Rainy Afternoon in the Kitchen on Our Tiny Farm

This time of year it can be difficult to find time to spend in the kitchen, but it is a rainy afternoon and I am working on on the computer trying to sell my book (spent too much time on that baby not to make at least a little money from it!), so it is a good time to make some Our Tiny Farm staples. First I got a batch of yogurt fermenting. My dear daughter eats my fresh yogurt every day. This evening I'll start a batch of Greek yogurt, too.

Commercial gluten-free bread is just too expensive to always have on hand, so I started a loaf of mine own using Pamela's Baking mix that I buy in bulk. Looking forward to smelling it baking.

We dug some potatoes the other day, so for dinner I'm planning to make a Spanish Tortilla with them and some fresh green onions. Last night hubby made a wonderful stew using our own pasture raised beef and potatoes. It was heavenly. Few things better than cooking wholesome food for your family using fresh ingredients that you raised yourself. We are so blessed.

 

And this is what that Spanish Tortilla looked like. It is potatoes, onions, and sweet banana peppers sauted in oil and cooked covered until the potatoes are tender. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Then topped with eight beaten eggs and cooked covered until the eggs are set. Served with sour cream and salsa.

The Garden is in Full Production Now!

We are now spending a great deal of time harvesting and processing vegetables from the garden. Right now the beans are going gang busters!  We have yellow and green snap beans and we couldn't ask for better looking crops.  So that is how we are spending our late Saturday afternoon; washing, tipping, blanching, and freezing beans.  We both get a great deal of satisfaction from filling our freezer full of the produce that we've grown.

The zucchini and yellow summer squash are also producing well.  We have them in at least one meal every day.  That's another thing I love about this time of year.  I like the challenge of trying to use as much of our produce as possible in all my cooking.  Summer squash is very versatile and can be incorporated into every meal. It is wonderful in pancakes or muffins for breakfast.  For lunch today, I sauteed yellow squash, zucchini, onion, garlic, and a few chopped yellow beans in olive oil.  Then I added the leftover spaghetti sauce and six little meatballs from dinner the other night.  That, a loaf of fresh, homemade bread, a little cottage cheese, and fresh blueberries made for a wonderful lunch. Tonight I'll make a salad with long, thin strips of the squash, chopped tomatoes, and toss it with a fresh basil, pine nut, and olive oil dressing.  With bison burgers (from local bison, of course) cooked on the grill and bulgur with chevre and cilantro, it will be a perfect holiday weekend dinner.  Summer eating is so great!

How to Cook with the Bounty You Bring Home from the Tailgate Market

This morning we visited the Mills River Tailgate Market again.  There weren't as many vendors there as last week, but we still had lots of good food to choose from and great people to talk to.  We bought a tomato and caramelized onion focaccia bread, rainbow radishes, and red leaf lettuce.  Then we went to the Hendersonville Tailgate Market on King Street and bought vegetable transplants for our garden and some shiitake mushrooms.

I was talking with a woman at the first tailgate market and she commented that she always bought so much at the market because it looked good, but then she didn't know what to do with it all when she got home.  She talked about pulling out cookbooks and watching cooking shows and all the special ingredients that she thought she needed.  I suggested that she keep it simple and just enjoy the tastes of fresh, wholesome food and gave her some ideas.

Thinking that maybe some other folks might also be struggling a bit with this question, I thought I would share what I made for dinner tonight with the bounty we brought home from the tailgate markets.  This meal took me about 35 minutes to leisurely prepare.

Menu:
Corn on the Cob
Shiitake Quesadillas
Salad
Tomato and Caramelized Onion Focaccio
Grapes

The corn on the cob was frozen from last year's garden. It was a bicolor corn, 'Ambrosia',  That is the best corn!  We froze it four ears to a bag.  Just bring a pot of water to boiling, add the frozen ears, and boil for 20 minutes.

For the quesadillas, I sliced the small container of shiitake mushrooms, a small onion, and two garlic cloves.  Sauteed them in olive oil and then added about 3/4 of a cup of frozen chopped banana peppers (also from last year's garden).  Seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Laid out four flour tortillas, sprinkled with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, spread the mushroom mix on top, folded in half, and cooked till golden brown on a lightly oiled griddle.  Cut each in half to serve.

The salad was fresh lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, a sprinkle of cheese, and croutons, lightly drizzled with a shiitake-sesame dressing (Maple Grove).