Frozen tomato

Last year our garden produced so much abundance we wanted to save all the excess for winter. I must admit the thought of canning has not appealed to me much. It seems to involve so much work, time and household energy. I tried, instead, freezing everything. I would flash freeze just about everything on a cookie sheet before dumping it into a Ziploc bag. This prevented everything from clumping together in the bag and then we could pour out just what we needed and not have to defrost the whole bag. I did not have any doubts this would work with most everything but I wondered about tomatoes. Hey, nothing ventured nothing gained right? So I just chopped them up, just like I was making salsa. Then into the bags. I laid the bags flat to freeze so they would be easy to store. 

Last night I took the first bag out to use. AWESOME! DELICIOUS! EASY! We have a freezer this year and a bigger garden planned!

The Recipe

Caramelize some onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes and whatever other veggies you have in the fridge. We used carrots, broccoli, celery, I added some precooked brown rice. If you still have too much liquid from the tomatoes then add in some extra rice (not cooked). Just before it is ready add some fresh baby spinach and kale. On the plate top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and provolone cheese. 

 

A garden share

Last year our garden flourished. We rarely shopped for groceries. All our fresh food came directly from our garden, supplemented by a local farmers market for new items we don't grow ourselves. Last year we put in an asparagus bed, more berries and an orchard. We stored much for the winter and are still eating off those stores!

I expect the garden to be even bigger and better this year. I decided to try selling a share of our garden. Some farms do this to help offset the early season costs and to have an established group of customers to provide for. While we are not a big farm we definitely have enough abundance to try doing the same with a couple other families. 

We have once such family already signed up. This weekend we provided them with a "winter share"...a sampling of what is to come, a sampling of what we still have in our winter garden, root cellar and hen house. 

Tomato and avocado wrap

Tomato and Avocado Wrap

 tomato                                         avocado                               baby spinach

provolone                   mayonnaise            salt/pepper

wrap

Chop tomato and season with salt/pepper. Chop avocado. Mix tomato, avocado, spinach and mayo. Place provolone on the wrap, top with veggies and roll up! YUM

Loaded Choc Chip cookies

Loaded with goodness cookies

Chocolate chips (dark)                          1 teaspoon baking soda

Craisons or dried cherries                                  1 teaspoon sea salt

shredded coconut                                                        1 3/4 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar                                              1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla                                               3 eggs

Combine the following to make a total of 3 cups ( whole wheat flour, almond meal, oats, ground flax and wheat germ).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl combine the 3 cups of flour mix with baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In large mixer bowl ( I use my Kitchen aid stand mixer) beat butter, sugars and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Then the chips, dries fruit and coconut. Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes until puffy.

Winter squash soup

Butternut Apple soup

A favorite winter soup combining ingredients that can be found in my root cellar.

This recipe will not give exact amounts of ingredients. This recipe is altered based on what you have on hand or what suits your taste. Use it as a guideline for a delicious lunch or dinner.

Butternut squash, apples, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, apple cider, milk/cream, vegetable broth, Smart Balance spread/olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degree's. Cut 2 butternut squash in half length wise and scoop out the seeds (save for your chickens). Place squash on cookie sheet and top with Smart Balance and cinnamon. Roast in oven for about an hour.  While the squash is roasting saute until caramelized the onion, garlic, celery and carrots in either olive oil or Smart Balance spread with ginger and pepper.

Take squash out of oven when they are tender. Skins will peel off easily (save for the horses) and place squash into a soup pot. Pour vegetable broth, apple cider, cinnamon and apples into the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer until the apples are tender.

Combine everything together in a blender ( will take a couple batches) until smooth. Pour back into the pot. Add milk/cream, Smart Balance Spread and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Snowshoeing!

We love winter, escpecially when it snows!!! The more the better. If you are like me you get bored easy. I love to exercise but get bored quickly doing the same thing. One reason I love living in New England is because of the seasons, every few months it is time to due new things, or old things in a different way, work different muscles. With all this snow, the trails I used to run on now we use to go snow shoeing. We get exercise and Scout can have a nice fresh air snoozer in the pulk sled.

First snow shoe steps

She got the hang of it quickly, and continued for an hour.

Chicks all grown up

The chicks have grown up...about 6 months old now...some are laying eggs too! The 3 tan one (buff Orphingtons) are potential Mommas all the rest are chicks.

 

11 of the 13 chicks gathered for a family photo.

 

 

A couple roosters..so far not aggressive.

 

Our bantam rooster finally fathered some chicks...notice how small one of these four is. They all hatched within 24 hours of each other.

 

 

 

One of the Momma's that helped raise the chicks. A Sussex light.

 

 Mom on the left, chick on the right.

 

The bantam rooster on the right and  chick rooster (fathered by Russell Crow) on the left.

 

Russel Crow (rooster), the small black hen that sat on the eggs, Elizabeth (one eyed hen) and Scout holding one of the chicks when it was only a few days old.

 

 Russel Crow, our wonderful, docile and beautiful rooster. I think even roosters are thankful for being saved. We rescued him, along with his flock after living in a 4 x 6 cage for months without care. He was almost completely without feathers.

 

The wonderful Mamma that appeared out of the bushes with 14 baby chicks and they all lived. You go girl!