i often find it’s difficult to sit down for even just a bit during the summertime to share my thoughts with you in this space. with these august days oh so full in the garden & in the kitchen, i’m lucky if i can even fit in a shower!
but with rain coming in & a decently checked off to-do list, i thought i would carve out a moment or two to sit with you & share a handful of my favorite recipes for putting up the garden bounty. it’s what’s on my mind right now as i am sure it’s on yours, too. there’s always a basket of produce waiting on me, which is indeed such a gift.
i’ve blogged about most of these recipes, but it’s always nice to have one place to go & find my most used recipes. happy canning & preserving!
– my easiest, go-to tomato sauce: this sauce can be used with pasta or on pizza. it’s very versatile. the recipe is a slow-cooker recipe, but i’ve also cooked it on low atop the stovetop.
– heather’s salsa: i’ve made lots of jars of this salsa this summer & we love it. i look forward to popping open a jar of this fresh tomato goodness with tortilla chips in the dead of winter.
– the most delicious sweet pickles: i love this simple cucumber sweet pickle recipe from smitten kitchen. it’s straight-forward & easy. simply pop them in the fridge when you’re finished – they’ll last for a couple of months.
– pickle everything with this go-to recipe: okra, sugar snap peas & more… i use this recipe as my go-to for quick pickling almost everything from the garden.
– canned dilly beans: we love dilly beans! can them & enjoy them in the winter with a good meat & cheese plate. don’t forget a good loaf of homemade bread, too.
– our family favorite cucumbers & onions: this is a summer potluck go-to & a favorite dish among my family. simply combine ingredients & let them mingle for just a bit before serving. it’s a delicious, fresh addition to almost any meal from grilled burgers to salad.
– chop & freeze almost everything from the garden: to freeze berries, peppers, fresh corn & more, simply wash & chop (if necessary) your produce. lay on a baking sheet & allow to freeze completely. once thoroughly frozen, place in a labeled plastic freezer bag & store in the deep freeze until ready to use. tip: i keep a deep freeze supply list on clipboard hanging from the wall next to our deep freeze so we don’t lose track of what’s inside.
– my favorite crustless zucchini pie: skinnytaste’s zucchini pie is a favorite of ours. i made a few for freezing this summer with our extra zucchini & they will make the perfect quick & affordable dinner this winter. to process the zucchini, i pulled out our food processor, which makes the work much easier.
– my favorite basil pesto: i love this basil pesto recipe because it does not use nuts, which cost a small fortune when you’re processing the quantity of pesto we do. once my pesto is made, i freeze it in small jars & ice cube trays. once the trays are frozen, i remove each cube & place them all in a labeled plastic freezer bag.
let me know if you use any of our go-to recipes for processing & preserving your garden bounty!
love,
natalie
i blinked & july disappeared.
it was a busy month full of canning tomatoes (soooo many tomatoes), filling farm orders, freezing corn, picking cucumbers & so much more.
while the month totally slipped by & i was unable to share our garden in july, i thought i would do a little recap & share some of the highlights.
in the garden – july 2016
so many cucumbers made into pickles this month. check out this basic recipe for quick pickling almost anything.
the first of the green beans! hip, hip hooray!
i am a basket hoarder. luke doesn’t complain, though. come july, every single basket is in use.
cantaloupe vines are spreading throughout the garden & we should have a few good ones by september! we planted late, but it will be nice to enjoy something new from the garden late into the summer.
we have yet to really see any squash bugs *knock on wood*, but one of our zucchini plants did bite the dust due to a vine borer this morning. quite a sad day, but we’re still harvesting plenty from the other plants.
our flower beds are doing so well this season! we are harvesting bouquets of flowers for throughout our home & other’s most days of the week. it’s truly my favorite part of our garden.
do you follow @floretflower on instagram? she is such an inspiration!
just another day in the garden harvesting this season’s bounty… grateful, thankful!
what is happening in your garden? please share!
love,
natalie
———
p.s. do you live in or around the grand rapids, michigan area? i am collaborating with the wonderful found cottage & amazing megan modderman for a pickling workshop on the evening of august 13th! only 8 spots remain & registration ends thursday!
click here to register, friends! i’d love to meet you in person & hug your neck!
this weekend was such a good one. i arrived home from a week on the coast of california to bright sunflowers, an abundant garden & a sweet husband.
on saturday, we spent the morning in the garden. we harvested over 100 bulbs of soft-neck garlic & about 30 bulbs of the hard-neck variety. they’re all now hanging in our barn to cure.
we also dug up potatoes! we were a little late in planting our crop this spring, but they produced quite well! we gifted some to neighbors & will eat or sell the rest. there’s nothing quite like a fresh potato! i plan to roast some this evening along with beets & broccoli.
the flowers in our garden are absolutely stunning this year! this is our second summer to plant sunflowers & zinnias along the dirt road for our sweet neighbors. it’s now a tradition!
also, friends! if you haven’t heard the news, we’re opening up our sweet & cozy freckled hen farmhouse studio for a floral workshop with stephanie of mosey posies on july 30th! you can register HERE.
stephanie will teach us how to create wildflower crowns & arrange mini bouquets of flowers! we will serve herbal iced teas & shortbread cookies + treat you to a sweet swag bag brimming with lovely goods. it’s such a fun & intimate way to learn about flowers from one of our local experts! spots are limited so register soon right here. xo!
—
isn’t it such a wonderful time of year? comment below & share your garden happenings with me.
love,
natalie