Feeding us with stuff that Doesn't come from the grocery store.

My garden is in full swing. I have green tomatoes ever where. All my tomatoes have grown into one giant plant. I have little yellow squash poking out from giant umbrella leaves all over. The cucumbers have little teenie cukes starting to grow behind the flowers that haven't wilted away yet. The corn is above my head. Beets are doing their beet thing and want to become pickled beets for the hubby. My cauliflower  is almost ready to harvest and I'm sorry I didn't plant rows and rows of it.

Last night I pulled radishes right out of the ground, brought them in, washed them well, and hit the mandolin to them. I sauteed them in butter and olive/canola oil blend till the edges were starting to turn brown, then threw in some salt, minced garlic, and the sugar snap peas I picked and had in the fridge. It all had a wonderfully sweet, nutty taste, and even the hubby thought the side dish was a keeper.

Tonight we're having ground beef browned with sliced banana peppers, sugar snap peas, eggs, and cheese. The cheese is from a local company, the eggs, peppers, and peas from my yard. Next year the beef will be from the steer I'm raising.

I'm trying my had and making my first pie that didn't come from the frozen section of the grocery store. I go down to a local dairy a friend owns every night at 6:30 and pick up the milk they have left over after feeding calves. This is for my piggies to grow fat and strong and tender on. Tonight his mom asked if I wanted a box of apricots. They were from a friend of her's tree. My neighbor's tree hasn't started fruiting yet, so I said of course. I found a recipe that looked good on the internet, and away I go. I'll let you know tomorrow how it turns out.

Apricot Pie

SERVES8

• ACTIVE TIME:25 MIN
 
• START TO FINISH:4 1/2 HR (INCLUDES CHILLING DOUGH AND COOLING PIE)

ADAPTED FROM COMFORT ME WITH APPLES BY RUTH REICHL

FEBRUARY 2008

• Pastry dough
• 2 lbs fresh apricots
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

• Preheat oven to 400ºF with rack in lower third.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Chill pie shell in freezer 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pull apricots (with skins) apart into halves, discarding pits. Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, then stir in sugar, flour, and nutmeg and remove from heat. Cool mixture until firm enough to crumble, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Put apricots in pie shell and crumble butter mixture over them. Bake pie, with a foil-lined baking pan on rack below it (to catch drips), 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF and continue to bake until top is golden, 50 minutes to 1 hour more.
• Cool pie to warm or room temperature on a rack.