Super Green Veggie Powder

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Oooh, oooh, I found something really neat while surfing the web one night and I just had to try it and I love, love, love it!

Over at The Nourished Kitchen, Jenny came up with a wonderful idea to use all the greens .... beet and turnips tops, carrot tops, kale, Swiss chard, peppers (with seeds removed), celery leaves, even herbs......she later mentions that she also uses tomatoes, onions, or anything that is in excess in her kitchen or garden now so it isn't just 'green' veggie powder.  I will also be including the chives that need to be trimmed once the next batch of 'greens' is done drying.

from this morning's breakfast...to be added to the dehydrator

After a batch has been dried, I ground the greens in my little coffee grinder....it actually worked very well instead of using my mortar and pestle.  As they turned to a powder, I would add more until the whole batch was turned into my super powder. 

Now what do you do with the powder you ask?  I will sprinkle it in stews, soups, casseroles...even scrambled eggs, quiches and omelettes.  Almost like my own homemade Mrs. Dash!  The combination of flavors from all the vegetables will add so much to my dishes....not to mention the added nutritional value!

For now I am storing my super powder in a glass canning jar until I find something more suitable for my spice cupboard. 

Can you imagine using every, single part of the vegetable?  How cool is that?  Thank you so much Jenny for thinking 'outside the box' and sharing it with us all.  My dehydrator will be working overtime for many weeks to come.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Cooking Squash

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Squash has been on our nightly menu plan for over a week now and it will continue for a while yet.  We love squash...all types although this year was the first year I tried buttercup and crooked neck squash.  

Last night was buttercup from our neighbors Brian and his father Larry who brought us some the other day.

Since I have not tried this variety before I had to look it up on the Internet.  Finding a method that I thought would be tasty, I gave it a shot.

Cutting the buttercup in half with a sharp knife, the recipe suggested peeling the outer layer....

and clean out the seeds membrane (I used a melon scoop).

Adding about 1 inch of water in the bottom of a 9x13 inch cake pan, I turned the peeled and gutted squash upside down in the water.  I placed the pan in a preheated 375 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a fork can be easily pierced all the way through the squash.

Carefully placing the cooked squash on the dinner plate, I liberally spread butter and brown sugar over one whole side.  Is this how you prepare yours?  I would love to try different methods and recipes so please share!  

Please remember to give your loved ones a hug!

The Generosity of Neighbors

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We were truly blessed this week by neighbors who have bountiful harvests.  The garden goodies just kept coming through the door to our surprise.

Our neighbors knew how our summer went and have been so generous and we are ever so thankful.

Onions, snap beans and zucchini from neighbor Dave who in my opinion is one of the best gardeners I know.  This was the third time he has brought us goodies...he mentioned next will be acorn squash as he has waaaay too many for Liz his wife and himself to eat.  Yummy!  The zucchini has been frozen, the snap beans have been eaten and the onions will be used unless we get more which I will then dehydrate them.  I love using dehydrated onions in stews, soups and chili.

Next up was the 5 gallon pail of potatoes...are they not just beautiful?  Our neighbor Bill did a wonderful job this year!  He also mentioned there would be many more to come....his crop is huge and he is a single man.  I have a batch of potato chips in the dehydrator as I type this....the first time I have attempted such a thing but the potatoes were so large, I couldn't resist trying.  If they turn out well, I will make more and dehydrate some more just plain for stews and soups which we eat in abundance during the winter.  

Can you see the apples in the background?  Our neighbor John brought a bushel...they are not crab apples...regular apples which are surprisingly very sweet.  I have already made applesauce with them and it is oh so delicious!

Then neighbor Brian and his father Larry carried in buttercup squash, crooked neck squash and cucumbers!  I had never tried either type of squash so off to the Internet to check to see how they were to be cooked and boy oh boy are they delectable!  Now one of my favorites and they will be added to the seed list for next summer.  

Funny how things work out isn't it?  I was thinking that we would not be enjoying garden fresh veggies except through a farmer's market but here we are munching and loving the generosity of such good neighbors and friends.,,,for this we are truly thankful.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Linking up with Amy over at Homestead Revival

Frost, Finishing Projects and Fruit

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Last night my dearest Bob (hear the sarcasm?) left the bedroom window open. Well at about 5am, it was so cold in the room I thought the sheets were frozen to the bed frame! Talk about shock!


I could not muster up enough guts to crawl out of bed and close the window, so I laid there and froze instead! We had a very heavy frost and since I can look out over the yard from my bed, it looked like a layer of snow on the grass. I wish I could have taken a picture for you but the camera was in the living room and like I said, I just couldn't move from my frozen state.


Once Bob crawled out of bed, I told him to toss me my bathrobe so I could wrap up in it as soon as the comforter came off. Walking into the living room was like walking into an oven. What a temperature difference!

This morning, I had to grab a few groceries and visit my local Goodwill Store (on Wednesdays, the new stock is out). Once the errands were finished, I put away the groceries, threw dinner in the crockpot and headed up to the garage with my bag of knitting.



I had finished up a baby blanket for the craft fair last night so I wanted to start on a shawl that will be given to Pasie for Christmas.







The finished baby blanket.



While watching Bob fixing our four-wheeler and knitting away on Pasie's shawl, I remembered the offer from our neighbor down the road, Kathy who had the wonderful pear, apple and crab apple trees. She insisted I come and pick to my heart's content as she is a widow and will never eat them all herself.


I grabbed a few bags, a water bottle and headed over to Kathy's (Luke decided to join me as he loves her crab apples) and it took us all of about 15 minutes to fill three bags full. I will definitely have to go back and get more before they rot. I would like to make some jelly, freeze some for pies and dehydrate some for snacking.






The pears! The taste is a cross between an apple and a pear. Yummy!






Crab apples! They are just the right amount of tartness.







The apples. Large, juicy and delicious! I already made a single serving of apple crisp this evening for myself!

An abundance. They won't last long around here though!
I don't have to worry about what I will be doing tomorrow. Preserving these will be top priority but first I need to finish my apple crisp and make sure the bedroom window is closed tight tonight!
Have to add that meagan over at ecomilf.com.au is offering a great giveaway. A stainless steel Siggy water bottle! Check out her site. She is a very eco-friendly Mom, making a difference.
Have a great evening everyone! Give your loved ones a hug. :)