Summer Squash Relish

Our garden is flourishing this year even though we lost our yellow summer squash plants. Honestly, I'm not sure we could handle any more loaded plants so perhaps the attack of the cut worm is a blessing in disguise.

My sister has a good portion of my aunt's garden and she grows it mostly to share. So we end up with tons of squash anyway. I told her we would take any of the over sized zucchini and squash she had to make relish. Ask and ye shall receive!

My search for a good and simple recipe lead me to this Summer Squash Relish recipe. Honestly, when I first tasted it just after we made it I thought the cinnamon was too strong. But a couple of days later it's perfect! It was simple to make, especially with my new birthday food processor!

As you can see, the recipe calls for apple cider. We assumed it was apple cider vinegar since it's a relish, so that's what we used. You can click here for the recipe or read it below.

Summer Squash Relish

10 cups chopped zucchini and yellow summer squash
1 medium white onion chopped
1 medium red bell pepper chopped
1 medium green bell pepper chopped
2 cups apple cider
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon pickling salt

Combine all ingredients in large sauce pot, then bring to a boil over medium heat.
Stir occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Immediately fill hot pint jars with mixture, leaving 1/2" head space.
Carefully run a nonmetallic utensil down the inside of jars to remove trapped air bubbles
Wipe jar tops and threads clean, then adjust two pieces.
Process jars in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

And that's that! Super easy and double dog yummy!

Happy day!
Slushy

Pruitt Pickles

It's that time of year again! Gardens...picking...canning...pickles! We've been very blessed this year with a bumper crop of cucumbers, and we have canned about 28 quarts of bread and butter pickles so far. But yesterday we had another massive pile of cucumbers and a big round of onions and green peppers. In addition, we had a mess of green tomatoes on the vines. So we decided to get our neighbor's recipe for hot pickles. We are naming them the Pruitt Pickles, after them. We have to let them sit a while before we can try them but last year we had some of the Pruitt's pickles and they were fantastic. Here's hoping ours are as yummy!

Pruitt Pickles

1. Put in the jar first: 1 clove garlic, 1/3 teaspoon dill seed, 1/3 teaspoon mustard seed, and 1 or 2 pepper pods (hot or mild).
2. Pack the jars with pickles and/or veggies.
3. Put in the pot to boil: 1 1/2 quarts vinegar, 3 quarts water, 2/3 cup canning salt, 1/4 teaspoon alum.
4. We processed our pickles in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Give these a try and see what you think!

Happy day!
Slushy

Minty Greener Recipe for Homemade Toothpaste

Recently I tried making my own basic tooth powder with baking soda and Stevia. While I can tolerate the powder, my husband cannot. So I thought I'd try making a paste. I found some recipes online but they didn't sound good to me, so, as usual, I made up my own out of some things I had purchased to make lotion and balm out of. Here's what I came up with. While it isn't a zero waste recipe, the ingredients will definitely be used to make lotion and balm that will help me avoid many plastic containers to come. The coconut oil I bought from our local bulk store, though in a plastic tub.

So, here it is for all those who have been asking....

Minty Greener Homemade Toothpaste

2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons baking soda
2 teaspoons Stevia powder
5 drops Stevia liquid
30 drops peppermint oil
5 drops spearmint oil

Mix together in a small bowl. I had to melt the coconut oil a few seconds in the microwave because it's too cold in the house to melt (coconut oil melts at 76 degrees F). While still creamy, transfer to your glass jar or container.

Hope this recipe will work for you. Next time I think I'll try spearmint. Please post any variations to the recipe you try! I'm always up for new things.

Happy day!
Slushy

Letter to Ingles: A Customer's Plea for Bulk

Image by bcmom via Flickr

Dear Sir or Ma'am,

Hi! My name is Joy Beshears and I'm a customer of Ingles in Elkin, NC. Although, I do spread my shopping out among all of the stores in the area, both Food Lions, Wal-Mart, IGA, and even Yadkin Valley General: the only bulk store in the area. Here is my request...I'm going to actually beg you to carry some bulk food I items.

And by bulk I don't mean huge cans of green beans or 50lb bags of rice. I'm talking about bins of loose grains and snacks and the like that one could purchase in the amount they wish: a handful of nuts, a cup of oatmeal, or 4 pounds of pasta. This would enable me to purchase things I want without all of the excessive and wasteful packaging. Frankly, I don't want to pay for packaging. I know that Elkin may not seem the best market for it, but perhaps you could take a serious look at the possibility.

My family has been moving toward a zero waste lifestyle and it is virtually impossible to accomplish that in this area. Even the bulk store I mentioned above will not measure things out into my container for me. Our goal as a family is to not fill landfills with unnecessary waste. When every single item one must purchase is packaged at least partly in plastic, this goal is almost unattainable.

Supply is generated by demand, and when we purchase something over packaged, we send the message that we want more of that item. But consider for a moment that your consumers--including me--may not mean to send that exact message to you, but rather these packaged items are our only option. I urge you to consider becoming the only supplier of natural healthy bulk items in the area. Seriously, I have to drive an hour to buy out of bulk bins. If you do this then I would certainly become a loyal (and monogamous) customer of Ingles. And I'd be willing to bet that I'm not alone.

So, please consider this...bring it up at your next meeting. Should you need a voice from your customer field, I'd be more than happy to attend any meeting or write any letter.

Sincerely,
Joy Beshears

Moving Toward Zero Waste

Monday will mark week three of our move toward zero waste living. What a challenge! As of today, we still have not filled a kitchen trash can of waste. However, keep in mind that we are not including diapers in our calculations because we can't really get around putting diapers on our child for now. We began with cloth diapers in our efforts to be green and save money but Eli kept getting a rash even though we constantly changed his diaper. So, we've decided to give ourselves a break to keep from giving up our zero waste efforts all together. Also realize that as we transition, we are recycling things that must be recycled. Before we toss something in the trash or recycle bins, we give thought to whether or not someone could use the item. We compost scraps and newspaper, and offer reusable containers (egg cartons, coffee cans, bottles, etc. on freecycle.org or Craigslist. We are currently reducing our use of plastics, but are finding it difficult to maneuver around certain evils such as juice and milk.

First I thought of making my own juice for Eli, but it seems the only affordable option for us would be to make orange juice, and he just doesn't care for orange juice. Besides that, I don't own a juicer and money is tight. I became very excited at the option of frozen juice in a paper container, but as I dismantled the container, I found the horrible plastic lining inside the paper container! Yuck! Now my attempts at better options for juice are limited to recyclable cartons.

While we live across form a dairy, it seems impossible to purchase a gallon of milk around here in anything other than a plastic jug. And while I may be able to run one hour to the nearest town with bulk shopping, I cannot do this on a weekly basis as we need milk. So, our recycling continues but decreases.

Still, we are making progress. We are using cloth napkins and towels, reusable glass and stainless cups for traveling. I'm making our toothpaste and will make my next batch of lotion and lip balm from some of the same ingredients to ultimately cut down on waste. Not a perfect solution, but then I haven't found one yet.

We are very proud of our efforts toward zero waste. It seems, however, that we are somewhat limited, as we do not have the luxury of a variety of bulk stores to shop. We live in rural NC, in the middle of farm country. The only bulk store sells pre-weighed and prepackaged items. Our only option is to leave their bag with them for them to discard. And while this surely keeps the trash out of my can, it doesn't keep it out of my county landfill. Without driving an hour to do so, I have yet to find a bulk store for food, dog food, etc, milk in a glass bottle, or a meat counter that will sell me things in my own container. I have found eggs, a deli counter and pinto beans. Of the five grocery stores within 25 minutes of me, only one carries white vinegar in a glass bottle. The Whole Foods an hour away does not sell shampoo in bulk.

While others say there are no excuses, I challenge them to attempt a zero waste home from here. And though we will no doubt have plastic or paper juice and milk cartons in our recycling bins--and shampoo bottles-- we will be proud of our many accomplishments in these two and a half weeks. Seriously, we are rockin' this attempt at zero waste!

So I encourage you to do what you can. Every bit helps, does it not? And if someone tries to blast your attempts, ignore them and continue with your efforts.

Happy day!
Slushy

Pimp My Clothesline!

What can I say, I have the best husband in the world. He pimped my clothesline!

I wish I had some before shots of the mangled tin, antenna-like contraption the previous owner left behind; what a horrid metal weed it was. Completely inadequate!

Since we needed a new gate leading out the back fence to the garden, Steve (best husband in the world) incorporated the clothesline and gate frame together and added in some floral metal panels my father-in-law rescued from the dump.



He also built in a wooden bench to sit my clothes basket on. And if that isn't snazzy enough, my clotheslines, all six of them, are on pulleys. I don't even have to move to hang or remove my clothes from the line!

Jealous? Well, you should be.

XOXO
Slushy

PULLZ on Etsy

Sweet Vintage!

Slow Cooked Dry Rub Pork Ribs

First off, you may have noticed (or at least I hope you did) that I've been absent for a while. That's because we had the biggest antique show of our year, followed by our annual fall Monster Yard Sale, followed by colds and strep and finally a much needed week long vacation at the beach. Glory! Now, it's time for eBay and Etsy. Anyways, I'm glad to be back.

Every once in a while I just have to have some ribs...good ribs, but alas there is no place to buy ribs where I live, let alone yummy ones. So yesterday I thought I would tackle some myself. I called my sister to get her recipe but it involves BBQ sauce and my husband will not touch it. Come to think of it, that is one of only two things I know of that he doesn't like. No BBQ sauce and no avocado. I know....he's crazy, but I digress. Back to the ribs!

I decided to make up my own dry rub for the ribs. And I just winged it here. I'm sure there are better rubs out there but here is mine.

Slushy's Dry Rub

1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Onion Salt
1 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Brown Sugar

I followed Robyn's recipe for cooking the ribs minus the BBQ sauce steps and added some time to it. I like my ribs well done. I also added a cup of apple juice and a cup of water to the bottom of my roasting pan. Not sure if it made any difference of not, but it smelled good!

Cut your ribs into singles or doubles (I use singles)
Arrange on roasting pan and bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
Keep pouring off the grease off.
Lower the temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 2 hours. Enjoy.

And we did enjoy them. They didn't last long at all!

Happy day! It's good to be back!
Slushy

Dried Pineapple & Cherry Flowers

Let's just say that my husband and I are really getting into our food dehydrator this year! We've dried apples and bananas and applesauce roll ups. Yesterday I decided to try pineapple and cherry flowers. Even though I dried the pineapple rings and cherries on paper towels it still took forever for the flowers to dry. I wasn't sure the cherries would stay in the center of the rings, but eventually the pineapple dried enough to hold them. Just look at them! Gorgeous! And perfect for Bud's lunch box.

Happy day!
XOXO

Slushy

Savoury Broccoli Cakes - A blog worth sharing....

My husband and I sell antiques and vintage wares for a living. I was just signing in to check our Etsy shops and ran across this amazing guest blog by Ele of kitchenist, with a recipe worth sharing! What a cool way to pack in some broccoli! Once you visit this blog you will be hooked! FYI...clicking on blog will take you to The Storque, Etsy's Handmade Blog where you will find the recipe at the bottom of the page. Clicking on kitchenist will take you directly to Ele's blog.

Now, as a side note, we are finally finished with the Hillsville Antique and Gun Show! Hooray! Now we are exhausted and still have one more event next weekend...our annual fall Monster Yard Sale. Once that is over, we will have a little vacation. From now until the second week of October I may not have very many posts. But I will try my best to have something of interest for your, something like this recipe for Savoury Broccoli Cakes! Maybe even some recipes of my own.

So, happy daylight, while it still lasts.

XOXO
Slushy

Hoarder

Okay, so this is what I have my sites on now. Just look at this pile of crap. Sorry for the grainy cell phone picture. Believe it or not, this house is for sale! Yes, for sale! And this is just a tiny little part of the mess piled up around the place. The man who formerly lived there was a hoarder and this pile in the carport is only a small portion of what came out of the house. There is more inside that I have not seen and a barn in the back that is full. It's just like those cartoon closets that are packed full of junk. You pull one piece out and it all spills out. You open the door to this barn and your face is about 6 inches from a 12 foot wall of tightly packed junk. There is no telling what is in there. We offered to clean out the entire house, carport, yard and barn for the contents. That way the family could sell the house and the poor old man who lived there could have some money to pay for his care facility. But alas, the siblings are at odds. Or maybe their father isn't really in a nursing home, but trapped beneath a pile of rubbish in this very carport. Maybe someday we can clean it up, for his sake, for the neighbors' sakes. I mean really, can you imagine living next to this?

Happy holiday, people! And remember, just donate it.
XOXO

Slushy

Stuffed Biscuit Cups

This year I volunteered to pack a lunch for my little nine year old brother-in-law, Bud. He cannot stand school lunches except on days they serve pizza or chicken nuggets. That means that there are only about 6 days a month he wants to eat cafeteria food. This is my first time packing a lunch for a child and I wanted to avoid the typical boring bologna sandwich. That being said, Bud is not exactly open minded when it comes to food. He has been raised in a home with a single father who does not cook. So his meals have mostly consisted of canned ravioli, frozen pizza bites, chicken nuggets and frozen kids meals with junk food added liberally.

Luckily, Bud will try anything I cook myself, including all of the foods he dislikes: rice, mushrooms and beans. Still, my biggest challenge will be the fact that Bud does not live with us. That means transporting the lunches and snacks. In addition, I have to make it easy enough for Bud to pack his own lunch in his trusty new lunch box each day.

Now, back to the food! In trying to think of things Bud will like that will also taste yummy cold, I came up with a simple solution: Stuffed Biscuit Cups. I went digging through my mom's old recipes and pulled out BarB Cups, a simple biscuit filled with something like a sloppy joe mixture. I decided instead to make my fillings from what I had on hand to make ahead three lunches this week, all in one whammy. Here are my fillings: 1) Turkey and Cheddar; 2) Mozzarella and Mini Turkey Pepperoni with Parmesan and Italian seasonings; 3) Chocolate Chip with Strawberry Preserves.

I used large canned flaky biscuits and pressed each biscuit down into an unlined muffin tin to make my cups. Then I filled each cup with my choice of toppings. I baked them according to the directions on the biscuits, 12-14 minutes. I baked them the entire 14 minutes to make sure they were done inside. My husband and I sampled them and they are wonderful! I can't wait to try more fillings! Next will be apples and cinnamon!!!

Taco Stew

Tonight I took a walk down memory lane and made my mom's Taco Stew. She served this often when I was growing up and it is still one of my favorites. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed!


Taco Stew

3 cans pinto beans
3 cups cubed cooked potatoes
1 large can corn
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 pkg. Taco Seasoning
4-8 ounce cans tomato sauce

Brown ground beef and onions and drain. Add everything else and simmer 1-2 hours. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and serve with tortilla chips!

Enjoy!
Happy day!
XOXO
Slushy

Scrappin'

You may have watched that new show on Spike TV. It follows a group of scrappers in Brooklyn, NY as they hunt down and haul off scrap metal of all shapes and sizes. That show really gets on my nerves but if nothing else is on I watch anyway, jealous of all the trash and treasures they haul off.

You see, I haul scrap, or at least I locate it for my father-in-law. He is retired military and loves to tear things apart for scrap. It keeps him busy and generates extra money to care for his son. For me it's the thrill of the hunt. I get a mad rush finding something on the side of the road or on craigslist or through one of my ads. Yes, I place ads on craigslist and gowilkes.com, and sometimes I actually get paid to haul of crap for people. My husband and I do what we can to make a buck and we are in no way above hauling a bunch of garbage off.

Say we get $100 to haul off a big pile of junk. It might take a couple of hours to load it, but all the while we are sorting it into donate/sell, scrap, dump. We don't like dumping things into a landfill, so we scrap, donate and sell what we can. And if it costs $15 to dump the pure trash, that's not too bad. Here is a shot of my latest haul. I'm so proud!

You can imagine that not much of this stuff will fit into my Toyota Matrix, though you might be surprised at what I can get in there. Usually I have to call my hubby to come with the Ford F350, which he is happy to do. But I would kill for one of those junker little pickup trucks, the kind with multi-colored paint and massive rust patches. So if you see one cheap, let me know. Free is better!

Happy day!

XOXO

Slushy

Slushy and Jill Went up the Hill to Fetch a Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Part I

When I was growing up, grilled cheese sandwiches were a staple. I still love them just as much today cut into little triangles! But I don't just eat the classic grilled cheese; I attack from all angles.

This weekend we are visiting my sister Jill in Fuquay-Varina, NC. She has her own take on a grilled cheese that straight rocks! I've documented it here and in an upcoming post, I will share one of my own versions of the grilled cheese.

This is Jill and she's busy shredding all of her cheese: aged cheddar, smoked Gouda, Edam, fresh Mozzarella and creamy Gorgonzola. She always shreds or tears her cheese so that it will melt better. It is best to shred your cheese when it is really cold, fresh out of the refrigerator. It helps to pop your fresh Mozzarella into the freezer for about 10 minutes before you shred it.

Now, pay attention because this is key to having a fully melted and super yummy grilled cheese. After you shred your cheese, let it rest on the cutting board. Your cheese should be room temperature when you begin to assemble your sandwich.

Another important element to a fantastic grilled cheese is to use a superb bread. We prefer whole grain breads, like this loaf of extra seedy whole wheat bread I picked up at the Elkin Farmers Market.

Jill uses a grill pan to maker her grilled cheese sandwiches but any pan will do. Non stick is best to make sure that your sandwich does not stick. My mom always made hers on a cast iron skillet, which is equally wonderful, unless you have the glass cook top stove.

Next, (not pictured) Jill pours a little olive oil in the pan and sprinkles some Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, cracked pepper) on the oil. On that mixture she places her first slice of bread, which she tops with all the cheeses. On top of the cheese goes the second slice of bread.

After your sandwich is fully assembled, cover it with a flat lid. If you don't have a good lid, use a plate. 

Flip your sandwich and be sure to pour more olive oil and Italian seasonings. You will want to grill both sides a couple of minutes and then repeat. Check to make sure your bread is not getting too dark. Just look at the lovely golden color after the first flip.

Now, behold the gooey, extra yummy cheese melting out the side of this sandwich. To die for!

To accompany our superb grilled cheese sandwiches, Jill made us antipasto: salami, prosciutto, turkey, olives, pickled vegetables and more cheese! Yum!

And now for the finished product served on our Grandmother Matlock's Blue Willow china.....drum roll....Jill's grilled cheese with her home grown blueberries, jewel tomatoes and antipasto. Delish! Don't you want to reach in your computer screen and grab it?

So, what do you think about Jill's grilled cheese? Do you have a special recipe or tip for making grilled cheese? If so, please share them in a comment. Thanks for stopping by. And be sure to keep an eye out for a post about my version of a grilled cheese.

XOXO

Slushy

Not Quite A Bento

Okay, let me begin by saying that this is not quite a bento. I would call it a bentoesque snack tray and admittedly, it is in no way as lovely or artistic as the bentos or snack trays I have been looking at the past couple of weeks. I made it for my Guinea pig husband last night. Not exactly a masculine meal, but he loved it and suggested I take a picture. So here it is, my first documented bentoesque snack. Homemade cinnamon applesauce, fresh figs, marinated cucumbers, carrot sticks, jewel tomatoes, zucchini sticks, ranch dressing, whole wheat crackers, cheese triangle, ham roll ups, cheddar sheep, and banana and Nutella mini sandwiches.

Not so bento and not so pretty, but I'm proud all the same.

Happy day, peeps!

XOXO

Slushy

Elkin Farmers Market

Every Saturday I visit the Elkin Farmers Market for all sorts of amazing home grown, local and organic produce, plants, baked goods, even soap, and believe me, it never disappoints. I highly recommend planning a trip some Saturday to partake in the goodness. And while you are in town, visit some of the local vineyards and historic downtown Elkin for antiques, books and art. The Elkin Farmers Market is located in the parking lot at the corner of Bridge Street and Market Street. Vendors sell their wares from 9am-12pm.

Look at the amazing assortment of produce! Vendor Yer Vang grows fruits and vegetables native to North Carolina as well as Laos, which makes for an interesting display.

Those prickly things at the bottom right hand corner are cucumbers! I haven't tried them yet, but I plan to next weekend! How cool are they?

And you can find more than just produce at the market. Just have a look at the beautiful pottery by Georgie Stone. Doesn't it look like there are little fish swimming on the inside of the pitcher? Lovely!

Here are Eli's new obsession....little colorful tomatoes grown by Poke Berry Farms. They have a name but to me they look like little jewels. When Eli sees them he screams, "More!" In addition to these tomatoes, they also sell herbs and plants. I got my birthday spider plant here.

I am no stranger to these breads. Since weaning myself from buying only the yummy cheese bread, I have sampled the Extra Seedy Whole Wheat and the Raisin Breads. Superb! But I have to say that (so far) the cheese bread is my favorite.

Now, blueberry lovers, here are by far the best and sweetest blueberries you will EVER taste. I don't know what variety of berry these are, but they are like little sugar pearls.They are so sweet that I bought a container after picking 5 gallons myself. Eli loves them. You can purchase these from Ed and Cathy Powell of Blueberries at Cabin Trail. And I wouldn't pass up Cathy's blueberry muffins.  

Anyone that knows me knows that I am obsessed with handmade soaps. In fact, I have a huge stash in a basket in our bathroom cabinet. As soon as I have pared down a few bars, I plan on buying a nice fragrant bar from Carmen Lee O'Dell of Made By Willing Hands. In addition to bath soaps, she carries shaving mugs, soap holders and the like.

And if you are in the market for some beautiful plants, Kevin Campbell has a wide variety to choose from. I just love the ornamental pepper plants he carries. And this fall we may plant a raspberry plant. Kevin writes a blog called Foothill Plant Treasures. Check it out sometime for information about regional foliage.

Enjoy music while your browse the booths. Here is The Couch Family playing Bluegrass Gospel music.

And last but certainly not least, Beaver Creek Farms has some wonderful potatoes and squash.

And here is Yer Vang amidst her fabulous produce! Does she look proud or what?

Farewell for now, friends. Hope to see you at the Elkin Farmers Market this weekend.

XOXO

Slushy