Pictures from my harvest kitchen!

It is going to be a busy weekend in my harvest kitchen. The day has just begun and I already have many things in progress. It is appropriate to call this weekend Labor Day because it will all be about labor for me!

A pot of tomato sauce is cooking down to the right consistency for canning. I picked the tomatoes from the garden yesterday and started processing them right away - the sauce wasn't thick enough when I went to bed last night so I put it in the fridge overnight and put it back on this morning. It just doesn't get much fresher than this!

Ingredients all cut up for a batch of relish. I ran out of relish and had to buy some this past year so I will probably be making two batches this year (or giving less away). The store bought just isn't as good as mine.

Fruit ice cubes. This is just pureed fruit frozen in ice cube trays. I process it and sweeten it to taste before making the cubes. I store the cubes in freezer bags in the freezer. I mostly use them to make smoothies. These are from the last of my currants. I plan on making some from raspberries and grapes this weekend. I love a mixed fruit smoothie with a little soy yogurt added in.

Currant Sorbet

What a wonderful treat on a hot summer day.

My currant bushes are really loaded - I'm going to have lots of currants to enjoy this year.

I made my sorbet different this time. I juiced the currants by using my food mill that I attach to my kitchen aid mixer.

The juice was really concentrated so I took 1 cup of juice, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of raw sugar and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum.

The xanthan gum is a stabilizer - I use it a lot in gluten free baking so I always have it on hand - it is expensive - like $12 for a bag - but a little goes a long way. It keeps the sorbet nice and creamy - otherwise it is nice when it is fresh, but if you put it in the freezer for later, it will be a hard crystallized block.

I heated the juice mixture until the sugar was dissolved. Then I let it cool to room temperature and then I put it in my electric ice cream maker.

The juice mixture was a pretty dark red when I put it in the ice cream maker but as it froze, it turned a nice fluffy pink color. It is just so light and airy and oh so yummy - not to mention full of all kinds of wonderful phytonutrients.

Where has June gone?

Seriously, can you believe it is almost July? I cannot believe how time keeps slipping away from me.

It has been a strange year for gardening - but don't we say that every year? It is just that the strangeness is different every year. There is never a "perfect" year for gardening - something is always out of whack - that's the way it is with nature. Every year something does great and something doesn't. I don't think I have ever had a garden where everything grew perfectly.

This year the weather has been so variable. We had below average temperatures for much of the spring and early summer and now it is hot - too hot - the garden didn't have time to adjust. We also had very little rain so I haven't been complaining one bit about the last few rainy days.

So, how has my garden been growing since I haven't been updating? Here are a few pics:

The lettuce has been doing great. It loves the cooler weather we were having. It will probably be done pretty soon now that the weather has turned hot.

The potatoes are also doing great. They have started flowering which means there will be new potatoes to dig very soon.

The peppers have just not done well so far this year. They are small and just not growing much. They are heat lovers, so maybe now that it has turned hot, they will start thriving instead of just surviving.

The cauliflower was looking great but the heads have started looking really funky the last couple of days. I suspect it is the sudden heat.

The brocolli is looking really good. It hasn't seemed to mind the heat.

The brussels sprouts are also doing well.

I lost most of my cabbage this spring to the rabbits. The ones that survived (I put a fence around them a little too late) are doing great.

My tomatoes are struggling. They are starting to bounce back. None of my tomatoes look as good as my neighbor's but I'm not too concerned - at least not yet.

The new peach tree is thriving. My son keeps asking when we will have peaches again. Poor impatient child, he just does not understand that this young tree will not produce fruit for some time.

The currant bushes are loaded with berries that are just starting to ripen.

And lastly, Andy's garden. He planted cucumbers, canteloupe and watermelons. The cucumbers and canteloupes are beginning to look really good. His seedless watermelon never came up and the seeded ones just don't seem to be doing much. They are barely growing - I'm not sure if we will see any fruit from them this year. Andy, being the ever hopeful child still thinks the seedless ones might come up yet.

I've been trying to make sugar free jelly

I haven't been blogging because I've been in my kitchen experimenting.

The goal - to make an all natural sugar free jelly that tastes good.

The problem - sugar is a big part of what makes jelly "jell" so making one without any sugar is tricky. I don't want to used processed nutrient dead calorie rich white sugar. I also don't want to use artificial sweeteners. It also has to be gluten free and casein free. Since sugar also acts as a preservative in jellies, if I do succeed it will probably have a shorter shelf life.

I didn't want to use honey or maple syrup for fear they would add too much flavor - I really want to taste the fruit.

I decided to use stevia for my first trials. I also picked currants to be the fruit since I have a bumper crop of them this year and I won't be upset if I ruin a batch or two.

Batch #1 was a complete bust. It did not jell at all and wasn't even thick enough to use as syrup. It was also way too tart.

I decided to increase the pectin and the stevia and try again.

Batch #2 was better. It jelled. A soft jell that set up a little firmer in the fridge - definitely a texture I could be happy with. But it was still way too tart.

I'm not sure what to do next. I'm not sure if I need to add more stevia or less. Stevia can get bitter if you use too much so you want to use it sparingly. It wasn't bitter though so I think I could add more - or should I just switch to a different sweetener?

I'm going to mull it over a bit before I give it another go. I'll keep you all posted and post a final recipe and pictures when I get it all figured out.

A robin built her nest in my apple tree!

I am surprised we haven't had more robin nests in our yard - such a perfect place to build - ripe currants and raspberries near by to eat. And my organic garden is a great source of worms. The bird bath provides a nice drink and a place to cool off.

I had no idea that robins built nests this late in the year so I did some research and found out that they build 2 to 3 nests per year - one in the spring and one in the summer here - probably a third one a little further south. They do not reuse the nest - once the young have left the nest, it will be abandoned.

We are all looking forward to watching the young grow once they hatch.

It's looking like it may be a good gardening year after all!

We had a late start and now it is just hot but the garden seems to be weathering it all. And after all, isn't there always something about the weather to complain about? Every year it is too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry or too something.

Mostly my garden is doing great. I had spotty germination on the parsnips and some of my carrots and Andy's sunflower fort has seen better years - but overall it is doing well. We have been eating lettuce and radishes from the garden for some time.

The strawberries were great this year. The currants and raspberries are loaded. The apple tree doesn't have any fruit this year and it looks like I have lost the peach tree - the green that was there has shriveled up and died. But I keep watering the tree hoping beyond hope that there is some life left in there somewhere! LOL! My plum tree has plums for the first time - I can only find 3 - so not a huge harvest but I'll take what I can get and it is still a very young tree.

I snapped a few pics of the garden this morning -



2 views of my raised bed from opposite angles.


Wayahead Tomato


The dead peach tree.

Currant Sorbet

It was also suggested that I try sorbet so I did. I am trying to avoid using processed white sugar or corn syrup in my creations - so I used Brown Rice Syrup and Maple Syrup. It wasn't bad, but you can taste the Rice Syrup a little too strongly - next time I think I'll do 1/2 cup of each instead of what's listed.

Currant Sorbet

2 cups currant juice
1 cup brown rice syrup
¼ cup maple syrup

To make currant juice – place currants in sauce pan and crush – do not add water. Bring to a boil. Turn off, cover and let cool. When cool strain through a jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth.

To make sorbet: Mix all ingredients together – make sure the currant juice is cold or at least room temperature. Place in ice cream maker and process until desired consistency – about 40 minutes.

Currant Pie

Someone suggested that I make a currant pie with all of my currants. I haven't ever had a currant pie - it was wonderful - I can't believe I never thought of making a pie with them before!

Here it is before it went in the oven:


And here is it looking beautiful coming out:


And here is the recipe I used: I am gfcf (gluten free and casien/dairy free) - so just substitute a normal pie crust if you are not. I also am trying to use all natural/organic items so I am avoiding white refined sugar as much as possible. Enjoy!

Currant Pie

2 uncooked pie crusts (I made mine using a mix from Miss Robens)
4 cups fresh currants
¼ cup tapioca
½ cup raw honey*
2 tablespoons margarine melted (I used Earth Balance Sticks)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Roll out ½ of the pastry and line a pie plate (I only cook in glass pie plates – using aluminum is not good for your health)

In a medium bowl mix currants, tapioca, honey, margarine, cinnamon and nutmeg

Pour mixture into pie crust

Roll out remaining dough and place over the filling – or cut into strips and place on pie lattice style. Trim, seal and crimp edges – if you put a solid top crust on, be sure and cut steam vents in it.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 to 60 minutes more. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving.

*Adjust the amount of honey to your preferred level of sweetness

Currant Jelly

I made 33 jars of currant jelly yesterday on the 4th of July. It is a very good year for currants - some years I fight the birds to get enough for one batch of jelly - but not this year. I'm excited to be able to make so much - I have a friend who also has a child with autism - and our children are so different from each other and yet they have some of the same problems in life. One of the ways they are different is that my kid will eat just about anything and he just loves fruits and veggies. She has always struggled with her child eating anything. At one point there were only 5 things he would eat and they had to be particular brands - so frustrating. Anyway one of the things he loves and eats is currant jelly - has to be red and not black. The last year I had a bumper crop I made two extra batches just for him. I believe his eating is better but I think he still like currant jelly so I am excited to be able to do this and help them out.

Anyway jelly making is really easy - not hard at all. When I go to the bother of making jelly, I make several batches at a time. No sense in heating up the kitchen for just a few. I don't have a dishwasher so I have to heat the jars in boiling water to sterilize them and that seems to take the longest - so while you have hot water you may as well sterilize the next batch and keep going.

Does anyone know what else you can make with currants? Andy and I like to just eat them, but they don't last very long. Dan only likes the jelly. One year I tried to dry them and they were all hard and little, not like the dried currants you buy in the store that look like raisins - so I did a little research and learned that the dried currants you buy in the store are a different plant entirely - something from Europe with the same common name. Who knew? I didn't. So if anyone else knows what I should do with my currants (other than feed the birds), post a comment and let me know.

In My Garden Monday 6/25/07

The first daylilly


A few (very few due to transplanting) black raspberries


And another bucket of currants. It is going to be a very good year for currant jam!

Sunday's Harvest

I got kind of busy yesterday and didn't get around to posting these pictures. I also dug a few new potatoes and cooked them for dinner. Nothing like the taste of new potatoes. I love the fresh taste of everything from my garden.


A basket full of lettuce and beet leaves for my salads this week.


Radishes from the third planting of radishes. I love the different colors. Whenever I have the choice to plant more than one color of something I do.


And another bucket of currants. This will be a good year for currant jelly.

My garden survived while I was on vacation

The currants ripened nicely this past week

Here is a close up of the currants.

Gee - I don't remember planting dill - nor did I plant any last year, but it comes up every year. You gotta love mother nature taking care of things naturally.

The beans are starting to trail up the strings.

The cabbage and brussels sprouts have totally recovered from the hail now and looking good.

The tomatoes are growing like weeds.

3 quart bags of currants ready for the freezer. They will eventually be made into jelly, but I don't have the time right now so I just freeze them and then thaw them on jelly making day.

It's good to be back home in my garden. We had a great time on vacation and it was nice to get away, but I always miss my garden when I'm gone.

In My Garden this evening

The bushes in front of the house are blooming

The currants are starting to ripen

The lettuce and cabbage are bouncing back from the hail - they are still looking tore up, but they have perked up and put out new growth - they will be fine.

The peaches are getting bigger - yum, I can't wait!

And black raspberries are forming. I am not going to get a lot of them this year since I transplanted them - but I will take any I can get. I think the blacks are my favorite. Dan likes the yellow the best and Andy just likes them all.

In my garden today 5/29/07

The apple tree is loaded with little apples

I transplanted the pepper plants today - now everything is in the ground

Strawberries are ripening

The black raspberries I transplanted in the spring are flowering so maybe I'll get some fruit from them this year - I thought I might lose a year with a transplant.

The pole beans are all up. The green beans on the right came up before the yellow beans on the left even though they were planted at the same time.

I don't know how well you can see with my cheap camera (my nice one died), but the carrots are all up in nice little rows.

The potatoes are looking good

The currant bushes are loaded.

The sunflower fort has been planted, but this year we put mulch in the middle so prickly weeds don't grow - the boys didn't like playing in there much last year because of the weeds!

7 quarts of rhubarb ready for the freezer. Rhubarb is real easy to freeze - just cut up and put in bags and stick in the freezer - nothing to it!

I have some flowers blooming as well. I don't pay attention to the names of the flowers as I do to the veggies - so I can't even think of what kind of flowers they are right now.

The Minnesota peaches are growing bigger. I just hope I can keep the boys from picking them green. Andy and Vinny (the neighbor) picked quite a few green apples over the weekend - I have told them not to touch the peaches, but they don't always listen.

The tomatoes are bouncing back from transplant shock.

The cabbage and brussels sprouts are loving this cool weather.