A Mess Of Greens

We're expecting low temperatures 

in the 20's next week.

Texans are not built for that!

And neither is my garden, so I went out today to harvest as many greens as I could.

As it turns out, it was A LOT of greens...

The washed greens covered the span of my island!

 Hardy greens like kale, collards, mustards, and swiss chard all lend themselves to freezing and the process in incredibly easy. 

After a thorough washing and removing the stems, roll stacks of your greens into a "cigar" shape and then make rough chops across.

Heat a large pot of water to just under boiling.  Put your greens in and blanche for 3 minutes.  Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and submerge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Keep the leaves in the ice water for 3 minutes then wring them out really well. 

Pack your greens in a quart sized zip lock freezer bag, press out all the air, and seal.

These little packets of goodness will keep 10-12 months in the freezer.

It's so nice to have these on hand to throw into a soup or smoothie.  But my favorite way is to boil a smoked ham hock and onion in some chicken stock and add the greens to that for a good 'ol southern "mess of greens."

Wild Lettuce

So in my last post, I told you about my farm job.  

Y'ALL...

I come home most days, jump in the shower,

 take 4 Motrin, 2 Aleve, crank the heating pad to the "lava" setting and crash for several hours.

  

I am old.

I am out of shape.

I am basically falling apart.

Doug had been doing some research on medicinal herbs and came across wild lettuce.  

Now, that's WILD lettuce...NOT the devil's lettuce!

  Anyway, it turns out that it is an incredible natural pain reliever.  Doug bought a bottle of capsules of the dried herb and I've been taking them daily.  

I take them in conjunction with an OTC pain reliver and only at night and I have to admit that it does what it says!  It relaxes me and makes me a little sleepy.  On the nights I forget take it, I usually wake up several times due to pain.  I liked the effects so much that I purchased a package of seeds from Strictly Medicinal Seeds and grew out five plants this past fall.

There are about 50 varieties of wild lettuce and from what I've read, they all have about the same medicinal qualities.  I recently harvested the plants and dried them.  I think I'll make a tincture to last me through the winter and then re-sow the plants in the spring.

For me, it's a great substitution 

for so much OTC medication,

and I know my liver will thank me for that!

Check out some info on Wild Lettuce HERE.

The Perks of a Second Job!

So how does a girl go from having no job for a year to having TWO?

I'm not quite sure, but if I figure it out I'll tell you.

It turns out the job at our local college is VERY part time....more like PRN.  PRN is "nurse-speak" for "as needed", and they really don't need me that much.  Also, it's winter break and there is simply nothing available for me until the new year.  So when I get a call from a local farm for help with their gardening, I jumped at the chance!

The job is at a homestead/farm just a few miles from me.  It has lovely gardens, lots of farm animals, and two of the kindest folks you'll ever meet who call it home.  My days are spent weeding, planting, watching the ducks on the pond, and listening to the birds.  My strength isn't what is used to be, but I'm working on that!  And there I DO get my part time hours, and at Christmas time, it is much appreciated.

One of the residents of this lovely little farm is this Jersey cow.  She is very gentle and her owner has provided a "cow share" to some local families for her milk.  Now, we're no stranger to raw milk!  It literally cured John Paul of terrible eczema when he was a child, but to actually be able to milk a cow myself?  I never thought I'd have the chance!  But here I am with the opportunity to milk her twice a week until the new year.

I have a feeling she is going to be my new best friend and I can't wait to make cheese and butter with her gift of milk...and fresh steamed cream for my morning coffee.  

THAT'S the kind of benefits package I can get behind!

So say a prayer for good weather, and strength for my back and messed up foot.  God has yet again provided us a source of income with the added bonus of tending to His creation.

Check out:  The Medina Farm

Now if I could just muster up the strength to tend my own garden!

Fire Cider

The end of summer begins the prep for cold and flu season.  My counter is currently filled with jars full of ferments for wellness, and the main one is FIRE CIDER.  Fire cider is full of health benefits from medicinal plants and herbs that are infused into raw apple cider vinegar and sweetened with raw honey.  A tablespoon a day will help support your immune system and overall health throughout the year but especially during cold and flu season.

Here's how I make it:

You'll need:

Organic apple cider vinegar with "the Mother"

Onion

Lemon

Garlic

Turmeric

Black Pepper

Ginger

Rosemary

Horseradish

Any Hot Pepper

Chop all ingredients and add to a glass jar.  Pour apple cider vinegar over and make sure the ingredients are submerged under the vinegar.  Loosely lid while fermenting so gasses can escape.  Place in a cool dark space and shake occasionally.

Let ferment for 2-6 weeks.

Strain into glass bottles for storage and sweeten to taste with raw honey.

Work up to taking a tablespoon a day, this is potent stuff, and increase to 2-3 tablespoons in the event of illness.

All of the ingredients have amazing health properties and really help to support a healthy immune system. If you can't find the ingredients listed above, you can always substitute dried OR any other medicinal plants you may find like elderberries, sage, oregano, lemon balm, lemon verbena, holy basil/tulsi, savory, catnip, etc.

Herbal vinegars like this should last a year at room temperature.

Summer Time Means Salsa Time!

I am a tomato nerd, I admit it and I'm not ashamed!

Who wants to grow plain red, round tomatoes when you can grow every color and flavor profile?  

I currently have 2-3 plants each of 15 different varieties, and when I say my bacon tomato sandwiches are a religious experience...

I MEAN IT!

But when those first fruits start filling up my kitchen island, my family wants salsa.

And I make it for them.

By the GALLONS!

No, literally, gallons.

I've shared how I make my salsa 

on this platform before.

There is no unit of measurement except 

a pizza pan and your heart.

Everything comes from my summer garden except the spices, and we eat it on absolutely everything!

#CreamerGarden Salsa

On a large pizza pan:

3/4 full of ripe heirloom tomatoes

1/4 full peppers, any kind, 

but we like bell and jalapeno

1/4 full of onion

and as many garlic cloves 

as your heart tells you to add.

Place pan under the broiler until skins 

of vegetables are wrinkled and blackened.

Peel skins off of tomatoes and chop to desired consistency in your food processor.

With the tomatoes I also add:

 1/2 large raw red onion

a large handful of cilantro, stems and all.

Salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, a healthy squeeze of lime juice, and Mexican oregano...

 as much as your heart tells you to add.

Pour into jars and enjoy on 

EVERYTHING!

Happy Summer and check out all the things growing in my garden at

#CreamerGarden on Instagram

Growing Medicine

Not only am I growing vegetables and flowers in my garden, I'm also growing MEDICINE. 

 

Medicinal herbs, that is.

My favorite by far is Holy Basil.

I've been drinking it in tea daily, but I want to make it into a tincture to last through the winter months when I can't grow basils.

Tinctures are liquid, highly concentrated herbal extracts made by soaking herbs in alcohol, vegetable glycerin, or oil.

To make Holy Basil tincture:

Rough chop enough Holy Basil to fill a jar 3/4 full.

Pour (at least 80 proof) vodka, gin, or brandy over the herb to cover.

Cap, label, and set in a dark/cool place 

for six to eight weeks.  

Shake mixture up every now and then.

At the end of your six-ish weeks, strain out the plant matter and decant into dark glass 

dropper bottles.

Take 10-20 drops in a glass of water daily.

Holy Basil has compounds that alleviate anxiety and depression, increase mental clarity, help to decrease age related memory loss, and fight inflammation in the body.

All of that goodness and healing,

just growing right outside of my back porch!

Tomatoes in Season...and in Sandwich!

Just look at that basket and tell me why anyone would want to grow just an ordinary round, 

red tomato?

And then just look at that sandwich and tell me 

why anyone would want to eat 

anything else all summer?

Lactofermented Jalapeno Hot Sauce

I'm experiencing a first in the garden this season,  my peppers are producing earlier and faster than anything else in the garden.  I found myself with a huge basketful of jalapenos, so I decided to make a batch of lactofermented jalapeno hot sauce.

I chopped up all my jalapenos and added some milder peppers from the garden.  I not only want this stuff to be hot, I want it to be flavorful!  I also chopped some small, but sweet, onions and several cloves of garlic...also ALL from the garden!

Then you cover the vegetables with a brine:

4 cups purified or distilled water

3 tablespoons sea salt

The vegetables MUST be submerged 

below the brine!

You can use a ziplock weighted with water, 

a small glass, or an inverted lid.

I use these glass weights made specifically for fermentation because I do this all the time, 

and I'm super extra.

Label and date your ferment and place in a cool place.  Here in south Texas, these should be ready in a week, but it can take up to three weeks.  

These will develop a nice pickled taste over time, so start tasting after a week until you get the flavor you like.

When your peppers have fully fermented to your taste, pour out (but reserve) about half the liquid and pulse vegetables in a blender.  Add the reserved liquid until you get the consistency you desire. If you like a thinner sauce, you can strain before bottling. You can also adjust the seasonings at this time if you like by adding cumin, celery seed, cilantro, etc...

This hot sauce is not only good but it's good for you!  Lots of good probiotics teeming in this stuff.  Keep in the fridge for months and enjoy!

HELLO Summer!

It may not officially be summer until next month, but don't tell that to my garden!  So many lovely things are coming from it and I thought I'd share some of the staples we'll be making in the months ahead.

SALSA VERDE

I'm so excited to say that 100% of this salsa came from my garden!  Now there is no formal recipe, just let your heart tell you what you need...

In a large (I have a 14 inch) sized dry, very hot, cast iron skillet.  To half (or more) of the pan, add ripe and washed tomatillos.  To the other half add peppers, onion, and garlic.  Blister all of your ingredients and then transfer them to a food processor with a handful of cilantro, salt to taste, and ground cumin.  

Process until smooth.

This sauce is great on everything!  I especially love to cook it low and slow with a pork roast for my own spin on Chili Verde.

Next is just my favorite way to eat summer produce from the garden:

PICO DE GALLO

It's seriously just summer time in a bowl for me!

Again, no specific recipe...

Mix together chopped and seeded tomato, chopped peppers and red onion, a handful of chopped cilantro, and season with powdered or fresh garlic and sea salt.

Now with all this lovely food, you're going to need something to drink:

BASIL LEMONADE

This drink is so refreshing and basil has many health benefits!  I just take a quart sized mason jar and add a handful of chopped and muddled basil to the bottom.  Top with ice and then pour over your favorite lemonade.  I use ICE - a bottled sugar free version that's a little fizzy.  In the evenings, I'll add a shot of Tito's Handmade Vodka.  Put the lid on and give it a shake.

So if you're looking for me this summer, I'll be out in the garden...

Or passed out on the couch from one too many basil lemonades!

The Fall Garden

The Fall garden is in full swing and I find myself out here most days just sitting in a chair.  The days are cooler, the air smells sweeter, and the sun feels so good on my skin after being mostly inside for the last six months.

The garden is wooing me, y'all!

And I must GO!

The Easiest Pickled Peppers

There is never a shortage of peppers in the summer garden. Peppers LOVE the Texas heat and my plants usually produce well into late October.  My boys love pickled jalapeños and pepperochini on just about everything, so I’m sharing the easiest quick pickled peppers recipe. It’s my favorite way to preserve peppers. 

PICKLED PEPPERS 

1 cup of vinegar (either white or apple cider)

1 cup of water

Three cloves of garlic smashed

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs honey (optional)

Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan and heat until boiling.  Remove pan from heat and add sliced jalapeños.  Give it a quick stir and allow to cool slightly before packing into clean jars.  Seal jar with lid and cool on your counter until room temperature. You can enjoy them then or put them in the fridge for a couple of days to let the flavors develop. 

These peppers will keep up to three months in the fridge...

IF they last that long!

Saving Summer, Saving Seeds

For the most part, the summer garden is done with.  The only thing that loves this Texas heat are my peppers.  Since getting my cast off, I've really wanted to get out in the garden (because who wants to garden with a heavy, hot, sweaty cast!).  So earlier this week, the boys helped me weed some beds and I gathered the last few bits of summer from the garden.

Beautiful and fragrant Holy Basil for winter teas.

Besides the peppers, my herbs are the only plants still going strong.

Due to the pandemic, many seed companies are sold out due to panic buying.  But if you already have a garden, it's as simple as letting a bit of your harvest dry on the vine.  With a handful of our favorite pole beans, we'll have way more seed than we need for next year.

Same with the cucumbers.  Just let them over ripen on the vine and harvest hundreds of seeds.  And although I wish I could say this was all an experienced gardener's calculated move...

in honest, I simply let my garden go to hell because it was to hot to tend to it!

I even harvested the sunflower seeds that the birds didn't take!

I love that the garden is so forgiving.

Even if you neglect it, you still can reap it's bounty.

One fun project I did was stringing chili peppers for drying.  It's the first time I've dried peppers this way and I can't believe I haven't done it sooner.  When these beauties are dried, it'll be just in time to make the mole sauce for our Christmas tamales!

And you better believe I'm going to be saving those seeds!

I might even just leave it hanging in my kitchen so I can save the remnants of summer just a little longer.

North Georgia Candy Roaster Pie

Every year I try to grow something unusual.  But since I don't have BOTH my gardening legs in use, I decided to grow an oldie but goodie ~ the North Georgia Candy Roaster squash.

This is a winter squash which means that you actually grow it in the summer and it keeps through the year to eat in the winter.  If you imagine that a pumpkin and a sweet potato had a baby, that's what it tastes like.  They are huge, great for months of storage, and delicious!

To make this pie, you'll start by cutting the squash open and scooping out the seeds.  Place the cut ends on a roasting pan with a lip (these things tend to be a bit "juicy").  Cook at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes depending on the size.  

The squash should be fork tender.

Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash with a fork.  Like I said, these tend to hold some water so I choose to drain the squash, but you certainly don't have to.  You'll need 2 cups of squash for the pie recipe, any extra can be frozen in two cup portions.  From these two squash, I got six cups of flesh!

NORTH GEORGIA CANDY ROASTER PIE

2 C. Candy Roaster squash puree

1/2 C. Sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 C. Evaporated milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 Tbs. melted butter

2 tsp. Cinnamon

Your favorite pie crust

Combine all ingredients (except the crust, duh) into a large bowl and beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth.  Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust and bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Now if you can't get your hands on a Candy Roaster, no problem!  You can use ANY sweet-ish squash like pumpkin or acorn, 

or you can use sweet potato or yam. 

Candy Roasters are super easy to grow,

and even easier to eat!

 

Now will somebody please pass me the whipped cream?