Gardening Tips-bugs and deadheading flowers

After dealing with the pests in my garden I have noticed small holes in many of my plants and a little black bug.  When I went in my garage looking for a insect control that I had used years before, my son commented, "does this mean our veggies are not organic?"

Feeling the guilt I researched some ways to keep my veggies organic but outside of physically killing each cucumber beetle as you see them, you will have bugs.  

I found Ortho's EcoSense  Insecticidal soap.  It can be sprayed on the bugs instantly and kills them.  Due to the amount of rain we have had I feel I spray it and then it is gone the next day.  I have used up the bottle and went to Walmart to repurchase and they were completely out.

There are plenty of websites that suggest companion planting of veggies and herbs especially.  I have planted marigolds to attract the "good insects " and steer away the bad but I think nature will do it's thing and there really is nothing I can do.  I do wish I could get a hold of a bottle of that insecticidal soap again.

Here is a link to a website that states the companion planting that might help with insect control, organically.  It is quite a science and will need careful planning. 

I think you just have to have the mind set that you win some and you lose some!!

 Maybe I can get it right for my fall garden!!! I know it is hard to believe but we need to start thinking about our fall crop.

Dead Head  your perennials and annual flowers now so you can get a great showing well into September in many areas.  If your flowers are allowed to seed they will stop wanting to produce new flowers.  Zinnias especially will produce more and more flowers if you cut them.  Why not bring a few inside your home, in a few days you will have more to enjoy.

If your plants are getting too leggy, many will not mind being cut back, watered and fertilized for a fresh start.

Blueberries

I started  composing a post about freezing blueberries and as I was double checking whether or not to wash the blueberries b/f freezing I found a great site that already has it photographed for you.  Visit Pickyourown.org for picking locations of all the fruits and veggies in your area, as well as some great recipe ideas.  You can also refer to  my previous post on strawberries.

Blueberries are in season in VA, although Swift Creek Berry farm has a low supply, you can still find great deals at the grocery store or farmers market.  Blueberries are so versatile and can be used in so many recipes.  One year we made Frozen Blueberry Margaritas from Southern Living, biggest complaint was the seeds but a unique twist.

Yield

Makes about 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• Fresh orange juice or lime juice (optional)
• Blue or purple decorator sugar crystals (optional)
• 3  cups  ice
• 1/3  cup  tequila
• 2  cups  fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1  (6-ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
• 1/4  cup  powdered sugar
• 1/4  cup  orange liqueur

Preparation

Dip rims of margarita glasses in orange juice, and dip in sugar crystals to coat, if desired.

Process ice and next 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve in prepared glasses.

Would love to hear some of your favorite blueberry recipes that may not be so common.

 

Peach Blueberry Crumbles-BB

I recently joined a blogging group who make Barefoot Contessa recipes 2x a month and people comment about them. It is called Barefoot Bloggers. I am truly a fan of Barefoot Contessa and DVR all her shows so thought I would give it a try for a while. Ina Garten uses very simple and easy to find ingredients and makes elegant but easy foods.  She makes entertaining look so easy.  If you have ever really used her cookbooks you will find you can do most of the things ahead of time to an extent so you can really enjoy your guests.

If anything it forces me to cook something different a few times a month from someone I like.

This recipe was very welcoming as well with the fresh produce that is currently available.

The hardest part of this recipe was peeling the peaches...which is more of a process than difficult.  I thought I would document this not something I do very often.  This is also the process for peeling tomatoes.

Pick peaches that are ripe but not too mushy, they will not stand for the hot water.

First I mark an X on top of the peach with a pairing knife.   This peach has already been boiled

Then place in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds.  A few of my peaches were not ripe enough so at that time, they peel would not budge.  I left some in for almost 2 minutes.  Did not seem to affect the texture.  Immediately place in ice water to stop the cooking process.

 

I also made one big crisp instead of 6 tiny ones as per the recipe.  Just thought the kids would break the ramekins!  Everyone really enjoyed this one, and we did not even have Vanilla Ice Cream.  My husband served chocolate chocolate chip to the kids but I could not get myself to ruin it.  It took only two nights to devour and we did not even heat it up the second night.  YUMMY.

Barefoot Contessa's Peach Blueberry Crumble

For the fruit

• 2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble

 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily.  Place them immediately in cold water.  Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl.  Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour.  Toss well.  Gently mix in the blueberries.  Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.  Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.
3. For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit.  Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles int he refrigerator and bake before dinner.  Serves 5 to 6.

Cucumbers

One of the most important things I have learned so far with this garden is to be sure and know what varieties I have planted.  More importantly the harvest information.  

I was thrilled to see my first baby cucumbers emerge on the vine. I remember the cucumbers from the picture of the seed packet, they looked pretty long.  Well I  harvested my first cucumber recently and I had waited and waited thinking it looked like those in the grocery store.  I cut into it and the seeds were really large and plentiful. 

I immediately went looking for the seed packet, that I fortunately keep in a plastic container in the green house, even if they are empty.  I reread the plant information and found that they should be harvested at 3 to 5 inches.  Well the ones since then have been amazing.  I could eat the whole thing right off the vine.  

We like to enjoy it along with some grape tomatoes that have been plentiful as well.  

Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat up these great summer vegetables.

 

For Marinade, combine in a covered container 1/4 cup vinegar-I use Rice vinegar-unseasoned.  1-2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 tsp celery seed(if you don't have it you can exclude it)

Simply cut 1 or 2 cucumbers-depends on size in half.  Then slice thinly.  Add 1/4 of an onion thinly sliced, I had red today but any kind will do.  Toss veggies in marinade and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 2 hrs or up to 5 days.  Stirring occasionally.  

You often run out of vegetables b/f the marinade so I simply add more veggies as I harvest them.

Tomato cucumber salad

 

Simply slice up a cucumber and some red onion.  Place in a bowl.  Add  1 cup of cherry tomatoes-slice in half if large.  Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of your favorite vinaigrette.  My go to that always tastes homemade is Good Seasons Italian packs that you mix yourself.  I use balsamic Vinegar the give the extra flavor.  Add 3 or 4 basil leaves that you have sliced. 

Allow the veggies to marinate for a few minutes on the counter and enjoy.  This does not do well as left overs unless you take out the tomatoes.

Zucchini from Mars part 2

After making 4 loaves of zucchini bread, I did not feel motivated to search for a new recipe.  So what does one do with 2 1/2 lbs of zucchini that you really cant just give away?  Not only that but I have not seen a new zucchini bud on my plant.  This 5 pounder has really sucked out the energy.

I decided to shred it in the food processor and freeze it.  Simply shred and place measured amounts- most recipes call for 2 cups packed zucchini, and place in a Ziploc bag and freeze.  Don't forget to label the date and amount inside the bag.  What a great way to take advantage of the great prices and freshness of homegrown or farmers market produce.

I originally had 4 cups in my bag, but then found a recipe that was given rave reviews on allrecipes.com.    The recipe called for 2 cups so I am just freezing the remaining 2.

When I had the time to make the zucchini bread it was nearly 9pm and I did not want to wait up for them to bake and cool.  So I decided to try to make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight.

Well, what a treat to wake up in the morning and all I had to do was preheat the oven and put the batter into muffin tins.  Decided to switch it up a little, plus it takes less time.  About 20 minutes in the Convection oven.  

Also was able to experiment with adding blueberries to some of the muffins and leaving them out for my picky eater!

I was pretty thrilled with my discovery and warm muffins for breakfast!!

Mom's Zucchini Bread-from Allrecipes.com with some healthy adjustments

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts-optional
• 
  
• Optional Crumb topping
• (1/2 c. regular oats, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. flour, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 c. butter.)  using a fork mix up the topping until pea size and spread onto muffins or bread
  

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DIRECTIONS

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Zucchini from Mars

After being gone for 10 days I have proof that people are honest in this world.  I came home to a 5 lb zucchini this weekend.  Which says 1 of 2 things, people are not out to get the fruits of my labor or the folks I offered harvesting rights to, just did not know when it would be ready to be harvested!  

  Unfortunately, at this size you can not just cut it up and make salads or even just saute it with some olive oil.  

The seeds are way to big and it would not taste as good as the smaller tender variety.  My zucchini has also been very light in color and I am not sure if it is due to the lack of sunlight or just the variety.  (the picture on the seed packet shows dark green)

The best solution to use up this mass amount on produce was to shred it up and make zucchini breads, 4 loaves and I still have another half to use!

When shredding this amount of zucchini, 4 cups in total, I chose to use the shredder disc on my Cuisinart.  I was also afraid of the stiff skin would be trouble getting through a traditional grater.

Once you cut your giant in half, I recommend taking all the seeds out using a spoon or melon baller.  These seeds were the size of pumpkin seeds.

Also when doubling a recipe I always try to get an even amount into each loaf pan. In this case I had enough batter for 4 loaves.

 This time I actually measured and hopefully this will help you as well.

2 1/4 cups of batter per 8  x 4 pan

1 cup of batter per each 5 x3 pan (3 pans equal 1 large loaf)

Here is my recipe for Chocolate, chocolate chip Zucchini Bread.  Always a hit.

I would love any other zucchini recipes for the 2 1/2 pounds I have left!

Yields 2 8x4 loaves

 

1 ¼  cups all purpose flour

1 ¼  cups whole wheat flour (You can also use all purpose flour)

½  cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp each baking soda and cinnamon

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

3 whole eggs

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3  cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups packed, grated zucchini

½ cup chocolate chips-mini or regular size

 

Preheat oven to 350’ Spray two 8x4 inch loaf pans with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, applesauce, vegetable oil and vanilla.  Stir in  Zucchini.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips.  If making double recipe use a mixer)

Spread batter evenly in prepared pans.  Bake for 50 minutes (25 minutes for smaller loaves) or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes in pans and let cool on a wire rack before serving.