Eat the Seasons - Nuke the Zuke

When you grow zucchini, even a single plant, you get inundated with the stuff. A great way to use the bounty is in zucchini bread.

Maybe you're like me, though, and absolutely hate to fire up the oven on hot summer days. One option is to grate zucchini and freeze it in bags to use later like, say, winter. (Pick portion sizes that match the quantities in your recipes.)

Or, you can keep your cool with baked goods by using your microwave. Truly!

I used my favorite zucchini bread recipe, which makes two loaves. I have silicone loaf pans (which are great for the microwave and my preference for this recipe), but I also tested this in a glass loaf pan. Silicone pans do not need to be greased; glass should either be lined with wax paper or greased and floured.

The method for micrwave quick breads is as follows: Do one loaf at a time. If using a glass loaf dish, place on inverted microwave-safe saucer or small plate. Cook at medium power (50 percent) for nine minutes, rotating pan a quarter turn every three minutes if you don't have a turntable. Then cook at full power for 7-10 minutes. Check for any "wet" spots in the center after 7 minutes, and cook in minute increments if needed. You don't want any unbaked batter in the center. Watch closely, as the loaf can go from done to overdone quickly. (The glass pan cooked faster.) Let stand 5-10 minutes, and remove from pan.

Despite cooking the two loaves separately, this still was faster than the hour they would have spent in the conventional oven -- and the hours it would take for my house to cool back down.

Combine:

3 eggs
1 cup total of oil and applesauce -- I like to use 1/2 cup of each
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Sift together:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon (yep, 1 whole Tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Add sifted dry ingredients to zucchini mixture and stir well.

If using microwave, follow directions above.

If using conventional oven, place in two greased and floured loaf pans, and bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

What's in season (from here until the end of summer!): zucchini

~ Jennifer

Pick your battles and your hens...

Last week a friend was visiting and while showing her kids our hens she asked, "How many eggs do you get - about 1 a week?" I was proud to say that my two hens, Cracker and Marshmallow, each lay an egg a day - though it's actually a pretty good question since egg production is different with every chicken. They are Delawares and like all chickens their potential for egg laying is directly linked to breed. In the past I've had several breeds ranging from Rhode Island Reds to Australorps to Bantam Brahmas and some would lay as often as twice a day and some only twice a week. I didn't mind some of my chickens laying less - I chose their breed because they were pretty. As you can see the Delaware isn't really flashy but it's a great producer of extra large brown eggs. Here's what mypetchicken.com had to say about them:

The Delaware is a relatively new breed of chicken, having only been developed in 1940. They're a cross between New Hampshire Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks with the goal of maintaining the prolific egg production of these two breeds but increased meat value. They're a lovely, calm white breed with black feathers around the neck and the tip of the tail, and with some black striations also working their way into the back.

I really love being able to go and research breeds at that site and potential egg production is only one reason to do that among many. You may want to know if a breed is comfortable with confinement or hardy in the winter or if it lays colorful eggs. Or you may just want to browse around and see the different beautiful breeds out there. Either way, it is helpful to do your research before you get your chickens, especially if you are hoping to get a certain amount of eggs per week or if you hope to breed your birds(some breeds make better mothers). At their site they have a "breed recommender tool" where you can enter in certain criteria to give you some suggestions on breeds. And while I won't be able to add any birds to my flock this year, I can't help but dream of some I might get after we move next year.

~Megan

Seed Savings

Here at Backyard Farming we talk all the time about starting from seeds for our vegetable gardens so we can be able to grow more diverse varieties such as heirlooms that you can't find as transplants at the local store. This summer I also decided to start some flowers from seed. My original purpose in doing this was to give my kids the opportunity to grow something themselves but it didn't take long to realize that by starting from seed I was saving a lot of money.

In the past when I had the itch to add some color to my garden I'd go to the local nursery and spend $30-$50 only to come home and realize that the amount of plants I had purchased would only cover a small part of my yard. This year I bought three seed packets and one seed starting tray which totaled at about $10. After giving away about half of my flowers to friends I was left with about 40 flower plants for my own garden. I added up how much buying those plants at the store would cost me and realized I was quickly going over an amount I'd ever spend - upwards of $120 dollars. So this year I have been able to cover a large amount of my yard with beautiful color for a fraction of the cost. And both my children and I have the satisfaction of knowing that we nurtured these flowers from seeds that were as small as the tip of a ball point pen. Next year I am going to triple my seed starting for flowers to have an explosion of colors and scents to enjoy all season long!

Hello From Kazakhstan

I am here working with agricultural advisors who help farmers increase their production. Here are a few pictures.

At a huge market, a vendor asks my partner to try the dried apricots to go with the almonds he just purchased. There is literally hundreds of displays of every kind of produce in this market. In the meat section, I saw hanging carcasses of many species of animals include horses that the butchers were cutting up. The skinned heads of the animals (including horses) were displayed for purchase as people eat various parts of the heads too.

At a celebration banquet, as the honored guest, I received the lambs head and got to be the first one to take a bite out it. They carved of a ring of gristle from the ear and I stuck it in my mouth. I gagged a bit and put it in my cheek for storage until I could discreetly remove it later. I knew that if I tried to chew and swallow it, the OUTCOME might be quite embarrassing. Below the lambs head you can see horse meat – yum, yum (It doesn’t taste like chicken).

At a sheep ranch out on the desert. I was lucky that I was wearing my riding boots.

~Dale

The Great Pumpkin

I, like Linus from The Peanuts, would be willing to sit in the pumpkin patch waiting for The Great Pumpkin to arrive for a very long time. That is because I love pumpkins. I love their colors, their taste, their shapes. Maybe it's because they remind me of my favorite season - autumn. And this year we are growing our own pumpkins and I couldn't be more excited. Here are our first two pumpkin babies. Yesterday they were the size of a lemon - today an apple - what growers!

My pumpkins want to spread out and cover a large area but because I am square foot gardening they are growing up. Everyone that sees them asks, a little perplexed, "Will they be able to hang on when they get bigger?" And even though this is my first time I'm pretty sure they will. At least that's what Mel Bartholomew has promised! And I promise to keep you updated!

Here are some fun facts about the pumpkin:

The pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire.

Pumpkins that are still small and green may be eaten in the same way as squash or zucchini!

Pumpkins originated in North America. The oldest evidence of pumpkin-related seeds dating between 7000 and 5500 B.C., were found in Mexico.

In September 2007, Joe Jutras (of Rhode Island) obtained the title of world’s largest pumpkin with a cream-colored, 1,689-pound (766.12-kilogram) fruit. He is currently said to be working on producing a giant orange pumpkin, as orange pumpkins tend to be smaller and have thinner shells but are more desirable in appearance.

100 Degrees of Peas

I want to share with you a success story from my garden. It has been in the 90s all week here, even reaching 100 degrees, yet my pea plants are still producing. I saw more blossoms when I harvested today -- amazing! The seed variety is Lincoln.

You really should look for it.

The heat of summer, after all, is a great time to buy seeds. What's that you say -- you've already planted everything? So you're telling me that your mind is too occupied with weeding, watering and harvesting to possible think of any more seeds?

Well, take a welcome break from your chores and head to the store or pore over a catalog. Since there isn't the same demand for seeds right now as during the early springtime boom, stores may be looking to unload their stock for less.

It's standard for seed packets to be marked with the year they were processed. This does not mean you have to use them that year! Seeds can last for several seasons when stored in a cool, dry place (like the refrigerator). Maybe during the spring you passed up on purchasing a certain seed variety because you realized you'd already missed the planting timeframe. Obtaining discounted off-season seeds now and storing them carefully is a cost-effective way to get a jump on future plantings.

Plus, now is the time to plan for fall crops. Veggies that like the coolness of spring can be planted in late summer to mature when temperatures drop in the fall. I'll plant my peas again in November.

In the meantime you know I'll be checking out every seed rack I see. Help me form an educated shopping list by sharing what seed varieties have been a perfect match to conditions in your own gardens.

~Jennifer

Eat the Seasons - Rhubarb Crisp

If you have yet to try rhubarb - why not do it this year? It's a real treat!

Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients*

Serves 12

• 2 pounds rhubarb, sliced crosswise 3/4 inch thick
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine the rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup flour; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine remaining 1/2 cup flour and the butter. Pulse until the butter pieces are pea-size. Add brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon. Pulse to combine. Sprinkle over rhubarb.
3. Bake until rhubarb is tender and topping is golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

* recipe taken from marthastewart.com