growing

Can It Be?

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Way, way back in the winter months, my first post on this blog contained a picture of a fig tree I received for Christmas from my sister-in-law.  She is from California where she grew up growing figs in her backyard.

I have never had fresh figs in my life.  They are just not readily available in northern Illinois.  My lone experience with figs is in the filling of my grandma’s (and now my) Italian fig cookies.  But the figs used in this recipe are dried.

When I received my tiny fig tree it was only a twig standing upright in a small pot.  And I was told I had to keep it alive inside until I could transition it to the outdoors in summer.  Now, if truth be told, I have never been able to keep a plant alive inside.  Ever.  So, this was a tall order for me.

I pulled through all winter long, transplanted the tiny plant that grew a few leaves indoor during the winter months, and have been tending to it each and every day.

This morning I was startled to discover…I can’t believe it, but it may be true…I do believe there is the beginnings of a tiny fig forming on the tree…In Rockford, Illinois…Zone 4!

Everything But The Kitchen Sink

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As I mentioned yesterday, our garden is quiet the producing machine right now.  The girls and I were in the garden all day yesterday and came out with bucket upon bucket filled with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, and carrots.

This time of garden abundance reminded me of my favorite summertime dish to make:  gazpacho.  (Gazpacho is a tomato-based soup traditionally served cold.)  You can literally throw in anything and everything you have fresh in your garden, give it a whirl in your food processor and you have a healthy, flavorful dish.  It’s a great way to ensure you are getting all of your veggies in, and it tastes wonderful too.  In our house we like to serve the gazpacho in glasses and drink it like a smoothie, but you could serve it in bowls and eat it with a spoon if you prefer it that way.

In the particular batch I made yesterday, I used:  tomatoes, green and purple sweet peppers, banana peppers, garlic, red onion and cilantro.  I then add salt, pepper and Sriracha (our kitchen could not survive without this stuff) to taste.

A Summer Snack

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We have found ourselves surrounded by fresh veggies.  They lay on every flat surface of our kitchen and sunroom right now and I have been trying to find clever ways to eat this plethora of veg in the freshest way possible.

The biggest issue I seem to run into with my little ones is they need to have the vegetables prepared and ready to go if they are going to eat them.  So, this week I decided whip up a really quick and simple tzatziki dip with cucumbers from our garden.  I then slice up a bunch “dippable” vegetables (carrots, sweet peppers, small tomatoes) and store them in a sealed container.  Now any time a member of the family gets that urge to snack, there is a nice healthy snack waiting for them in the fridge.

{A little work from a friendly fairy always helps a bit too 🙂 }

For my tzatziki, I mix together:  Greek yogurt, cucumbers (seeds removed and diced), fresh or dried oregano, onion powder, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.  I just taste along the way and adjust my amounts accordingly.

Market

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Each week we attend a variety of markets.  So, today I thought I’d give a bit of a photo journey through one of our trips to the market.  Complete with locally brewed beer, fresh wood-oven pizza, and lots and lots of community fun.

{Photo by my 5 year old…the blossoming photographer}

Tomato Time

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Sorry for stepping away for a day, but my garden work kept me detained a bit longer than I thought when I was writing on Monday morning.  The tomatoes are in full swing  and I seemed to have gotten lost amongst the vines for a very long time before resurfacing and realizing that most of my day had passed me by.

This is the first year that we have not planted any slicing tomatoes.  We planted only small cherry-type tomatoes (Juliets and Mexican Midgets) for the girls to snack on, and paste tomatoes (Viva Italias, Speckled Romans and Amish Pastes) to use for tomato sauces and salsas.  What I didn’t realize about these types of plants is how many more fruits they produce compared to slicing tomatoes.  Oh my.  On Monday afternoon while I was picking, I found 4-6 ripe tomatoes, 6-8 I’m-almost-ready tomatoes, and about 20 addition green tomatoes just waiting to get ripe.  That is also not factoring in that each plant still has about 20-30 blossoms.  Apparently the tomatoes have done just fine with all of this heat.

So what to do with all of these lovely tomatoes?  Tomato sauce it is!  I love, love, love making tomato sauce.  I have no idea why I cherish this activity so very much, maybe its my Italian roots, but I look forward to this activity come late July each and every year.

Yesterday I woke up early to begin this favorite task of mine.  I went out to the herb garden, enjoyed the cool damp air from the rain the night before, and spent some time in meditation just picking oregano and basil.  It was a great start to my morning.  Then with coffee at the ready, and ingredients laid out, I went to work.  And what lovely work it was, in the quite of the morning before anyone else awoke to begin their day.  Ah.

My Tomato Sauce

I kind of fly by the seat of my pants with this recipe as (much like with my pesto). I first put a good amount of olive oil in the bottom of a stock pot.  I then add garlic and onion (chopped) and I cook that down until the onions become translucent, but not brown.

I then add my chopped tomatoes and my fresh oregano and basil.  I add a bit of salt and pepper at this point, cover the pot and let it cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes.  I then remove the lid and allow to cook for another hour or so.

At this point, I run a hand blender through the sauce (I don’t strain my seeds.  I know all the Nanas out there may turn their nose at this 🙂 )  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Then I bring the sauce down to a simmer and leave it for several hours.  I stir it every once in a while to keep the bottom from sticking.  At the very end I add a bit of butter to cut the acidy taste.

I freeze my sauce as opposed to canning it because I find it hard to stick to an exact recipe, which is so very important to do if you are canning.  I normally freeze my sauce in wide-mouth glass quart jars filled about 2 inches from the top of the jar (to allow for expansion during freezing.)

At This Moment

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At this moment I am…

~glancing out my kitchen window at the garden and all of the weeds that need to be picked today.

~preparing for yet another garden extension after being inspired at this past weekend’s Heritage Garden Festival.  (Check out this link:  Our family was photographed for our local newspaper when we were attending the festival 🙂 )

~mustering up some motivation to do quite a bit of laundry today.  The pile seems extremely tall and overwhelming on this Monday morning.

~thankful for the crisp morning air.  Something we have not felt in a very, very long time.

~planning activities for the last few weeks of summer.  Where did it go?

~priming the kitchen for a day of tomato sauce making.  Our tomatoes are coming out in full force right now.

~wishing you all a wonderful week filled with fabulous memories!

Grandma Dit’s Carrot Cake

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There is something about old recipe cards that I just adore.  Maybe it’s the handwriting of those who have gone before us. Or maybe it’s the tiny notations scribbled in the corners of the cards, making note of adaptations to the recipe that worked or did not work for the previous maker of this recipe.  No matter what the reason though, I adore making recipes from these small pieces of paper dotted with vanilla stains and creased corners.

Last night for our family’s weekly Tuesday Night Dinner, I rifled through my mom’s recipe box for the coveted carrot cake recipe that my Grandma Dietmeier was famous for.  I made a few adjustments of my own to this fabulous recipe and came out with a yummy little cake that was a big hit at the gathering last night.

(This is the secret to Grandma’s carrot cake recipe:  2 jars of carrot baby food!  It makes the cake extra moist, and adds even more great carrot flavor.)

Grandma Dit’s Carrot Cake

Mix together in a large bowl:

1 1/2 cups oil

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups shredded fresh carrots

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 small jars of carrot baby food

In a separate bowl, mix together:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet.  Mix well.  Pour batter into a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.  Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cream Cheese Frosting:  Cream together 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 cups powdered sugar.  Frost the cake once it is cooled.

Enjoy!

Friendship

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This morning when my alarm woke me at 5 am, I was shocked to hear the sound of rain pounding down upon the roof above me.  Wonderful precious rain, finally.  So instead of leaping immediately out of bed to start my day, I decided to lie there a bit longer, thanking God for this storm that He has brought us.  From this place of gratitude, my mind began to wander to the fabulous weekend my family and I just shared with a wonderful group of friends.

It is amazing to me how strange, small circumstances, brought us all together nearly 13 years ago.   And those seemingly meaningless situations have carried us to this point of true friendship.  These women are people I have worked with, learned with, and lived with.  I have shared my passions and fears with them.  So many times we place so much emphasis on our family, those people that are related to us biologically through the blood we share.  But the bonds of friendship can be just as strong as those familial ties, and that line then blurs between family and friend.

We have now added so many beautiful children to the mix, and it is always amazing to me that at these gatherings, despite the fact that many of them have not seen each other in over a year, they seem to have a shared bond.  It is a miracle to watch these tiny people, mold lifelong friendships through their play.  Their reckless abandon and ease in which they interact with one another is breathtaking.  There is no awkward point where they are shy or uncomfortable, like so many adults often are upon first meeting or after not seeing someone for an extended period of time.  Instead, they fall instantly in step with one another as if this is something they do each and every day.

True friendship is so difficult to come upon, and this weekend brought this concept back into the light for me.  I am so very thankful for these women, their husbands, and their babies.  Our family.

At This Moment

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At this moment I am…

~thankful for a wonderful weekend filled with old friends, lots of children, wonderful chaos and lots of laughter.

~excited to watch my little ones at their swimming lessons again this week.

~creating my new “sewing nook.”

~praying for rain.  We need rainfall so very, very badly these days.

~preparing for the influx of tomatoes about to come to fruition this week.

~looking out my kitchen window at my garden, and willing myself to become motivated to weed today.

~excited (for some strange reason) to clean the house today.  Maybe it’s the new vacuum I just bought.  It’s the little things in life right 🙂

~wishing you all a wonderful week filled with wonderful moments!