Monday, June 25, 2012

Gardens update 6/2012

I thought I would let everyone know that my gardens are doing well. I have been praying for more rain so that our rain barrels would fill up and we would not have to use our city water from the house. Everything seems to be either in bloom or going to be in bloom the next week or so. I should have some zucchini in the next week to harvest, the ground cherries are producing nicely, I have a few cherry size tomatoes ripening and the others are starting to put out flowers, the onions and leeks are growing nicely, the carrots are making sure there is no room for weed growth, and the beets have nice leaves, but no sign of large roots yet. The peas are now being dried for future seed and the garlic and shallots were harvested this past weekend.

Zucchini

Celery

Tomatoes, borage, corn, ... ...

Kale, nasturtiums, peppers, lettuce (going to seed)

Peas (going to seed), beets, green beans, carrots (going to seed)

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Have to share a recipe!

No one can touch my granola! It is the best ever! Here is the recipe (it changes every time I make it, but today's tops all others...) - I usually half or quarter this, but I know I have friends and family with lots of children that read this blog, so here we go.

8 c rolled oats
1 1/2 c raw wheat germ
1 1/2 c raw oat bran
1 c shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c organic brown sugar
1/4 c maple syrup (from Monroe Orchard - local)
3/4 c honey (from Ebeehoney.com - local)
1 c coconut oil (from TropicalTraditions.com)
1 1/2 tbs cinnamon
1 1/2 tbs pure vanilla extract (I make mine from Madagascar beans)
1 c raw sunflower seeds
1 c raw pumpkin seeds
1 c sultan raisins
1 c Thompson's raisins
1/2 c raw almonds
Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or silpats.
In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, oat bran, and coconut and stir to combine.
In a small pan combine salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat and continuously stir to dissolve everything.
Pour over the contents of large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Spread mixture evenly on baking sheets.
Bake until crispy and toasted, stirring once half way through, for approximately 20 minutes.
Cool, then break apart and stir in raw seeds and raisins.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

If you wanted to make this chocolate granola, add 2 more tbs of maple syrup and 3 tbs of cocoa powder. Add the cocoa in with the liquids to cook.

You can substitute any seed/ nut/ raisin for any other seed/ nut/ dried fruit you prefer. The original recipe actually calls for up to 3 c of seeds and/or nuts and 2 c of dried fruit. I have made it with cranberries and diced dried apples before also. Every time I seem to top my previous mixture.

I eat this as a snack and even as a yummy cereal. I usually only make this recipe for me (1/4 batch), then make a 1/2 batch of each plain (no seeds, nuts, or raisins) and plain chocolate for Eric and the kids.

We are blessed to live so close to a health food store that we can just walk a short distance and get most of these raw items.