Getting Fancy with the Garden Goods aka Ratatouille Recipe

Want to impress with your garden bounty - this is sure to do the trick. I love the movie Ratatouille© and this recipe in in honor of that. If your garden has been blessed you have zucchini in abundance about now and are starting to run out of recipes for it.  (Seriously how many have you given away to co-workers?!)  Here is one that can use not only your zucchini but your other ingredients as well.

For tomato/baking sauce:

• 2 Tbsps olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced small
• 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large bell peppers, any color, diced small (I like different colors.)
• 12 oz tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced finely with juice reserved
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-3 sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley
• sea salt and ground pepper, to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon each
• Splash of red wine (optional)
• 
  

For the vegetables:

• 1 medium eggplant
• 2 medium yellow squash
• 2 medium zucchini
• 4 red onions
• 6 Roma (plum) tomatoes
• pinch sea salt, to taste
• 
  

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil, or light olive oil
• 1 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• chopped fresh herbs (I use parsley and dill OR parsley and basil)
• pinch of sea salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In a small jar, combine all of your vinaigrette ingredients. Shake really well until all the ingredients are well incorporated; set aside.
2. Slice bell peppers in half. Remove guts. Place face down on a foil lined tray and roast bell pepper at 450 F until skin loosens. About 15 min.
3. Once cool peel off skins and dice - set aside
4. Wash eggplant, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes thoroughly under cold running water to remove any dirt. Allow to thoroughly dry.
5. Using a sharp chef's knife, carefully slice. Try to cut as thinly and evenly as you can. Slice your onion into thin rings. Alternatively, you can use a mandolin. (I prefer this)
6. Very lightly, sprinkle your veggies with some sea salt.
7. To make the tomato/baking sauce, heat your oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in diced onion and garlic, sauté until caramelized and slightly brown. 
8. Add a splash or a good red wine and stir (optional)
9. Add crushed tomatoes, sprig of thyme and parsley and bay leaf. Stir. Let this simmer until it has rendered some of the liquid off. 
10. Add diced bell peppers, stir.
11. Season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. 
12. Cover and cook on low heat until the liquid is cooked off and sauce is thickened, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once your sauce has thickened a bit, discard the bay leaf.  pulse it on a food procesor until it is a lumpy sauce. Set aside
13. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
14. Start assembling your ratatouille; pour your tomato/baking sauce into an 8x10 rectangle oven-safe baking dish and smoothly cover the bottom of the dish in your prepared sauce, using a spatula.
15. Next place your sliced veggies in an alternating pattern, eggplant followed by yellow squash, zucchini, onions, and tomatoes vertically on top of the sauce. So think stacks of coins on the table waiting to be used. It makes it easier to work with later.
16. Arrange your veggies in a pattern, or any design you want in your pan. This is the fun part.
17. mix a little fresh garlic, olive oil, pinch of salt and thyme/parsley. drizzle over veggies
18. Loosely cover the dish with parchment paper or foil and bake at 300 degrees F. for about 2 hours.
19. Once finished baking, remove the paper/foil from the dish and switch to the broiler. Broil until the top is nicely golden brown.
20. Prior to serving drizzle evenly with your vinaigrette.
21. Enjoy!

Garden Therapy

Morning garden reflections with coffee

My garden is my therapy

It is my children's play ground

My garden is my grocery shop

It is my children's snack bar

My garden is my science experiment

It is my children's exploration

My garden is my venting space

It is my children's change of pace

My garden is my quiet space

It is my children's nap time

My garden is my creativity 

It is my children's discovery center

My garden is my morning reflection

It is my children's sand box

My garden is my exercise

It is my children's make believe

My garden is my get away

It is my children's safe space

Snack time!

You know, you can bury a lot of troubles in the ground. I don't remember who told me this years ago, but it has certainly stood true for me.  Whether it be frustration that I "work out" as I pull weeds or the sense of accomplishment I get as I watch things grow that I planted or started from seed, I always feel mentally lighter. Whatever the reason it seems to sooth my soul. 

Little Ma looking for
sugar snap peas

My garden has brought so much joy; to my children; and to myself. It has given us a reason to go outside on a regular basis where we may have otherwise stayed inside. I like that. Each day my littles look for snap peas  (which they gobble up as soon as they see one - ripe or otherwise) and that makes them excited. Their excitement is catching. Their eyes light up when they find a "baby mato" or "accidentally" find a carrot. They have a miniature grocery cart they push around the "grocery store" aka garden. I can always tell when they have found the ripe blackberries... that purple juice sure is telling and gets everywhere. They giggle as they find them. These moments are precious to me. Just about everything in my garden is edible and so it naturally lends itself to curiosity and lots of sensory exploration.

Baby Toad

We watch the bumble bees working hard going from flower to flower and dragonflies zooming around. We have learned about baby lady bugs (weird looking little creatures) and about ants... lots of ants... I like that they are learning that these are normal things. Not icky, not scary,  just a normal part of outside.  We found a bunch of baby toads the other day after a hard rain the night before and that brought excited hands and squeals of joy. We watch all the different birds; cardinals and hummingbirds are a regular sight.

Excited fingers eager to hold the toads

The other day my littles helped me turn the compost pile and we learned (well they learned) about worms. There were probably 200 worms in that pile (yay!!!) and it was quite the source of fascination to them. There were lots of high pitched squeals and giggles between them.  Oh I can't even tell you how happy they were!  We were all sufficiently dirty after that day. It was lovely. Truly. Nothing makes this momma's heart more full than to see my two little kids dirty from playing outside together.

My garden is love. 

One Pan Meat & Vegetable Skillet

If you have an abundance of zucchini this is a great recipe for you. 

One Pan + 20 minutes = Dinner Done 

I’m still often amazed how just a few simple fresh ingredients can turn into a satisfying and delicious meal in minutes.

This skillet meal takes about 20 minutes, and all of the ingredients are very interchangeable and customizable to your preferences (use what you have on hand, it’ll turn out great!)

Every evening comes the dreaded question from my kids and spouse, “What's for dinner?” Uh... hmmm well lets see. I love meal prepping but I am a realist. I have little kids and I don't always make/have time to do that. This can be a quick solution.  On nights like that I just want to throw everything in a big skillet and call it good. No mess, one pan, and done.

If you want to do this for Meal-Prepping:

Divide your mixture equally into 4 separate air-tight containers. You could add 1/2 cup cooked quinoa to each serving, it makes a great alternative to rice.  Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsps avocado oil or olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 1 lb lean ground turkey, chicken, or beef (literally about any meat works)
• sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 x 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes or fresh diced if you prefer 
• 1/2 cup Colby jack or cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• cilantro & limes wedges as garnish

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add in your onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
2. Stir in the ground turkey and cook, mincing the meat with a wooden spoon. Once the meat is nicely golden brown, set cooked meat aside on a plate.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil on medium-high heat. Add the zucchini along with the broccoli florets and cook until tender-crisp, for 4 minutes.
4. Return your cooked ground meat back into the skillet then stir in the tomatoes, seasonings, and half of the shredded cheese. Reduce heat to a medium, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly reduced.
5. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese, and allow it to melt for a few minutes more. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
6. Enjoy!

Companion Planting & Why Marigolds are Rock Stars

Marigolds in my flower garden add a pop of bright color

Companion Planting? The first time I heard that term I was like "Huh?... Uh is that where you and your spouse/significant other do gardening together?" Needless to say, I was way off.  That was quite a long time ago. Since then I have strived to learn a fair amount about this. I use it in my garden and it I have found it really does make a difference in 3 major areas. Production, Pest Control and Presentation. 

Marigolds hanging out with Squash

Marigolds are hands down my most favorite companion plant. If you are wanting to keep it simple and get the most bang for your buck, marigolds are the way to go. They have been used as natural pest control in gardens for centuries and are a pest control powerhouse. Here are just some of the benefits they help provide:

First and foremost they attract pollinators. If you want to have heavy production in your vegetable garden this will be a great addition. They bloom for a long time and right into fall. For those who do succession planting this is particularly helpful as is great for attracting pollinators at all stages of your garden.  

Some gardeners swear they can help deter mosquitos. I tend to listen to experienced gardeners. They have lots of years of experience and many times information has been handed down through generations. I am a mosquito magnet so I will take all the help I can get. 

Marigolds hanging with the beans

They help ward off harmful nematodes, bean beetle, cabbage moths, slugs, tomato hornworm, and some other pests that like to munch on tomatoes.   How does this work. Well for some pests they don't like the strong smell. Meaning it can mask your desired crops from pests. For other pests they function as a trap crop. Slugs love marigolds. Often this means that your other crops are saved from loss because your marigolds will draw them away from those crops. Regarding harmful nematodes, marigold roots do the work here. 

They are natural companions to the following: cucumbers, melons, potatoes, lettuce, beans, asparagus, tomatoes, brassicas (ie broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts), squash/pumpkins, egg plant and onions. Natural companion can also mean they enhance the growth, flavor or health of these plants.  For many other plants they are considered a neutral companion. This means they nether particularly help or harm. At the very least for those plants they act as a pollinator attractant.

They bring beauty and a pop of color to any garden. I do love the lush green of my kale but that pop of the oranges, yellows and reds always brings a smile to my gardeners heart. Gardens are meant to be enjoyed for many purposes including the visual aesthetics. Marigolds come in many different colors, sizes, varieties and variations so there are lots of options to choose from. I really love the two toned varieties.

My little guy sampling 
some Okra last year and a little
marigold peeking in the
bottom right with

The flowers are edible. Making this a harvestable crop. Want to add a splash of color to your salad? Pop the petals off a bloom and sprinkle them in your salad or you can add them to a vinaigrette. There are lots of ways to use them.  They are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants (antioxidants are cancer fighters). 

I also have small children and I want them to enjoy and experience the garden in lots of ways. Gardening can be so much fun for little ones and a great way to teach them skills. This means when I am planting things I want them to be non toxic to my tiny people. 

Just a lovely French Marigold
(my favorite)

They have many medicinal uses as well. Calendula and marigolds are of the same family. Thus marigolds also have many of the same properties.  Some of the things they have been used for are sores, inflammation, some skin conditions and itching. I could write an entire blog on that alone, but for today I will say, if that interests you there is much information available on the internet and in books. Do your own research before using herbal medicine or work with a trusted and trained herbalist.

The seeds are VERY easy to harvest. Let the flowers dry out when they are done blooming and there you go. You have a handful of seeds that can be saved for the next season.

So yes this plant knocks it out of the park when it comes to earning it's keep in the garden. For all of the reasons stated above marigolds get my vote for best companion plant. That said it is not the only plant that is a companion plant. There are lots more. I also use onions mixed in with my brassicas to help reduce pest pressure. (Oh you pesty cabbage moth... we just can't be friends.) 

If you would like to learn more about companion planting here are some great resources:

List of resources / books / sites:

BOOKS:

• Companion Planting: The Beginner's Guide to Companion Gardening - M. Grand 
• Carrots Love Tomatoes - Louise Riotte
• Vegetables Love Flowers - Lisa Mason Ziegler
• Companion Planting for Beginners: Pair Your Plants for a Bountiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden - Brian Lowell

WEBSITES:

• Companion Planting Chart (Interactive)
• Urban Farmer
• Farm Homestead

Canning Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Have you ever read the back of a jar and wondered "what the heck is that ingredient?" yup me too. Its one of the reasons I started canning food. I wanted to know what my family was actually putting into their bodies. If you have ever read my blog you know I like to garden and grow my own food. What better way to use that food than to make spaghetti sauce?!

You will need the following:

A large stock pot or a large roasting pan.

A large pot to blanch fresh tomatoes

6-8 Quart sized canning jars, lids, rims

Pressure Canner

Canning Lifter

Canning Jar Funnel

Debubbler

White Vinegar

Meat:

1-2 lbs of ground meat 

(I like to use 1lb lean ground beef and 1 lb ground chorizo)

Veggies:

15 - 20 Tomatoes depending on size - blanched and peeled - 

I find that paste tomatoes work best here such as Roma, Amish Paste, and so on but you can use other kinds too and I often do.

   (you can also use canned tomatoes too if you don't have fresh)

2-3 Onions chopped (I use red, white and yellow - your choice)

1-2 Roasted Bell Peppers - peeled and chopped

2-3 carrots shaved and diced.

Seasonings:

5 Garlic cloves minced

1 Tbsp each:

Basil, 

Italian Seasoning, 

Fennell

Red Pepper flakes (I do 1/2 Tbsp)

Salt/Pepper

1/2 cup sugar (if you like it in your sauce)

and any other seasoning you like 

Brown your meat first and then drain off any excess fat and return to pan.

Add chopped onions & carrots and saute on medium heat until onions are translucent 

Next add diced bell peppers and 

Rough chop tomatoes and add to pot

Let it simmer for a bit (10-15 min)

Add seasonings and give it all a stir

I usually let it simmer on low for 30 min and then give it a taste and that is how I determine how much sugar to add. (it is usually the full 1/2 cup if not more)

I will then let it simmer on LOW for most of the day stirring occasionally. The extra liquid cooks off and the flavor is lovely.

When you are satisfied that it is ready for canning, set up your clean jars, lids and rims.

Fill jars leaving 1 inch head space.

De-bubble 

wipe rims with a clean cloth or napkin dipped in vinegar (This gets any splash or oils from rim and helps ensure proper seal)

add lids and rims to finger tight

Place into your pressure canner

Because this recipe contains meat we do need to use a pressure canner.  Follow the instructions for your specific canner model and your altitude.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce With Meat in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 2,000 ft	2,001 - 4,000 ft	4,001 - 6,000 ft	6,001 - 8,000 ft
Hot	Pints	60 min	11 lb	12 lb	13 lb	14 lb
	Quarts	70	11	12	13	14

Table 2. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce With Meat in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 1,000 ft	Above 1,000 ft
Hot	Pints	60 min	10 lb	15 lb
	Quarts	70	10	15

If you prefer to omit the meat in your sauce use the table below to adjust your times.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce Without Meat in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 2,000 ft	2,001 - 4,000 ft	4,001 - 6,000 ft	6,001 - 8,000 ft
Hot	Pints	20 min	11 lb	12 lb	13 lb	14 lb
	Quarts	25	11	12	13	14

Table 2. Recommended process time for Spaghetti Sauce Without Meat in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Gauge Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 1,000 ft	Above 1,000 ft
Hot	Pints	20 min	10 lb	15 lb
	Quarts	25	10	15

Once you have completed the pressure canning, you just need to wait until the pressure indicator on your canner lets you know that it is ok to open the canner.

CAUTION: 

NEVER EVER open your canner before the safety indicator is down, EVER. It is extremely dangerous to do so. 

As I was saying, once it is safe to open your canner, use your jar grabbers to pull them out and set on a towel on your counter to finish cooling. Let cool in a NON-drafty area for 24 hours. Do not adjust rims. After 24 hours check that each jar is sealed and remove rims.

I usually will do 12-16 Quarts a year. My family usually has spaghetti or some pasta dish at least once a month if not more so this is really nice to have on hand.