Prospera from the air!

View of Prospera Farm from the air. Now we know how we look to the cranes!

Cucumber Bread Recipe!

2 eggs
½ cup cooking oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peeled and grated cucumber
1 ½ cup wheat flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts

Beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Add oil and cucumber, then press FIRMLY on grated cucumber (be sure to get out all the excess juice of the cucumber). Measure out one cup of cucumber and mix dry ingredients, and stir into creamy mixture. Mix well and then add nuts. Bake in a 9x5 greased glass loaf pan at 325 degrees for about one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Honey Lemon Refrigerator Pickles

6 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
2 cups thinly sliced onions
3/4 cup honey
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Place cucumbers and onions in a large glass bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until honey is dissolved. Pour hot liquid over cucumber and onions,toss well, and let cool. The cucumbers will give off some of their juices; keep them submerged in the liquid while they cool. Transfer pickles to 3 pint jars, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. They will keep for a week or so. makes 3 pints.

Zucchini recipe continued...

Gently rinse and dry zucchini blossoms. Melt butter in large skillet over med heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt, and sautee until deep golden, about 20 minutes; set aside.

Cook penne until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve 1/4 cup water from pot. Return pasta to pot.
Heat 1 1/2 tbl. of oil to nonstick skillet over mer-high heat. Add zucchini blossoms and saute until wilted,turning,about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels and gently blot. Heat remaining cooking oil in same skillet over med. heat. Add zucchini cubes; sprinkle with salt and saute until crisp-tender,about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, caramelized onion, and crushed red pepper to zucchini mixture; saute 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add vegetable mixture and the reserved 1/4 cup of water from the pasta pot to pasta and toss to coat. Transfer pasta to large serving bowl; top with blossoms and sprinkle with parsley.

Zucchini Blossoms

The edible flower on the zucchini plant is delicious raw or cooked. The female zucchini blossom has a thick stem, which is a squash to be. Male blossoms, which produce pollen only, have slender stems. We are sure to pick only the male flowers passing by some so that insects can spread the pollen.

Market Fresh Recipes-using whats available at the market now

TRY: Pasta with zucchini, zucchini blossoms, and caramelized onion
24 zucchini blossoms
2 tbl. unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces penne pasta
4 tbl. olive oil
3 cups 1/4 inch cubed zucchini
1 1/4 pound tomato, seeded, chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup parmesan
1 tbl. chopped Italian parsley

What to do with your zucchini/summer squash and squash blossoms

Zucchini and summer squash are available general mid to late summer. Unlike their winter squash relations, zucchini and other summer squashes are not known for their storability, but instead are a seasonal treat associated with the bounty of summer.

Like all squashes, zucchini is descended from native species originating in South America, (though believed to have been developed in Italy). Zucchini and summer squash have been popularized in the U.S. most likely by Italian Immigrants and their decedents.

SOME QUICK TIPS ON ZUCCHINI AND SUMMER SQUASH

* Try zucchini raw, broiled, steamed, fried, grilled, sauteed , or stir fried!

* Substitute zucchini in a potato pancake recipe.

* Add chuncks of summer squash to soups and stews toward end of cooking time to retain texture, or use zucchini puree as a soup base.

*Refrigerate zucchini/summer squash in hydrator drawer for up to 3-4 days.

* For longer term storage, freeze zucchini puree in air tight containers for use in winter soups, and grated zucchini for breads and muffins.

Blooming Fields

The June rains may have devastated some of our vegetable crops but the native prairie plants seemed to just love the moisture!

Mavis survives giving birth to 17 !

Our three year old sow Mavis gave birth to no less than 17 piglets on this past Sunday morning of which 13 have survived as well as Mavis! Monday and Tuesday were rough for her but with some goats milk from our neighbor given to her piglets to take some burden off of our girl-she has prevailed! The piglets are doing great and already headed out to the mud.