What did you do in the garden today?

[trumpeting_angel]

So sorry for the migraine @trumpeting_angel. Hope you find relief soon.

OH BUMMER!

My headaches virtually always last 4 days, but I can’t remember ever having one this bad. Thanks for the good wishes. I just found some serious meds left over from surgery. Trying one of those.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I do understand anything for relief

 

[IamRainey]

So I made my carpaccio and had it with cold meatloaf for dinner. Tasty! Great for a hot night.

When I've made this salad in the past I simply ignored that instruction to use blossoms for a garnish 'cause I just couldn't wrap my mind around what they meant about slicing up a big floppy flower. But when I went out to pick the zuke and some basil I looked at the blossoms and picked a male one that hadn't unfurled yet. Don't know what I was expecting to see when I sliced across it but here's what I got.



No real flavor that I could detect but saturated vibrant color in a compact piece that will be easy to use again for things that want that kind of lift.

Live and learn...

 

[pennyJo1960]

Sometimes can be life in it I made a dinner goulash tonight put 2 jalapeno, cholula, worcestershire, dijon and celery seed and garlic I had cooked rice in light beef broth
added peas and carrots turned out quite good I am not a chef but like to try different things not just mac and cheese

 

[Acre4Me]

We grilled peppers from the garden tonight - YUM! Had them with some grilled flank steak and garden grown potatoes!

Afterwards, we dealt with the trailer load of freshly chipped wood. The guy dumped it onto tarps we put out - it was starting to steam! I think it was over 24 yards. Trailer was 14' x 6' x 4' high...so it was a lot. We moved most of it to the run tonight, and spread it out over the sawdust we laid down ahead of the mulch. It smells like a forest floor back there now. The girls are going to be surprised in the morning! They are going to be exhausted from all the scratching and exploring ahead of them. That is, it they can get past the shock of something new in their run!

 

[karenerwin]

I found 1 small potato and 2 fingerling sized potatoes when I dug to see if I got anything. It's better than nothing! There were also 2 thumb sized potatoes, but I just re-buried those. Maybe they will come back next year!
I got a handful of green beans, the pole beans are starting to pick up a bit. I pulled up almost all of the eggplants and harvested most of the small ( fist sized eggplants) because the chipmunks are picking them anyway. I also picked another handful of semi ripe cherry tomatoes.
I spent the day canning apples. I canned sliced apples, apple preserves ( with nutmeg, I think I would prefer cinnamon next time, but it was way too sweet for me, so I probably won't make it again), and apple pie jam. I was going to make the concord grape conserve,but I ran out of time. So that gets moved to tomorrow after I get back from taking my mom to conference with the anesthesiologist. ( That doesn't look like it is spelled correctly, but that is what spell check gave me; I trying to say the guy that puts you to sleep during surgery.)

 

[pennyJo1960]

anesthesiology yes my niece is one now

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning all. Got a crazy amount of rain yesterday late afternoon and most of the overnight. I was able to let the chickens out to run around in the grass for awhile and fortunately the rain held off until they got bored and went back into their run. My wood pellets were delivered, yay! The nice man who delivered them was early and he waited for about 15 - 20 minutes until I got home from my exercise class. Very nice, and he took the old pallets with him. I'm glad I switched pellet vendors. I picked some more tomatoes this morning along with some baby carrots and baby leeks. Of course I found another cucumber. However this one was only a half pound. I'm sure I have enough cucumber to make a double batch of cucumber bread and a tabbouleh salad for dinner. Last night I cooked my first green beans with some carrots to go with the pork chop. Tasty! The pole bean plants are loaded with blooms, I just wished they would turn into beans quicker. Not planning on any outside work today. Although the rain has stopped, everything is pretty soggy. By the way @penny1960, your brussels sprouts look good. Much better looking than what you see in the grocery store. Have a great day everyone.

 

[IamRainey]

LOVE tabbouleh!

Ever tried roasted applesauce, karen? I tried a recipe once because it sounded like such an unusual approach to applesauce but now I'd never do it any other way. Tastes like apple pie without the fat and calories of a crust. I don't preserve it. I just do 6 apples at a time. Keeps my husband in applesauce for the top of his oatmeal for about as long as I want to keep an open jar. I do sometimes put it in smaller jars and freeze them tho.

I can also put a tablespoon or so of this in a little circle of pastry (puff pastry, filo dough, pie crust, whatever I've got on hand) and make little hand pies for my grandson. He loves them! [Reminds me: he's here today so I think I'll take a small jar out of the freezer and we'll do some of these]

This is Judy Roger's recipe. She of Zuni Chicken. I gather my own ingredients and use her method. Her timing doesn't work for me but I do the first roast as long as I need to and then put my foot on the gas until the edges of the soft apples get some serious browning. I also like to mix varieties so there's some apple in there that can at least hold some shape and, perhaps, still add some texture. I like it chunky!

Roasted Applesauce

Recipe By: Judy Roger's "Zuni Cafe Cookbook"
Yield: about 3 cups

This is my version of Judy Roger's brilliant take on applesauce. It may be why apples were put on Earth! The roasting adds so much flavor to this kitchen standard.

We top steel-cut oatmeal with it and I add it to waffles and baking. I keep it in the fridge all the time.

• 4 pounds apples, peeled, cored & quartered
• 2 - 3 tablespoon sugar (optional), I like brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• a few pats butter
• 1 splash vinegar
• cinnamon & nutmeg (optional), to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚.

2. Arrange apples in a large buttered casserole in a shallow layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place them in the oven to roast for 20-45 minutes or until they begin to soften.

3. When they start to break down, remove the foil and raise the oven heat to 500˚. Pour off and reserved the exuded juices. Return the apples to the oven and roast, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes or until you can see generous carmelization.

4. Meanwhile, prepare a generous sized bowl that will hold 2-3 times the volume of the apples with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and a splosh of really good and tasty vinegar.

5. Remove the apples from the oven and transfer them to the bowl. Be sure to scrape in any browned bits that stick to the roasting pan. That's exactly the roasty flavor you're going for! Stir and/or mash to break down to a chunky texture.

6. Store covered in the refrigerator. Keeps for a couple weeks and maybe longer.

 

[WthrLady]

LOVE tabbouleh!

Ever tried roasted applesauce, karen? I tried a recipe once because it sounded like such an unusual approach to applesauce but now I'd never do it any other way. Tastes like apple pie without the fat and calories of a crust. I don't preserve it. I just do 6 apples at a time. Keeps my husband in applesauce for the top of his oatmeal for about as long as I want to keep an open jar. I do sometimes put it in smaller jars and freeze them tho.

I can also put a tablespoon or so of this in a little circle of pastry (puff pastry, filo dough, pie crust, whatever I've got on hand) and make little hand pies for my grandson. He loves them! [Reminds me: he's here today so I think I'll take a small jar out of the freezer and we'll do some of these]

This is Judy Roger's recipe. She of Zuni Chicken. I gather my own ingredients and use her method. Her timing doesn't work for me but I do the first roast as long as I need to and then put my foot on the gas until the edges of the soft apples get some serious browning. I also like to mix varieties so there's some apple in there that can at least hold some shape and, perhaps, still add some texture. I like it chunky!

Roasted Applesauce

Recipe By: Judy Roger's "Zuni Cafe Cookbook"
Yield: about 3 cups

This is my version of Judy Roger's brilliant take on applesauce. It may be why apples were put on Earth! The roasting adds so much flavor to this kitchen standard.

We top steel-cut oatmeal with it and I add it to waffles and baking. I keep it in the fridge all the time.

• 4 pounds apples, peeled, cored & quartered
• 2 - 3 tablespoon sugar (optional), I like brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• a few pats butter
• 1 splash vinegar
• cinnamon & nutmeg (optional), to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚.

2. Arrange apples in a large buttered casserole in a shallow layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place them in the oven to roast for 20-45 minutes or until they begin to soften.

3. When they start to break down, remove the foil and raise the oven heat to 500˚. Pour off and reserved the exuded juices. Return the apples to the oven and roast, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes or until you can see generous carmelization.

4. Meanwhile, prepare a generous sized bowl that will hold 2-3 times the volume of the apples with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and a splosh of really good and tasty vinegar.

5. Remove the apples from the oven and transfer them to the bowl. Be sure to scrape in any browned bits that stick to the roasting pan. That's exactly the roasty flavor you're going for! Stir and/or mash to break down to a chunky texture.

6. Store covered in the refrigerator. Keeps for a couple weeks and maybe longer.