Tomatoes Grown from Seed....Oh Sweet Baby!

I got my first official red tomato today. I say official because I've had many red tomatoes off my sorry store bought plants. These plants started producing right away, but have never produced quality in size or flavor. The tomato I got today came from my beautiful plants that I grew from seed. I did start a little late, but the plants are strong and, oh sweet baby, the fruit is tasty. So tasty in fact, that I was a little too anxious to eat it and took a lousy picture. So here's picture of my plants as babies (above) and today (don't pay any attention to the adorable superhero with his new big boy hair cut....check out the plants!)

This is the first time I have started my tomatoes from seed. We put some windows that I picked up for free at a yard sale, into the side of our back shed and I used it as a green house; hopefully we can add more windows next spring, allowing for a little more light. I planted a beefsteak variety (first week of May, next year I want to start March/April), they're not the prettiest tomatoes on the block, but the flavor is off the charts....oh sweet baby! I hope to harvest the seeds from these plants and use them again next year. My least favorite thing about gardening is the price you have to pay for a decent plant, so I'm doing a lot of reading and experimenting with saving seeds. Tomato seeds are supposed to be relatively easy to save and don't cross pollinate like gourds, but just in case, I dug up a completely separate bed far from my store bought plants.

I'm also looking into saving seeds from my pepper plants since they can be costly as plants too, especially if your two year old pulls them all up and so you hurry and replant them before they wilt in the sun only to come out a few days later and find them all pulled up again with their stems broken in half so you go back to the nursery and buy more.

Healthy (er) Zucchini Bread

This summer has been wonderful...what's the term....yes, crazy beautiful. Makes me wish I could go where it's summer all the time. My heart sunk down to my toes as I drove away from the school yesterday....without my kids. We have had a couple rough days this week, but even when I was about to release the insane, screaming mama (usually kept locked in the basement) I knew, key in hand, how bad I miss my kids when they are gone all day so I had better make the most of it. I love to bake with my kids when they're ornery; something about measuring and pouring together, sweet smells and sneaky snitching makes everything good again.

I try to make things as healthy as possible without messing much with the yum factor, and believe me, my kids let me know when I've gone too far. This recipe was my best friend last summer when I planted too much zucchini; it makes 3 loaves, reflecting on the fact that I had A LOT of zucchini. Most zucchini bread recipes call for as much sugar as zucchini, which can only lead back to ornery, hyped up kids and only a messy kitchen to show for it, so I substituted applesauce for some of the sugar and just left the rest out. I eased up on the oil and used whole wheat flour, my kids are pretty use to this, but I also added some extra flavor/spice for fun.


Healthy (er) Zucchini Bread

4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 heaping teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups applesauce
3 heaping cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 tsp lemon peel (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cloves; set aside.

In another bowl combing sugar applesauce zucchini, oil, eggs and lemon peel; mix well. Add dry to wet and stir til just moistened, still a little lumpy. Fold in nuts.

Spoon into 3 8x4x2-inch bread pans, or lots of mini pans. I like the mini pans because they make more of the sweet outside pieces and they bake with a more even consistency. For the larger pans, bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, the smaller pans only take 25-30. Monitor closely, too long and it will be crumbly, too short and you'll have zucchini mush in the middle.

If you still have zucchini left over, you can shred it and freeze it in 3 cup portions and you can eat zucchini bread all winter.....pretending it's summer all the time.

Service Echos

Morning came with the thick promise of rain. Eyes closed, I inhaled
deep, exchanging stale for gratitude....thoughts of service.

Lately I've been thinking a lot of this big hole that has been left;
left for us to gather around and cry....then laugh, gathering tighter.

Dripping watermelon, soda, prayers
again protecting, recommitting, strengthening,
clarifying their purpose and ours.

Service.
Random or planned, hoping for habitual,
filling the gaping empty space.
First efforts clang, echoing then
soften as they land
building stronger ties with those
we touch today.

Silly Sally

This picture completely cracks me up. I love my silly, camping, flower picking, swervey haired, brown eyed little girl!

How could I resist silly week at iheartfaces? Can you?

Warming up for School

"Mom, Rose said the 'T' word!"
I thought quickly in my mind...scanning vulgarity for something that started with a T, couldn't come up with any my kids would know, so I had to ask.
"Hup, what 'T' word?"
Inflection screaming across his face, he whispered, "Damn".
"Hup.....does that start with a T?"
His expression turns thoughtful as he sounds out the four lettered word. "Oh....I mean D," chuckling he went out the door.

Sunshine had heard it all and asked, "Mom, is there an 'A' word?"
"Yes," I replied slowly.
She brightened up, "Is it stupid?"
I laughed and shook my head.
"What about Hideous?"
We both giggled as I pulled out her letter notebook, and I wonder if there is a home school curriculum for this subject.

Ears that Hear

All day she played at my feet, though it seemed she was in my head, constantly vying for my attention as I stirred bubbling apricots, and unpacked bags, tripping over the crusted dished from my not-so-fixed dishwasher.......

.....and she was there, everywhere I turned....

....giggling, wondering, story telling Sunshine.

I smiled as I stepped over her again and again, but hardly stopping to see; a flicker of wonder not quite igniting.....why was she here and what does she need, this little one who is always so content to build her own little world.

The day almost gone as we sat struggling with her laces, frustrated tears spilled down her cheeks; like lighter fluid they lit my recollection and I knew it had nothing to do with her shoes.

"We don't spend enough time together!"

Her words erred but blazed with truth. We had spent the entire day together, as we usually do, so why the distress?

This little sun's ray who had been left behind as older siblings ran with new friends, who missed her daddy for a whole week only to return and find she was missing her grandpa, who after a day of begging in her sweet pleasing way was finally left with no other option than to put her need into words.

Weeks spent with those we love but see so little; long days that were too short, not wasting a minute. Now, here, with my own little one who I see everyday I had been content with the cool surface ashes, while she had been longing for the deep burning embers.

Proud she could find the words, ashamed it took words for me to hear, we enjoyed the warm flames as we walked and giggled, threw wild melons, and broke open cat tails to crown her snow princess, and cheered as she ran and won.

Now I listen with new understanding to Laser Boy's random question, "Mom, you hear me?"

I pray for ears that can hear so the words need not be spoken....