Summer Fresh Tomato Pie

Nothing better than a garden fresh tomato, eh? Believe it or not, I just came to realize this last summer. Ever since I can remember I've hated tomatoes. I stopped trying to like them sometime in my late childhood and have avoided them at all costs since. Last summer, something changed. Ever since I grew my very first tomato in my own garden, I fell in love. I incorporate them into dishes whenever I can. A tomato hanging on the vine, warmed by the afternoon sun, and ripened to juicy perfection. You can't beat that. 

This recipe is not my own and was taken from a favorite site of mine. I saw it and knew I just had to try it. Hands down, a new favorite in this household. It sorta reminded me of a pizza made with very fresh ingredients. Vine ripened tomatoes and garden fresh basil. Mmhmm. An excellent weeknight dinner for a warm summer night.  

Summer Fresh Tomato Pie

2 C. Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

2 sticks Butter

1/4 C. Ice Water

3 Large Ripe Tomatoes

Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves

2 C. Shredded Cheese of your choice (Mozzarella, Cheddar, Provolone, etc)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cherry Tomatoes and a Sprig of Basil to garnish, optional

Combine flour, salt, sugar and butter in food processor. Pulse until blended. Add ice water in slow steady stream pulsing just until dough holds together, about 30 seconds. Flatten dough into disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough and pat onto bottom and sides of tart pan. Bake crust for five minutes, then remove from oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees.

Arrange tomato slices over crust, sprinkle with basil. Mix cheese and mayo in small bowl, salt and pepper to taste. Spread evenly over the tomatoes and basil. Bake pie 30 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly.  Remove from oven and garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil.

Garlic Dill Cucumber Spears

Bumper crop is a good term for the cucumbers in my garden this year, though that may not even cover it. I've been a cucumber pickling maniac the last few weeks. I pick armfuls of pickling cucumbers every other day. It's insane. A good insane, but insane none the less. I'm very grateful. After all, I planted a garden hoping to get a lot of good canning experience this summer and to stock my cabinets full of colorful jars of fruits and vegetables. 

I've made several batches of cucumber spears. I've tried a few different recipes I found in the Ball Book of Complete Home Preserving. None really did it for me as I'm not a fan of even slightly sweetened pickles and it seems most dill pickle recipes contain sugar. So I tried the recipe for the Dilly Beans I love so much. Bingo! This one is mine and my families favorite. Vinegar, salt, garlic, and dill - the basic ingredients necessary to make one heck of a tasty pickle to accompany your favorite sandwich. This afternoon I enjoyed them alongside a fresh-egg and avocado salad sandwich. A perfect lunch if ya ask me!

This same recipe can be used to make Garlic Dill Cucumber Sandwich Slices. Instead of spears, slice into 1/4 inch slices and pack tightly into jars.

Garlic Dill Cucumber Spears

makes 8 pints

8 lbs 4-6 inch Pickling Cucumbers, cut lengthwise into spears

4 C. White Vinegar

4 C. Water

4 T. Pickling Salt

8 Cloves Garlic

4 tsp. Dill Seed

32 Peppercorns

1 tsp. Pickle Crisp

Prepare jars, bands, and lids. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil. To each jar add 1/2 tsp. dill seed, 1 garlic clove (I split mine lengthwise to release more flavor), 4 whole peppercorns, and 1/8 tsp. of Pickle Crisp, then pack in cucumber spears. Ladle hot pickling liquid into each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, add more pickling liquid if necessary, wipe rim of jar, and affix lid. Process jars for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit in canner for additional 5 minutes before removing. Cool, label and store.

Blackberry Basil Jam

My goal in picking nine pounds of blackberries of course was jam, but I knew I wouldn't want to make three batches of standard blackberry jam. Don't get me wrong, blackberry jam is divine and it seems to be a favorite of everyone I know - my dad could eat a whole jar in one sitting. I like to experiment with food, and blackberry would be good with just about anything. I checked my favorite blog to see if the author had a creative blackberry jam recipe I could try. This woman never lets me down. She's my hero; I hope to be like her someday.

Blackberry Basil Jam

makes 7 half-pints

5 C. Crushed Blackberries

1 C. Whole Basil Leaves

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

2 1/4 C. Sugar

1 pkg. OR 3 Tbsp. Ball Low-Sugar Powdered Fruit Pectin

1/4 tsp. Butter or Margarine (to reduce foaming)

Prepare jars, and lids. Finely chop the basil leaves. Combine blackberries, basil, butter, and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Blackberry Jam and a Canning Fiesta

Jordan and I went blackberry picking over the weekend. Blackberry season had just opened in the orchard we visited. At first I didn't see too may ripe berries and got rather discouraged. While walking through the rows of under ripe berries a couple of girls that work at the orchard walked past me, carrying cartons full of ripe blackberries. They pointed me in the right direction. Jackpot. 

We ended up with almost nine pounds of juicy blackberries. There were definitely more ready for the picking but the temperatures were sizzling on Saturday and the thirty minutes we were out there were a little rough. We cooled down with an apple cider slushie from the orchard general store, had a nice afternoon chat with a couple of goats in the orchard, had a stand-off with a very scary turkey, and headed home to start on the jam. 

This jam has been adapted from the Ball Book of Home Preservation. 

Blackberry Jam

makes 7 half pints

5 C. Crushed Blackberries

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

2 1/4 C. Sugar

1 pkg. OR 3 Tbsp. Ball Low-Sugar Powdered Fruit Pectin

1/4 tsp. Butter or Margarine (to reduce foaming)

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine blackberries, butter, and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

I didn't just stop at jam, oh no! My garden cucumbers have been out of control. I'm canning 8 pints of pickles every two to three days! This year I also discovered my love for dilly beans. I've frozen about ten pounds of green beans from the garden since they began producing, so the two pounds I picked the day before blackberry picking were definitely going towards more dilly beans. Crunch, crunch. Yum. They are amazing. I could easily eat a whole jar in one sitting.

I ended up with nineteen half-pints of various types of blackberry jam, eight pints of cucumber pickles, and four pints of dilly beans. Someday, I'll be a pro, making ten batches of pasta sauce in a single day. For now, I'm a proud novice! 

Apple Pie Jam

Warm apple pie. Yum. Though I must admit, I've never actually made apple pie. I've never made any kind of pie, really. I love apple pie, so I'm not really sure what the hold up is. Perhaps it's another one of those daunting tasks like canning seemed to be. I need to just dive in head first and make a pie! For now, this jam will more than suffice. Of all the jams I've made in the past few months (which has been a TON), this jam is my favorite so far. Stay posted though, I seem to have a new favorite every week. I can't help it, homemade jam is da bomb!

This recipe was adapted from the Mom's Apple Pie in a Jar in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. 

Apple Pie Jam

makes 5-6 half pints

6 C. Finely Chopped Apples

1 Lemon - grated zest and juice

1 1/3 C. Water

2 1/3 C. Sugar

1 T. Apple Pie Spice

1 pkg OR 3 Tbsp. Ball Low Sugar Powdered Pectin

Prepare canner, jars, and lids. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine apples, lemon zest, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Whisk in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Dill Sandwich Slices

This recipe was taken from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, though I omitted the pickling spice and used white vinegar in place of cider vinegar. The cider vinegar will make a darker brine and darker pickles.

I planted FOURTEEN cucumber plants this year. What was I thinking?! I had intended to plant ten (which still probably would have been too many), but because of multiple plants in a few of the cucumber seedlings I purchased I ended up with more, and I just didn't have the heart to throw them away. So I planted the extra near my porch. Those four extra plants have crept their way up the trellis and are taking over. I must say though, I've learned something because of it - make use of whatever space you have! The idea to use our back porch trellis to grow food hadn't crossed my mind before trying to find a home for the little cukes. Next year (if we're still in this house) I plan on utilizing the space for green beans as well. That will clear up more garden space for non-climbing plants. Perhaps I'll try something new!

Dill Sandwich Slices

makes about 5 pints - makes plenty of brine for 8 pints if you have plenty cucumbers and spices available

3 Tbsp. Pickling Spice

4 C. Cider Vinegar or White Vinegar

4 C. Water

3/4 C. Granulated Sugar

1/2 C. Pickling or Canning Salt

5 Bay Leaves

5 Cloves Garlic

2 1/2 tsp. Mustard Seed

2 1/2 tsp. Dill Seed

13 1/2 C. Sliced Trimmed Pickling Cucumbers

Prepare jars, bands, and lids. Tie Pickling spice in a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag. Combine salt, vinegar, sugar, water, and spice bag in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and boil gently for 15 minutes. To each jar add 1/2 tsp. Dill Seed (or 1 Head of Dill), 1/2 tsp. Mustard Seed, 1 Garlic Clove, and one Bay Leaf. Pack cucumber slices into hot jars. Ladle hot pickling liquid into each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, add more pickling liquid if necessary, wipe rim of jar, and affix lid. Process jars for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit in canner for additional 5 minutes before removing. Cool, label and store. 

Storing Your Tea Collection

Last Christmas my husband got me one of my favorite presents to date: he subscribed me to a tea-of-the-month club. To some that may seem dull or silly, but actually it was incredibly thoughtful. My husband knows his wife well. He's known about my tea obsession since day one, or maybe day five, I probably didn't bring that up on the first date for fear of scaring him off.

Ever since that first neat package of tea arrived in the mail, my tea collection has steadily (and rapidly) grown. I currently have over thirty types of herbal, green, black, white, chai, and specialty blend loose leaf teas. The sealed envelopes the tea comes in keeps it mighty fresh but isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing. So a few weeks ago I moved all of my tea into appropriately sized mason jars, added labels that specify not only the type of tea but also how many teaspoons it takes to make the perfect cup of delicious and soothing tea.