Friday Favorites, Episode 03

- Rapunzel cherry tomato -
So sweet and flavorful! And their growth habit is simply beautiful.

- freshly weeded and dug dirt -

- "Brave By Faith" free audio book by Alistair Begg -

Garlic Bulbs

It is once again time to sort through my photos and share a few treasures. Including these garlic bulbs grown by Dad that happened to be one clove each.

Impressive!

Frost on Asparagus and Espalier

Pickles

A week or two ago I pulled out Mom's yellowed with age refrigerator pickle recipe with grand plans of converting it into a sugar free treat for the coming months using our overabundant cucumber crop. Alas, my energy levels deserted me, and the recipe was set aside in the corner of the kitchen where way too many recipe cards accumulate. The next day after Mom had thoroughly leafed through her recipe box, I noticed her pouring over bread and butter pickle recipes in a few faithful recipe books. Sheepishly I took the "missing" recipe card from its hiding place and handed it over. Since that day, three giant batches of pickles have been made. We will be happily crunching our way through the winter.

[A Tiny Fraction of] Today's Harvest

 

Prolific Zucchini

Zucchini harvest has begun, generating the reopening of the zucchini chip factory. Eight and a half trays on the dehydrator at present.

Garden at Twilight

Our day has been filled with much picnic food preparation, dishes washing, sauna sessions, berry harvest (our neighbor got most of it, so we were spared much processing), plant watering, and general household and personal maintainance. To end a good if not well day, I soaked up the glow of Mom's perennial garden at twilight with a cup of tea. Before the mosquitoes descended.

Potato Farmer

 

I've been rather silent here the last while due to a busy schedule (busy for the chronically ill, at least) and a crumbling body. This too shall pass. In the meantime I will thank God for His many gifts, including our industrious and miniature potato farmer. This photo was taken after Joseph "helped" Mom de-sprout a box of potatoes for him to bring home. He also got to go home with his own personal pail. And so the potato farming continues. The latest photo from his mom was of potatoes in a laundry basket.

Roasted Squash Seeds

I think I received a bit of Grandma R's Depression Era thrift. While I don't keep a roll of used cling wrap handy, I do like milking our vitamin rich produce for all it's worth. Scrubbing vegetables rather than peeling, saving a particularly nice cabbage core for Mom to put in her chicken stock, and freezing shredded zucchini to be slowly caramelized on the stove top with a dash of salt and garlic powder for a winter vegetable are a few of my versions of thrift mixed with nutrition. My use of squash has all other forms of thrift beat, though. While we used to keep only the sweet and vibrant squash flesh, roasted, in our freezer, I have now added squash skins and seeds. 

The skins get frozen after roasting wedges of squash until perfectly tender. Scoop out the delicious flesh to eat right away or freeze, remove areas of scabs and scars from the squash, and enjoy as a lower carb version of squash. I especially like this for noon or breakfast, when my body prefers fewer carbs but my palate wants the comfort of squash.

Note No.1: Butternut squash has a hard, waxy skin and is not at all nice for eating. Buttercup, hubbard, kabocha and many others are the way to go.

Note No. 2: My family thinks I'm a bit strange to eat squash skins. I won't judge you if you think the same.

Now for squash seeds. I follow basic principles as for roasting pumpkin seeds. 

Pick out seeds by hand from center of cut open squash. This is a less messy if done before scooping out the waste rather than picking through the waste to find the seeds. 

Place seeds in a bowl, cover in water, and squeeze through fingers to help release stringy flesh. Look out the window while you do this to pass the time enjoying your surroundings.

Drain and rinse in a colander.

Repeat the last two steps two or so more times until slime is mostly removed from seeds.

Optional: Place on a clean towel to dry overnight, or proceed to the next step. (See Note No. 3 below)

Place on backing pan, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You may add any spice at this point as well: cinnamon, chili, paprika, etc.

Stir, then spread evenly in one layer over pan.

Roast at 300° F for 25-35 minutes, or until lightly golden and nutty in flavor.

Cool, then pack away for later snacking.

Note No 1: Eat husk and all. The flavor is much like popcorn.

Note No. 2: I freeze these in jars for winter snacking to avoid any mold growth from residual moisture. 

Note No. 3: Each squash and pumpkin has a unique seed with various textures and flavors. The hubbard squash seeds shown above are our largest and least tender. I find they are more tender if not air dried before roasting. If you are entering into squash seed snacks with trepidation, stick with the smaller, less husky seeds.

Beautiful Queen Elizabeth

The last roses of summer (autumn, really) are unique from summer blossoms in their shape and color. I am no botanist, but my assumption is that cooler days and less sun play a role in this blossom change. What a beauty each individual garden rose is, no matter the season.

Pre-Frost Bouquets

 

Queen Elizabeth Rose

Today I...

...gave a blood donation or two (to mosquitoes, that is) while snapping pictures for winter painting reference.

I also had a providential call from my doctor to say all was well on my recent labs. This isn't always her custom, so I knew it to be God's answer to my desperate pleas for some sort of help for this body that has me writhing inside (and outside, too, if I didn't practice self control). I now have a few more ideas of what may help. There is no overnight fix, but I can begin today to work towards a day I can say I am more than surviving.

I would love to hear how you are doing! Comment below if you feel like sharing.

Late May in Mom's Garden

New Proverb

There ought to be a proverb about a tulip planted in autumn bringing joy in the spring.

Sunday Inspection

True Hope

Hope is not wishful thinking or a feeling. True hope is purposeful, joyful, patient, expectant waiting for our faithful Father to fulfill His better than can be imagined promises.

References: Romans 12:12, Romans 8:18-25, I Thessalonians 5:24, Ephesians 3:20, and a vast number of promises from Genesis through Revelation 

Pictured: Bergenia on a rainy day

Ginger

More Little Growing Things

Sedum

Bleeding Heart

Tulip

Little Growing Things

A few favorite shots from a visit to Maren and Jason's greenhouse in their days of preparing the plants for the coming selling season. 

Nephew time happened on the same excursion.