Saturday, October 10, 2009

Garden Harvest


On one of my furlough days I decided to make jam. Michael's neighbors gave him a big box of pears and we made pear butter, pear chutney, and pear-pineapple marmalade, pictured above. Isn't it beautiful?

Then, a few days later, we picked blackberries, about 3 gallons worth, and I made blackberry jam. I also put a couple of bags of blackberries in the freezer for crisps. At the end of all of this, I was exhausted, but looking at all the preserves we put up gave me a feeling of accomplishment. I use an old Sunset Magazine canning book, but I just bought a brand new copy of the Ball canning book, which has great recipes for mustard I want to try. Just owning the Ball canning book makes me feel like a model of self-sufficiency.

This was a good zucchini year in my garden. Last year they did very poorly, but this year I put one plant in a different spot, and it has given me a steady supply of squash. I've made fried zucchini a couple of times. It doesn't use up tons of the stuff like some other recipes, but it's delicious.

Slice the zucchini lengthwise, and dip it in flour to which you've added salt and pepper. Dip that in lightly beaten egg, and then in Japanese style panko breadcrumbs.


Fry until it's crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside.


Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with a little pasta. It's a treat to eat well from things we've grown.

8 comments:

Kay said...

It's lunchtime, so this post is particularly appealing. Blackberries are one of my favorite things, but they're so expensive! Enjoy yours.

Debra Dixon said...

So yu've been jammin' in the kitchen! Just a domestic goddess! It will be a real treat this winter to have your canned goodies.

Rian said...

Oh, those zukes look delicious! I should make those for our vegetarian friends when they come. Isn't jam fun to make! And eat!

Magpie Sue said...

That pear-pineapple marmalade is delicious to look at, never mind eating it!

allie aller said...

Nice and yummy homegrown food post, Barbara!

Judy S. said...

Everything looks very yummy, Barbara! I always laugh to see people talking about blackberries as they are surely the infrastructure of our state....They'd take over our yard in nothing flat if we didn't keep after 'em.

sophie said...

It all looks so beautiful and yes, yummy. I miss being able to grow even a few things in pots. The next time I move, I won't make that mistake again . . . I need a balcony, at least.

Susan Elliott said...

I agree with you that the color of your jam is just a beautiful color. Very jealous of your prowess in the kitchen and canning department, you and Allie both...I'm gonna be sad this winter when you are both eating your harvests again and again and I'm eating another potato...

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