5 Things you can make with Apples that are Amazing

 It is apple season.  For us that means the sharp tart apples that make great pies and apple juice.

On our ranch we have a bunch of OLD apple trees.  They keep producing and producing so we feel each year we have to do something.   

5 Things to do with Apples....



Apples are delicious and easy!


1.  Make Apple juice and cider  This is easier than you think.  We do it in two stages.  The

Healthy ribs...really??

 There's no doubt about it.  Ribs are an all-American favorite.  However, if you're healing with foods, you may have given up sugar and pork, which means that ribs--tasty, succulent and slathered in a sweet and spicy sauce-- may be a food you're wishing you could still eat.

Of course, we're not advocating that anyone eat ribs frequently.  A few times a year is probably as often as anyone needs

Water Water Everywhere and not a drop to Drink

5 Things for Water Sustainability and Home Gardening



We are all aware of the drought in California and the long term implications of water. This is an article on what every family can do to be water and food sustainable.   Today most of us can get water at the turn of a faucet.. and it is cheap.  But if you have a choice consider and incorporate these 5 things to be more water thrifty.

5 Benefits of Rosemary (and 75% Memory improvement from a Sniff is just one!)

Rosemary has many health benefits

Rosemary is an herb that has been a mainstay of cooking and healing for centuries.  A fragrant evergreen herb native to the Mediterranean, it is used as a culinary condiment, to make bodily perfumes, and for its potential health benefits.

The herb not only tastes good in culinary dishes such as rosemary chicken and lamb, but it is also a good source of iron,

The Best (I GIVE UP!) Home Made Tomato Sauce EVER

We laughingly call this our "I GIVE UP" sauce here on the ranch.   What that really means is we have Tomatoes, bellpeppers and every other veggie coming out of our ears AND we have had the first hint of cooler weather.

Since the farmers market tables are brimming over  what does that mean?  Time to make a one time push, make a pile of sauces and can.   We are all about no work here so we do it a

Make Your Own (easy!) Compost Pile

It's the time of year to start thinking about building a Compost Pile. For best results, you will want to use a mixture of types of ingredients. The right balance is something learned by experience, but what we do is use equal amounts by volume of Greens and Browns, and layer them.


A Good layered Compost Pile can sit unattended  and will do its work automatically


Some things, like grass

Get to Know Rapini (what?)... only at Farmers Markets...

The BEST part of farmers markets is discovering food you haven't' tried before.  For many in the USA, Rapini would make that list.

It is in the same species as Turnips and is well known in Europe where it is  called Broccoli Raab.  It hails from Italy where it is known as Cime di Rapa which means Turnip tops.



Rapini, in the turnip family can be eaten flowers, leaves and all




Rapini has

Bee the Change - 10 Bee Friendly Companion plants that deter pests

While you are  planting a veggie garden or a flower garden, plan to plant companion plants that go to work.  Some deter pests, some attract Bees and some do both.  Here is our favorite list.  Tuck these plants in everywhere or do like we do and make a strip of  area by your garden  or around your garden a flower delight.  The bees will love you and the pests will stay away!  Ours is perennial

Organic Chile Verde... Done Right!

If you grow up on a cattle ranch in California you get a taste for Real Mexican home cooked food.  I have a lot of favorites... but this one is by far one of the best.



 Organic Pork Chili Verde


 
Start with Heritage Pasture raised pork. It just tastes better.  If you don't have your own pig handy then get it at your local farmers market or Trader Joes.  I like to use picknick shoulder but

No Peel Plum Jam

It is that time of year and we have eaten all the fresh plums we can handle.  So into the canning process they go.



No PEEL Fast Plum Jam



This is a super simple recipe we have been using for years.


Cut a bowl of plums in half, remove pits
Cover with 4 to 4 1/2 cups of sugar
Mix and let sit at room temp for1hour
Cover with Water, bring to boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 min

Not Your Church Potluck Potato Salad

Potatoes for Sale at my Local Farmers Market


Potatoes are plentiful in my local farmer's market this time of summer.  I love to boil up the tiny new ones and use them in various potato salads.  Serve them with some simple sliced summer tomatoes, corn on the cob and something from the BBQ and you have the quintessential summer menu.



Fresh Organic Potatoes



Not Your Church Potluck Potato

Yummy Healing with Anti-Inflammatants: Ginger, Turmeric and Garlic

Lately we've been doing some research into healing Psoriasis and Eczema with foods.  As with so many other diseases, inflammation is one of the problems that leads to these two uncomfortable conditions.  There are so many great foods that help reduce inflammation.  In particular, super greens, herbs and cruciferous veggies, as well as most other vegetables and fruits.



However, there are three

For Quick, Fabulous and Delicious Cauliflower...Roast It!!

My sister tells me she has a hard time getting her family to eat cruciferous vegetables.  (Cruciferous veggies include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.)  In contrast, my family seems to really enjoy them.  Of course, I'm not above resorting to a cheese sauce if that's what it takes to get kids to eat broccoli.  And often, that's exactly what it takes.



How to Eat Cruciferous

12 Best (and Pretty) Companion Plantings to Control Pests

Organic or not organic? ... Whether you grown organic or semi organic you will always face the question of what do do about pests?  They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that is particularly true with growing a garden. 



Plant the right Companion Plants and reduce pests Automatically

 

Certain plants when planted as companions create natural

6 Steps for a DIY Home Seed Germination Test

Before you go to all the work to plant Heirloom Seeds you have purchased or plant the seeds you collected from your garden this do this easy test to make sure your seeds are good.  In general as long as your seeds are properly stored, they can remain viable with a high germination rate for years. It is important however, before you sow your seeds , to know how healthy and viable they really are.

Some New Greens from the Farmers Market...Quinoa and Ammaranth

Last week at my local Farmer's Market, I picked up some greens I've never cooked with before, quinoa and amaranth.  The farmer I purchased them from informed me that they would be great added to salads and also could be cooked up like any other green.  I washed them up, broke off their stems at the intersection with the leaf and tossed them in a pan.  Evaluation:  delicious!!



Sesame Greens

5-Minute Farmers Market Summer Cucumbers

I'm loving cucumbers right now.  We've had them every other night for the last few weeks.  And ... I have a confession to make.  I serve them the exact same way each time.  It's fast, it's easy, it's delicious.  Why mess with perfection?

Here's what I do:


 5-minute Summer Cucumbers








2 small summer cucumbers from the garden or farmer's market
olive oil
champagne vinegar
pink

Peppers from the Farmer's Market

Jimmy Nardellos at the local Farmer's Market









This past month we've been really enjoying the skinny mild red peppers called Jimmy Nardellos that have been showing up at our local farmer's market.



Slim Red and Mild




They are perfect for the summer BBQ season.  We just coat them in a little olive oil, sea salt and ground black pepper ... and onto the grill they go!



Long, slender

Zucchini Like Crazy - Load up at the Farmers Market

Farmers Market at Lake Tahoe, Right on the Lake!

It's zucchini season and the tables at my local farmers markets were laden with it this week.  If you're growing it in your garden, you're probably ready for some good zucchini recipes to help you deal with the surplus.



Fresh Summer Squash--Ready for Easy Cookin'


My husband loves zucchini and all the summer squashes.  He's often begging

Think Italian with the late summer harvest: eggplant...tomatoes...basil

Picked up a couple of eggplants from the farmer's market yesterday
along with the usual armload of summer tomatoes and basil.  There's a
reason the Italians combine these flavors together.  Not only do they
taste wonderful with each other, but they all come to harvest at the
same time, making them a summer farmer's market natural.






 





 I also picked up this gorgeous torpedo