The Garden: From Seeds to Starter Plants

This year we started getting our 2010 garden ready back in mid-February.  We decided to start some of the plants from the seed stage and grow them large enough to be planted in our garden a couple of months later.  By following a chart that lists the planting dates for our area, we were able to plant several types of vegetables as early as February.  There are several types of plants that we can still start from the seed stage now and have them ready to plant when we get our garden planted by the end of May.

Although there are several ways you could organize your planting process, I will share what has worked well for us.  We call it our Planting Map.

Fresh, Simple Ingredients = Delicious Food

Happy Thursday!

Let's talk bruschetta.

More Zucchini...

This week so far has been all about the zucchini. Yesterday I had 6 lbs. of zucchini that I turned into 12 loaves of wonderful bread, using this FANTASTIC zucchini bread recipe. I also found a yummy zucchini bar recipe from a cookbook that I've had for years. This particular recipe may be a bit more fall-ish flavor, but since it's a tasty one, I think you can make this anytime of year. I loved the idea of the frosting recipe that went along with it, but found it a bit too sweet, so I've modified it to be less sweet and hey, how can you go wrong with a new and improved icing that contains cream cheese? You can't.


*Jill's notes, tips & comments in this color.

Zucchini Bars
Adapted from Betty Crocker's Best of Baking, pg. 150

Yields = 2 dozen bars

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
*a dash of freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded zucchini, drained
1/2 cup chopped nuts *I used walnuts, but pecans would also work.

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees f. Grease square pan (I used a 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan, but an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan would also work).

2) Mix brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla together, using the paddle attachment. Mix till combined; don't over mix.

3) Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and stir into butter and sugar mixture.

4) Fold in zucchini and nuts and when ingredients are combined, spread batter into pan.

5) Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely; then frost with cream cheese spice frosting.

Cream Cheese Spice Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/8 tsp. ground cloves *Trust me, cloves totally take the frosting up a notch--you'll thank me.
2-3 Tbsp. milk

1) Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla till smooth.

2) Add powdered sugar, cloves and milk and mix till smooth and of spreading consistency.

Monday Must Have: Baking Illustrated & Zucchini Bread

I love a good deal. Give me a sale that includes a "buy one, get one free" promotion and I'm there. I know that it's actually "buy two and each one is half price", but I like to see the word free--you just feel like you are getting a great deal.

Today is your lucky day. The Monday Must Have is not only ONE awesome "must have", but TWO! The first is a cookbook that every baker should have in their collection. If you have ever read a Cook's Illustrated Magazine and liked it, then you will LOVE this book by the same editors, called Baking Illustrated.

This cookbook is FANTASTIC!

Let me say that again. This cookbook is FANTASTIC!

The entire cookbook is all about baking (my personal favorite kind of cookbook) and every recipe has been tested by the good people at the America's Test Kitchen. And not only has each recipe been tested and developed to be the best, the editors included notes for each recipe about why they decided on certain ingredients or mix methods. I can't tell you enough about how awesome it is to try recipes from this book.

Last week, we in the Pacific Northwest, had a major HEAT wave come through. I actually didn't mind the heat, and in fact I prefer the heat to cold weather any day--but we also have A/C and so it was tolerable. Because of the several hot days we had, our zucchini crop has taken on a life of its own and was growing faster than we could pick it. I'm always looking for good zucchini recipes and so yesterday, I did a little research in my library of over 200 cookbooks and found one of the best recipes for Zucchini Bread I've had in a long time--in fact, maybe ever. From here on out, this is my go-to zucchini bread recipe. This Zucchini Bread recipe is the second part of the Monday Must Have, which I will share with you.


So good.

So delicious.

So addicting.

See what I mean? Enough with the temptations, let's get to the recipe. I only made a couple of alterations to the original recipe and noted them in orange.

Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Baking Illustrated, pgs 29-30

Yields = (1) 9-inch loaf

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 pound zucchini, washed and dried, ends and stems removed, cut in half lengthwise and seeded if using large zucchini, each half cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped coarse *I used pecans because most recipes call for walnuts and they were so good, I don't think I'll ever go back to walnuts in zucchini bread.
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt *I used lemon yogurt, since I didn't have plain yogurt on hand. This worked well and I will stick to the lemon yogurt in future batches.
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 Tbsp. juice from a lemon
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees f. and adjust oven rack to middle position. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

2) Shread zucchini using a food processor, using the shreading blade. Transfer shreaded zucchini to a strainer, toss zucchini with 2 Tbsp. of sugar, then place strainer over bowl, set at least 2 inches over the bowl and allow to drain for about 30 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. *Jill's Note: Don't skip this step! The toasted pecans added another level of flavor to this bread--so yummy! Transfer the nuts to a cooling rack and cool completely. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl; add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk until combined. Set aside.

4) Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and melted butter in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.

5) After the zucchini has drained, squeeze the zucchini with several layers of paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Stir the zucchini and the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth surface with a rubber spatula.

6) Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

I still have a ton of zucchini that needs to be used, and I'll be making several more loaves of this FANTASTIC zucchini bread today.

The Lemon Cucumber

Let me introduce you to a lesser-known cucumber, but an oh-so-tasty one: The Lemon Cucumber.

We've planted cucumbers in our garden each year since I was a kid and my Mom has always made fresh pickled cucumbers every summer for our family. Over the last several years we've planted a heirloom cucumber variety called Lemon Cucumbers. These cucumbers are round and are about the size of a baseball. Despite the name, Lemon Cucumbers don't taste like lemons, but can take on a yellow coloring that is similar to the yellow of a lemon. As you can see from the picture, there is a slight yellow hue, but to me they are more of a light green. Also, they taste very much like other cucumber varieties, and for a bonus, they are crunchier, which I love and they taste delicious, especially when pickled.



Today when my Mom came in with a dozen of them, just picked from the garden--I knew she was going to make them into the homemade pickles--so yummy! If you want to make something that is cool and refreshing and only takes about 10 minutes of prep time and then an hour till it's ready, then this recipe is the one for you.

Quick & Easy Cucumber Pickles

Lemon Cucumbers (or any variety of your favorite cucumber)
Walla Walla Onions (these are a milder onion with a sweeter flavor, but yellow onions will also work)
2 parts vinegar
1 part water

1) Peel and slice cucumbers.

2) Peel and thinly slice onion (keep them in a circle shape, not chopped).

3) Put cucumber-onion mixture into bowl or jar (large enough that the vegetables are immersed when liquids are added).

4) Add vinegar and water (adjust to taste; if it's too sharp, add more water).

5) Cover bowl/jar and refrigerate at least 1 hour, before serving.

*Eat as a snack, with a meal or add to your favorite summer garden salad.

Morning walk

This morning when I looked out the window, this bright beauty caught my eye and so I grabbed my camera and took a little walk around our backyard to discover other flowers that had bloomed overnight.

Oriental poppy...

The first peony in bloom...

A strawberry that looks almost ready and will probably be picked later today...

One of the two strawberry raised beds....

The lettuce raised bed...

Guess where our salad from dinner last night came from?

I love how even lettuce is so pretty--just like a flower...

A view from our back porch area, yes we love to feed the birds...

Dark purple Irises....

Isn't it gorgeous?

The rain chain & floating water plants...

The first Heirloom Rose in bloom...

Purple clematis growing up the trellis...

The grapevine...

New grape leaves growing daily...


And the tall, elegant Lupines that still have the morning dew on the leaves...

Living in the Pacific Northwest, we have so many types of plants that grow well here and I feel blessed that I can look out my kitchen window and enjoy so much beauty around me.

"Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling."
~ Walt Whtiman