On the Menu (10-28 to 11-3)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and to be intentional about using fresh garden produce and preserves.  We are still harvesting a few cold tolerant items and preserving a few things, but for the most part it is now time once again to enjoy what I was able to preserve this summer. :}

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Still available fresh from the garden:
-carrots
-kohlrabi - harvest a couple more again today; such sweet flavor right now!!! :D
-kale
-lettuce

Meals:
Pumpkin/Squash Waffles - garden squash
Buffalo Chicken Stromboli - homemade pepper sauce
Scalloped Potatoes - garden potatoes (didn't happen last week)
Sweet and Spicy Glazed Chicken - peach salsa or zucchini peach marmalade 

Snack:
-dried apples
-roasted pumpkin seeds

 Preserve:
 -roast pumpkin seeds
-still waiting for the rest of my green tomatoes to ripen in my kitchen; down to one last flat!  :)

Is your garden done or are you harvesting and eating fresh yet this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

Plant of the Week: Blazing-star

Blazing Star (Liatris sp.)  photo credit

The Blazing Star, with it's striking spike of purple flowers, is native to the eastern two thirds of North America (east of the Rocky Mountains).  It is an upright plant that stands 1 1/2 - 3 feet tall on average.   Each flowering stem terminates with a spike of pink, lavender/purple, or white flowers that attract butterflies, bees and other pollinators.  This plant is often chosen to add a splash of mid summer to early fall color to a foundation planting, butterfly or rock garden.  Some species are very very hardy and will tollerate both cold (USDA zone 3a) and drought while others are restricted by temperature and/or moisture.  It would be wise to make note of the individual species you are wanting to plant and it's moisture and zone preferences before assuming it will be 'happy' in your garden.

Plant each Blazing Star about 18 inches apart in a full to mostly sunny location.  Many garden centers carry one or two ornamental varieties of Blazing Star as established plants.  Also, the plant's large root system can be divided for propagation if you have access to a well established plant.  Divide and transplant early in the spring to allow them to get well established again before the winter cold arrives.  Another propagation option is to collect seeds after the flowers have faded and are dry.  Broadcast seeds in the fall, start them in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame, or cold treat them before starting them indoors.

Please Note:  Respect native prairie plant communities!  Do not dig up wild plants or gather wild seed.  They are a part of a greater community that depends on them.  Thank you!

Happy Wildflower Gardening! :)

On the Menu (10-21 to 10-27)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and to be intentional about using fresh garden produce and preserves.  We are still harvesting a few cold tolerant items and preserving a few things, but for the most part it is now time once again to enjoy what I was able to preserve this summer. :}

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.


Last week I completely re-wrote my menu when the cold rainy weather arrived and filled it with soup and chili.  ;)  Don't you love a flexible menu plan! :D  Here is this weeks 'plan'.  We'll see if I stick to it better this week! ;P

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Still available fresh from the garden:
-carrots
-kohlrabi
-kale
-cabbage

Meals:
Pork Carnitas - homemade pepper sauce
Turkey Potpie - frozen veggies & left over turkey from the weekend
Scalloped Potatoes - garden potatoes I bought from a fellow gardener
Spinach Artichoke Pasta - fresh spinach (this a maybe if I can come up with something else to make a main course for the rest of my family! ;})

Snack:
-dried apples
-squash/pumpkin something

 Preserve:
-no plans yet this week;  still waiting for the rest of my green tomatoes to ripen in my kitchen; down to one last flat!  :)

Is your garden done or are you harvesting and eating fresh yet this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

On the Menu (10-14 to 10-20)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and to be intentional about using fresh garden produce and preserves.  We are still harvesting a few cold tolerant items and preserving a few things, but for the most part it is now time once again to enjoy what I was able to preserve this summer. :}

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Garden fresh this week:
-carrots
-kohlrabi
-kale
-cabbage

Meals:
Pork Carnitas - homemade pepper sauce
Homemade Pizza - home canned pizza sauce
No Peek Chicken & frozen garden broccoli
Meatloaf and baked potatoes
Beef Enchilada - homemade tomato sauce

Snack:
-fresh apples
-fruit leathers
-banana bread

 Preserve:
-no plans this week;  still waiting for the rest of my green tomatoes to ripen in my kitchen

Is your garden done or are you harvesting and eating fresh yet this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

Plant of the Week: Black-Eyed Susan

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)  photo credit

The common name, 'Coneflower', includes a variety of native plants including the Purple Prairie Coneflower, the Blanket Flower, the Upright Prairie Coneflower and the focus of today's post, the Black-eyed Susan, just to name a few.  All of these wildflowers belong to the Aster Family (Asteraceae) but may come from a number of different genera.  No matter where they fall in the scientific classification, the one common characteristic that ties all of them together is their domed center (disk flowers) surrounded by longer petals (ray flowers) making a daisey looking flower. 

Blanket flowers are a pioneer species, meaning they easily establish from seed in disturbed soils and are often found in mass along roadsides or other disturbed areas.  This trait can make them 'weedy' in a flower garden but an annual thinning of seedlings or careful deadheading of the flowers will keep them under control.  Blanket flowers are bi-annual and will produce only a ring of leaves (rosette) which lie on the ground their first year, die back for the winter, and then shoot up a flowering stock that can be as tall as 3 feet their second year.  Each flowering stock produces yellow petaled flowers with a black/brown center that attract a wide variety of insect pollinators including butterflies and honeybees.

Seeds for Black-eyed Susan can be purchased from wild flower distributors or garden bred varieties can be purchased from any local garden center.  Plant seeds early in the spring, about two weeks before the average last spring frost, and thin seedlings to about two feet apart after they have produced their second 'real' leaf.  Seedlings can also be started indoors about 6 weeks prior to the last spring frost and transplanted into a prepared garden bed.  Black-eyed Susan prefer full sun to very slight shade and should be watered the equivalent of 1 inch of water every week.

Please Note:  Respect native prairie plant communities!  Do not dig up wild plants or gather wild seed.  They are a part of a greater community that depends on them.  Thank you!

Happy Gardening! :)

On the Menu (10-7 to 10-13)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and to be intentional about using fresh garden produce and preserves.  We are still harvesting a few cold tolerant items and preserving a few things, but for the most part it is now time once again to enjoy what I was able to preserve this summer. :}

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Garden fresh this week:
-carrots
-kohlrabi
-kale
-cabbage

Meals:
Baked Caramel Apple Pancakes - fresh apples
Homemade Pizza - home canned pizza sauce
Cabbage Rolls - garden cabbage & frozen tomato sauce
Eggplant something - just can't make up my mind yet... :}

Snack:
-fresh & dehydrated apples

 Preserve:
-dehydrate apple chips

Is your garden done or are you harvesting and eating fresh yet this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

*this is a recipe I hope to post soon

Plant of the Week: Blanket Flower

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia sp.) photo credit

If you are looking for an eye catching, drought tolerant flower to liven up your garden, one of the Blanket Flower species or horticultural varieties are a great option!  The daisy-like flowers are solid or bi-colored and range from cream to yellow, red, and/or rusty brown.  They are native to the western hemisphere,and several species as well as horticultural crosses and varieties, are cold hardy as low as zone 3.  As an added bonus, the flowers are a favorite among butterflies and other beneficial pollinators as well!  :)

Plants can be purchased from a garden center or started indoors from seed 4-6 weeks before the last frost.  Transplant starters and potted plants in full sun and well drained soil in early spring but after all chance of frost has past.  Individual plants should be spaced about 18 inches apart in clusters of 3 to 7 plants for the best landscaping autistic and to get the 'color splash' that will draw pollinators.  Water newly establishing plants deeply and regularly for the first year.  Once the root system is well established, water only during the driest years.

(Note:  Please respect native prairie and wild plant communities!  Do not dig up wild plants or gather wild seed.  They are a part of a greater community that depends on them.  Thank you!)

Happy Gardening! :)

Fall Clean Up Time

October is here and ready or not, it is time to think about closing down the garden(s) for the season.  Today, Oct 2, is the date of the average first hard frost (28F) for my area and a look at the forecast for the week only confirms again that it IS that time of year (cold temps, rain, even possible snow to the west of us!)! :{

I will be harvesting my remaining tomatoes and peppers, and going through my Fall Cleanup Checklist hopefully today.  Most of the tomatoes that remain on the plants are completely green yet so I'll need to ripen them indoors, but that is an easy process.  Check out this post from last year on how to ripen green tomatoes indoors if you haven't done it before.

Happy Fall & Garden Cleanup! :}

On the Menu (9-30 to 10-6)

For the last several years I have challenged myself to focus on using from my pantry and shop less for a couple months each winter... a Pantry Challenge.  With the end of February and this year's pantry challenge complete, I found that I really liked having a basic menu plan to guide me.  I decided to continue making a month long menu, and to be intentional about using fresh garden produce and preserves from last season.  Now that it is the season for garden fresh produce, it is my goal to incorporate as much garden fresh ingredients as I can into our meals, and preserve the  abundance for the winter and spring to come.

Overall, I have to say that intentional menu planning has been good for my family. :D  It only takes me 15-20 min to put together a new menu for the month unless I get stuck trying to think of something new to add.  If you are interested in joining me in intentional menu planning, check out my Pantry Challenge post to get an idea of how to get started.

Here is what is on our menu this week...

Garden fresh this week:
-tomatoes
-peppers (hot, mild & sweet)
-zucchini/summer squash
-carrots
-kohlrabi
-kale
-cabbage

Meals:
BBQ Smoked Pulled Pork and coleslaw - garden cabbage & carrots
grilled chicken & veggie packets - garden veggies
Eggplant Rollatini & lasagna - frozen tomato sauce, chopped zucchini, & garden carrots
taco soup - frozen corn, canned tomato pepper mix (home canned 'rotel')

Snack:
-fresh apples & veggies
-apple pear leathers

Preserve:
-dehydrate apple chips
-chop & freeze sweet peppers

What are you harvesting and eating fresh this week?  Are you preserving any garden produce this week?  I'd love hear about your favorite recipes!

Happy Garden Eating! :)

*this is a recipe I hope to post soon