The Flatrock Heritage Community Garden

Garden Reprt! With pictures :)

2008-08-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Name those herbs!
We have quite a few herbs in the garden..all ready for the picking!..
Can you name them?

We think these are pumpkins..or winter squash??

Do ya'll know what kind of bug this is? They are all over the sunflowers!

Okra anyone?.

Hot peppers
More pumkins :)
The sweet peas are blooming again!
Tomatoes out the wazoo!

Did you know that the common marigold are wonderful companion plants for tomatoes? They help keep the nasty bugs off the plants.. maybe that's why the tomatoes are doing so well!

And last but not least..the garden mascot surveying her domain :)

CSA on July 30

2008-07-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Looks like both Denise and I missed posting last week - things have been pretty busy for me and I've simply not had time - I'm sure the same thing is true for her.

At last we are getting tomatoes - they had held back on the early tomatoes making sure that their crops were not tainted or contaminated. Last week I got a small box of the cherry tomatoes - we ended up just eating them all straight out of the box as snacks for the next few days.

This week I've got several very ripe red tomatoes and a few plum yellow ones. We've had one green tomato which got sliced so fast and fried, it never knew what hit it!

This week there is a small mess of beans - similar to October beans. I've shelled them and they are on to cook - they are definitely a variety that gets shelled and cooked.

Also this week, a few carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, white corn, peaches and red onions.

Last week I had some new potatoes, a few carrots and a big onion. I scrubbed it all up, sliced it up in chunks, covered it with some low sodium fat free chicken broth and cooked until the potatoes and carrots were tender. We ate this with green beans and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers - excellent supper, very little fat, no one missed having meat.

I've gotten a lot of bell peppers, so we've had fajitas and eat them raw sliced with ranch dressing. Don't forget these can be diced and packaged in zip locks bags for use in the winter.

Another big cantalope this week - for any of you that suffer from fluid retention, fresh cantalope seems to be a very natural diuretic. Now, there's no MD after my name (as I'm often told) so don't skip any meds on my word!

This weeks CSA box!

2008-07-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

We got corn,tomatoes,peppers,onions,beans,peaches,cukes,lemon cukes,and I get a meat portion so that's a nice looking pork roast on the left hand side :)

Recipes to follow!!

Have a blessed week!
We found this week that Avalon offers a winter CSA... I'm sooo there

CSA Haul week of 7/7/08

2008-07-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry about posting so late!

This week we had an adventure getting our food boxes. (that's just what we call them at my house) The delivery guys had locked the keys in the truck while they ate lunch AT MCDONALDS!!!. Anway, into each life some junkfood must fall.

Renee and I drove out to pick up the food - so thank you to everyone for waiting so patiently at the community center for us to return. For our trouble, the guys gave us a basket of peaches and a crate of cherry tomatoes.

When we returned, Anna worked on handing out the boxes, adding peaches and tomatoes to each one. Didn't take long and we were on our way home. Wednesdays have become somewhat exciting around my house, to see what we got and what we're having for supper!

This week I did not add the cinnamon rolls to my order - I have no sense about them - and I'm sure I've said this before, maybe on the blog. If so, please forgive me, I'm on 4 list serves and have a personal blog too, I may tell you the same thing 6 times and never remember that I've done so.

So my box included (and remember I'm getting the 1/2 bushel, the $35.00 box)

1 huge cantaloupe

3 yellow squash

4 very nice size cucumbers

1 jalapeno

2 garlic bulbs

1 sprig fresh parsley

6 ears of corn

3 bell peppers

1 pint blackberries

1 eggplant

Add to that the extra peaches and tomatoes so we had a good haul.

Since I've gotten so many bell peppers, and some of you may have to, if you cannot use them all now you can freeze them quite easily for use later.

Wash, core and chop them. I measure out 1/2 cup into a snack size zip lock or wax paper. Seal or wrap tightly. I then put whatever little packages I've accumulated into a zipper freezer bag. Whenever you need green pepper, just take out 1 or 2 packages - you can crumble with your hand into whatever you are mixing/making.

FYI~ Flatrock Heritage Community Garden Meeting!

2008-07-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Please join us on July 16 the at 6:00 p.m. @ the Coleman Park Community Center ( corner of Thompson Lane and Nolensville Rd ) .

We'll be sitting down and discussing plans for the garden ! And we need your input !

It was hot and steamy ....

2008-07-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

No this is not a start of a "trashy" novel ... but another Saturday morning at the Community Garden!
Ahhh got to love July in Tennessee!

We have more cucumbers than we can ever eat so if anyone wants to come a get some PLEASE do!

Corn is starting to come in... So is the peas.. and the okra ( but please bring gloves they have prickly hairs on them that will eat your fingers )
and the tomatoes are starting to coming in :)

We have beautiful Sunflowers! Squash ... lots of herbs..

Please come by and take some :) This is your garden.. its Flatrocks garden!

Speaking of met the gentleman who owns the lawn and garden business right across the street from the garden.. Dwight I believe he said name was..
He had stopped by to say that "we're doing a FINE job with the garden" and " this is what this neighborhood needed !
Plus he says he LOVES to garden and grow things.. and if we need anything either him or one of his guys will come over and help out! Things like tilling and hauling!

We have our community garden bulletin board! A big thanks to everyone who got it made and hauled to the garden!!!!
All it needs now is painted...

Lots and lots of ideas floating around the garden.. :) .
We're having a Community Garden Meeting at Coleman Park on Weds July 16th at 6:00 p.m.
Everyone is invited to join us!

Now for the pictures.. :)
Sorry about the little blur in the some of the pics.. either we have a ghost in the garden ( where's Ghost Hunters when you need them lol ) or something on the lens..
Enjoy! Hope to see ya'll at the garden meeting or up in the garden!!

Our new community Bulletin Board! Ready and waiting to be painted :)

TC and our beautiful green garden!

Shelby fast becoming our Garden mascot...

Debbie hard at it !
Some of our harvest :)

Mircowave your ear of corn!

2008-07-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

Want to have fresh corn but don't want to mess with the mess, microwave it!
Thats right just stick the corn in the microwave .. you don't have to shuck it.. or peel the silks off before you put it in the microwave... just throw a ear in there... set it for about 6 to 7 mins..

When done the shucks and silks slip right off.. and you have THE best corn on the cob!

What I got from the CSA doesn't even need butter... :)

But watch it when it comes out the microwave..its VERY hot and steamy

Three Bean Salad

2008-07-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not a great fan of wax beans by themselves - but I love three bean salad.

I snapped the wax beans and blanched them for about 10 minutes - crisp tender was what I wanted and got.

Add:

1 can drained green beans
1 can drained kidney beans - won't hurt if you need to rinse them
thinly sliced onion rings
thinly sliced green pepper strips
pepper to taste
Stir all these items to mix.

Mix 1/2 cup oil - I used vege but feel free to use your favorite olive with 1 cup vinegar. Shake well, then pour over the above mixture. Cover in airtight bowl and let marinate a few hours or overnight before eating.

This is one of those recipes you can tweak to suit you - if you want banana or jalapenos peppers added - suit yourself. I don't add salt but again, if you must, do so.

It's going to be a hot one this week - a serving of this salad with a grilled burger will make a nice supper and not be too heavy. Enjoy!

CSA Box Week of 6/30

2008-07-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long getting this on - I will add the picture as soon as I figure out the uploading from the camera process.

I've moved with the 1/4 bushel to 1/2. I get more food which means that I have almost no need to go to the grocery at all, and I'm eating much better 100% of the time.

This weeks haul:

12 ears of corn - peaches and cream variety
3 lemon cucumbers
2 yellow summer squash
1 zucchini squash
a couple different varieties of the patty pan squash
1 eggplant
1 small mess wax beans
1 huge white onion
2 very nice size bell peppers
1 very nice size banana pepper
1 quart size box of sugar plums

I had order the cinnamon rolls (again!) and a loaf of the Amish baked bread. Both were very good - I will not be ordering cinnamon rolls again because they are like crack to me and I obviously have little sense about them.

I'll add some more recipes on how I used this items this week.

Lisa

Artichoke Parmesean Chicken

2008-07-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

Artichoke Parmesan Chicken

Place 4 chicken breast in an ungreased baking dish. In a bowl mix.1 can artichoke chunks drained (I use 2 cans, we love artichokes), 3/4 cup mayo (I use 1/2 it is too greasy for me. Low fat makes it watery), 1/2 cup fine grated parmesan cheese. Pour mixture over the chicken and top with 1/4 cup fresh parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Thanks to Sherry McCall for sharing this with us - sounds like a great recipe. Add a simple green salad, or sliced tomatoes drizzled with a little olive oil, and hot Italian bread with butter. You'd have a great supper without any hard work!

Eggplant Recipes

2008-07-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple I like:

Eggplant with Cheddar Cheese

Slice the eggplant about 3/8 inches thick - if they are young and tender, no need to peel

Dredge in flour

Fry in hot oil, turning once, to golden brown. Drain.

Stack eggplant slices with 1 slice cheddar cheese between eggplant slices. I like the Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp - but Kroger brand works fine and costs a lot less!

I usually use 3-4 eggplants slices per stack - top with slice of cheese.

Be sure and assemble your eggplant stacks in an ovenproof dish. Slide in 350 degree over for about 10 minutes - until cheese is all bubbly.

Serve with jalapeno relish (Old El Paso in the can) but hot salsa works just as well.

Eggplant Lasagna

Slice the eggplant lengthwise, brush with light code of olive oil and brown in iron skillet or on grill pan.

In ovenproof dish - use eggplant just like you would noodles, top with your favorite spagetti or marinara sauce and cheese.

Will only need 10-15 minutes in 350 degree oven to heat thoroughly and melt cheese. Serve with green salad and sliced Italian bread.

Sunflowers! Makes any bad day better!

2008-07-04T07:27:00.001-07:00

Rhubarb Cobbler

2008-06-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Did you notice something in your box that looked like celery - but - the leaves were different and there was some red on the stalks? In case anyone didn't recognize it, it's rhubarb. It had been so long since I had rhubarb, first I was surprised, then very happy!!

In case you didn't know exactly what do to with it - try this recipe:

Rhubarb Cobbler

Wash the rhubarb and chop in 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place in saucepan, cover with water and add 1/4 cup sugar. If the rhubarb is big and thick with plenty of red, you may need a little more sugar. Bring up to boil, then turn down to medium heat.

Melt 1 stick butter or margarine in a pyrex dish at 350 degrees.

In separate bowl, mix 1 cup self-rising flour and 1 cup sugar well. Add 1 cup milk and mix well.

Once butter is melted, pour the flour/sugar/milk mixture into the bowl. Add the rhubarb - I lifted all the fruit out of the pan with a slotted spoon and placed in pyrex dish covering the whole dish, then added enough of the rhubarb water to bring level in pyrex up to 1/2 of dish.

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes, until crust has form on top and is turning golden brown. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup sugar over the top and leave in oven 5 more minutes. Remove and let it cool a little while - until you can eat without burning your tongue off!

You can add strawberries, washed and capped to the rhubarb - but I prefer mine straight up!

Even though this was a new treat my kids didn't remember ever eating, the cobbler was gone by morning. Of course, I wonder if you couldn't even make slugs taste good with this simple recipe!

this weeks CSA box! ~ June 25th 08

2008-06-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

This week I rec'ed a big box! I ordered a loaf of bread ( not pictured ) that is wonderful! And a lb of smoked bacon..which I haven't tried yet ...but its on the menu! :)

This week.. we got taters,head of cabbage,corn,onion,garlic,cukes,green beans,green bell pepper..and I know I'm leaving out something .. hmmmm oh yellow squash!

This week we only got 1/2 doz. of eggs .. Mr. Bodner's new hens not laying yet.. :( . But there are other sources of local farm eggs.. so I told him to keep my my egg share for folks who are in need. :) ..

We also got a nice looking pot roast.. :)

Inside my CSA box!
Yum! Bacon !

Pot Roast :)Bigger view of the CSA box!
Sorry about the lateness of this post.. I had a sudden death in my circle of friends this week.. :(

Denise's Breaded Squash....

2008-06-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Ok.. what do you do with with left over squash from the CSA box? Well, if your worth your weight as a Southern cook.. you BREAD IT and FRY it up!

Thats what I did for tonights dinner..
I took the 3 yellow squash we had left .. sliced it up
No cormeal :( but I did have Jiffy Cornbread mix.. added one farm fresh egg and enough buttermilk to make a thin batter or thick if you like
Add oil to a cast iron skillet... what you don't have a cast iron skillet???!!!! You march right out to Cracker Barrel and buy you one at once!!!
You can't be a good Southern cook unless you cook with cast iron!!!
At least thats what my "Grandma Willie" said... and she was NEVER wrong!
Anyway... back to the squash...
put about an inch of oil in skillet... heat oil until the point of when you place the squash in it starts to sizzle..
But watch it! The oil can get hot fast..your first sign to back off the heat is when it starts to smoke or when you smoke alarm goes off lol..

Dip the squash into the batter and lay into the hot oil.. keep an eye on it.. don't want it to burn..
Flip onces when the underside looks golden brown..

Drain on a paper towel or like us we haven't use paper towels in about 6 mos. now..so yes that is towel I'm draining them on...
Talk about yummy!!
Talk about fatting,especially when you add Ranch dressing to dip the fried squash in.. but man was goooooodd !
Add crockpot pork sandwiches and man what a meal :)

:: doing my best Scarlet O'Hara impression::: "I will diet tomorrow lol "

enjoy!

BEET PICKLE

2008-06-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks again Randall!

3-4 pints cooked Beets cut in half, cubed or sliced

Save Beet water unless muddy

2 c Sugar

2 c Beet Water

2 c Vinegar

1 Lemon Slice

(Sack the following in cloth bag)

1 T Cinnamon

1 tsp Cloves

1 tsp Allspice

Put all together and simmer for 15 minutes. Pack in pint jars

No water bath needed

Hint: When cooking fresh beets be sure and leave about 1 inch of stem attached before placing in a water. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the beets but the beets should be soft enough to pierce with a knife.

Lantz family "13 Day Cucumber Chunk Pickles"

2008-06-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Randall Lantz’s family recipe.
Thank you Randall!

2 gal Cucumbers cut in 1” pieces. Since this is a “chunk” recipe, varying sizes of cucumbers up to about 6-8 inches long will work. (all cucumbers need to be cut to work well)

1 pt. Pickling Salt

Boiling water to fill crock

Place chunks in 2 gal crock and cover with boiling water and salt mixture for 1 week. Stir the mixture occasionally. I usually place a plate weighted with a pint jar of water over the top of the crock and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

After 1 week drain and cover with boiling water for 24 hours

Alum

Drain and Cover with boiling water and Alum the size of a walnut (I use a heaping tablespoon) for 24 hours

Drain and cover with the following syrup

4 qts Sugar

2 qts Vinegar

½ box Pickling Spice placed in cloth bag

Boil 4 minutes and pour over cucumbers in crock for 24 hours

Pour off vinegar mixture, heat and return to crock for 3 more days.

Pack pickles in pint or quart jars; fill with boiling syrup mixture and seal

Hint: boil jars to be used and keep hot before packing. Be sure and clean rims of jars before placing jar lids. Always use jars designated for canning and not old mayonnaise jars. A water bath is not called for but I usually water bath all sealed jars for at least 5 minutes to help reheat the jars and to clean the syrup off of jar sides.

Ruby Youngs "Fried Green Tomatoes"

2008-06-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3-4 green tomatoes sliced 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick
salt and pepper to taste
(you can dip in 1 c buttermilk if desired)
1/2" vegetable oil

Slice tomatoes, dip in buttermilk if using then dip in flour,meal,salt and pepper. Heat oil and add breaded tomatoes.
cook til browned, turn and repeat on second side. YUM YUM

Thank you Debbie!

Garden recipes

2008-06-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

I thought it would great to have a section where we can put recipes up for the veggies and stuff we are getting out of the community garden and our CSA boxes..
I'm tagging them as Garden Recipes..

Recipes from a Flatrock Kitchen is for tried and true recipes that we would like to share from our own kitchen!
So please share!

Remember when I was looking for a refrigerator pickle recipe? Well I found this one and they are great! The only thing I didn't do is add the hot peppers..

Easy Refrigerator Pickles
7 cups, about

Ingredients

* 6 cups thinly sliced scrubbed cucumbers
* 2 cups thinly sliced onions, separated into slivers
* 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon salt (preferably kosher)
* 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
* 1 teaspoon celery seed
* 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1-3 whole unbroken dried hot red chili pepper, long skinny oriental type,to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Toss cucumber and onion slices together in a large bowl.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan, stirring well to dissolve sugar and salt.
3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.
4. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture, add red peppers if using, and allow to cool, tossing several times.
5. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for several days, turning once or twice a day for four days.
6. Actually, the pickles are quite good after only a couple hours, but they just ain’t really pickles yet.
7. Pickles can be stored in the refrigerator for several months.
8. They will continue to get spicier the longer the hot red pepper (s) remains in the brine; remove when heat level reaches your preference.

We usually keep adding more onions to the brine, since we eat them faster than the pickles. Actual prep time is about 30 minutes; 4 days is time setting in the fridge waiting for flavor to develop.

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Did you know you can eat squash blooms? And they look easy to do!

Batter Fried Squash Blossoms
SERVES 4 -8

Ingredients

* 1 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoonflour
* 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
* 2 dozen male squash blossoms
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* mint leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Blend milk, egg, flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper with a fork; beat the batter until smooth.
2. Place flattened squash blossoms in batter, stir gently; allow 10 minute soaking time.
3. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet until hot; fry batter coated blossoms until golden; turn once, drain on paper towels, place on plate and garnish.

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Denise's "Refrigerator Blackberry Jam"

This is a combo of a couple of recipes that I've seen....
Like my Granny I don't measure stuff much lol .. so you have to work with the recipe until you get the taste that you like :)

1 quart of Blackberries ( or any type of berries or fruit)
water to cover
1-3 cups of sugar ( adjust for tastes , you can also use honey )

1.Wash and crush berries ( I like my chunky but you can even run them through a food processor or and blender to get what you like best ) .
Set berries aside

2. In sauce pan add sugar and water...bring to boil ..

3. Add berries and reduce heat to low..

4. Cook berries down until thick..

5. Taste. Add more sugar if needed. Jam should be very "thick" .

6. Pour into a container w/a lid . Store in refrigerator .. enjoy ! We eat it up so fast so I'm not sure how long it will last. We use it our PB & J sandwiches, on ice cream, in our yogurt and other recipes.

Working in the Garden ~ Saturday June 21st

2008-06-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

TC and friends
Volunteers working hard clearing the the lower part of the community garden..
After that they planted pumpkin seeds!
We'll have our very own pumpkin patch !!!
Hard at it in the hot sun! What a great group of folks!

Squash!! You know you can actually eat the squash blossoms?!

Corn is getting tall!

Corn,soybeans and squash I think lol

Sunflowers!
Some of the herbs that are growing in the garden!

Dill

Rosemary

And we have more Tomatoes! It won't be long ya'll !

Tomato report!

2008-06-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

The Tomato I picked yesterday?

Was YUMMY!!!

Looking forward to more out of our garden!

Miss Irene's "Mama's best Blackberrie pie !"

2008-06-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup Crisco (add one half at a time...this is the secret & use a pastry cutter)
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt.
roll out on floured surface, cut to fit pie pan and fill.
Filling Cut bottom crust to fit pie pan.
Fill pie crust with lots of wild, just picked blackberries, 2 tbls butter, 1 cup sugar (mix 2 tbs corn starch into the sugar to keep the filling from running all over the stove when it cooks).
Roll out the top crust, cut slits to vent and put over filled pie shell.
Bake at 425 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes

A masterpeice!

Our first Avalon Acres CSA box!

2008-06-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

This is was my first CSA box that was delivered today at Coleman Park by Avalon Acres!

I'm paying a extra 5.00 bucks to get a single meat portion.. which doesn't look bad really and I would pay double the amount if I went to Whole Foods for the package of pork chops.. Its just enough meat for one meal for 2 folks.. but thats ok if its as good as I think its suppose to be then I will be uping my box to the Family size... :)
As far as the produce? Its just right size for my family right now!

So, what did I get for my 30.00 bucks?

A bunch of cucumbers ( I hope someone out there as a freezer pickle recipe! )
1.5lb of pork chops ( free range)
blackberries
Dill
yellow summer squash
green beans
lemon squash
new red potatoes
one large white onion
two nice bunches of green onions..yum..

All locally grown.. and organic.. and from sustainable farming methods.

If your interested in joining getting a box of goodies each week just contact Avalon Acres at their website...
http://www.avalon-acres.com/

Let them know that your with the Coleman Park Pickup.. and they will get ya started..

Oh and did I say, they are some nice folks too :)

See ya in the garden!
Denise

Guess where I got this tomato?

2008-06-18T16:30:00.001-07:00

Yes! Its our first I think lol.. Its soo pretty! lol

There are more on the vines...

Welcome! To the Flaterock Community Garden Blog!

2008-06-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

Its a little bare around here..but thats about to change!

Thought I would put in pictures and word about how our community garden is coming along...

I can tell you its a labor of love ! Love of food,community and a neighborhood that is coming back to life!

So please feel free to comment,offer pictures or if you want to blog about the garden and other things connect to it.. just let me know!

See ya in the garden!

Denise

2008-06-15T13:05:00.001-07:00

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