Real Pumpkin...Not Canned

My aversion for anything in a can has been heightened over the years. Sometimes knowing can be a real pain in the pantry. On the other hand...avoiding preservative filled and other overly processed foods has opened me up to some real flavors that I have been missing over the years. It has surely boosted the nutrition factor in our diets.

Last year I made my first real pumpkin pie with... real pumpkin. I used pumpkins that came in our organic produce box that was being delivered to the house. It really isn't that hard to pre-cook a pumpkin. It takes about 1/2 a minute to split the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. About the same amount of time it would take to open a can with a can opener. Was that really so hard? Then I just place it face down in a little water inside of a pyrex dish. I bake it for about 45 minutes at 350 and it's ready to go. While it cooks I pre-measure out all of my ingredients.

On a side note...I rinsed and set some of the seeds aside on a paper towel. I wrap them up when they dry and save them for next year. You could also roast the seeds if you wanted too.

So, this year I had one little sweet pumpkin survive the weevil infestation. I've been staring at it for a week on my counter. It's been calling to me to cook it and put it into something yummy. I found the winner this morning. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins. OH YEAH!

The recipe I found called for canned pumpkin (of course) but I have found if you just leave out the additional water it calls for and add a tad more sugar...then you are good. I also made some other minor changes (wheat flour vs. white, added ginger because it is the best spice in the world...etc.) I'm officially claiming this as my recipe since I modified it so much. Try it and find out why real pumpkin is better than the stuff in the can with a thousand ingredients.

Makes 12 Muffins

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup organic white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 small sweet pumpkin cooked and scrapped out
• 1 1/2 cups wheat flour (or you could use Red Mill Rice flour to avoid gluten)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I was out of baking soda...you can substitute more baking powder if this happens to you. The substitution ratio is 2 parts baking powder to 1 part baking soda)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 
  

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan.
2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add mashed pumpkin. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Sprinkle tops with extra brown sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Funky Compost

Yesterday was a work day in the garden. Not much harvesting going on. A late Summer garden can be a sad place. We still are getting lots of peppers, basil and tomatoes. I lost all of my butternut and acorn squash to weevils. I don't like those little bugs. Weevils chew through vines and eat up leaves very quickly. They will get to meet up with some diatomaceous earth later today. It's a natural pest control made from hard shell algae.

I'm a little bit late on getting some of my Fall plants in. We just hosted a weekend long party at a Summer Camp with about 150 people. So... we were a bit busy. Pretty good excuse eh? The Cucumber Harp has finished it's Summer duty and is moving on to Sugar Snap Harp Fall duty. I did dump out the compost tumbler. All of this Summer's kitchen compost made a soupy wheel barrow full of goodness. It had the smell of loose stool. Yummy!

I found myself gagging as I spread it throughout all of the veggie beds. Next, I raked and turned the soil over. I will let the soil rest for a few days and then sow some seeds. Really, I need to let my own body rest a few days. I was feeling the work last night as my round ligaments kept spasming. Fun!

Our kitchen window is still full of tomatoes. These maters will probably end up in a sauce for storage. I can't seem to handle any more tomatoes right now.  But, warm pasta sauce in the Winter sounds good. Wait! I don't want to jump ahead to Winter yet...I have a feeling it's going to be a nice Fall season!

More of the same and some new...

This morning I harvested more peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, and basil. I love all of these things but I'm ready for some other varieties to come in.

I have acorn squash, spaghetti squash, pole beans, carrots, watermelon and pumpkins all growing right now. I need to sow some more seeds this week. I'm thinking It's time to put in some more collards, beets, radish, and maybe some broccoli? Lettuce will have to wait. It's still too hot for their fragile leaves.

The cucumber plants are on their last leg and I finally ripped out all of the squash and zucchini. So, there is plenty of room for more veggies. My Summer compost is done cooking. I will give the dirt a fresh mix of compost this week too.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me. A lot of indirect drama and a ton of worry for my family. I'm looking forward to tilling the earth and saying some silent prayers for healing in my family. I know that all shall be well in time.

Meanwhile.... my belly is really starting to broadcast the impending arrival of our first child. Can't suck it in anymore. HA!

Sun Tea and Excuses

I just read Ashley English's(from Small Measure) new Post on Design Sponge. She talks about an old favorite...Sun Teas! I felt like she just knocked me upside the head. I remember my Dad putting out jugs of sun tea at our first house in Lewisville. He only did this a few times that I remember. I found it amazing that the Sun could make tea! Duh! I was around 7 so give me a break.

How green can you get, really? Use the sun! Not to mention we have lots of herbs growing around the yard. I'm running out of uses. This one is so easy...

Drop some mint or other yummy herbs into a mason jar, throw in a family size lipton tea bag (I used decaf), add some organic sugar or honey if you want, fill with water, and put it in the sun for 5-8 hours.

Garden Update Excuses...
I have been avoiding the heat. We have had two ridiculous heat waves in Charlotte this Summer. I'm growing a person right now and the heat just isn't jiving with my incubator status. I do have some new plants in the ground for Fall. More updates to come soon as new things start coming up in the garden.

For now...Summer Sun Tea :)