WASATCH COMMUNITY GARDENS SANDWICH PARTY

The 18th annual free Tomato Sandwich Party takes place Saturday, Sept. 10 from 11am - 2pm, at the Grateful Tomato Garden (800 S. 600 East) Salt Lake City.

Wasatch Community gardeners will  be serving unique varieties of  their heirloom tomatoes, with pesto made from our home-grown basil and garlic, and fresh, locally made bread donated by Crumb Brothers.


While t here, you can buy fall plants from Kenyon Organics. On sale will be  organically grown, heirloom cool weather crop starts; cool weather crop seeds; annual and perennial herbs; local garlic seed provided by Sandhill Farms; and heirloom tomato seeds for people who want to grow some of the unique varieties they sampled on their sandwich! 


Proceeds from the Plant Sale support Wasatch Community Gardens and its community and education programs.
Representatives from the Eat Local Challenge will be on-hand to talk about different ideas for eating more local food. KCPW, ReDirect Guide, and Whole Foods are sponsoring the event.

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EVEN EASIER ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

 I recently posted about Easy Zucchini Scalloped Potatoes as a way to use up a bumper crop of zucchini. For last Sunday dinner, I experimented and came up with an  Even Easier Zucchini Scalloped Potatoes recipe, which uses a box of au gratin potato mix. 

You don't have to bother peeling or slicing potatoes, the folks at Betty Crocker already did. 

Microwave the dried potatoes for 4-5 minutes in boiling water to re-hydrate them. Then stir in the zucchini, milk, and seasoning packet and finish cooking. I sprinkled on some shredded cheese and sat the  some dish under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese was bubbly and browned. Pretty simple!

EVEN EASIER ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

1 box scalloped or au gratin potato mix

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups water

2 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)

2/3 cup milk

Place the dried potatoes in a large round casserole dish.  Add the butter and water, cover and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. 

Stir in the zucchini, seasoning packet and milk, and microwave on medium for about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Check to make sure potatoes are tender.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup grated cheese over the top of the potato-zucchini mixture. 

Place on the top oven rack and broil for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and a little browned.  Makes about 4 servings.

EASY ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

As I mentioned before, I've been getting a steady supply of zucchini from a community garden that I'm participating in, as well as my one prolific plant growing in my flower bed. But not everyone in the family is as excited about sauteed zucchini as I am.  So I'm finding some more creative ways to work them into some of our better-liked dishes, such as my Easy Low-Fat Scalloped Potatoes.  


What makes these  easy is that I use a hand-held mandolin that cuts both the potatoes and zucchini into super-thin slices in a few minutes. My son Lonn has become pretty good at this. 


What makes them low-fat is that instead of butter and cream, I use reduced-fat margarine (I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is my favorite), and either 2% milk or fat-free half-and-half. 

Once you've got the zucchini and potatoes in those nice thin slices, pile them in layers, sprinkling them with salt, pepper, dried onion flakes and a few dots of butter before adding another layer. It's probably best to end up with the potatoes at the top, if you don;t want to broadcast their presence.  Then  pour 2 cups of milk, or fat-free half-and-half over it all. Don't be dismayed if it seems like there's a huge pile of potatoes and zucchini; they do "cook down," and the zucchini will shed a lot of moisture. Don't leave out the onions; they add a lot of flavor.  If you have fresh onions, use them instead of the dried flakes.  

Most scalloped potato recipes call for an hour of baking, but I'm usually short on time. So I pop the dish in the microwave for 10-12 minutes to get things started. Then I stir them around to make sure all the slices get evenly covered with the milk; sprinkle on grated cheddar cheese and bread crumbs, and place it in the oven at 350 degrees. The thinly sliced vegetables are fork-tender in about 20 minutes.  If you turn the heat up higher, they may get done faster, but the sauce is also likely to boil over and leave a mess in the oven.

I mentioned something about the zucchini to my husband, Kim, as we were eating this dish last week.  "There's really zucchini in this?" he asked.  Mission accomplished.

EASY ZUCCHINI SCALLOPED POTATOES

3 medium potatoes

2 medium or small zucchini

1/4 to 1/3 cup reduced-fat margarine

2 tablespoons dried onion flakes

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 pint fat-free half-and-half

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (reduced-fat if desired)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Peel and slice potatoes into thin slices. Layer about 1/3 of them in an 8-inch square, or 2-quart round casserole dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper and 1/3 of the onion flakes. Dot with a third of the margarine. Repeat layers. Pour the half-and-half over the potatoes. Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes, stopping to stir potatoes once or twice to make sure they are immersed. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and topping is crunchy.

HOMEGROWN HARVEST: CUCUMBER LIMEADE & ZUCCHINI TART

Haight Bench community garden.

This summer I became part of a community garden. Years ago someone talked to the owners of a vacant lot in our neighborhood and got permission to grow food on it. 
This is the first year that I've been involved in the garden. I've always raised a few things in my own yard, but I didn't have time for a big garden when I was working full-time. Now, I have more time and a lot less money, and this is a good way to save on our grocery bill. It's been good to learn a little more  from some of the other experienced gardeners. 


The corn is so fresh-tasting that there's no need to enhance it with butter or salt. Especially when it's on the table in just a couple of hours after you pick it! 


The two zucchini plants in the foreground were planted by me, and I'm proud to say that they are producing pretty well (is there any zucchini plant that DOESN'T produce very well?) 


I've also picked a few cucumbers, which are growing just behind the zucchini plants. 
If you also have some "cukes and zukes" growing in your garden, here are two ideas for using them:  


Cucumber Limeade is like sipping summer in a glass. 
I got the recipe a few years ago from Londa Davis of Bite Size Catering, who lives in our neighborhood. I helped out with a wedding reception where Londa was catering, and one of my jobs was keeping the punch bowl filled. So I found out just how simple this refreshing drink is to make. 

CUCUMBER LIMEADE

12-ounce can limeade concentrate
2 liters Sprite (we use Diet Sprite)
1 sliced cucumber
1 gallon crushed ice

Place limeade concentrate in a large pitcher. Add Sprite, cucumber and ice. Serve!

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My Zucchini Tart is another quick-fix favorite, thanks to refrigerated pie crust and flavored cream cheese. Zucchini gives off a lot of moisture during cooking, but if it's sliced thinly and placed on top of the cream cheese (rather than at the bottom), the liquid evaporates and tart doesn't get soggy. I like using a mandolin to get very thin, uniform zucchini slices. If you've got some fresh herbs like oregano, basil or rosemary growing, sprinkle them on for added flavor. I also like adding thinly sliced tomato (but they're not ripe in our garden yet!)

ZUCCHINI TART

1 9- or 10-inch pie crust, unbaked
8 ounces chive-flavored cream cheese
1 large or 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place crust in a tart pan or pie plate; prick with fork. Bake 6-7 minutes at 400 degrees, until crust just begins to turn golden. Remove from oven; allow to cool slightly. Spread cream cheese over the crust; this is easier to do when the cheese melts slightly.

Arrange zucchini slices on top of the cream cheese mixture, in two or three overlapping circular layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees about 10 minutes, or until crust is browned and zucchini is tender. If crust edges begin to get too brown the last few minutes, cover with a ring of foil, a crust protector, or a paper plate with the center cut out.

Variations: Use other flavors of spreadable cheese, or flavored soft goat cheese, and add thin slices of tomato.

GOOD-BYE PEACH TREE!

Peach tree stump & roots.

This photo isn't some space alien.  It's the roots of what's left of our peach tree after we pulled it out last week. It took quite a lot of digging and pulling -- thanks, Lonn & Kim.  It wasn't diseased, but it was the victim of  broken branches and bad pruning jobs over the years. I loved the big juicy peaches, but the branches that were still producing fruit were so high that I couldn't reach them. And since it was growing on a slope, ladder-climbing was always a scary prospect for me. .

Hole where peach tree once stood, filled with water to aid the pulling.

This is actually the second peach tree we've had in our yard.  The first one was growing just fine for over ten years, with wonderful sweet peaches, on a nice flat part of the backyard. As a new fruit-grower, I didn't realize that all peach trees are not the same. Mine produced sweet, flavorful peaches, but they had a cling stone that was hard to remove.

Then my husband, Kim, had the idea to build a shed in that nice flat spot. He knew I wasn't keen on that. While I was in Sacramento for a couple of days covering a National Chicken Cook-Off, he brought in a backhoe to dig out that spot. By the time I came home, the tree was gone and a shed partially installed.  I didn't even get to say good-bye.

So I planted Tree Number 2 in a different spot. But ten years later, I sadly knew that last fall would be its last harvest.

I'm not saying good-bye to peaches, however. I'll be buying a new tree soon.  I'm going to plant it back the flat sunny spot where Tree Number 1 used to be.  It happened that our city zoning didn't like Kim's placement for a shed any more than I did, so the shed is long gone.
  
And now that I'm much wiser about caring for peach trees, I feel certain it will be around for a long time.

HOME CANNING's BIG CAN-IT-FORWARD DAY AUG. 13

Home canning has come back in style in the past few years, along with the tough economy and the surging interest in growing your own food.  

Canning isn't as difficult as some might think, but you do need to take some precautions so that the food you "put up" doesn't grown a nice case of botulism. Placing the filled jars in a boiling water back for a specified time, adding an acid such as lemon juice, and putting the lids on correctly are all important.  Also, foods with very little acid in them, such as green beans or meat, need to be pressure-canned. Salsa needs a specific ratio of acid such as vinegar to non-acid ingredients such as cilantro and chiles.

On August 13, those who are curious about canning can learn more about it on Can-It-Forward Day.  Jarden Home Brands,  makers of the iconic Ball^® brand home canning products, has teamed up with Canning Across America, a group  committed to reviving the art of "putting up" locally grown food. 

"We are seeing a tremendous resurgence for the art of home canning," said Brenda Schmidt, Brand Manager for Fresh Preserving at Jarden Home Brands. "Interest in learning the craft has never been higher as consumers want to eat fresh, local foods year-round. Can-It-Forward Day is all about teaching a new generation the joys and benefits of fresh preserving."

• Jarden Home Brands is also providing instructions for consumers to host their own in-home "canning parties."  Online resources will provide simple instructions for getting started, including an illustrated 'how to', a checklist of necessary items, recipes and money-saving coupons for canning supplies.

• A free, live webcast hosted at FreshPreserving.com will feature a day of instructional canning videos as well as cooking demos on August 13 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. EST.  Viewers will be able to ask questions and post comments in real time.  

• The event will film at Seattle's Pike Place Market.

Visit FreshPreserving.com for a full schedule of National Can-It-Forward Day demos and to register to view the webcast and host a home canning party.

SUGAR SNAP PEAS FROM MY GARDEN

Sugar snap peas from my garden.                       Photo by Valerie Phillips

I love sugar snap peas! A couple of months ago I planted some in my flower bed-turned-garden, and they are  finally ready for picking!

I would supply a recipe with this post, but I tend to eat these as soon as I pick them.  What a great little treat when I'm out doing yardwork!