Anonymous Giver and ONE Acorn Squash!

Last weekend a kind soul dropped off, in our driveway, some potted plants and grasses ready to be put into the ground!

Paul and I found it quite interesting, as these verses were attached (in Ziploc bags to stay dry).


We’re so appreciative and excited to plant this variety of grasses in our back yard. We both decided that this was a very creative way to show hospitality.


So here’s a BIG thank you – to the anonymous giver!

Also, last year around this time when my husband was planning our garden, he asked what I wanted to grow. Years ago we gave up on growing things like carrots, garlic, onions, corn – things that we felt just took too much garden space and were cheaper to buy in the stores or at the market. Living on a city lot, we don’t have a huge space for our garden as if we were in the country.

My mother loved to garden, and the type of squash that I loved to eat as a kid was acorn squash! My mom made it taste like candy, because she baked it with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. It was heavenly.

This year we grew “one” acorn squash. I don’t know what happened and why we only got one, but because this “one” was so significant to me, I wanted to make sure our whole family enjoyed it, the way I did as a girl.

I cut the squash in half, removing all of the seeds


I melted butter with brown sugar and cinnamon


I sliced the squash like a cantaloupe, laying it in a sprayed 9x13 and pouring the butter mixture over the top


Then I baked it at 400 degrees for 1 hour

It came out of the oven soft and bubbly, and our family of 5 consumed it last night around our dinner table.


I’ve decided that next year we will grow more than 1 acorn squash. And I’ll be heading to the market this weekend to buy more. It’s a perfect winter side-dish!


(Using my apple butter recipe, I made 7 pints of pear butter this last weekend! It takes a little more work because I had to peel and core the pears, but when it’s served on homemade waffles or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches – I always know it’s worth it!)


Thank you Melissa, for naming Reluctant Entertainer "Blog of the Week," over at The Inspired Room. If you haven't checked out Melissa's blog - it's full of inspiring and beautiful posts!

The Art of Roasting Tomatoes!

There really isn't an art to roasting tomatoes. Once you try it, you will realize how simple the process really is!

But let me start with this. One of my favorite sights is walking up to our garden and seeing the beautiful array of colors that our tomatoes are producing this season. I also love picking them warm off the vine, and adding them to my basket. Our curious animals always seem to follow me out, either rolling around in the dirt or sniffing the fresh produce.


We tried something different this year with our tomatoes. My friend Terri (who has an amazing garden!) grew the starts in her greenhouse, several each of Cherokee Purple (large, odd shaped, with the green on top); Sweet Tangerine (large golden yellow & orange); Jelly Bean Grape; Black Krim (looks like Cherokee Purple); Yellow Pear (small yellow pear-shaped).


What we did differently was plant them in the garden using a “trench planting” method. I had never heard of trench style, but for what it’s worth – it seemed to work. We have a bumper crop this year and my kitchen can hardly keep up with all of the roasting that I’ve been doing!


I discovered a few years back the art of “roasting” tomatoes and then freezing them. Once I did this, I kissed canning good-bye. You don’t have to blanch or heat up the water bath, saving a ton of time. Besides, the flavor of roasted tomatoes is so intense to the palate and adds more flavor to what you are cooking.


EASY ROASTED TOMATOES
Cut tomatoes to small pieces (no need to blanch or peel!)
Snip fresh basil on top
Press about 10-12 cloves of garlic
Add Sea-salt, pepper, and sugar (I use Splenda or Stevia)
Sprinkle EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) over the top
Mix with your hands

Roast at 450 for an hour or longer, stirring once. You can roast with juices left in the pan, or until the juices are evaporated.


You then have the option to freeze as is (Ziploc bags work great!), or to blend in your Cuisinnart and then freeze – ready for sauces or soups.

I love this recipe, because even the tiny cherry tomatoes (and pear tomatoes, in my case) don’t go to waste.

It’s a sight to behold - the mixed vibrant colors – and an aroma that makes you literally feel “Fall” in the air (the scent of fresh garlic and basil).


Trench Planting Method
With this method, you dig a trench rather than a hole. You remove the lower leaves of the plants, leaving the top leaf clusters. Lay the plant on its side in the trench and cover with dirt, up to the top leaf cluster. The buried stem begins to form roots and within a day, the top of the plant will have righted itself.


This method produces more roots, and the underground stems are closer to warmth, rain and nutrients.

Yes, I’d say from our bumper crop this year that this method worked!

How about you – do you plant, can or roast tomatoes? And have you heard of the “trenching” method?