Backyard Farmgals

Peach season.  I want it to last forever!  It is without doubt the most juicy and tasty time of year.  I fall head-over-heels in love every year.  My grandmother gave me a superpower that allows me to freeze time when it comes to peach season.  Cape donned, mask in place, I head to the kitchen and work my magic, and BAM! (think old comics here... you know the ones!) my little farmhands and I are able to eat peachy goodness all year long.   Preserving can be a fairly complicated skill, but when it comes to simple things like peaches and tomatoes, it is easy, fairly fast, and a lot more healthy.  You can use little to no sugar (use pineapple juice for your syrup - it looks a little funky but works, I have tried it) and you don't have to worry about the BPA in store-bought cans of peaches.  Plus, I use local peaches, I know the farmer that I am supporting and it makes them taste that much better! There are a few ways to do this, yo...

It's peach season!  YES!  It's finally here.  There is nothing that makes me happy like a fresh, ripe peach picked from a tree just steps away.  To celebrate I whipped up this little tart.  I had one piece and my hubby finished off the rest, so it must be good... I used my favorite pie crust recipe which happens to come from Martha Stewart.  I have never had trouble with this recipe and it has become my standard.  When it comes to pie crust, I am a butter girl, the whole shortening thing rubs me wrong, plus I like the richness of butter.  If you are gonna eat pie, EAT PIE, right? The filling hardly has any sugar in it.  I wanted to taste those ripe and delicious peaches, so I added just a bit and a little flour to thicken the juices.  I topped each slice with a little drizzle of honey and a bit of whipped cream, and it was heavenly. RUSTIC HONEY AND PEACH TART backyard farmgals Pie crust: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flou...

To celebrate summer and because it's just too darn hot to really do any cooking (or even much farming), I whipped up this delightful and cooling tropical salad.  It is loaded with all kinds of fruit, nuts, peppers, and super nutritious quinoa, one of my favorite grains.  My kiddos have gobbled bowls of this over the summer, it's sweet but only because of the fruit.  Even my hubby keeps asking for more! This is great for parties or just a light dinner out on the patio.  Make sure that you use really ripe mangos, they are the key flavor, sour mangos just won't do the trick.  Also, make sure you rinse the quinoa really well before you cook it, otherwise it will be bitter.  This makes a huge amount of salad, but it is great stored in the fridge for lunch the next day, and the flavors get even better overnight. TROPICAL QUINOA SALAD backyard farmgals printer friendly version 1 cup (dry) quinoa (I used 1/2 cup black and 1/2 cup regular), coo...

I can't remember the first tomato I ate, what it's color was, or how it tasted.  There are, however, tomato colored memories that flash through my mind when I am out among those big green vines. Some of my very first memories have tomatoes ingrained in them.  In his garden, my grandfather introduced me to a Better Boy.  Salt shaker in hand, he would pick a soft, red, warm tomato.  Sliced with a pocket knife, he would give me a wedge liberally sprinkled with sea salt.  I can remember tasting the sun.  Warm, sweet, and tart all at the same time.  Juice running down my chin and the slurp associated with the big greedy bites.  I remember the taste of that tomato patch, along with weathered hands and wrinkled smiling eyes. I have different memories later on.  When I married, the first thing I bought to go with the newly remodeled house (the home where my grandfather was born) was a tiller.  $400.00.  The price tag seemed hefty to...

This is the most beautiful juice.  I love the pink color and it tastes absolutely scrumptious.  I have been trying to put more raw food into my diet and juicing is a great way to do just that.  You get all of the vitamins and flavors, and it makes your skin glow.  I needed a big boost of vitamin C a few weeks ago and this did the trick.  I snagged a similar recipe from This Rawsome Vegan Life and now I am hooked. An awesome side effect of juicing is that you crave sugar a whole lot less.  When you do snag a little sugary snack, it tastes way too sweet, and you are stunned at how sugar packed it is.  Juice has a way of resetting your tastebuds.  Let's face it, I need all the resetting I can get to keep me eating healthy and glowing!  Another side effect is energy, oodles of it.  I feel so energized when I juice.  I love that feeling! As for juicers, I don't have the million dollar juicer.  I have a mid-grade one that do...

Because it's raining and because I have at least a million and one things to do, I potted a fabulous succulent pot this morning.  I was feeling rebellious.  Go away to-do list... a little Scarlett O'Hara moment rising up, "I'll think about that tomorra".  I guess I need a little fun.  I did finish planting the farm this weekend and I need to celebrate (this year was rough - too much school, two orthopedic injuries, and one horrible case of bronchitis that became a sinus infection from you-can-guess-where; May was not a good month for me).  This not-so-little nursery near me sells a big variety of tiny succulents in 2-inch pots.  They are so cute, I could buy a truckload of them, but I settled for enough to fill this stellar skinny metal pot that I have. I love succulents, they have texture and color in all shades of greens and purples, even a little pink.  I love the chunky leaves and stout fat shapes.  They are a texture freaks dream ...

Just in time for Summer.  This little recipe is a great side or an awesome and pretty healthy main course.  You could add some shredded chicken or some salmon hunks to this if you need a little extra protein.  This has plenty of veggies in it, use what you can out of the garden.  This will be perfect Summer night meal when the garden is at its height.  My little farmhands absolutely LOVE these noodles.  These are just a little bit sweet, thanks to a little agave.  You can sweeten with honey, it is just a bit more difficult to work with (hint - heat it up before you combine with the soy sauce). COLD SOBA NOODLE SALAD backyard farmgals Printer Friendly Version Here 8 oz soba noodles, cooked, drained, rinsed with cold water and drained again 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced 1/2 english cucumber, quartered and thinly sliced 1/2 bunch of green onions, green parts thinly sliced handful of ...