And the winner is...

The tomato harvest was good this year. Above is only a fraction of our harvest. I probably didn't water them as much as I should have when we endured a fairly long period of drought. We lost some to blossom-end rot. The tomato hornworms tried their best to foil me. But we had no aphids and the pests generally left the plants alone, going for the tender cucumber plants instead. So we waited...and waited...and waited until finally the tomatoes started to ripen in late August.



I planted about 8 different varieties, and THE WINNER IS ... a variety called CARO RICH. They are the orange tomatoes in the picture above. I think the seeds were a packet of freebies I got from Seeds of Change when I ordered the other varieties. These plants almost didn't make it into the ground as they were the spindliest seedlings, but I'm sure glad I gave them a shot! They are a larger, meaty tomato perfect for slicing onto a juicy burger or tomato sandwich or BLT. They were the best tasting of the bunch - if only I'd watered them a bit more I may have gotten a few more. I'm sad to see the last of the tomatoes being harvested, but I've canned and frozen quite a few to enjoy in sauces throughout the year until we start all over again - and I'll be sure to include the Caro Rich in my order next year.

Butternut Squash Soup

The star of our garden this year was something I didn't even intend to grow! I noticed some type of squash seedling popping up here and there - in the raspberry patch and in the center of one of the new raised beds. I decided to leave them alone and see what we would get. I never imagined they would be the most successful plants in the garden. Last week we harvested about a dozen or so big, beautiful butternut squash! I peeled, diced and roasted most of them to freeze for use in the winter and I made up a big batch of my favorite butternut squash soup.






Butternut Squash Soup

adapted from Bon Appetit

1/4 cup butter
5 1/2 pounds butternut squash (10 cups diced)
3 cups chopped onions
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
5 tsp fresh thyme

1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
7 cups or more chicken stock
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
fresh chives for garnish (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the squash, carrots, onions, thyme, ground red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until the squash begins to soften and brown. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth (or use an immersion blender right in the pot). Add nutmeg and heavy cream, and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle with chives when serving. If reheating, add more broth or water to thin to desired consistency.

Note:  You can easily make this a curried butternut squash soup by sprinkling in some curry powder, either to the whole pot or to each bowl when serving.  Adding the spice to the individual bowls is a great option if you have family members with different preferences.

Lemon-Thyme Tea Cookies

If only you could smell my kitchen right now! It's been a long time since I've made cookies and since I've also been looking for ways to use the herbs in my garden, I thought these would be the perfect ones to make. The cookies are crisp and delicious and the combination of cornmeal and currants and lemon is perfect with a cup of tea.

Lemon-Thyme Tea Cookies

adapted from The Perfect Pantry's recipe for Lemon Thyme Cornmeal Cookies

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp.

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup dried currants

1 tsp lemon zest

1 heaping tsp finely chopped lemon thyme

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, cornmeal, baking soda and salt. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the currants, lemon zest and lemon thyme.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets lined with Silpat liners or parchment paper, spacing the dough about 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies slightly with a dampened flat-bottomed drinking glass and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes until pale golden color. Allow the cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet.

Zucchini Soup

This soup is an all-time family favorite. I've made it every year since my husband and I got married.  The original called for canned tomato soup, but I have changed the recipe to make it all from scratch so I could use my garden tomatoes.  There's something to be said about a recipe that you never get tired of.  I can't tell you how many recipes I've tried and, while it's wonderful the first time, the second and third tries just don't live up to the first. This one is different. It's good year after year and holds up well in the freezer so I know I'll have a quick meal to turn to when kid activities are many and time is short. I used peeled and pureed tomatoes right from the garden but canned ones are just as good. You could easily vary this recipe and add chopped carrots or white beans, although I think it's perfect as written.

Zucchini Soup
Serves 10

2 pounds hot and/or sweet italian sausage (I used sweet)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 red and/or green sweet bell peppers
1-2 hot peppers, chopped, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 quart homemade chicken broth
2 quarts canned tomatoes
2 good-sized zucchini, cubed
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
salt to taste
Slices of provolone cheese for serving, optional

In a skillet, brown and drain the sausage and set aside. In a large stockpot, saute the onion for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute or two. Add peppers and continue to cook until the peppers begin to soften. Add cumin, pepper and oregano and cook 30 seconds or so. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, zucchini, sausage, basil, parsley and salt to taste. Simmer 2-3 hours. Add water or chicken stock if the soup is too thick. To serve, ladle into a bowl and place a slice of provolone on top if desired.

Colors of Summer

Marigolds


Purple Cabbage from the farm


Delphiniums


Russian Sage


Somehow, even the color palette of the hung laundry is pleasing to the eye. Goodbye summer...I'll miss you!



Related post: Colors of Late Spring

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

Thanks to Megan for letting me know about this delicious recipe for Zucchini Chocolate Cake - actually, the recipe (from Allrecipes) is called Zucchini Brownies, but they're not as dense as I would consider a brownie to be - Zucchini Chocolate Cake seems more appropriate.  The zucchini is undetectable (in fact, Annie, my 6-year-old told me I was mistaken when I talked about zucchini in the recipe), the flavor is awesome, and the leftover cake was still moist after sitting on my counter for 2 days (believe me, it will not last longer than that). Definitely do not skip the frosting because it is simply delicious on these. My daughter thought that chocolate chips would be a nice addition to the batter and I agree. Who can argue with more chocolate? I even froze a few 2-cup portions of grated zucchini so I could make this again when the winter doldrums start to settle in. Just remember to pour yourself a tall glass of milk and you'll be in chocolate heaven!


Zucchini Chocolate Cake
adapted from Marian's Zucchini Brownie recipe on AllRecipesYields: 24 servings

For the Cake:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely shredded zucchini

For the frosting:
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2.In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. It will be VERY thick. Fold in the zucchini until well incorporated. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled cake.

Contact Me!

If you have a question about any of the recipes on this blog, please email me at

marzipanmom@gmail.com