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Gifts from the Garden
Gardening continues to be a popular hobby, but more than that, it is an excellent way to stretch your food dollars. A homegrown organic tomato costs about a nickel compared to a dollar or more at the market.
If you’ve ever gardened, you know the challenge of the sudden surplus of one item. What do you do with thirty pounds of tomatoes? Or a carload of zucchini? Think holidays!
“Good grief, Gladys! Why can’t you just relax and enjoy the lazy, crazy days of summer like the rest of us?!”
Preserving your garden’s harvest may be the perfect solution for your holiday gift list. You can bake and freeze zucchini bread and pumpkin bread (wrapped well, loaves freeze well for four months). You can make yummy zucchini relish, spaghetti sauce, salsa, sun-dried tomatoes, applesauce, apple butter, pumpkin seeds, and berry jams. All make excellent gifts.
Here are some of my favorite ways to turn a bountiful season into gifts.
Zucchini Relish
| 7 | zucchinis, unpeeled and chopped |
| 4 | large onions, chopped |
| 1 | large sweet red bell pepper, chopped |
| 1 | 4-ounce can chopped green chilies |
| 3 tablespoons | salt |
| 3½ cups | sugar |
| 3 cups | vinegar |
| 1 tablespoon | ground turmeric |
| 4 teaspoons | celery seed |
| 1 teaspoon | black pepper |
| ½ teaspoon | ground nutmeg |
In a large container, combine zucchini, onions, red pepper, chilies, and salt. Let rest overnight. The next day, rinse the relish and drain. Place the sugar, vinegar, turmeric, celery seed, pepper, and nutmeg in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Add relish to the pot and simmer for ten minutes. While it’s hot, put into jars. Leave a small space at the top. Fit lids on tightly. Follow proper canning procedures for sealing if relish is to be stored. This does not freeze well.
Salsa
| 1 tablespoon | olive oil |
| 2 | onions, diced |
| 2 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 1 | green bell pepper, diced |
| 1 | red bell pepper, diced |
| 1 | 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes OR 2 to 3 cups diced fresh tomatoes |
| 3 teaspoons | wine vinegar |
| ¼ teaspoon | black pepper |
| 1 tablespoon | fresh cilantro, chopped |
| ¼ teaspoon | cayenne pepper or jalapeno peppers to taste |
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and sauté onion, garlic, green pepper, and red pepper. Add tomatoes and rest of ingredients to pan and stir. Remove from heat immediately. To preserve, follow proper canning procedures or freeze. Freezer life: one year.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
| 6 pounds | ripe tomatoes (preferably Roma variety) |
| 2 tablespoons | salt |
| 3 cups | olive oil |
Slice tomatoes lengthwise and arrange on racks or screens. Sprinkle with salt. If drying in the sun, place another screen over the top to keep debris and bugs out. Leave in the sun for eight to twelve hours or bake in a low-heat oven (200°F) until all signs of moisture have disappeared (about eight to nine hours). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Pack in pint-sized jars and cover completely with olive oil. Seal tightly, decorate jars, and refrigerate.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
| Seeds from one large or several small pumpkins | |
| 2 tablespoons | vegetable oil |
| 1 tablespoon | salt |
Clean and rinse the seeds. Spread out on a towel to dry. In a bowl, toss dry seeds with oil and salt. For variety, try a little onion salt or chili powder. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
Sweet Pepper Onion Relish
| 20 to 25 | medium-sized sweet red bell peppers, finely chopped |
| 4 to 6 | large white sweet onions, finely chopped |
| 3 to 4 | very finely chopped jalapeno peppers (or more depending on your desire for heat) |
| 3½ cups | white sugar |
| 3 cups | apple cider vinegar |
| 2 tablespoons | salt |
Place all ingredients in a large pot. Stir to blend thoroughly. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for thirty to forty minutes, until the vegetables are soft and glistening and the liquid has thickened. Spoon into jars, apply the lids while the relish is still hot, allow to cool, and store in the refrigerator.
Pour over cream cheese and serve with crackers, place alongside beef or poultry, or eat (shhhh!) straight from the jar.
Pesto a la Genovese
Whether grown in your garden or in a container—or purchased at a produce stand—basil is the main ingredient in this gourmet food item that is sure to please just about everyone on your gift list this holiday season.
| 1½ cups | fresh basil leaves, packed |
| ½ teaspoon | salt |
| ¼ teaspoon | ground black pepper |
| ¼ cup | grated Parmesan cheese |
| 2 tablespoons | pine nuts, toasted |
| 1 teaspoon | minced garlic |
| ½ cup | extra-virgin olive oil |
Place pine nuts in a small skillet and heat over medium heat until they begin to turn golden. In the bowl of a food processor (or blender), combine the basil, salt, and pepper and process for a few seconds until the basil is chopped. Add the cheese, pine nuts, and garlic. While the processor is running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until a mostly smooth sauce is formed.
Notes:
- If you do not have a food processor, you can make this recipe in a blender using the purée setting.
- This recipe multiplies well, but do not try to make more than a double batch in a blender or triple in a food processor.
- Make sure your tools, equipment, and hands are impeccably clean. The introduction of any bacteria may cause the pesto to turn dark.
- Pesto may be made several days in advance and kept refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use. If making in advance, be sure to cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the pesto from darkening. Pesto may also be frozen in the same manner in small quantities for use at a later date.
- Keep frozen at 0°F or below. Frozen shelf life is one year. When thawed and kept refrigerated at 40°F, product has a shelf life of ten days.
- For gifts, pour the pesto into small glass jars with lids and rims and place them in the freezer, making sure to leave about ½ inch head room for expansion.
Attach this message to the jar:
Pesto a la Genovese
This all-natural pesto was made in the Genovese style with fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. To use, toss with hot pasta, use as a crostini topping, or use as a marinade for chicken or fish. Keep refrigerated and use within one week. Enjoy!
Freezer Strawberry Jam
| 2 cups | crushed fresh strawberries |
| 4 cups | sugar |
| 1 | (1.75-ounce) package dry fruit pectin (do not substitute liquid fruit pectin) |
| ¾ cup | water |
Mix crushed strawberries with sugar and let stand for ten minutes. Meanwhile, stir the pectin into the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for one minute. Stir the boiling water into the strawberries. Allow to stand for three minutes before pouring into jars or other storage containers. Place tops on the containers and leave for twenty-four hours. Place in freezer and store frozen until ready to use.
This jam can remain frozen for up to one year without losing any of its summer-fresh goodness. Once thawed, it should be consumed within three weeks and should be kept refrigerated.
When giving as a gift, add this tag:
Strawberry Jam
This homemade jam will be best when consumed within three weeks. Do not allow to remain at room temperature; must be kept refrigerated.
Freezer Berry Jam
| 4 cups | fresh blueberries |
| 2 cups | fresh raspberries |
| 5 cups | sugar |
| 2 tablespoons | lemon juice |
| ¾ cup | water |
| 1 | (1.75-ounce) package dry fruit pectin (do not substitute liquid fruit pectin) |
In a large bowl, crush the blueberries. Add raspberries and crush. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Let stand for ten minutes. In a small saucepan, bring water and pectin to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Add to fruit mixture and stir for three minutes. Pour into jars or freezer containers; cool to room temperature, about thirty minutes. Cover and let stand overnight or until set but not longer than twenty-four hours. Freeze for up to one year.
When giving as a gift, add this tag:
Berry Jam
This homemade jam will be best when consumed within three weeks. Do not allow to remain at room temperature; must be kept refrigerated.
Refrigerator Pickles
| 1 cup | distilled white vinegar |
| 1 tablespoon | salt |
| 2 cups | white sugar |
| 6 cups | sliced cucumbers |
| 1 cup | sliced onions |
| 1 cup | sliced green bell peppers |
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about ten minutes.
Place the cucumbers, onions, and green bell peppers in a large bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.
Bread and Butter Pickles
| 25 | cucumbers, thinly sliced |
| 6 | onions, thinly sliced |
| 2 | green bell peppers, diced |
| 3 cloves | garlic, chopped |
| ½ cup | salt |
| 3 cups | cider vinegar |
| 5 cups | white sugar |
| 2 tablespoons | mustard seed |
| 1½ teaspoons | celery seed |
| ½ teaspoon | whole cloves |
| 1 tablespoon | ground turmeric |
In a large bowl, mix together cucumbers, onions, green bell peppers, garlic, and salt. Allow to stand approximately three hours. In a large saucepan, mix the cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, whole cloves, and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
Drain liquid from the cucumber mixture. Stir the cucumber mixture into the boiling vinegar mixture. Remove from heat shortly before the combined mixtures return to a boil. Transfer to sterile containers. Seal and store in the refrigerator up to six months.
Drying Plant Material
Purchasing dried flowers during the holidays can be very expensive. But during the year if you pick wildflowers, receive gifts of flowers, or make cuttings from your own yard, if handled properly, you will have all kinds of wonderful material for holiday projects. If every season you are on the lookout for ways you can recycle nature’s bounty, you will have wonderful decorations for Christmas packages, wreaths, garlands, and centerpieces.
Designate a place in your home where you can gather and store dried material. I have a large box in a closet, which I can get to easily and where everything stays dry.
In principle, all plant material can be dried. Selecting the proper method is the key.
Drying by pressing. Flowers that are delicate, with thin petals and leaves, can be dried between sheets of absorbent paper inserted between the pages of a thick book. In two or three weeks, the book’s weight presses out the flowers’ moisture. A ribbon, bow, and pressed flower adorning a gift wrapped in brown kraft paper make a very elegant package.
Drying by hanging. Flowers such as roses, hydrangea, yarrow, baby’s breath, heather, statice, and larkspur can be air-dried simply by tying them in bunches and hanging them upside down in a dark, cool, dry place where air can circulate around them.
Herbs that dry well this way include English pennyroyal, lavender, wild thyme, and rosemary. Simply divide the herbs into small bunches, hang them in a well-ventilated spot, and allow them to dry for about ten days. Gently wrap them in tissue paper and put them away until December. If you aren’t up to growing your own herbs, buy them in season at farmer’s markets, grocery stores, and gourmet shops.
Drying by desiccants. Desiccants are moisture-absorbing substances such as sand, silica gel, borax, and yellow cornmeal. Silica gel, available at garden shops, drugstores, craft shops, and floral supply stores, is by far the best because it is lightweight, won’t damage the flowers, and can be used over and over again. (Silica gel isn’t really a gel at all. It resembles granulated sugar.) With silica gel, the drying process generally takes one to two weeks, compared to three weeks or more with sand.
Fill a jar halfway with silica gel. Gently insert a piece of florist wire into each flower. Stand the flower upright in the jar and gently pour in enough crystals to cover all the petals. Seal the container for at least two weeks.
Drying in the microwave. The latest and fastest way to dry flowers is the microwave method. You’ll need a microwavable container or cardboard box with a tight-fitting lid. Layer about one inch of silica gel in the bottom of the container. Place the flowers or leaves on top of this layer, leaving about an inch between the container’s side and the individual flowers. Add another one-inch layer of silica gel on top.
Place your uncovered container in the microwave. If you’re using a cardboard box, elevate it on a microwavable drain rack so the moisture can escape through the bottom of the box.
If your microwave has settings from 2 to 10, put it on setting 4 (about 300 watts); a microwave with three or four settings should be put on half (about 350 watts); and a microwave with high and defrost settings should be set on defrost (about 200 watts). Because microwave ovens vary, you’ll need to experiment with the “cooking” times. The drying time for one to five flowers with leaves in about a half pound of silica gel is roughly two to two and a half minutes.
Remove the container from the microwave, cover the container tightly, and allow it to stand for up to thirty minutes. Then empty the container onto a newspaper and gently remove the flowers.
Reusing silica gel. This stuff is so cool. When totally dry, it is blue. As the granules start to absorb moisture, they turn whitish-pink. So just keep checking the color, and when you know they’ve reached full capacity, you can turn them back to blue. Preheat your conventional oven to 300°F. Spread a single layer of silica gel evenly on the bottom of a shallow pan and place it uncovered in the oven. Stir the granules every once in a while and watch them turn blue. Allow to cool and immediately place the silica gel into an airtight container.
One year my husband and I were on active duty and living with our four-year-old son in Frankfurt, Germany. For our son, Pat, Christmas in Germany was a magical experience, and I went all out to make our holidays as European as I could. I’d planned a special German meal, which we would enjoy before we sang carols, told stories, and opened our gifts.
On that Christmas Eve, we were blessed with a beautiful snowfall—the stage was set. Then, at about 8 p.m., the power went out. Without electricity, I could not cook, we had no beautifully lit tree, and our apartment was dark. I was crushed. With flashlight in hand, my husband gently told me that our son had a solution.
With childlike inquisitiveness, Pat asked if I had any green vegetables (lettuce), red vegetables (tomatoes), and cheese. I did. He discovered taco shells in our little pantry, and he and my husband went to work. That night we lit candles around our tree, sang carols, told stories, and we shared our first Christmas tacos, which, my son explained, had special meaning: Round taco shells represented a Christmas wreath, decorated with lettuce greenery and red tomato ornaments and sprinkled with grated cheese that looked like lights. We savored this special meal like none other.
Every year since that Christmas in Germany, for going on twenty years, we turn off all the house lights, gather around a candlelit tree, sing songs, and share memories, including the story of Pat’s Christmas tacos, which, by the way, taste just as good as they did in Germany.
Dianna P., email