Garden Cooking!

Genesis 1:29 ESV     
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Smoked Gouda Tomato Pie



My tomatoes are finally coming in and I had enough at one time to make a tomato pie. Southern Living Magazine had a tomato pie recipe that used a half cup of mayonnaise on top of it. We tried it, and it was good, but I couldn't get past the mayo. So this year, I tweaked the recipe and came up with a delicious pie I hope you'll enjoy!

One pie crust (I use Pillsbury ready made)
5 or 6 ripe (but not mushy) tomatoes, medium sized
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup of grated smoked Gouda cheese
3 Tbsp basil, chopped
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

Step 1 - Place the pie crust in a pie plate (not deep dish) and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Step 2 - Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on paper towels. Sprinkle them with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes to draw excess moisture out of them.

Step 3 - Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese in the bottom of the pie crust.

Step 4 - Place tomato slices on top of the Parm cheese.

Step 5 - Sprinkle the smoked Gouda on top of the tomatoes.

Step 6 - Sprinkle the basil on top of the Gouda.

Step 7 - Spread the Greek yogurt on top of the basil and Gouda. It doesn't have to reach all the way to the sides of the pan.

Step 8 - Sprinkle Parmesan on top of the yogurt.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until the Parmesan is lightly browned.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before slicing.

Let me know if you try it and be sure to let me know how you like it. If you tweak the recipe, share the tweak with me! I'm always looking for new ways to update recipes.

Beet Harvest

"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest."
Psalm 85:12 (NIV)

Last Year's Beets

 

I have never liked beets. Never ever. My mom never made them and my only interaction with them was most likely at an elderly relative's house. I really can't recall when I ate one as a child, but I can tell you I honestly believed I hated them.

Then last year, Randy returned from hunting in West Virginia raving about some homegrown pickled beets he'd eaten. I wasn't convinced, but Randy being Randy, he planted some to see if we could grow them in Louisiana. Sure enough, they grew just fine. We didn't plant enough to do anything with, so I picked up more at the store and Randy canned them. I was prepared to hate them. Really. I though he'd be eating those beets all by himself and wondered why he'd bothered with them at all.

And then I ate one. It was sweet. It was sour. It tasted like cinnamon apples.  I fell in love. Head over heels in love with beets.

So we planted more. Lots more. Too many more. We had to thin them out and transplant some. There were still too many, so some of them didn't grow larger than a marble. Some of them, however, grew to a respectable size, and this year we didn't have to supplement from the store. We put up 9 pints today and still have some in the garden for another 4 or so later on. 

This Year's Beet Harvest

I realize that probably isn't a large quantity to farmers and die hard gardeners, but it's great for us. It shows we learned from last year. It shows we were persistent. It shows we were open to new ideas.

Mostly, it shows that God is faithful in His promises. Our land yielded it's harvest.

How could this work in my life? What if I opened myself up to new ideas and let God do His thing? What kind of harvest could I yield? As I work on the fruits of the Spirit, I'm going to be mindful of approaching old things in new ways...kindness rather than indifference. Understanding rather than anger. Patience instead of irritation. I'm going to expect an abundant harvest, too, because He is always faithful in His promises.

                          Pickled Beets                            

Boil 3 lbs of fresh beets (washed, with about 1 inch of root end still attached) for 25 to 30 minutes until fork tender.



 Let them cool. Slip skins off. (Use gloves to prevent stains on hands) Slice them or quarter them to fit into sterilized pint jars.

Make pickling brine:  In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 2 cups water, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 tsp each of whole allspice and whole cloves, and 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon. 

Using a canning funnel, place 2 pieces of quartered sweet onions in the bottom of each jar. Then fill each jar with beets, pushing down slightly to eliminate air space. Fill each with brine, leaving 1/2 inch head space.Wipe jars with a damp paper towel and add caps and bands. Place gently into a hot water bath, covering jars with at least one inch of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes. Carefully remove jars and place on kitchen towel to cool. Be sure each jar seals - the caps will be sucked into toward the jar and won't buckle when pressed. Store in a cool place and wait 6 weeks before opening.

Pickled Beets



22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22,23

Blueberries May 2012

According to the blueberry council (yes, there really is a council just for blueberries!) blueberries are one of the healthiest fruits around. Their benefits include high fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, manganese, eighty calories per cup, and no fat. Personally, I love them because they taste delicious and make the most wonderful pancakes of all the fruits. They're great for smoothies, muffins, and atop cereal, too! One of the more decadent blueberry desserts I love was introduced to me by my mother-in-law, one of my dearest friends - Blueberry Cake Roll. It's really more of an upside down blueberry crisp. It calls for Dream Whip, so I've modified it to use Cool Whip instead. I don't think it's lost a bit of its charm by doing so.

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Blueberry Pancakes, May 2011

The beauty of growing blueberries is that the whole bush doesn't ripen at one time. Each day, we gather about a cupful from our bushes. I throw them into a freezer bag until we have enough to make something yummy or I use them right away in a smoothie. Sometimes, I simply graze upon the bushes with my dachshund, Gus Gus. He gets the bottom branches and I get the top ones. How easy it is to gather the fruit and enjoy it whenever and however I choose.

If only the fruit of the Spirit were as easy to gather and use. One of my favorite verses is Galatians 5:22,23:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How I wish I could grow these things in myself as easily as the blueberries grow on our bushes. How I wish I could stop wrestling with the Holy Spirit to attain these sweetest fruits. I love my family and friends. I feel joy sometimes. I'm peaceful upon occasion. I can exercise patience when I must...more or less. I'm sure most of everyone can. But I know this verse means that the Spirit can help us feel these things, as we need them, in every circumstance. That's where I fall short. Do I really love my neighbors as God wants me to love them? Do I feel peace in my spirit as I watch my college graduate ready herself for a move over a thousand miles away? Or when my father, 83, is hospitalized, and I'm making the fourteen hour drive to get to him? Am I really trusting God to see me through the trials of this life, full of the fruit of the Spirit, or am I trying to cope with everything on my own with a withered and dried up spiritual garden? I know what dried up blueberry plants look like because it hit 107 degrees last year while we were on vacation and our sprinkler system, though set to water automatically, simply wasn't up to the task of handling that kind of heat. It was heartbreaking to see the withering fruit and the brittle branches. Is this how God feels when we refuse to bear the fruit He has offered us? Are we just as withering inside as the blueberries were? Are we just as brittle?

I'll contemplate this as we enjoy our bounty of blueberries this season. Each time I graze or gather, I'll think of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and I hope each time I'll choose the best fruit of all - the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It's a sweet gift, isn't it?



http://www.blueberrycouncil.org/health-benefits-of-blueberries/blueberry-nutrition/