Back Forty is Closing the Gates

I have enjoyed writing my blog that I have used as a journal for myself.  Writing a garden blog is cyclical like the seasons--the same things occur with sometimes little variety.

I want to thank all of you who have read my blog and left comments.  It has been appreciated.

Due to illness, the Back Forty is growing wild and we are not gardening this fall and winter.  We are concentrating on getting well and keeping the weeds at bay.

The Back Forty is closing its gates.

Keep gardening.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Simple Summer Zucchini Bread

Earlier this season when I harvested the monster zucchinis, I grated some of the zucchinis and put several two cup bags into the freezer for making bread at a later date.

Prepare:  Grease with margarine or oil a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes but start checking for doneness after 45 minutes.  Insert a wooden toothpick and if it comes out clean, the bread is ready.  Use your common sense as always.

Ingredients

Mix together the following dry ingredients in a large bowl:

3 cups all purpose flour (sift, if preferable)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking power

Mix together the following wet ingredients in another large bowl:

3 eggs, beaten
1 cup (canola) oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (if available)




When the bread is cool, wrap it up in foil and keep in the fridge.

At our household, no wrapping or storage was required.  It was delicious for brekfast with a dab of margarine while still warm.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

No Till Garden

Since last spring, I have used a modified no till garden which has worked out surprisingly well.  The start of the no till garden was to remove the tallest weeds after a long dormant period.  I did not use a shovel to dig down into the soil and turn it.  Instead, I loosened the dirt enough to make designated rows for my vegetables.

In the rows, I made a shallow farrow for, say, potatoes and covered them.  Eventually I hilled up the soil and weeds around the potatoes to give them room to grow.  I also used a lot of pine chips for mulch to keep weeds out and keep the soil moist.  Once the greens of the potatoes started to grow, the weeds didn't.

Often I prefer to buy plants e.g. kale and mustard greens and I loosened the dirt where the transplant would go, set them in the soil, covered, and mulched.  There was no need to dig up a whole row but a spot for each of the plants.

I basically did the same for seeds for green snap beans and other vegetables that grew from seeds.

The no till garden didn't eliminate the weeds completely but it was easy to pull the weeds and let them fall down onto the soil from where they had been pulled.  The weeds served as green manure.

Also, I leave the mustard greens to come to a full bloom for the pollinators.  The bees seem to like the yellow blooms.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

What to Do with Figs

Sometimes I believe in planting at least two or three fruit trees for cross pollination.  Besides, I don't want a tree to be lonely on the Back Forty.  A few years ago, we planted a fig tree in the front yard and the other one way back.  Both trees grew and produced.

The figs matured and needed to be picked recently and every morning while having coffee in the Summer Kitchen, I could see squirrels "playing" in the fig tree in the back.  The squirrels climbed up and down and to the tips of every branch, high and low.  They were collecting the figs, every single one of the figs.

The fig tree in the front were left alone but birds nibbled on them from time to time but there were plenty left for us.  What to do with figs when your cabinet is full of jams?

One of my favorite ways is to Preserve the Figs in Syrup which is to combine 1 and 1/2 cups water, 6 (!) cups sugar, and 2 Cinnamon sticks in a pot and bring to a boil until sugar is melted.

While the syrup is heating, cut a lemon into very thin slices and add to the pot.

Add 6 cups of whole figs to the pot, cover, and gently simmer for 45 minutes.

I added a sprig of Rosemary and 1/3 of sweet brandy. Sweet basil is also nice.  Add what is available.
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Transfer to Mason jars, seal, and give them a water bath in a large pot for 15 minutes.  The water should cover the jars about one inch over the tops.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

BBQed Chicken Legs

During the football season, it was popular to have chicken wings and whatever else goes with it; however, I found the wings to be expensive and not much meat to eat.  Hence my own BBQ sauce, rub, and chicken legs.

The BBQ sauce:  

2 cups of ketchup 

1/4 cup vinegar (your choice)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbs yellow mustard (more, if you prefer)
       Heat to blend.

Make Your favorite Rub:

My rub consisted of dashes of whatever was in front of the spice shelf such as

paprika
chili
celery
cumin
ginger

The Chicken Legs

Some chefs prefer to dip the chicken legs in a blend of milk and egg mixture and then roll the chicken legs in bread crumbs.  I skipped this.  I gently fried the chicken to give them some color, added the rub, and finally poured over the BBQ.  I rinsed out the BBQ sauce pot with water and added to the frying pan.

I had room in the frying pan for a small handful each of pepper, okra, and tomatoes from the garden.  Some onions would be nice too and so would a sprig a basil.  And the list goes on.

I turned the chicken once in a while and I am also  keeping my eye on the sauce so that won't dry out.
I let the chicken simmer for about 40 minutes.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

The POW/MIA Table

I was touched when I first saw the "place setting for one, a table for all" but it is never occupied.  It is waiting for a Prisoner of War or a Missing in Action member of the Armed Services to come home.

A small round table with a white and crisp table cloth is visible at any military organization and any veterans association in your community.

The items on the table are special and symbolize different things such as the following:

The bread plate contains a slice of lemon to remind us of their bitter fate, captured and missing in a foreign land.

The salt sprinkled on the plate is to remind us of the countless tears of their families and friends whose grief know no end.

The single red rose, displayed in the vase, signifies the blood they may have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of our beloved United States of America.

The red ribbon, tightly tied on the vase, represents the red ribbons worn on the lapels of the thousands who demand with unyielding determination a proper accounting of our comrades who are not among us today.

The candle is the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of a grateful nation..

The wine glass is inverted for they can not toast with us today.

The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.

The American flag reminds us that many never return--and have paid for supreme sacrifice to ensure our freedom.

The chair is empty!  They are not here.

"We all called them our comrades, brothers, sisters, and friends.  Do not let them be forgotten for surely they have not forgotten us,"

The above information was gleaned from "Navy Live," the official blog of the US Navy on October 6, 2014.

Thank you for your service.

Frozen Sweet Corn

The corn kernels were flying in my kitchen this afternoon and the floor got its share of husks.  Food fight?  If so, I had one all by myself.

The local market advertised its sweet corn for a ridiculous price.  There was no way I could grow corn for that rate.  I bought a dozen ears and they were sweet.

I put four of them into the fridge to be eaten rather soon.  I shucked the rest and I could not decide if I should blanch all of them and put them into the freezer.  Ah, they were so good looking! 



I compromised--half and half.  I cut the kernels off of four of the ears.

To sweeten the pot for blanching, I added the following:
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbs of margarine
1/8 cup of salt (go easy on the salt)

I let the water come to a boil and then inserted the four full ears of beautiful corn and let them blanch for a couple of minutes, dipped them out of the pot, cooled them under running cold tap water, and  let them drain.

I added the kernels to the sweet smelling water and let them blanch for a few minutes.  I drained the corn through a colander that I had placed on a bowl to catch the left over water for use in soups later on.  I also let the kernels cool under running tap water.

I bagged the whole corn as well as the kernels and put them into the freezer.  I will bottle the water and also put that into the freezer.  I may have to use several small plastic bottles.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

It is harvest time at the Back Forty.

Freezing Zucchini

This is the season for zucchini.  The dry weather has been perfect for growing zucchini.  The dryness has prevented blossom rot but has allowed the plants to blossom and produce huge zucchinis.

This spring, I bought one plant that actually contained two plants that I was able to separate and put in a nice sunny place in the garden.  I fertilized them a few times and watered them sparingly.

The plants took off, grew tall and green, and produced giant zucchinis.



I gave two big ones to my neighbor and she told me that I could make Patty cakes like I would crab cakes.  Just add a beaten egg, flour, and grated zucchini, mix and make cakes, and fry in Canola oil until golden brown, she said.

I also grated the zucchini and measured out into two cups to put into the freezer to use later on to make bread.

This morning, I cut up a huge zucchini into bite size pieces.  I left the skin on but I cut away some of the seeds.


I blanched the zucchini for a minute or so, drained, and cooled under running tap water while the zucchini were in the colander.

I had covered a baking sheet with parchment paper and now spread out the zucchini on the baking sheet and put the sheet into the freezer where I will leave it overnight. 

Tomorrow I will divvy the zucchini up into bags, label them, and put them into the freezer for using later.

It is recommended that parchment paper be used or the zucchini will stick to the baking sheet.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Mother's Day 2018

Once again, a special day is upon us and it brings back memories of the wonderful Mother that we once had--a Mother that always cared for us and always loved us.  We treasure that memory.  Always

Once upon a memory

Someone wiped away a tear

Held me close and loved me,

Thank you, Mother dear.

--Anon

On this special day, we want to honor all the Mothers today and every day. 

They take care of their children, our grand children, a future generation. 

Thank you for all that you do.

Happy Mother's Day!

My May Vegetales

While I was busy blogging away at the A to Z April Challenge, the vegetables in my garden were busy blooming and growing.  April is gone and it is time for the May harvest.




I loved going out to the garden and eating the Oregon Sweet Peas in their pods but they matured faster than I could eat.  Consequently, I had to pick them, shell them, blanch them, cool them under running tap water, bag and label them, and put them into the freezer for use at a later time.



The green beans, the snap beans, the Haricot Verts or any other name for the most common, most liked, and most easy to grow vegetable matured shortly after the peas were harvested and the vines were pulled.  I picked the beans but they are still blooming and producing enough to pick for dinner.  I have better keep a watchful eye on the beans or they'll grow too large if I should blink.

The versatile, nutritious, and simple to prepare for cooking is the zucchini. I have two plants with tall and green growth and with large yellow flowers tucked into the foliage.  I was admiring the plants that were free from disease and rot when I caught sight of one giant zucchini which I carefully removed and brought into the kitchen.



I grated two heaping cups of zucchini for baking bread later but it will have to wait in the freezer for the baking time.

I proceeded to cut up the zucchini into bite size chunks to saute with minced onions and a few cloves of minced garlic.  I left the skin on and the seeds in.  I used both margarine and oil for sauteing the zucchini.  Simple and tasty.

It did not take long for these surprisingly sweet chunks to become slightly translucent for a side dish at lunch today and tomorrow.

It is a lot of work to participate in your own food production but it is most satisfactory to bring your own vegetables to your table.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Zen Moments

I wouldn't call it a New Year's resolution but more of a temporary habit:  I decided to take pictures of the morning sun from the Back Forty.  A blazing orange sky is a Zen moment.  A rainy day is a Zen moment.  A Zen Moment gives me pause, a time for reflection.

Everybody has their own personal definition of Zen and it's all right. What is right for me isn't necessary right for you.

The other morning, I went out to the yard to take a picture of the sun. When I turned around to go inside, I saw the moon setting. The sky was pink and rosy.  A beautiful Zen moment.

They were moments of stillness, of peace and harmony, moments of gratitude-- Zen moments for me. They were fleeting moments when I felt connected with nature and a higher power.

Blessings.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Yellow Mellow Corn Soup

In he heat of the summer, corn is plentiful and inexpensive.  We found it easier to buy fresh corn at a Farmer's Market than to grow the pale Silver Queen in he garden that takes up a lot of space and a lot of effort.  For the best color for this soup, use yellow corn.

Here is a Yellow Mellow Cool Corn Soup recipe for the summer and any other time for that matter:

3 ears of fresh corn, shucked
2 tbs (un)salted butter
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic (two cloves)
2 cups of broth, more or less
1/4  tsp Kosher salt or regular salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tbs oil
1 tbs white vinegar

Directions:  Mix onions and garlic with butter in a pot and let it cook until they are somewhat soft.  Add the broth.  Add the corn.  It doesn't take long for the corn to cook.  Let it cool and when it is cool, puree in  a blender, a little at a time depending on how coarse you want it.

The soup may be served cool/cold garnished with a few leaves of sweet basil, bits of bacon, green or red peppers.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Xanadu

According to a dictionary, Xanadu is a place of great beauty, luxury, and contentment.  From time to time, we all need a place like Xanadu to escape to and collect our thoughts, rest, and meditate.  Perhaps a place in the garden will suffice.  

In my Xanadu, the weather is warm;  the sun is shining; and tropical philodendron growing; and there is always a gentle breeze bringing rain from the ocean to my garden.

Enjoy the first part of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan:

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles under of fertile ground

And there were gardens right with sinuous rills,

Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;

And here were forests ancient as the hills,

Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

Thank you for visiting my Xanadu on Back Forty

Support the Wildlife

You've heard it:  let's support the wildlife, let's throw a party!  Maybe you have even attended one or two.  But on a more serious note, there are a few simple things that we can do to support the wildlife in our own backyards.



To sign up for the Certified Wildlife Habitat sign by National Wildlife Federation, I agreed to provide water for the wildlife. 

We have two bird baths strategically placed on the Back Forty.  We also have a small pond.

It is also important to provide water for our winged pollinators by setting out a shallow bowl with rocks for them to land on.  Bees, for example, are not good swimmers.


I also agreed to provide food for the wildlife.  There are so many blooming plants bushes, and trees providing nectars.  In addition, there are seeds in the garden from vegetable plants that I let go to seeds.  There are small insets and even rodents available for birds of prey and snakes.

Another  provision is cover to hide under and to raise the young.  This may consist of a pile of branches and leaves.  A designated area in the yard may also suffice, an area that does not get mowed.

Some supporters of wildlife may even put up birdhouses.  I have found that the birds make better bird houses than I.

Finally, ban pesticide from your yard.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

A Simple Vinaigrette

Is there such a thing as a simple vinaigrette?   It seems to me that I may add herbs and spices that I have available and like to jazz up the vinaigrette. The herbs may be fresh and finely chopped but dry herbs will also do well.

I am so happy that I finally am able to make a simple vinaigrette and dress it up to my liking.  I may have been intimidated by the name.  I am glad that I no longer have to buy dressings for my salads.

I use what I have avaible in my herb garden or spice rack.

My vinaigrette:

1 tsp mustard (Dijon, if I want to be fancy)
1 tsp finely minced (fresh) garlic or finely minced scallion or onion
3 tbs champagne vinegar ( if I feel extravagant) or rice vinegar or any available vinegar in the fridge
1/2 cup cup canola oil (my choice)
Kosher salt or Sea salt and pepper to taste
To add fire to the vinaigrette, I add about 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

You know how it is:  now I need a pretty bottle or jar to store my vinaigrette.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

A Utility Cart

There are so many things that need to be fixed in our yard and garden on the Back Forty.  There are a trellis or two that always seem to need repair or adjustment and it is time consuming to look for the tools.  The hammers and clippers are always needed and so is a bow saw for trimming branches.  We have the tools in the utility cart for easy access.

The utility cart for the tractor is always in use, it seems.  We use it to haul limbs, branches, and roots to be hauled to the landfill by sanitation workers. We set the debris out in designated areas by the road.

We use the utility cart to carry heavy sacks of fertilizers from car to shed; we use it to transport plants; and we use it to haul compost from one area to another. 

We also use the utility cart to load up on garden tools such as rakes, shovels, and buckets to carry to our work areas.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Tomato Seeds and Plants

Early this spring, a friend suggested that I sow tomato seeds in a pot so that I could set out the seedlings when the weather got warm.  I scoffed at the idea but promised to give it a try especially seeing the price of tomato plants at garden centers.

I filled a clay pot with the best soil from the compost pile and went to the local market and selected a large and nice looking heirloom tomato which I sliced when I got home. 

I put the slices on top of the soil in the clay pot and covered them with additional soil.

When the weather was sunny and warm, I left the pot on the porch, even when it rained.  I could always take it inside if the weather got too cold. 

I left the pot alone and nothing happened for the longest time but eventually tiny seedlings emerged.

The seedlings grew and I was able to transplant them into the garden, water them and fertilize them. They are growing!

I will do this again next year and learn more about what kind of tomatoes I select for the garden.  This year, it'll be a surprise.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Sleepy Time with Banana Tea

Sometimes I have trouble going to sleep.  When I lay down in bed and close my eyes, I wait for sleep to come.  The longer I wait, the more alert I become.  I finally get up and make myself a cup of Sleepy Time Tea.

The other week, I picked up a pamphlet at the doctor's office and there was this interesting but funky recipe for Banana Tea.  Here is how to make it:

While waiting for 2 cups of water to come to a boil, snip the ends off a banana but leaving the skin.  When the water is boiling, add the banana (skin and all), let it come to a boil and let it simmer for ten minutes.

Remove from heat and remove the banana (save it for the compost).  Let the tea cool to your liking.

Drink and enjoy it.

Good night.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Rootabaga Stories

I wish there were more story tellers but let us go to the Rootabaga County and find out about a few stories by Carl Sandburg.  The Rootabaga County is filled with trains, farms, and corn fields according to Wikipedia.  It sounds like the country side of Chicago, the Mid West.  In the Village of Liver and Onions, the Potato Face Blind Man tells the stories.  Take a listen.

Thank you or visiting my blog.

Quick Shrimp Saute

On the way home from Mayport the other day, we stopped by the fish market to buy a few pounds of sweet fresh shrimp.  As soon as we got home, I cooked the shrimp in water mixed with apple cider. It didn't take long for the shrimp to turn pink.  I let them cool underrunning water rp stop the boiling and then peeled them, wrapped them up, and put them into the fridge for tomorrow's Quick Shrimp Saute.

Needed for the Quick Shrimp Saute

about a pound of shrimp (in my case, the shrimp is already peeled and cooked)

a small bunch of green onions (scallions) chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce

1 tsp dried basil leaves (or fresh, if available in the garden)

Also, mix together 1 cup of plain yogurt with 1 scant tbs all-purpose white flour.  Set aside.

Directions:  In margarine or canola oil, saute onions  and garlic for a few minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and lastly add the yogurt and flour mix.  Heat, but do not boil.

Serve over Jasmine rice and enjoy.

Thank you for visiting my blog.