Baked Cucumbers ~ Concombres Au Beurre

I borrowed a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and

Porch View

Just one view from sitting on the front porch. The gladiolas are blooming now.

Growing a garden really does save you money on groceries ~ A $.99 meal for a family of 8

I've had so many people as me "does it really save you money?" when they ask about my gardens.  Or "is it really worth the trouble?  Actually, it is a lot of work.  Take yesterday's dinner for example.  I pulled potatoes and picked green beans for the cheapest dinner I have made so far.  I scrubbed and diced and cleaned and boiled them together.  This does take more time but they are fresh and healthy, and I didn't have to buy them in the store this summer at all.  I bought one package of turkey bacon (that I bought ahead of time and was in my freezer).  I paid $.99 for it.  At times I buy up on items such as these when they are 10 for $10.00 sales.  Anyway, I picked enough potatoes and green beans for a meal for 8.  After the potatoes and beans were done cooking, I drained and tossed in crumbled, cooked, bacon.  Gave it a toss and watched everyone devour it.  Yes, growing a garden, not only saves a lot of money, but is so much healthier if you don't use chemicals on your garden.   Growing a garden is tedious, but the rewards are well worth it!

I even used zucchini to make these delicious loaves of homemade bread!  The family devoured that too!  I used applesauce instead of oil.  The plan for us is to grow apple trees and make our own applesauce.  I also used whole wheat flour from a working flour mill (preservative free).  

 

Monday ~ Fun day

The butterflies love our flowers.  And so do the bees.  I was able to get a photo of one of them.  Yesterday I saw one with blue and black on the backside of the wings, and when they were closed up, they outside (underside) of the wings were orange and black. 

I've already weeded the flower beds and have picked more cucumbers.  I read that if you pick them in the early morning hours, they have a better flavor.  After weeding, and while laundry is washing, I came inside and scrambled some farm fresh eggs with snipped chives.

Speaking of food, I made the most delicious yellow squash recipe I found on the Internet - Yellow Squash Patties.  The only thing I would change, is maybe use sharp cheddar cheese for more flavor, and maybe Parmesan cheese.  The kids loved them and hubby stole the leftovers and took them to work for his lunch.  I am sure I'll have more squash today.

We did top our patties with a thin layer of sour cream.  I used olive oil and I used cornmeal that we bought at a working flour mill (no preservatives).  I also have whole wheat flour from the mill too.  Very delicious. If you are looking for new recipes, and recipes that use a lot of yellow squash, this one is one to try.

Garden Bounty Blessings

This is a homemade Kohlrabi and Squash Frittata I made for brunch (my own recipe). I used everything from the garden and our farm fresh eggs.

I picked a bunch of green beans and made a homemade summer vegetable spaghetti sauce to pour over organic whole wheat noodles. The recipe is in the Cardiac Recovery Cookbook.  The recipe I linked it too is the exact same recipe I have, but on another Web site.

For a side, I pulled beets and roasted them with onions, olive oil, dried thyme and fresh sprigs of rosemary (from the herb garden of course). Sprinkled with sea salt.  YUM! I absolutely love these.

When the kids are away, Mom gets to play...

Being home alone all day has been quite fun!  We live in the country and I actually got out my bike today.  I pumped up the tires and visited a town nearby to look over some garage sales.  I had nothing in mind but jars for canning.

To my excitement, I found an antique 2 qt. jar with metal clasp for $4.00 (perfect for refrigerator pickles) and 2 limited edition peanut cans for $.25 each.  When I got home I made myself a new homemade pin cushion with one of them.

The breeze is blowing in through the windows wonderfully today, so I'm taking an iced tea and going to do some reading.  I'm on vacation today, so no more housework.

Refrigerator Pickles

Refrigerator Pickles

These pickles were crunchy and delicious!  This recipe is a keeper!