Got Peppers??

I have an abundance of jalapeno peppers so... I am planning to make bread and butter jalapeno slices. 

4 lbs jalapeno peppers 
2 lbs onions 
3 cups vinegar 
2 cups sugar 
2 Tbs mustard seed 
2 tsp turmeric 
2 tsp celery seed 
1 tsp ginger

I would definitely recommend wearing a pair of rubber gloves for handling jalapenos, the oils within the peppers are easily absorbed into the skin, eyes, nose, and mouth. Speaking from personal experience!

Wash and cut jalapenos and onions into thin slices and cold pack into jars.

Place remaining ingredients in large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Pour hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Yield: about 7 Pints.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c packed brown sugar
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Combine first 5 ingredients until well blended. Add flour, baking soda and salt; stir until mixed (the dough will be stiff). Add chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper) space 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. (8 minutes for gooey cookies, 10 minutes for a firmer cookie)

Stevia Sweetener

I am not sure if I made the batch properly.  The sweetener has an apple juice color to it, and it smells funny.  I have to admit though, it is awfully sweet.  I am going to try to remake another batch to see if it turns out any different, since I am truly wanting to cut down my cane sugar intake. 

Here is my worm composting presentation

  

 The internet is a great source for information in doing just about anything. With the help of numerous sites and blogs, I was bale to create my own worm bin, harvest castings, and fertilize my gardens with worm compost tea.

Worms, Worms, Worms

On June 20th, I will be presenting a worm composting seminar at the New Braunfels Library. I am putting together my first ever powerpoint presentation. I cannot believe that I have never had to do one of these before. The funny thing is that my kids are teaching me how to use it. I will get it posted on here if I can figure out how to do it.

Homemade Sweetener

I am experimenting this year with the stevia plant. It is supposed to be 100 times stronger than sugar, without all of the negative side effects. I figured since we go through 4-5 25 pound bags of sugar a year, that we needed something different in our diet.

I started with 1 4 inch stevia plant that I bought at one of the big box stores. Luckily, it had 3 separate stems growing in it, and I was able to divide it into 3 plants. I now have 2 foot tall plants, and I have begun harvesting the leaves in an attempt to make my own sweetener.

If this works, I may try making stevia mojitos!!

Homemade Stevia Extract

Mix together 1 cup very hot distilled water with 1 cup bruised fresh Stevia leaves or 1/2 cup dried crushed Stevia leaves. Put in a jar with a cover. Let it stand for a day, then filter through a coffee filter. Refrigerate, covered, up to a month or freeze up to 6 months. You can dilute it with water if you want.

I am working on this recipe, so I will let you know how it turns out.

How to Make a Mojito

1 - 2 limes, cut into wedges
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar or equivalent Stevia
1/2 cup mint leaves, packed
crushed ice
2 - 4 ounces of rum, depending on your taste
6 - 8 ounces club soda
Lime & mint for garnish

Place 2 lime wedges in a tall glass with sugar and mint leaves. Using a mudder or a wooden spoon, mash the ingredients together. Add 1-2 more lime wedges and ice. Pour club soda to fill class, stir. Add mint and lime for garnish and enjoy.


Well, it is taking alot longer than I expected to harvest the stevia leaves. I began to do so when I wrote the initial post above, but, the plants don't seem to like being harvested just yet. I almost have 1/4 of a cup of dried leaves, and just picked some more this evening. It may be Friday before I get to make the sweetener.

Garden Invaders

It seems that no matter how hard you try to keep pests out of the garden, they always manage to get the upper hand. I had moved my birdbath into the backyard, and the birds have been coming in droves and keeping down the bug population. They completely got rid of the aphids on my tomato, cucumber, and potato plants. However, in payment for their services, the mockingbirds have decided to help themselves to a couple of my bright red tomatoes.

All in all, it is a small price to pay to have naturally organic vegetables growing. I have 12 tomato plants which are already giving us tons of tomatoes, so I can spare a few for the mockingbirds.

Making Butter At Home (Fun activity for all ages!)

Whipping Cream
Mason Jar (any size will work, smaller jars mean less butter)
Salt (optional)

Fill jar 1/2 to 3/4 full with cream. Place lid on tightly. Shake for ten to thirty minutes, or until you hear solids shaking around and can see through the glass that the solids have separated from liquid. Pour into colander to separate liquid from butter. Place butter in a ramekin or bowl and stir in salt, if desired. Refrigerate until hardened. Enjoy!

I am going to try making this later this week. I will post pictures, even if it fails.

It's been a long time.

Well, I hate to admit it, but I think I have a severe case of ADD. Or as I like to call it... Adult Driven to Distraction. I wanted to start this blog to post about my family, gardening, cooking, and everyday what~nots. With my daughter and I both having had major surgery last year, and other medical complications, you can tell that my blog fell by the wayside.

Needless to say, I am back in the saddle, and ready to go. I have not sat idly over the last year. My gardens are growing and quite fruitful. I am preparing to make a peach moscato jam with help of Linsey sending me the recipe. And I am going to make a long to~do list of projects that I want to complete over the summer.

The first on that list is to post a recipe for homemade butter.

Watch for it.