Delighted Heart Gardens

Apple Pie Secrets

2010-11-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

Looking for a delicious, heart-warming dish to serve for dessert? It’s all picture perfect: the crisp, cool air, fire crackling in the stove, soup and biscuits for dinner, and heart- felt conversations amidst the dim lighted family room. Nothing else can augment the cozy atmosphere of fall like the smell of Apple Pie cooking in the oven. Making Apple Pie could be called a skill, an art or just plain ole good cooking. Though Apple Pie is a traditional, American dessert there are many ways to make Apple Pie from scratch to bring freshness to the dinner table.
First things first. Materials that need to be gathered up for apple pie making are:
• Pie Plate
• Rolling pin
• 2 bowls
• Measuring cups
• Pastry Blender or Fork
• Ingredients of choice
Once the materials are in hand we are ready to make an apple pie. First begin by making the pie shell. The recipe for the pie shell is:
4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons -½ cup sugar (your preference as to how sweet you like the pie crust)
Dash of salt
1 1/3 cup shortening
½ cup cold water (very cold tap water or put a few ice cubes in the already measured water)
Add all the dry ingredients. Use the pastry blender or fork to mix shortening into the flour mixture. The better the shortening is mixed into the flour mixture the stronger and flakier the crust will be. This is a great task for young children to assist with when they are mommy or grandma’s little, big helpers! Once the shortening is mixed into the flour and it is very crumbly add the ½ cup cold water. The colder the water the easier the dough is to roll and shape for the pie plate. Mix very gently and just enough to form the dough. Too much mixing at this point will make for tough, chewy pie crust. Now roll ½ the dough out and form it to the pie plate. Make sure all the sides of the pie plate are covered and that there are no holes in the dough. Now it’s time to add the apples. This is the fun part!
Slice and peel about 5-6 large granny smith apples. Other types of apples, such as golden delicious, fugi, or gala can be added to the granny smith apples. Experiment and find the kinds of apples that give a sweeter taste. Once apples are sliced add a little water (about 1 cup). Now add a little flour (about a fistful or ¾ cup). Sugar can be added to taste. Some prefer tart and some like sweet. Brown sugar, white sugar, honey, stevia or any type/combination of sugars can be used. Add a little orange or lemon juice. Orange juice from concentrate or freshly squeezed juice can be used. Freshly squeezed always gives a more fresh taste. Now add spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and/or allspice. It’s best to taste the juice on an apple as you add ingredients because measurements will never be exact as it depends on the amount of apples. Some have been known to add a little mincemeat in the apples. This could be called a secret ingredient, along with the orange juice, if you decide to use it. So, hush hush!
Now that your personalized concoction of apple filling has been assembled, pour them into the pie shell. Top with a tiny bit of butter if you choose. Roll out the other half of the pie shell if you would like to top your apple pie with pie crust. Seal the edges of the pie by pressing the two pie shells together with a fork or your finger. Cut remaining dough off along the edge of the pie plate. Slice a few holes (or a smiley face for the little, big helpers) with a knife.
Another variation of apple pie is to leave the top pie crust off and top with a dutch crunch. The dutch crunch topping recipe is as follows:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
¾ Cup Flour
1 Cup Oatmeal
Dash of salt
One stick of butter, softened
Add all the ingredients and mix with a fork until crumbly. Pour onto the top of the apple and spread evenly. Drizzle maple syrup or caramel sauce over the top. Then sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts.
Now put your finished apple pie in a preheated oven of 350 degrees. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour.
This recipe was inspired from the pie baking days at Nana’s house on the beautiful, crisp fall days. Experimenting, creating, mixing and meaningful conversation brought together by the warmth of the oven baking homemade apple pie produced a sense of freshness and joy at the dinner table.

Sanders, E. (2010). Apple Pie Secrets. http://www.suite101.com/content/apple-pie-secrets-a298174

Original Pot Garden

2010-07-26T18:30:00.001-07:00

Tomato with a Story

2009-07-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

This little sugar lump tomato plant has quite a story. I planted it from seed and when it was very small I planted it in the garden. When it was about 3 or 4 inches tall I noticed it was bending over so I tried to lift it and in doing so it broke off leaving the roots in the ground. So I put the plant part back in the ground right near the roots. Eventually it looked like it was going to take off so I kept feeding and watering it. Then it happened! The deer invaded my garden and pulled the whole plant up with its new roots and all. I was bummed and thought for sure it was a goner, but I replanted it just for curiosity sake. It wilted a bit and then took off yet again. Its looks healthy and is thriving.

Beef Steak Tomato

2009-06-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Beef Steak Tomatoes are looking good. I am excited for fresh garden tomato sandwiches and salsa. I had an exotic tomato plant (Caspian Pink) and a deer ate it the other day. I was so bummed. So I planted more by seed and am hoping that they will take off and produce before winter. Liquid Fence was my source of come back to the deer. Hopefully that will keep them away. I am also going to tie ribbons (or slices of plastic bag, anything that flaps in the wind) on a fence made with string around the garden. I was told that may scare the deer off. So I will give it a try.

Onions

2009-06-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

I picked onions today. YAY! I had to pick all the onions at once because they were going to seed. I learned that I did not feed my onions enough. I planted them in November last year and just let them sit dormant through the winter. Onions need a lot of nitrogen so I am going to get a couple buckets full of chicken manure and straw from my parents chicken coop and use that where my onions are going to go next time. Sounds lovely huh? But chicken manure is the best natural fertilizer and straw is good mulch. My challenge is to see how big I can grow onions using organic and natural fertilizers.

Naturally Relaxing - Lavender

2009-06-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

This year I grew some lavender in a big planter. I planted it last year so when it began to bloom this year with purple flowers I was so excited. It adds nice color and scent to my garden area. Fresh cut lavender in a vase of water in a room brings a relaxing scent also. Mmmmmm...my favorite. In a house I used to clean, the owner went to a lavender field and picked a few bundles and put them in vases around the whole house, and the smell that was throughout the house was amazingly wonderful. It was better than any air freshener and healthier too. Lavender was originally grown for its aromatic properties and its oil. It is very easy to grow, as it thrives in sunshine and dry, sandy type soil. If it is grown in low, wet lands it will winter kill with too much water.

Another idea is to make a sachet, by sewing some fabric together and filling it with rice and a bunch of lavender flowers. With the rice and lavender all enclosed into the pouch, put it in the microwave for a few minutes, depending on how warm you want it, and use it as a heating pad and relax.

Tomatoes

2009-05-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes have been the first thing that I have been able to grow well, besides all my numerous herbs. I have learned that tomatoes need phosphorus, a soil ingredient necessary for strong root growth. With strong root growth there will be good fruit. Commercial fertilizers indicate the phosphorus level with one of the three numbers printed on the label. For instance the numbers 5-10-10 printed on the fertilizer bag would indicate that there is 5% Nitrogen (N), 10% Phosphorus (P2O2), 10% Potash (K2O). This sequence of numbers would be a good fertilizer for tomatoes, and other vegetables because it is high in phosphorus. Using organic methods horse or cow manure, compost (rotten leaves, vegetables, and fruits) will give good food for tomato roots. Chicken manure is good, but is high in Nitrogen. Nitrogen is good for making good green foliage. Lawns are fertilized with high nitrogen levels. Another thing I have found that tomatoes need is calcium. I use oyster shell powder, or ground up egg shells in a coffee grinder work well too. Calcium helps prevent the tomatoes from rotting on the vine. Careful, too much calcium will also lock in nutrients into the soil and prevent the tomatoes from getting the other food they need. I have a 4' x 10' raised bed for my tomatoes and before I plant I work about 5 lbs into the soil. Calcium is also called agriculture lime, needed to keep the soil from being too acidic. If the garden is near many oak trees or pine trees (the leaves that fall are acidic), the tomatoes may need more lime, or calcium.
So, yum yum, bring on the tomatoes. I am excited to harvest tomatoes this year. Tomato sandwiches here I come. This year I have 6 Beef Steak plants, 2 Caspian pink tomato plants, and 2 Peach tomato plants. The latter two are exotic varieties and this is the first year I have planted them. So, lets see how well they do and how they taste, YAY!