hours.

Pack them in jars with whatever herbs and spices please you. I used garlic, bay leaf, and clove in this batch. And once the tomatoes 'n' botanicals are packed in the jar, cover the top with a nice layer of extra-virgin olive oil. This creates the seal that prevents oxygen from getting in and compromising your beautiful creation, creating a shelf stable delight that requires no refrigeration, yet that appreciates a cool spot, out of sunlight (I use my north room).

I let this sit at least 2-3 weeks before using it. And in 2-3 weeks I’ll be making another batch with a different profile, likely featuring oregano, mint and - of course - garlic.

If you have dried tomatoes left from last year, I hope you’ll try this. You won’t be disappointed.

Peace. 🕊

Jarring the Wooly Mint

Today is for stripping the leaves off the dried herbs that have been hanging in our little north room. They’ll be jarred up and labeled to be enjoyed as food and Medicine in the months ahead. This is really what so much of August (September in October too!) is about: Preparing for our winter months.

And I’m starting with this - our wonderful Mentha suaveolens, often referred to as apple mint, but before I knew which mint it was I called it woolly meant, and others do too.

Peace. 🕊

And suddenly, August.

Of the summer months, August is the summer-est. It's the final full month of the solar season, and it's the start of my 4Q (fourth quarter of the year). It feels fitting that this month start with drizzle and the potential of rain, as Nona Gaia needs it here in my corner of the world, and the latest plantings will most certainly appreciate it. Anyhoo... If you've been following me for a while, you know that my "new year" begins at Samhain, as October moves to November, so that means August kicks off the quarter of preparing for deep autumn and the coming of winter. This is obvious in the gardens, as every day there's harvests to gather and preserve for food and Medicine, and I'm still getting the summer seeds in for autumn and winter harvests. It also means wrapping up some of the elements of the past year, and putting in place aspects to support me in moving as smoothly as possible into the next - in the gardens and out.

As I plan for my new year, I look ahead to some major life shifts, including ::drumroll, please:: retiring my business of some 30+ years at the end of this calendar year. Yeah. That's big. And yet it's not. You see, I'll continue doing what I do, which is rooted in sharing my experiences and occasional tangible creations with others, I'll just be doing it as a hobby and not a business. And that prospect feels good and right. 

Now, I could go on here about leveraging the transformational heat of the August sun, yet sometimes a conveyance is best left to its purest 'n' simplest guise. Besides, so much is shifting in the seasonal climate expressions that the transformational heat of the August sun is an increasingly complex concept and reality.

In any event, I shall do my best to keep cool as summer heats up this month. I shall continue to spar with our collective broiling addiction to fossil fuels in my own small ways, and in other ways. I invite you to do the same. That said, if you're in the (increasingly rare) position to divest from that industry, and haven't already, I invite you to do so. And to my way of thinking, divesting is more than striping a 401K or other financial investments of all things fossil fuel. If you're wondering what I mean, ask. And while I'm taunting you may I add that if you're in a position to help out someone in need, please do so. Oh, how I could ramble on. But...

As August arrives, the pace of the season shifts, the verve fires up, and with it my sense of urgency quickens. I hope yours does too. For this month. This year. This life. For our collective future. May you hear the call of Gaia's urgency. 

Lammas blessings.

Peace. 🕊