Cooking a fresh pumpkin for baking - it's easy! We are getting into fall here in Upstate NY, and for many of us, that means pumpkins. No - not pumpkin lattes! Real pumpkins out in the garden. They'll keep for a while, but not forever. So, knowing how to cook a fresh pumpkin is a good skill to have in your repertoire! Better than canned from the store You can certainly use canned pumpkin from the store. But we like to be self-reliant. Often fresh pumpkins are on sale through September and ... Read More about How to Cook a Fresh Pumpkin
Vegetables
Beet and Horseradish Relish
Beet and Horseradish Relish is a fall treat Whether you have a garden of your own or not, this is the time of year for beets. Most Farmer's Markets will have a lot of them right now, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy them. Beet and Horseradish Relish is a perfect example. This relish is spicy, a little sweet and it hangs on to some nice crunch, even if you can it. The inspiration isn't new Though I learned a lot of canning from my grandma and my mom, this idea did not come from ... Read More about Beet and Horseradish Relish
Goat Cheese Spread with Tomatoes
Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic is great for parties! This recipe is a kind of a riff on a favorite recipe that my sister makes. Her very delicious version uses sun-dried tomatoes, but we have a ton of tomatoes this time of year and I mean to take full advantage of that bounty. Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic is the perfect way to do that. Why you will love this recipe This is the perfect way to bring a little more flavor to goat cheese. Goat ... Read More about Goat Cheese Spread with Tomatoes
Classic Potato Salad
Classic Potato Salad is everything you want Potato Salad is a favorite for several reasons. It's easy to make. It uses the best of summer potatoes. And it's so darned delicious! It's all about the potatoes There are a lot of opinions as to which potatoes make the best potato salad. As you can see from the photos I am sure, we prefer red skin potatoes. The fresher the better and that is easy this time of year. If you don't grow your own potatoes, they are abundant at Farmer's Markets and ... Read More about Classic Potato Salad
Southwest Creamed Corn
Southwest Creamed Corn - a savory treat There are few things better in the life of a gardener that the season's first ear of sweet corn. If you have a place nearby where you can get corn that has been picked the same day as you buy it, that is nearly as good. In either case, Southwest Creamed Corn can't be far behind for corn lovers. Creamed corn is not the same as 'cream-style' corn You can buy cans of 'cream-style' corn in any supermarket. But, if you look at the ingredients, there is ... Read More about Southwest Creamed Corn
Lemon Garlic Zucchini
Lemon Garlic Zucchini is a simple side dish We like simple meals in the summer. And with so many vegetables coming out of the garden, it's not hard to pull together a fast, easy supper. Lemon Garlic Zucchini is definitely a favorite. We are pretty big fans of zucchini, no matter how we get to cook it. There's Chai Zucchini Quick Bread, Zucchini Fritters and Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Zucchini - all good. But all taking considerably more effort than Lemon Garlic Zucchini. Busy days ... Read More about Lemon Garlic Zucchini
Chai Zucchini Quick Bread
Chai Zucchini Quick Bread is an unexpected treat If you live where it gets hot in the summertime, and if you have a veggie garden, you have zucchini. LOTS of zucchini. By August you might be wondering whatever possessed you to put in a half dozen zucchini plants back in May. What were you thinking? Maybe you were thinking about Chai Zucchini Quick Bread? Zucchini is a gift It really is - even if you have too many all at once. There are a lot of things you can do with zucchini to make ... Read More about Chai Zucchini Quick Bread
Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles - a reader favorite My Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles have long been a reader favorite. I realized recently that I have made a few tweaks here and there, so this is a bit of an updated version. Still just as good as ever, and maybe even better. [the original is in the notes, if that is the one you prefer] Why is this such a popular recipe? Beside the fact that they are delicious, I think it is because they are so incredibly easy to make. Just as is the ... Read More about Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
Chive Bacon Ranch Dressing
Summer salads need Chive Bacon Ranch Dressing This is the season of abundance if you're a gardener. Vegetables of all kinds are ready to harvest. For us, that means a lot of preserving - canning, freezing, dehydrating. It also means mean eating of course. Some of our favorite things to grow are perfect for salads. Salads need dressing, like this Chive Bacon Ranch dressing. I'm all about whipping up a quick vinaigrette a few times a week. Summer or winter, you can't go wrong with that. ... Read More about Chive Bacon Ranch Dressing
Jalapeno Lime Cucumber Salad
Jalapeno Lime Cucumber Salad - cool and spicy! I know that cool and spicy seem like opposites, but in Jalapeno Lime Cucumber Salad, they come together beautifully. Fresh, crisp cucumbers, citrus from the lime juice in the vinaigrette and then there are those flavorful jalapenos! I would have difficulty naming my favorite fresh from the garden vegetable. Cucumbers are right at the top of the list though. Nothing tastes the same as a fresh cucumber that you grew yourself. Don't let that ... Read More about Jalapeno Lime Cucumber Salad
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Mediterranean Orzo Salad is perfect for summertime meals This Mediterranean Orzo Salad can be made hours up to a day or two ahead of when you plan to serve it. It keeps well, because of the oil and vinegar dressing. In fact, we like it better the next day. That is the beauty of a marinated salad. The dressing sinks into the ingredients and melds all the flavors together. This is a flexible recipe Though it's called orzo salad, you can use any pasta that you prefer. Orzo is nice and small, ... Read More about Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Warm Green Bean Tomato Salad
Warm Green Bean Tomato Salad is good at any temperature We get this idea that every salad has to be ice cold. I think this Warm Green Bean Tomato Salad demonstrates that is not 100% true. Don't get me wrong, now. This salad is actually very good chilled. But it is equally good right off the stove, or at room temperature. And having a salad that stays tasty and fresh without refrigeration is a great thing in the summertime. Warm or room-temperature salads are safer in the summer There are ... Read More about Warm Green Bean Tomato Salad