Homemade Granola Take Two

The first batch of granola is already gone.  My teenager ate the last of it up today.  It was so good that I made another batch right away. 

I didn't mess with the recipe though - it was perfect.  The only thing I changed was I used a mixture of dried fruit instead of just plums.  I used dried raspberries, strawberries and plums. 

The recipe is here if you don't want to go looking for it.

Home Made Granola!

Home made granola is so versatile - you can add whatever you want.  Don't like cinnamon?  Leave it out - love it - put extra in.  I have been drying diced plums like crazy the past two weeks and wanted to use some in granola. 

Here is my recipe  - feel free to change it to suit your individual tastes.

Plum Granola

Mix in large bowl:
4 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup oat bran
3/4 raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups chopped raw almonds

Mix in small saucepan and bring to a boil:
1 cup maple syrup (the real stuff from trees)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla

After mixture comes to a boil, turn it off and pour it over the oat mixture in bowl.  Mix thoroughly. 

Place on cookie sheets or baking pans lined with parchment paper. 

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes depending on how thick your layers are.  Stir every 5 to 10 minutes.  Watch it closely.  It can go from almost perfect to burned in just a few minutes.  It is done when it is lightly toasted. 

Remove from pans and mix in 1 1/2 cups dried plums.  Cool and store in an airtight jar. 

Makes about 10 cups!

Today's harvest

It is so nice to be harvesting daily from my garden.  This is just the veggies that I picked today - I also picked raspberries and plums and I'm about to go and pick enough apples for a crisp. 

Today's harvest included a few sugar snap peas - they are really done and I need to pull the plants up but since there were a few on there I picked them, pole beans - both yellow and green, tomatoes - both roma and grape, cucumbers and bell peppers.

What are you harvesting?

First Fresh Salsa of the Season!

The tomatoes had a slow start this year due to the cold spring but they are doing well now!  The first batch of fresh salsa is always the best every year.

This batch won't make it until sundown - the first batch never does.  I also have lots of bell peppers and onions in the garden so I think I'll make fajitas for dinner.

Fresh salsa with fajitas - YUM!

Mini Bell Peppers

This is the first year that I planted mini bell peppers.  They are so much fun!  The plants are all loaded. 

We have been enjoying them fresh sliced up in salads - I just cut the top off and then slice them so they are in circles. 

My son requested shish ka bobs for dinner the other night and I just popped the mini bell peppers on the ends of each one whole - they were so good - and so much less work than cutting up in chunks. 

A sinkful of freshly washed plums!

Oh the possibilities!

The plums are later this year - probably because of the late spring - but they are ripe now and the tree is loaded. 

So far all I have done with them besides eating them fresh is make a plum cobbler and I added some to my morning oatmeal. 

I'm not really sure what I will all do with this years haul but I'm sure some will end up as jam, I'll freeze some as both slices and as puree in ice cube trays (to use in smoothies), I'll dry some, and I'll probably make some sorbet. 

Any other ideas?  What is your favorite way to use fresh plums?

Dried Raspberries

I've never dried raspberries before - always had plenty of other ways to use them up.  This year, however, I'm thinking about making some homemade granola and granola bars and I thought they might be really tasty with dried berries. 

Raspberries are super easy to dry - just place them in the dehydrator and turn it on.  Easy Peasy. 

I think I'll dry some strawberries and blueberries also - although I don't grow either of them so I'll have to buy some. 

If I ever make the granola, I'll post the recipe.  I'm also thinking about making some instant oatmeal to take with when we go camping.  I usually just cook oatmeal at home but I'm thinking some instant might be a good fit for camping.