The Inadvertent Farmer

Whole Wheat Belgium Waffles with Blackberry Compote Recipe

I used to in my long ago past make Belgium waffles from a box mix.

Then I decided to try to give my family only (well mostly) real foods from scratch.

We have been without Belgium waffles for a few years now as I figured there could not be a good healthy recipe for those light sweet waffles we all loved so very much.

I was wrong!

I made these last Sunday and they were delectible!

Here is the Recipe (based on a recipe found here)

• 4 cups white whole wheat flour (I'm sure regular whole wheat would work too)
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used evaporated cane juice)
• 6 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups milk (I used coconut)
• 6 eggs (or egg replacer if vegan)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (next time I'm trying all applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Add milk, eggs and oil to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't overmix as you will develope the gluten and make for tough waffles)
3. Use approximately 2/3 cup of batter per waffle (depending on your iron size)
4. Bake on waffle iron as per manufacturers instructions.

Being careful not to overfill...ahem.

 

com·pote Noun/ˈkämpōt/

1. Fruit preserved or cooked in syrup.

2. A dish consisting of fruit salad or stewed fruit. 

Blackberry Compote Recipe

• 4 Cups fresh Blackberries (unsweetened, frozen could work too)
  
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Cook over low heat until very juicy and the berries are tender but no mushy.

I did not add any thickener to this as I wanted it to soak freely into the waffles, like this...

The combination of the sweet waffle with the tangy berries was divine...or so they all said!

 

At least I didn't have to scrape plates!

Next time you are wondering what to do for breakfast (lunch or dinner for that matter) give these yummy waffles a try...your family will adore you for it!

 

Food as Art or I love Tomatoes!

We all know that nothing in this world can beat a fresh, warm from the garden, dripping with juice, tomato...eaten out of hand right there in the tomato patch.

But as art objects they aren't too bad either!

Besides what could be better than something this beautiful that you can also eat?

I love tomatoes...simple as that!

 

And guess what?  I'm not the only one around here that has a hankering for the love apple!

So what about you...what do you think is the most beautiful veggie?  Maybe a dark purple eggplant or a shiny yellow pepper?

Roasted Peppers Playing With My Food Again!

Although my pepper plants are still producing a pepper here and a pepper there.  This was that last big harvest of the season.

And before I put them onto the BBQ to roast I just has to play with them just a little...

Also I decided enter this first photo in the Abundant Harvest Photo Contest over at Gardening Gone Wild.

 

These little yellow guys are called 'Yum Yum Gold' peppers...and they certainly are that.  So very sweet with hardly any innards to clean out.  A perfect out of hand snack!

Not to mention just plain pretty!

When I was done playing around I put them on the grill...

Since I'm a free and easy kind of girl I let the red and the yellow peppers co-habitat while they roasted...

Are you shocked?

No I am not a prude...call me progressive and open minded.

Just don't ask my teenagers...they would deny that strenuously!

For those of you that have never roasted peppers. The object is to blacken the skins all around making them easier to peel and imparting a sweet smokey flavor to the peppers...truly a marvelous was to do peppers!

Ohhhh the smell coming from that BBQ...I don't think a steak in the world can match it!

 I had to do a grill full of just the little yellow ones...the ones too shy and self conscious about their small size to co-mingle with the big lusty red ones.

I am in no way projecting here...

As each batch was done I threw them in a large bowl...

 

And covered them to let them sweat a little...like a sauna for peppers!

After they had cooled I easily peeled them, took out the innards and seeds and cut them into strips.

I would love to say that I ate none of these and left them all for the freezer and that night's pizza...but I must be honest...I ate some...

Ok...I ate a LOT.

They were just too good and frankly I didn't try very hard to resist!

In the deep dark months of winter when I am out of roasted peppers I will regret my lack of self control but for now I am enjoying these with no guilt...well very little!

Getting them ready for the freezer is as easy as taking the amount I would use on a pizza and putting it onto some waxed paper.

Folding the paper into little packets and...

Putting them into freezer containers...one for red, one for yellow.  That way if I want a yellow pizza I don't have to go searching through all the packets cause all the yellows are altogether already.  Color coding for the freezer.  Yes I am that girl...that highly organized color coded girl.

For those that know me in the 'real' world you can get up now...rolling on the ground laughing is just not dignified!

And I am all about being dignified after all.

Now stop that...seriously...you're making a scene!

Ughhh, some people...

 

Playing With My Food Again!

October is almost at our doorstep!

As a gardener that means harvesting like crazy to try to beat the first frost. 

I have a wheelbarrow full of pumpkin, buckets of squash, baskets of peppers and tomatoes and...

I grew two kinds of eggplant this year...the usual dark purple and these lovely little gems.

They are 'Fairy Tale' from Territorial Seeds. I started them from seed...my first year of growing eggplant. The 5 plants in my garden have done remarkabley well!

They are beautiful but they are puzzling....

I have to admit after a whole summer of trying to cook with them that I am eggplant challenged it seems.

I have tried grilling them on the BBQ, putting them in casseroles, frying, roasting...I even tried baking with them!

They only tasty thing I like so far is roasted on pizza.

Will I grow them again next year?

Probably.

Even if it is only to do this...

Growing them for photo props seems like a good reason to add them next year!

Bragging Rights...

I try not to be boastful...

In fact I try to be humble...

If truth be told if you saw my jungle of a garden right now you would say I have every reason to be humble...embarrassed in fact.

Today I am not going to be humble, not one bit...

 

Because look what I grew!!!

 

It's a cantaloupe you say...big deal...I can grow those everyday and twice on Sunday.

Well I have not been able to.  It is not for lack of trying.  I have tried for years and years to get one to ripen here in the notoriously cool Pacific Northwest.

You see we grow big fir trees, apples, hazelnuts, lettuce and all manner of greens.  We can grow beans, potatoes, and corn but...

Musk melons are not what we are known for.

I had to pamper, baby and coddle this little guy along to get him to this point...

Was it worth it you ask...

Well...

 

Ohhh the shear intense smell that is coming from this is almost to heavenly to describe.

Look at that little dribble of juice...divine!

 

And because I wanted to walk on the wild side of breakfast I added...

Can you handle this?

Yes I combined freshly picked blueberries with my newly picked melon!!!

I know, I know...you can hardly believe I'm doing this, and first thing in the morning too!

 

If this was any better I would have had to classify this post under 'fruit porn'...

But since I don't have that specific category, I won't.

But I could...if I was so inclined.

But I'm not.

At least not today...tomorrow...maybe!

 

I ate every single last bite...alone...by myself...in secret.

I did not share...

I did not care...

I ate it all...

I had a ball!

 

So next time sweet hubby stands really close, leans in and whispers,

"Honey, you have really nice melons"

I can honestly reply

"You know darling...yes, I really do!"

 

Wash Day

 

Wash Day

Now I can hear you asking yourselves...

"Wash day, what do eggs have to do with wash day?"

I couldn't possibly post about laundry now could I? 

Well actually I could...with all my children I could post about laundry everyday and twice on Sundays!

Every day is 'wash day' here...mud, crayons, manure, grass, snot...

we've got it all! 

But laundry is just not fun...not glamorous, not sexy enough for me!

 

No I am talking about the day I clean all the eggs, getting them ready to sell....

now that is sexy!

 

Naturally having a few dozen clean eggs all glistening on the counter just beg to be played with...

 

WHAT...you don't play with your eggs???

Well you should...

it is quite fun!

 

 

 

Even the baby gets to play...

as you can see he was playing with markers first!

 

Yep...it is fun to play with your food!!!

 

 

But playtime must come to an end.

The eggs all packaged and ready to go to their new homes,

I hope they are as appreciated there as they are here...

with the glamorous, some would say crazy, lady!

A Winter Indulgence...strawberries or rasberries anyone?

 

Yes I couldn't resist...didn't try really!  I was at a local supermarket that has quite a good selection of organic fruits and vegetables and spotted these luscious berries.  Just having arrived these lovely gems hearkened me, calling me by name...really they were!

 

I snuck a little closer, just for a peek.  I smelled them before I got there...ahhh that yummy berry smell, heavenly!  My heart actually leapt at that smell.

 

As I picked up the little packages they read "USDA certified Organic product of the USA"  Well I knew they weren't locally grown but at least they weren't from clear across the world!

Now with the economy the way it is I thought it only right to support something grown right here in country...it is funny what conversations you will have in your head to justify what you want!

 

Of course these little jewels were outrageously priced but darn it, its Christmas time and sometimes you just have to indulge yourself...it wasn't like I was buying myself diamonds or anything!

 

Were they as good as freshly picked from the garden berries?  Of course not, but somehow eating fresh strawberries and rasberries in the middle of December makes for its own a special kind of sweetness!!!

So the question for today is...If you could indulge in something that is out of season what would it be?

Fuzzy or Not...playing with kiwi!

Here I go playing with my food again!

Did you know that some kiwi are fuzzy and some are not?  Some are big and some are little?  Some you peel and some you don't?

 

 

A. arguta or Hardy Kiwi likes to live in zones 1-9 and 14-24.  Its growth is similar in vining habit to the better known fuzzy kiwi but has smaller leaves.  We  grow it here in the Northwest (zone 8), in fact it grows with great abandon!

 

 

This kiwi you eat skin and all just like a grape!  It has fruity flavor much akin to its fuzzy friend, with hints of melon, banana, strawberry, and a touch of grape.  It is juicy and delicious!

 

 

A. deliciosa or kiwi or chinese gooseberry, flourishes in the same zones as the hardy kiwi.  It will grow up to 30 feet if not curbed.  Flowers are 1 - 1.5 inches that open creamy and fade to buff.  It is a very handsome vine!  It also grows here with great ease.

 

 

These deciduous vines are native to east Asia.  They prefer rich soil, ample water and to be fed often.  Needed are a male and female plant for pollination. Harvest is October and November. You will need a sturdy support for growing kiwi such as a trellis or arbor.  They can also be trained on a wall or fence.

 

 

I highly recommend growing kiwi, it is a lovely vine that will reward you with sweet and tasty fruit in abundance...not to mention great photos!!!

 

 

 

Pretty as a Pomegranate!

 

I don't want to be as pretty as the day is long, or even as pretty as a picture (some are quite ugly if you ask me, which of course you didn't but I'm just sayin'...)

No,  I want to be as pretty as a pomegranate...now that is one pretty fruit. 

Oranges are quite nice, bananas are a little weird,  kiwi is just too fuzzy for me. If I was gonna be a fruit it would have to be a pomegranate.  Ok, so it is slightly lumpy on the outside and well not a whole lot to look at there,  but cut it open and...ohhh  it is simply divine! 

That doesn't even touch on how yummy, juicy, sweet and nutritious they are...

I must say I'm completely envious of all that can grow these delicious and strangely attractive fruits....yes I admit I have Pom envy!

 

 

 

 

 

This reminds me of honey comb or some strange lunar landscape...or a honey comb on the moon, just about to be eaten by an alien.  WHAT, that isn't what you see????

 

 

Must say that this reminds me of fish eggs, like the ones hubby uses for fishing...

"here fishy, fishy, fishy...here fishy, fishy"

Yes that is a Sesame Street reference in case it feels slightly familiar,  remember when Bert and Ernie went fishing?  Bert told Ernie that he needed a fishing pole to catch fish and Ernie said he could just call them,  Bert scoffed as usual, and then Ernie started calling... "here fishy, fishy, fishy"... and a whole crap load of fish jumped into their boat.  Then your kids would laugh hysterically and you would chuckle because you couldn't help it.  Besides not to laugh at Bert and Ernie would mean that you were dead!

Anyway... 

Poms the weird and wonderful fruit! 

I betcha Ernie likes pomegranates!  Burt probably like bananas...on his oatmeal!

If there are any 'haven't ever watched Sesame Street kind of people' reading this post right now I extend my deepest heart felt apologizes for the cruel cards you have been dealt.   For those of you who have been blessed by Oscar, Big Bird and the lot then I bet you can hear Ernie laughing right now...hear him?

...don't even try to deny it!