Composting

All summer I have been collecting my kitchen scraps in a bucket on my back patio. My goal is to make a compost pile someday... when I have some open soil to build on! Everything is overtaken with green things at the moment. (I wouldn't mind tilling up some grass, but I don't think my landlord would appreciate that.)

I've never built a compost pile of my own, but I've learned a lot about it in classes and books. Here's some helpful quotes for beginners from my Sunset Western Garden book:

"Composting is a natural process that converts raw organic materials into a valuable soil conditioner you can use to improve a soil's texture, boost it's nutrient content, and make it more water retentive.

You'll need approximately equal amounts by volume of brown matter and green matter. Brown matter is high in carbon and includes dry leaves, hay, sawdust, straw, wood chips, and woody prunings. (Lauren's note: I have also heard of people using shredded paper or newspaper for this.) Green matter is high in nitrogen; it includes grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, crushed eggshells, and manure. The compost will heat up faster if you collect all the ingredients in advance and assemble the pile all at once."

Basic steps:

1. Chop materials - ideally no larger than 2"

2. Build the pile - Spread a 4-8 inch layer of brown material in an area at least 3 feet square. Add a layer of green material 2-8 inches deep. Add another layer of brown and sprinkle with water. Keep adding layers until is reaches a height of 3 feet.

3. Turn the pile - Add oxygen to the pile by turning weekly to speed the decomposition process. If it is dried out, add water. If it is rotten smelling, add more dry brown material and turn.

4. Keep at it until the pile is dark and crumbly compost. Mix it into your planting beds for the next growing season!

So my goal is to clear out some space in the next month or so and start adding dry leaves (my tree is already dropping!) to the kitchen scraps. I don't know if I'll have enough for the cubic yard they suggest above (3 ft. by 3 ft.) but I'll give it a whirl!

Berry Pickin'

It's berry season! We continued a tradition we started last fall to find a u-pick farm and gather us some berries. We have tried two different ones in West Mountain (south of Utah Lake) and had good luck with both. The owner told us this year is a bad berry year so she asks people to call ahead and make an appointment so she can space them out. We have noticed it's best to go early in the weekend.

It's so fun to get the kids involved too. They were really helpful...

Except that most of what they picked went in their mouths!

Mike was supposedly in charge of the kids so I could get enough berries picked before dusk. They played hide-and-seek and ran around a lot, but of course Mike couldn't resist a competition and still managed to out-pick me!

I read about this great idea to cut the top off a milk jug and hook the handle on your belt so you could use both hands. I guess it was a little white trash but it worked like a charm.


We picked till it got dark on the west side of the valley. The view was breathtaking.

I think we figured we got about 4 pounds of raspberries and 5 pounds of blackberries. They were a major bargain at about $2/pound.

We had a fun weekend using them creatively. They made yummy (though tart) smoothies...

12 tupperwares of berry freezer jam... (if you haven't tried Sure Jell you're missing out! Just follow the directions in the package.)

And delectable cheesecake! We even froze some blackberries for later. I highly recommend this tradition to anyone... such a fun family activity and a fabulous use of twenty bucks!

Pumpkin Patch

Fall is undeniably in the air! It's getting me excited for my pumpkins to mature! Check out them vines... I took this picture last week and it's already grown a ton since then.

So far we only have three viable ones... kinda wimpy when you consider how big the plant is. We had a few more but yucky slugs got the best of them. It is still flowering like crazy so maybe we'll get some more little ones to decorate with!

How about a bonus recipe? I got this from watching my mother-in-law. Cut up zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, bell peppers, and onion (I was out!) into match sticks. Saute on medium heat in olive oil until tender. Mince some fresh basil (dried works too) and add some garlic salt, and you've got a delicious side! I though the colors were beautiful together and felt great satisfaction that every ingredient was from my garden!

'Tis the Season

For canning, that is! My tomato plants are producing faster than I can use them, so I started saving ripe ones in the fridge until I had enough for a batch of stewed tomatoes. (After a week I had a grocery sack exploding, which was more than enough for 7 pint jars.)

I love my Ball canning book. As you can see the instructions are clear and easy, and even illustrated! I like to can tomatoes in their own juice, so the only things you have to add are a little lemon juice and a little salt.

Canning can be overwhelming, but my mom taught me that it's all about the prep work. Once you have your jars clean and heating, your lids on simmer, your water bath hot, and all your supplies out, the rest is easy. This first step is blanching the skins--you soak them in boiling water for one minute, then transfer them to cold water and the skins slip right off.

Next you chop them to the desired size and fill your jars. Add the other ingredients, put the lids on, and you are ready for processing.

I loved using these last winter in soups, stews, spaghetti, and especially in my favorite chili recipe. Looking forward to it!

Sunny Sunflowers

I love the later days of summer when the sunflowers start popping up on the side of the road. I have many memories of them near my house growing up.

Nothing makes your kitchen sunny like a sunflower. Go pick some in the open field (nobody minds!) and brighten up your day.

Tomato Solutions!

Are your tomatoes coming on strong like mine are? I am trying to keep up with them already! I may have to start collecting and bottling stewed tomatoes like last year. Since I got a good response to the zucchini recipes, I thought some of you might like these.

Tomato Basil Pizza

Pizza dough (my recipe is below)

Chopped garlic

Olive oil

2-3 tomatoes thinly sliced

Shredded mozzarella

Parmesan cheese

A little feta (if you have it)

Fresh basil, chopped

Begin by rolling out dough. Sprinkle with chopped garlic and olive oil. Layer tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Add basil the last 5 mins.

Dough:

¾ cup warm water

1 tbsp. sugar

1 ½ tsp. yeast

Let sit for 5 mins. Then in a large bowl mix:

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ cups flour (I often use whole wheat)

Yeast mixture

Let rise half and hour.

Roasted Tomatoes (cherry or grape)

Half the tomatoes crosswise (or lengthwise for Romas) and spread them out face up on a parchment or foil lined baking tray. Then drizzle olive oil over them and sprinkle with seasonings. I used a little bit of basil and oregano, but you could use thyme, rosemary... whatever you like. Lastly, add some garlic, a couple of whole cloves on the tray is good. Roast them in a 200 degree oven for about three hours, or until they are shrively and a little dehydrated. Eat as is or use in salads, pastas, omelets, over meat... the possibilities are endless. You can also freeze them in Ziplocs for a few months.

Pasta Milano

2 tbsp butter

2 cloves crushed garlic

5 chicken tenders (or 2 breasts) cooked and sliced

1 cookie sheet roasted tomatoes

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

2/3 box bow tie pasta

Garlic Cream Sauce

½ cup milk

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp sea salt

Sprinkling of pepper

Cook pasta and chicken. Saute butter and mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add the cloves of crushed garlic and stir for one minute. Add the milk, Parmesan, salt, and pepper and simmer until cheese is melted. Add the pasta, chicken, and tomatoes. Enjoy!

Farfalle with Tomatoes, Onions, and Spinach

8 oz. cooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion

1 tsp oregano

3 garlic crushed cloves

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp white vinegar

3 cups baby spinach

3 tbsp cheese (mozzarella or parmesan)

1/4 tsp salt

¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and oregano and sauté until lightly browned. Add garlic, sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar and sauté until they begin to soften. Add past and spinach, cook one minute. Remove from heat and add in cheeses, remaining 1 tbsp. oil, salt and pepper. Yum!

Zucchini Solutions

My brother-in-law thinks I could win a prize at the country fair for the biggest zucchini. Sometimes I like to let them grow gargantuan so I can shred them and freeze them. I have already made two batches of zucchini bread this season, and my sisters and I found the yummiest recipe for zucchini brownies the other day! I wish I had a picture, but just rest assured, these are to-die-for. They are so chocolaty you would never know they had two cups of veggies in them!

Here's the bread recipe as well--a delicious tried and true version from my mom's kitchen.

Zucchini Bread

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups grated zucchini

1 Tbsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

¼ tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp cinnamon

½ cup nuts (optional)

½ pkg. chocolate chips (optional)

Bake at 325 for one hour. Makes two small loaves.

We have also been frying it up with salt, pepper, and cheese. I need to dust off some recipes from last year... I have a couple of great zucchini and tomato pie versions.

I would love to hear how any of you are eating up your zucchini!