2022 Shared Garden

 

We planned the garden when there was still deep snow on the ground, ordering a variety of seeds.

Donna started a number of plants indoors again this year. She also had a bunch of mulch delivered so that we could fence around the garden to keep the rabbits and deer away better. We also added some rows of sturdy chain link fence to support the tomato plants.

This year's plan

We had a good growing season and took the garden out in the first weekend of Oct. Don't be afraid to pick a bunch of green tomatoes- they've been ripening reliably inside.

Tons of Butterkin squash

Roasted tomatoes

Butterkin pancakes

Pie from butterkin puree

Orcharding

Last year we planted two different dwarf cherry trees. We got about 10 cherries, since the deer got to them (the deterrent spray was not enough). This year we've fenced it all the way around, with an extra chicken wire wrap that brings it to 8 feet tall, and we hope to get more cherries.

Northstar Cherry

Evans Bali Cherry-closest to garage

We lost two big trees in the front yard last year, so this spring Andy planted 4 dwarf apple trees.

Honeycrisp, Haralson, Newtown Pippin (George Washington's favorite apple)

Bramley (popular cooking apple from UK)

Raspberry bushes

We got our first cherries in July, although a small quantity.

Addendum:

In August, Andy "couldn't resist" buying a Zestar tree from a local garden center, which he added to the NE corner of the front lawn, along with replanting the Bramley to the front yard as well. The Haralson has a few apples on it, but many of them have worms, despite the plastic bags Andy protected them with. An expert at the State Fair suggested a reusable mesh plastic "fruit protection" bag like this.

Zestar, Honeycrisp, Haralson, Newtown Pippin, Bramely (East to West)

May 2023:

We had a hard winter with a ton of snow, and the Honeycrisp didn't survive. Andy picked up another U of M-developed variety, a Snow Sweet.

Planting the new Snow Sweet

Fall 2024

The Zestar produced in late August, big, firm, very delicious apples. There were a few with bruised or bad spots so I cut those away and made crockpot apple butter.

Small batch crockpot apple butter

• 1.5 lbs apples, about 4-5, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/4 c brown sugar (recipes also called for 1/4 c white sugar which I omitted)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp grounds clove
• pinch salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. Remove lid, stir, cook uncovered another hour until thickened. Bend with an immersion blender. Stir in vanilla. Source

Apple butter at start

Finished Apple Butter

The squirrels started to go after the apples in Sep, and we had to try to cover the trees with netting in addition to using the individual mesh bags. At one point, a squirrel got trapped in the netting, ultimately escaping. Andy picked the Snowsweet (30 apples), Haralson (122 apples!!!!) and Newton Pippin (7) Oct 8. We made 8 quarts of apple sauce to freeze, and still had plenty of apples to eat.

A bounty of Haralsons

Fall 2025

Andy wants to remember to use the "good" pest prevention next year, as we had a lot of apples damaged by worms/moths.

We canned 14 quarts of apple sauce.

Skillet Meals

I like the ease of skillet meals for busy nights, and in warm months it doesn't heat the house like the oven. Here are a few of our favorites.

I've already covered fajitas and stir fry.

Quick Cajun Skillet

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 8 oz kielbasa, chopped in half lengthwise then sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp Cajun-style seasoning (or make your own blend)
• 1 14 oz can diced seasoned tomatoes
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 15 oz can kidney beans

Heat oil in a large extra-deep skillet or dutch oven. Saute onion and bell pepper. Add kielbasa so it begins to brown. Add seasoning and garlic. Stir in tomatoes and tomato sauce, reducing heat to medium-low. Rinse and drain the beans and add them to heat through. Serve with rice.

Tacos

Rather than buy the seasoning packets, I use this spice blend, usually with ground turkey:

• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt

Bratwurst and Cabbage with Mustard Sauce

• 4 turkey bratwursts (about 1 lb)
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 large onion, cut in half then sliced
• about 16 oz (6 cups) shredded cabbage- mix of red and green, packaged coleslaw mix, etc.
• 1/4 c Dijon or brown mustard mixed with 2 tbsp water
• buns

Heat oil in a large extra deep skillet. Prick bratwurst with a fork so they don't burst, add to pan and cover, cook for 8 minutes, turning occasionally, and adding onion slices partway through. Add cabbage and cook until tender-crisp, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. When bratwursts and cabbage are cooked, remove from heat and stir in mustard sauce. Serve on buns.

Quick Mu Shu Pork

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 tbsp. dry sherry
• 2 tbsp. lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 clove garlic
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 c. diced jicama
• 1 bag coleslaw mix
• 2 tbsp. water
• 3 green onions
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 8 soft taco-size flour tortillas
• 8 tsp. hoisin sauce

In medium bowl, combine pork, sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add pork mixture in single layer and cook 1 minute without stirring. Cook 1 minute longer or until pork just loses its pink color, stirring. Transfer pork to large bowl. To same skillet, add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook 10 seconds. Add jicama, coleslaw, and water. Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, sugar, pork, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and cook 1 minute longer, stirring. Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on high 1 minute or until tortillas are warm and pliable. To serve, spread 1 teaspoon hoisin on each tortilla, divide pork mixture among tortillas, and fold to eat out of hand.

Lasagna Skillet

America's Test Kitchen

• 1 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 lb meatloaf mix ( ground beef, and 8 ounces ground pork. for spicier flavor increase the amount of red pepper flakes ) (or use some Italian sausage)
• 8 ounces curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths ( 10)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated ( 1/2 cup)
• pepper
• 8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese ( about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil

Pour the tomatoes with their juice into a quart measuring cup. Add enough water to the tomatoes to measure 4 cups. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the meatloaf mix and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the noodle pieces evenly over the meat. Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should look watery after 15 minutes of cooking. If dry, add up to 1/4 cup additional water to loosen the sauce.). Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles. Cover the skillet and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the extra Parmesan separately.

Chicken Enchilada Skillet 

• 12 corn tortillas, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
• 1 10-ounce can Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles (substitute diced tomato for Andy)
• 1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar
• 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack
• 1/2 avocado, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Put a little oil in pan and heat over medium heat. Add the corn tortillas and cooked chicken to the pan and cook until heated through, stirring often. Pour the undrained Ro*Tel, enchilada sauce, and tomato sauce into the pan with 1/4 cup of each cheese. Stir to combine well. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, top with the avocado and cilantro before serving.

One Skillet Spicy Shakshuka with Feta

• 6 eggs
• 28 oz can/jar tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or oregano or herbs of your choice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1.6 ounces feta cheese (add more of less if you want to)
• parsley, for garnish

In a pan over medium high heat, heat one tablespoon of olive or coconut oil. Add the onions and bell peppers and stir. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until translucent and a bit softer. Add the garlic and stir for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato sauce, the cumin, the red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and stir everything together. Allow it all to cook together for 10 minutes. The bell peppers and onions should get much softer and the sauce should get thicker. Stir in the feta cheese at the end. To add the eggs, just crack them over the tomato sauce mixture. Cook eggs until the whites firm up a bit but the yolks are still runny; about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately with pita bread.

Chicken Karma

• 2 apples, peeled and cubed
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1/2" strips
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 c. sherry
• 1 c yogurt, raspberry fruit-on-the-bottom recommended in original recipe, at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 2 Tbsp raisins
• 1/2 c. cashews or peanuts
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• cooked rice for serving

Heat oil and cook chicken until it is white on the outside, about 2-3 minutes. Add apples and sherry and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and stir a few spoonfuls of the hot liquid into the yogurt, then add the warmed yogurt to the skillet. Stir in the curry, raisins and nuts. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with a little water to make a smooth paste, then stir the paste into the mixture. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. 

Aebleskiver

 Danish pancake balls. 

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom or ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• About 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Preheat pan and drop in about 1/4-1/2 tsp shortening in each well. Swirl pan to grease. Pour in batter until just below rim. Optional- place a blueberry or small piece of cut fruit in. Do not use jam- it burns in pan and is really hard to get out. Use a wooden chopstick or skewer to turn pancake balls 1/4 turn when browned until cooked through. Makes about 19 pancake balls, so may want to halve for just two people.

Pistachio Gelato, Lactose-Free

I've done some research about gelato after enjoying it in Italy. We just don't have the right equipment or the right temperature of freezer storage to make it at home in the US (our freezers are too cold), so I've been researching approaches that at least approximate the results.

I decided to try this David Liebowitz recipe, which calls for pistachio paste, then found a recipe to try making pistachio paste.

I used natural pistachios we'd purchased at Fleet Farm. I ground a cup of them in the food processor, adding 1/4 c water as directed. I froze it for a few weeks until I could get around to the next step.

Since by appearance it looked like about 4 oz of pistachio paste, I cut the gelato recipe in half:

• 1 c lactose-free whole milk
• 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3.5 oz pistachio paste
• couple drops lemon juice

I combined the cornstarch with 2 Tbps of the milk in a small bowl. I heated the remaining milk and sugar in a small saucepan. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Chill mixture thoroughly, then whisk in paste and lemon juice. Process in the ice cream maker. I added copped pistachios as it was nearly done. 

This gelato is pretty hard frozen and needs to thaw some before you try to put some in a dish. 

Breakfast Egg and Sausage Casserole

 This is our go-to recipe for a brunch egg bake, published as Brad Pitt's mom's recipe.

• 1 lb bulk mild or breakfast sausage
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk (we don't like soggy egg bake, so I always reduce this to 1 1/2 c)
• 1 tsp dried mustard 
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cubes cubed/torn bread (I'll often increase this to a generous 3 c)
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Best assembled the night before so bread can fully soak.

Brown and drain sausage. Lightly beat eggs in a bowl, then add milk, mustard powder and salt. Scatter bread, sausage and cheese in a shallow 2 qt (I use a 7" by 11") glass pan. Pour egg mixture over. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Uncover and bake 40-45 min at 350, or until edges are brown.

Brunch, including egg bake

Six Inch Layer Cakes

 I've been wanting to make cute 6" layer cakes for events with fewer than 5-6 people. Of course you can buy 6" cake pans, but our 4 C. glass food storage containers have an almost-6" diameter, so I thought I'd try them.

Sally's Baking Addiction site has a number of from-scratch 12-16 cupcake recipes that are sized just right to also make a 3-layer 6" cake. I chose the chocolate recipe, with the coordinating chocolate buttercream

I prepared the pans by cutting parchment circles for the bottoms, coating them well with shortening, and coating the parchment with shortening.

I was concerned about the difference of baking in glass vs metal, and decreased the oven temp by 25 degrees (to 325). This turned out to be a mistake, as I had to add a number of minutes to the cooking time and the centers still sank some. Next time, I'm going to bake at the full temperature. I ran a knife around the cakes as soon as they came out of the ovens and let them cool a bit, and they came out cleanly.

I spread the frosting, and was going to pipe stars around the base and top, but had a mishap with the tip bursting through the plastic sandwich bag I was using. Next time I'll use a real decorating bag- I'll have to order some plastic ones, as my cloth ones don't fit my new larger tips. The cake was delicious, and made a perfect birthday cake for Grandpa Tom.

Chocolate Cake

• 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature (I used milk with 1 tsp vinegar)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until combined. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk for a few seconds. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until *just* combined; do not overmix. The batter will be thin. Pour or spoon the batter into the pans. Fill only halfway (this is imperative! only halfway!) to avoid spilling over the sides or sinking. Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. 

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream or milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or another Tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick. Taste. Beat in another pinch of salt if desired.

Lemon Cake

Next up was a 6" lemon cake from Sally's Baking Addiction. I used dampened cake strips that I'd purchased from Amazon so that the cakes would bake more evenly. To fit the small cake pans, I wrapped the cake strips around twice. This turned out to be a mistake, as it over-insulated the sides. Next time just do 1 layer of cake strip. Also, I was so excited about the cake strips I forgot to grease or paper the pans.

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
• 1 large lemon to yield (note: recipe calls for 2-3 med lemons, but I found 1 large was good):
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons lemon zest
• 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Set aside. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, start the mixer on low speed, then slowly add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Once combined, stop the mixer. Do not overmix this batter.

Bake for about 18-22 minutes (I found I needed to add time with the cake strips). A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean when they’re done. 

Note- when I made this a second time, I found I needed to bake the cakes a full 45 min before they were done in the centers. 

Vanilla buttercream frosting

Note- this makes a generous amount of frosting, with some leftover. Could make a 75% version (3/4 c butter).

• 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 4 – 5 cups (480-600g) confectioners’ sugar (see note)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• salt, to taste

Lemon cakes

I haven't tried it yet, but Meg loves this recipe in two 6" pans-King Arthur Flour Cake Pan Cake and this recipe for chocolate french buttercream frosting.