Summer melon recipe

Here is a refreshing way with summer melons. Bonus- it's fast and easy!


Ingredients:
any combo of summer melons- cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon,etc.
honey
cinnamon
fresh mint

1. Cut your melon(s) into cubes. (as much you need for the number of people your cooking for)

2. Drizzle with honey.

3. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon

4. Top with finely chopped fresh mint.

Colorful, light and fabulous.

-E

small post

A few days ago I related to a friend that I was excited to start canning peaches. She kind of looked at me funny and said "How long have you been canning?". I told her last season was my first and she smiled. Now I know why....

1. It gets old fast.
2. You become a slave to your produce. Since veggies and fruits are oh-so- perishable,it becomes necessary to put everything else on hold to deal with them.
3. While your dealing with fruits and veggies, the rest of your house(and life) falls to the wayside. You wake up at the end of the day from a steam induced fog and realize that your house, laundry and dishes are dirty. bummer.

Having said all that, I wouldn't change a thing. The payoff comes later, I know. But for now, don't expect much of me. And if you come over to visit, kindly pretend you don't notice the mess.
grins,
-E

" U-PICK pics #1"

I heard from the friend of a friend about a couple who live "up-the-river." They run a small U-pick farm and offer their gorgeous fruits and veggies for a jaw-dropping .40 a pound. Believe me when I say I was there just as fast as my dodge mini-van could take me!

Glen and Kathy don't advertise because I suspect they don't want large crowds of folks disturbing their quiet paradise. But those who know the way are always welcomed by them, their bird-dogs, and a yard full of chickens.

This lovely haven appeals to all ages. Dante' likes the country views and friendly banter with Glen. Maxwell loves the food, the chickens, and the major spoiling he gets when we are there. *Note below the soda in his hand and the chocolate-chip cookie on his face.

" U-PICK pics #2"

We just couldn't resist taking one of Glen and Kathy's humongous zucchini, dressing it up and taking it back. Below, Glen shows off the spiffed up zuke.

garden notes.........

Went to my absolute FAVORITE U-Pick place today and got a lot of peaches, carrots and basil that will need to be dealt with. It's early a.m. here so I'll have to post the pics of that after a few hours of sleep.

In the morning, my friend Dawn will come over and help can peaches. In the meantime, I've made several batches of pesto and stashed them in the freezer. As I type this, basil dries up in the dehydrator overnight. I'll use it all winter in casseroles, soups, and salad dressings.

Early yesterday, Max and I dug up our trove of fingerling potatoes. Fingerlings are rather small, irregularly shaped, and elongated. A bit like fingers if you've got a vivid imagination. :) They fetch a costly price in the store as a specialty item. I simply grew them because a friend gave me some starts.

The green beans have finished for the season. Secretly I'm happy. There comes a point when you've seen one too many. For now, I'll be content to make myself weary of the peaches.

And after all these months of waiting, guess what??? Soybeans!! Finally! I'd begun to think they'd never show up. At least once a week some inquisitive person wants to know what that 'green mound' is in my front yard. That, I inform them, is my soybean patch. Minus the soybeans. But now they are growing and I'm quite happy. We may yet have edamame to snack on this winter.

So tune in tomorrow, another spate of pictures is on the way.
Happy Eating,
-E

Myrtlewood leaves as a culinary herb

Those of you who are lucky enough to live in the great state of Oregon have most likely seen a Myrtlewood tree.

Wood from this tree has a lovely grain pattern known as 'fiddling' or 'fiddleback' thus, making it popular for woodworking.

What you probably didn't know is that Myrtlewood leaves can be dried and used as a culinary herb. Years ago, in the Eugene airport gift shop, I saw a tiny bag of 4-6 leaves sold for $2.00. The directions said to use them as you would bay leaves.

Now you know I'm not going to pay money for something that is plentiful and free. So I gathered my own and dried them. I encourage anyone who can get them to do the same. It's a fun and exotic addition to your spice cabinet that will get people talking.

Too much of a good thing?

I love late summer. Fruits and vegetables are so plentiful it's easy to get carried away. Often I find that I've purchased or grown too much of something and don't know what to do with it. Good intentions lead me to believe I really will can all 10 pounds of beans and Pickle three bags of cucumbers in one day. Then I don't. Panic and guilt set in. What to do? Read on......

Triage your projects, so to speak. If you have raspberries, corn and peas to deal with all at once, chances are your in over your head. Sure you wanted to can them all, but that's not look like a reasonable goal right now. If you just can't live without raspberry jam, deal with that first. You'll be glad you did. If your crunched for time after that, try freezing your corn and putting your peas in to the dehydrator. Or the other way around. Whatever works. Below are some specific suggestions:

Peas: These are best frozen. Peas are the one vegetable that even professional chefs tend to use from the freezer. They don't keep long fresh and tend to get mushy when you can them. Alternatively , pop them into your dehydrator. They'll be great for soups later.

Green beans: Can them, freeze them, dehydrate them. Use small tender beans for making 'dilly beans'. Large thick green beans are better for canning as they don't turn to mush as easily.

Corn: Freezing is great, canning is fine, dehydrating is easy and convenient. For something special, try making corn relish.

Tomatoes: Canning or dehydrating is best. Dehydrated tomato slices are delicious snacks, are great in pastas, and go well in salad dressings as well as casseroles.

Zucchini and yellow squash: These are a toughie. They won't taste very good after being frozen and aren't very tempting canned either. But there are some tasty exceptions: try zucchini jam, zucchini pickles, or freeze grated zucchini for cake or breads. Also, dehydrate the slices for use in winter soups.

Carrots: Who doesn't love carrots? They are so versatile! Again, you can freeze them, can them, or dehydrate them for soups. They adapt well to all types of storage.

Blueberries: Freeze for use in pies or baked goods. Blueberries make excellent jam and if you want to try something different, they be dehydrated to use in granola, pancakes, muffins, or just snacking.

Blackberries: My husband's favorite jam is blackberry! Around here they grow wild everywhere. Free Food, yay!! Take advantage and freeze as many as you can to make pies.

Apples: In the fall, I can't seem to make applesauce fast enough to put some away for winter. The kids eat it as fast as I make it. Which is good because it's very healthy and easy to make. For a fantastic snack, dip apple slices in sugar before dehydrating. Or leave the sugar out for healthier eating. Try pureeing apples to make fruit leather in your dehydrator. And finally, make some apple pies ahead of time and freeze them to bake later on.

*When you open your cupboards/freezer and see all the good the good things you've stored for winter it's a very good feeling. Best of luck in your endeavors. If you have questions, email me at edibleoregon@rocketmail.com

-E