iSonto #24

Elnathan was happy with his playdough! We were amazed when he began to show some real creativity, adding a spare tyre to the car that Mum made for him.

Mercy was saying "Buuum Buuum" a lot, which is her version of "Yum Yum". This is a big improvement upon squeals of desperation.

From garden to tummies . . .  

Unsure of what to do with the lemon after grating the rind? I often find myself in this position, and hate to waste homegrown lemon! Well, this time I fed it to the children and they devoured it! They kept asking for more. "Buumy, Buumy" said Mercy!

A book we enjoyed together was The Blue Lotus, one of Dave's Tintin collection. Nate is fascinated with them. I read them out to him trying to miss out all the bits about killing people that are included in the adventures! These are designed for adults, so it is extra fun for me to read them, but they appeal to children due to the illustrations.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from the Stellenbosch Community Development Association website. What a pleasure it was to read about the good work they are doing in a township near to where Dave attended university! This is one more idea for how we can remember the poor as God tells us to do, even when we live a world away.

This week we are thankful for  a fun and successful zucchini pickling night! Too many zucchinis? Try a triple batch of zucchini pickle! Our neighbour and a friend from church joined us. We made 12 jars in all.

Another big thing to be thankful for was Dave doing the washing up while I took my friend home :). We are also one step closer to our new kitchen with dishwasher, having chosen a joinery company. Praise God for that!

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Saturday's Backyard Bounty: A glimpse of autumn

A bowl of squash and tomatoes is a glimpse of what autumn looks like for us. I had just been using the twine to tie up some of our wild tomato vines that were draped on the ground. It is hard work to keep up with those bushes, especially with a newborn, and we have not succeeded very well. Thankfully they are still producing, and whatever happens we will get more than if we had not bothered to plant at all! We have more tomato plants than ever before. This week we have used them in zucchini slice topped with thick tomato slices, roast tomato and vegetable sauce, toasted sandwiches, pasta with basil pesto and tomatoes, and just straight off the vine!

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Saturday's Backyard Bounty: Slow Cooker Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Soup is a great way to use up those extra zucchinis. This soup is surprisingly tasty and quick, perfect for days like today when I had lots of preserving to do! We had a relaxing dinner on the deck after a busy day. To make this soup you will need:

6 Tbs butter ( approximately 120g or 4 3/8 oz)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, ends trimmed, and cut into chunks (I always end up using closer to 2 pounds of zucchini)
2 heaped tablespoons white rice
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup half-and-half (I use cream or, if we don't have any, sour cream)

Instructions:
1. Put butter, onion, curry powder and zucchini in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on HIGH to sweat the vegetables
2. Add the rice, basil, and broth, cover, and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.
3. Puree with a handheld immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream. Cook on low until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Here are the results of our day of preserving my parents' fruit - 21 jars of plums to eat this winter!

This week I've been thinking about children and gardens. Remember my bean towers? Well, now that space has been transformed into a bed for some tiny cauliflower seedlings.

I loved the bean teepees, and put a lot of effort into them, but the beans came and went and had to be replaced. This reminds me of how quickly children grow. Like a garden, we've just mastered one area when everything changes and we have to plant something new! It can be frustrating. Sometimes I'd like them to be like a craft project that could be completed . . . but God has made them like a garden that constantly changes. Also, think of the fruit we preserved today. We had a short time to pick the plums or they would be gone. So it is with the little children in our lives. They will grow so quickly and NOW is our chance to invest our time in raising them. This time will not come again.

More snippets of our week in the garden . . .

We planted cauliflowers, peas, silverbeet, and cuttings of oregano and rosemary.

We ate chicken and vegetable pot pie including our patty pans, and pasta with a fresh tomato and basil sauce created by Dave, among other things!

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Fried Zucchini

Another easy thing to do with zucchini and patty pan squash is to fry it in a little olive oil. This is great as part of a cooked breakfast with eggs and tomato. You can also use it on toasted sandwiches, in hamburgers, with pasta, or even in a green salad! It is one of my favourite ways to prepare zucchini now.

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Zucchini makes great baby food

We harvested our first zucchini in December. I was happy when Elnathan sucked on it for a long time and cried when he accidentally dropped it! Since there are always lots of zucchinis, it is helpful to have a third person to eat them. Natey continues to enjoy his zucchini.

 

I often steam a zucchini for lunch or dinner and give Elnathan a piece or two. I enjoy eating the rest with a little salt. It is a quick and easy way to use zucchinis. Steamed zucchini is nice warm, but it is not pleasant cold. It is best to eat it all soon after cooking.

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Zucchini Pickle Recipe

This week I made our first lot of Zucchini Pickle for the year. I have been keeping up with the zucchinis, but with three plants producing now we ended up with four extra. This was just enough for a batch of zucchini pickle. Here is our recipe:

1 kg small zucchini, finely sliced (it does look nicer if you use small/medium ones)
2 medium onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup salt
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp celery seeds (I don't have any, so left this out)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp dry mustard


Place zucchini and onion slices in a bowl. Cover with water and add salt. Stand for 1 hour. Drain.


Mix remaining ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil. Pour mixture over zucchini and onion. Stand for one hour.


Put in pan, bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pack into hot sterilised jars and seal. Makes 6 cups. 

From Margaret Fulton's Encyclopaedia of Food & Cookery: The complete kitchen companion from A to Z

You get plenty of breaks while making this recipe! It is yummy. We are not really into pickle, so we only use it for burgers or salad rolls. We have friends who love it, though, so it is fun to be able to give it away!

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