Gardening

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Jo-Ann Roberts

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I descend from a family of excellent Italian cooks and bakers, and in the case of my grandparents, specifically my maternal grandfather, Luigi D’Ambrosi, prolific gardeners.

After he married my grandmother, Olivetta, a widow with four children, they set up housekeeping on Willow Street in Rensselaer, NY, just over the Hudson River from Albany. To pay the bills for their growing family (they added five more children!), he took a job at Huyuck Paper Mill. But his true passion was his garden.

The four-bedroom house was nestled into the side of a hill. It was on that hill where my grandfather worked his magic. In those dozens or more raised beds, he grew tomatoes, peppers, Italian pole beans (planted from seeds he carried from Italy), lettuce, and zucchini. Sprawling vines of watermelons, cucumbers, and cantalopes spilled down the other side of the hill, past rows of corn.

But further up on that hill, wild blueberries grew on low bushes…bushes just right for his grandchildren to pick a bucket or two for supper or for baking a Blueberry Tea Cake.

I remember this cake having blueberries bursting in every bite. But for me, the crumb topping just added that sweetness that every kid enjoyed licking off their fingers.

Since those carefree summer days, four generations of our family have enjoyed baking and eating this cake.  And the best part is that anyone can pretty much whip up this cake on a moment’s notice, as all of the ingredients (besides the berries) are pantry staples and it takes so little time to assemble. Buon Apetito!

 

Blueberry Tea Cake

Yields 9-12 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 3/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the crumb topping:

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8×8 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
  2. To make the crumb topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. Add the cold butter and toss to coat, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Beat in egg and milk until well combined.
  7. Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture at low speed, beating just until incorporated.
  8. Gently fold in the blueberries.
  9. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
  10. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter.
  11. Place into oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown.
  12. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

 

Harvest Time Means Canning Time! By Pam Crooks

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I would never say I have a green thumb, but boy, my garden was prolific this year. I had more tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, snap peas, jalapeno peppers, and onions than we could eat. And then we picked apples from a nearby orchard. I had drawn the line at growing zucchini again, and my daughters were more than happy to give me some of theirs. I still had green peppers in the freezer from last year. Even with these adjustments, I had more produce than I could handle.

It’s a good thing I love canning.

While I never tried my hand at pressure canning (necessary for low acid foods like meats, seafood, soups and stews, and some vegetables and fruits), I’ve been water bath canning since a young bride. When the babies started coming, I stepped back from it, but then the urge to garden returned, especially when we retired. I love that two of my daughters have followed in my footsteps on a much smaller scale, and for the two that don’t can, I’m very happy to share my jarred bounty.  (Here are pics of most of what I’ve canned since I’d already given some away.)

 

With the passing of my mother, and later my aunt, I inherited lots of jars. I discovered the economy of ordering flats in bulk on ebay during Covid. I’ve canned for so long, I have my system down pat.

Up until the mid-1800’s, folks didn’t understand how poorly canned food and improperly sealed jars increased the chances of botulism, e-coli, and listeria. In 1858, John Landis Mason invented a resealable glass jar, modifying his design and the accompanying lids numerous times until his patent expired in 1879. Other manufacturers helped themselves to his work, and sadly, he never profited from his beloved Mason jars. He was forced into living a frugal life until his death in 1902.

In 1884, the Ball brothers, five in all, took up the glass jar manufacturing sensation, ultimately producing 245,000 jars per day in the early 1900s. Today, Ball is credited with producing 545,000 jars a day. That’s a lot of jars!

Canning jars have evolved from wire bailers and glass dome lids used with re-usable rubber rings to the flats and rings we’re familiar with today.

Canning jars are used many more ways than just preserving food. Drinking glasses, crafts, wedding table decorations, pack-n-go containers (like salads), and gifts–remember those cake and cookie ingredients in a jar? Soups and cocoa, too? Fun!–the possibilities are endless.

If you’re drowning in zucchini, here’s a jam recipe that calls for 6 CUPS. Since most recipes call for one or two cups, maybe three, but never six, this recipe caught my eye. It’s good! Even better, it’s easy.

 

Pina Colada Jam

6 cups sugar
6 cups shredded peeled zucchini
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/4 cup lime juice
2 – 3 oz pkgs pineapple Jello
1 tsp rum extract

  1. Combine sugar, zucchini, pineapple, and lime juice in Dutch oven. Bring to a boil.
  2. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
  3. Remove from heat. Stir in Jello and extract until gelatin is dissolved.
  4. Pour into jars or freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
  5. Cool completely before covering with lids. Refrigerate for up to three weeks or freeze up to one year.

Note: I did water bath these. The jam will be a bit runny but will thicken when it’s refrigerated. And yes, there’s specks of zucchini peel because my husband was grating too fast for me to hurry up and peel. Ha!

It doesn’t taste like the cocktail (there’s no alcohol in it) but it’s still good. Try with coconut shrimp or even as a cake filling. Delicious on toast!

Have you canned food before? Do you love to garden? What’s your favorite canned food?

Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Cathy McDavid

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My daughter recently sent me a picture of her in her garden. She’s very excited about the zucchini which are nearly ready to be picked and asked me what she can do with such a bountiful harvest. I told her to make zucchini bread (which can be frozen). As she loves to bake, this sounded like a great suggestion to her.

Just for fun, here’s a simple recipe. Here’s a helpful hint: shred the zucchini ahead of time and squeeze out the extra moisture with paper towels.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons apple juice, orange juice, milk, water, or the liquid of your choice
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, optional
  • 1-3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2 cups grated or shredded zucchini, medium packed
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 3/4 cup golden raisins or currants
  • Optional 2 tablespoons light brown sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the brown sugar, liquid of choice, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
  3. Whisk the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the flour, then add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients in the bowl, stirring or beating gently until smooth.
  4. Stir in the zucchini, walnuts, and raisins or currants.
  5. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it if necessary. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
  6. Bake the bread for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top (just under the crust) may seem a bit sticky; but so long as the toothpick doesn’t reveal wet batter, it’s done.
  7. Remove the bread from the oven and cool it in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely. For best results, don’t slice until it’s cool.
  8. Store the bread at cool room temperature, well wrapped, for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Well, now I’m going to have to go out and buy some zucchini and make bread, which I love. Or book a ticket to visit my daughter. Maybe I can do both! Hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy!

 

 

 

Gardening, Canning, and Country Pursuits

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Dirt soil, gardening tools, text, "Gardening, Canning, and Country Pursuits. Petticoats & Pistols"

It’s that time of year–time to watch things grow! Winters linger where I live. I wait until the end of May or early June to plant flowers, and I’ve been planting herbs in pots on our deck for several years, too.

 

Pink and white petunias in planter outside
Our petunias and one little basil plant popping up in the pot next to it!

 

We used to have a garden. I’m lazy about keeping up with it after the first month, so we decided to let it go. Since we’re blessed with numerous local farmstands and U-pick farms nearby, I don’t miss my garden much. When I do, I browse online sites like Fine Gardening and soak in the pretty flowers of A Wyoming Garden to get my fix!

Next week I plan on spending a few hours in the strawberry patch a few miles away. My goal? Bring home a flat of bright red berries. I make lower-sugar freezer jam each year with pectin specifically made for low or no-sugar recipes. You can find the Sure-Jell brand at Walmart or other grocery stores. I also make blueberry jam. It’s delicious!

Last year I bought a few dozen ears of corn. Blanching them didn’t take long. Quart-sized freezer bags stack nicely in our chest freezer. I wished I’d frozen more. This year I will.

Canning or freezing produce doesn’t require a huge time commitment if I focus on one thing at a time. And it certainly makes my family happy in November when we’re still enjoying peak flavor from the food I’ve preserved.

Other country pursuits I enjoy (even though I’m in the suburbs!) during the summer:

  • Filling a glass pitcher with water and letting tea bags steep in it all day on my deck for sun tea
  • The farmers market! Local honey has so much flavor.
  • Sitting out back, watching the birds fly from tree to tree and the clouds drift through the sky
  • Baking summer treats, like peach cobbler or blueberry breakfast cake (recipe is linked)
  • Walking around ponds at rural parks
  • Reading a book on our back deck

I could go on and on. Each season brings its own joys!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on gardening, canning, and other country pursuits. What do you enjoy about the summer?