I think that the number one thing I was excited about when buying a house was having a garden. Being able to plant and nurture them, them eat the goodness. Unlike my son, who I planted and nurture, but as of yet have not eaten.The garden has been great. I have had a glorious summer of planting and growing and eating.
Things I have planted:
Tomatoes-3 types Early girl, cherry and Big balls beefeater.
Cucumber
Zucchini
Muskmelon
Basil- Thai and Lemon
Habenero peppers
Potatoes
I had visions of garden splendor all winter long. I read endless magazines and books. Burpee was my long lost best friend and the library card my new lover. I decided that I would have a lasagna garden, various layers of organic material in differing stages of decay, told to be the hottest in gardening. I planned and replanned what I would plant, where and when I would plant it, and how it would all taste when I was done.
In my mind I would have modest amounts of each item, enough to can and store to have all winter. I would have beautiful melons (other than the ones I already have) that I would bring to parties as gifts. Bushels of potatoes, ready to be mashed. Oh the harvest! Reality is quite different.
I did not fully, I think, understand the Zucchini.
Four plants and 93 pound of Zucchini later I think understanding is creeping up. People are beginning to run screaming when they see me coming with a bag of mutant Zucs. Many were small and delicious, tender and sweet. More were ginormous, lacking only batteries to be statisfying. I have made more Zucchini bread than can be imagined.
Jessamy's tried and true Zucchini bread.
3 cups grated Zucchini
2 cups Brown sugar
3 Eggs
1 cup Veg. oil
3 tbl. Molasses
3 cups Whole Wheat flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp each Cinnimon, Nutmeg, Ginger
2 tsp Vanilla
Bake 350 degrees
loaf or bundt 1 hour
muffins 25 min
Most of my Garden is exactly what I had hoped for; fantastic tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and peppers. I highly recommend the Big Balls beefeater, excellent flavor. The melons and the potatoes, however, were a bit disappointing. I got 15 potatoes no bigger than a super ball and so far all of my melons have fallen off before ripening. Ah well. Still a resounding success.
We also have a unexpected pear tree in the backyard. Ate one today, delicious. Many have fallen in the yard and are fermenting. I could do with fewer bees. If anyone knows what to do with a bounty of pears or Zucchini, let me know.
1 comment:
Peel pear halves (or I tried unpeeled once and it seemed to work fine) scoop out a cavity in center of each one. Fill each with a dollop of cream cheese and then a dollop of butter and brown sugar mixed, sprinkling any excess over tops in general and fine if any amount goes in bottom; a goodly amount is better than scant. You can cream the cream cheese with a little milk or cream or sour cream or whatnot, or not.
Bake not too high, say 325, until butter/brown sugar melted and carmel-y and tops of pears are just a tad brown. Can be served with whipped cream if you want to get carried away, or with a droozled chocolate genoche. Or both.
Works with peaches and apples too and probably others but I haven't tried them.
I once added a little flour and Quick Oats to half the butter/brown sugar and crumbled it around but mostly in the bottom and it was sort of Apple Pan Dowdy-ish.
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