Bonda's Kitchen Is Enhanced With Bonda's Garden

Over the years I have been adding to this blog you will have seen how I have enjoyed the garden.

While I won't get prizes for the tidiest, weed free garden, I might get the prize for enjoying my garden on several levels.

Here are a few...

1.  I have discovered the relaxing and healthy aspects of earthing/grounding.  So I spend as much barefoot time as I can in the garden.

2.  We have a very elderly friend who has gardened all her life as a family business and even when she entered an assisted living care center she found a way to garden nearby.  She told us how special Ogallala strawberries are.  They are smaller and harder to pick than mosts varieties, however, they make up for it in flavor and a long growing season.  Ogalalla strawberries produce from June to October and sometimes November.  Many of my suppers have been spent simply eating fresh strawberries in the strawberry patch.  They are never better than fresh picked.

3.  The garden is ever changing and I often go out without my gathering basket and end up using my shirt to bring in the bounty.  Take this shirt full of peas for example:

Blueberries

 

 Bintje Potatoes
See 8-30-14 post for more details.

 

We can make a gourmet salad from our garden from March thru November because of the volunteers.

This photo was taken in March and even the volunteer squash starts made it into the salad.

Each spring we purchase heirloom plants, especially tomatoes and cucumbers from our neighbor's greenhouse.  As frosty weather hits in October or November, we save the unripened tomatoes in the garage and let them ripen on their own.  Each year we are still eating our own tomatoes in January.

A few years back, when my husband was having the home rewired, he had the electricians add a flood light so I can garden after dark.  I've enjoyed that a lot when the summer is hot and I want to stay out after dark.

 

In the photo just above, you can see the french parsley given to me by a neighbor several years ago which reseeds itself every year, the garden cloches to protect early starts and the three peach trees that showed up this spring as volunteers from the peach seeds I dumped last fall.  There were about 30 trees this spring. We saved three and pulled the rest.  I love my volunteer garden.  Less work and more produce.  It means earlier spring lettuce, spinach and kale and this year it meant I have lettuce in November.

Healthy Homemade Bread and The Garden in September

This Demarle tray makes 20 mini loaves

What an absolute treat it is to have the smell of fresh baked bread in the house on these cooler summer days as we head toward fall.

This healthy recipe makes enough for 20 mini loaves and one large loaf.

3 cups fresh ground Prairie Gold Whole Wheat from Wheat Montana
6 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten from Bob's Red Mill
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2.5 cups very warm 125 degree water
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup local raw honey
1 large lemon, juiced
3 cups fresh ground Prairie Gold Whole Wheat from Wheat Montana

In a Bosch Kitchen Center using a dough hook Mix together the first 3 cups of flour, vital wheat gluten and active yeast.  If you have veggie water left over from something, this would be a great place to use it.  Add the warm water and mix for about a minute.  Make sure it all got mixed in.  Cover and let rest for 10 or 15 minutes.
Add sea salt, coconut oil, honey and juice.  Run mixer for a minute.  Add the remaining 3 cups flour about a cup at a time.  Knead on low speed for 10 minutes . The dough should be smooth rather than sticky.

Warm the oven slightly but turn it back off before it gets hot.  Place the dough in a Demarle shape tray or bread pans such as the Demarle mini loaf tray.  If you use a regular bread pan you will need to grease it or use parchment paper.  With Demarle, no greasing should be done.

Let raise until it is how you want it to look in the end.  It will not raise during baking.  This should take about 30 minutes or so depending on how warm the oven is.

Now turn the oven to 350 degrees and time it for 23 minutes for the mini loaves or 30 minutes for large loaves.  It will begin baking as the oven is heating and it is done quick like.


And for the record, what the garden looks like in early September:

Funnel Cakes

Warning:  This is not one of our healthy choices.

They wanted to eat funnel cakes.  I am content to stay home and didn't want to take them to the fair.  They REALLY wanted funnel cakes.

They went to the store for vegetable oil because I didn't want them using up the coconut oil for this.

Anything would be good with this much powdered sugar.

This turned out really well.  I said they could not do it inside and they could not use the good pans over the fire.    They got a cast iron skillet out of the camping supplies.   This recipe made more than  double what the two of them could eat.

 

 Recipe came from Food.com

Momma's Fair Funnel Cakes

• 3 eggs
• ¹⁄₄ cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 3 ²⁄₃ cups flour
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1. Beat eggs and sugar together and then add the milk slowly--beat. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour batter into a funnel and at the same time, use your finger to plug the hole. In a large cast iron pot, add 2 inches of oil to the bottom.
3. When the oil becomes hot, move your hand over the pot and slowly release your finger so the batter can start cooking.
4. Move the funnel around to make designs.
5. Brown on both sides--then immediately remove and drain extremely well.
6. Top with brown sugar, or honey, or cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar as a topping.
7. BE CAREFUL AND DO NOT GET BURNED!

Nectarine Crisp

 Going into the oven.

When I decided a few years ago to plant a peach tree and a nectarine tree I didn't think about what a big deal it is to harvest that much fruit all at once just as we are celebrating our wedding anniversary and having a busy vacation rental season.  I am thinking it would have been okay to buy a box of fruit from another grower.  That being said, I also like the shade these trees give through out our warm summers.  And the fruit is oh, so sweet when tree ripened. 

What to do with it? A lot went in the freezer.  Which mainly goes into smoothies.   I don't want to can it.  Today I decided to make a 9 x 13 dish of Nectarine Crisp.

This recipe is our family favorite so far.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees:

Streusel topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour (next time I will try 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup oatmeal)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon sea salt
2.5 cubes butter, between soft and melty


1.  Mix all the above ingredients and set aside.

Fruit filling:
6  pounds peaches (15 or so) peeled, pitted and cut up.
4 teaspoons potato starch (next time use 5)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2. Gently stir and put in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

3. Sprinkle with:

1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened, whipped cream. 

 

Sweetened cream made from raw cream.  Put in the cream canister for dispensing.

Coconut Lime Coleslaw

We have a new store in town.  It is an ultra premium olive oil tasting room called D'Olivo.  This is where I go for treats now.  Two weeks ago I bought a bottle of Persian Lime Olive Oil along with a bottle of Coconut Balsamic Vinegar.  The plan was to make a brownie recipe with these ingredients and so far I haven't gotten that done, but tonight while looking through recipes for coleslaw, I found one with lime juice.  Too bad the fresh limes were used up the other day.  Then it hit me.  I have the oil and vinegar and will try a new twist on the coleslaw.  Maybe someone else has done this, but it is my first time.  Oh my goodness, I love it!

The family says, "This is so good.  It should be on pinterest."

Added later:  Someone said they served  this to their 5 and 7 year old children who didn't like it at all.  So who knows?  You might like it and you might not.

Coconut  Lime Coleslaw

By Bonda 7-7-15

Saute one Walla Walla Sweet Onion in Coconut Oil, refrigerate.

When sautéd onions are cold, chop in food processor and add to:

2 cups green cabbage, chopped small

2 cups purple cabbage, chopped small

1 carrot, grated

¼ cup D’Olivo Coconut Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup D’Olivo Persian Lime Olive Oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup Best Foods Olive Oil Mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients, mix and serve.

6 - 3/4 cup servings

Sunny Side Up Mini Loaves

I know it's been too long since I posted on the blog when step by step cooking photos show up in my email inbox unexpectedly.  Thanks to my daughter for this guest post.

I emailed this back:  The photos look great.  Yum!  Where did you get the recipe.   Did the kiddos like it? 

And this is the reply: Yes the kids love it. I made it up loosely based on the muffin cups but it's faster and less prep. Turns out 20 minutes for the last step with eggs is too long. Try 17 or so.

Here are the steps in photos and the recipe is at the end. 

Bake 12 min @400

  Try 17 minutes next time instead of 20 she says.

 

Don't Order Maine Lobster To Go

While waiting for my flight in Boston this week, I thought it wise to figure out a lunch plan.  During the flight a week earlier I discovered the meals on the plane are no longer included in the fare.  Can anyone tell it's been awhile since I was on a long flight?  Like 7 years?

Once I found my departure gate I saw a Legal Seafood Restaurant offering fresh lobster.  It was at full capacity even though the airport wasn't very busy right then so that was a good sign.  This was not a fast food place so I had the option of waiting and maybe not having enough time or ordering to go.

I digress...

 Old City Hall, Boston.  I took this photograph in October 2007.

Seven years ago when we were in Boston I ordered fresh lobster at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (located in the Old City Hall).  It was a startling experience for me.  When it came it was intact on a large serving platter.  The kind you would serve a large family meal on.  My husband and I still laugh about that experience sometimes.  Of course I could not eat it all.  I think it cost between $75 and $100 just for that one item.   Probably the chuckles we have gotten from the experience almost make it worth it.  I think my husband, the server and the nearby patrons enjoyed my look of shock when it showed up at our table.  Also I burst out with an exclamation that made heads turn.  Whoops!  The hick from the sticks came out.

 Since I didn't take a photo of the dining room I am including this one from pbase.com

Oh how I wish I had taken a photo of the plated lobster when it arrived.  I've looked around the Internet for a photo that resembles what it looked like and this photo from Prevention.com (recipes) is the closest I found.

Certainly, I recall it overflowed the platter and it was served with butter and lemon.  No side dishes.  AND I could not eat it all.  It was very good.  That was the first time I had lobster.  Unfortunately I didn't ask the price and when the bill came...well I think I must have blocked it out because I remember it being a lot.

So now it is seven years later and I'm back in Boston (airport only this time) and I remember a thought I had before I left on this trip..."I should watch for an opportunity to have fresh Maine lobster while I'm there."  Since my dear friends provided every meal I wasn't about to breathe a word of that idea.

So here at Legal Seafoods is an opportunity and I just think I'll splurge and go for it even though there is no room in the restaurant.  "To go please," I say to the cashier.  Ha!  It is $27.00 including tax so it's quite a bit less money than last time thank goodness.  After quite a long wait it is finally brought to me and I looked at it wondering how to eat it with a plastic fork and knife...the flimsiest on the planet I think.  It is a much smaller lobster this time but it is still fully intact and I realize I'm going to have to dispense with the plastic utensils and get my hands involved.  Oh my what a mess but oh so delicious.  I could acquire a taste for this I'll have you know.

Would you believe I didn't take a photo.  And furthermore I can't find a photo of steamed lobster in a to-go box on the Internet.  Hmmm.  I think I know why.  It really isn't a good idea.  Next time I would order a lobster roll which is something I attempted to make recently but it didn't turn out well.  I haven't ever seen it or had it but I have heard of it.  I'm still learning.

Legal Seafoods offered live lobsters in a box.  Briefly, I considered bringing a couple home so my husband could share in the experience, but it was possible I would be bumped off the flight between Minneapolis and Pasco and I didn't want to be dealing with live lobster if that happened.

Live lobster isn't available here.  It's okay though.  We have a frozen foods department and it will have to do for now.