Make it Fresh and Special with Flavored Butter

Bring your butter beyond basic by adding a few simple ingredients. You can whip it up in no time!



3 steps to Compound Butter
(Or two if you skip the fancy roll at the end!)

1. Start with 2 sticks (or 1 cup) unsalted butter or margarine, softened to room temperature.
2. Combine butter and flavorings, mixing well.
3. You can either store your butter in a small dish (as I usually do) or you can go fancy and roll it in a sheet of parchment paper and and form a log. From that you can slice off nice circles as you need them.

Flavor Variations
The sky's the limit on this one! Try some of the ideas below, or experiment with your own favorite flavors:

One of our herb combos gives you three herbs to choose from!

• Lemon Herb Butter: 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest and 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs—try dill, parsley, tarragon, thyme, oregano or a blend.
• Chili Lime Butter: 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1-2 teaspoons fresh lime zest and 2 teaspoons red chili flakes.
• Blue Cheese Butter: 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese and 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives (optional).
• Cinnamon Butter: 1 tablespoon cinnamon and honey (or superfine sugar) to taste.
• Fig Butter: 1 jar fig preserves—chop up any large bits of fig—1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.
• Honey butter: mix in honey to taste. I don't have an amount for this one. :-)


Cooking with Compound Butters
Pair your gourmet butters with fresh-baked bread, or get creative with them:

• Toss pasta with lemon herb or blue cheese butter—or a little bit of both!
• Sauté cod filets in herb, chili lime or fig butter.
• Whip mashed potatoes with savory butters, or let slices melt atop baked potatoes.
• Melt chili lime butter, then drizzle over corn on the cob.
• Spread waffles, pancakes and scones with cinnamon, fig or butterscotch butter.
• Finish steaks with slices of herb or blue cheese butter.
• Add sweet butters—fig, cinnamon and beyond—to oatmeal, rice pudding and other porridges.

DIY: All-Purpose Spray Cleaner

This versatile all-purpose spray is great for kitchen counters, tables, sinks, floors, and more.

16 oz spray bottle (check dollar stores)
1 teaspoon Borax (found near speciality cleaners on the laundry soap aisle)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable-oil based soap (like Dr. Bronners)
16 oz Hot Water
Few drops essential oil (optional)

Directions:

Add Borax to 16 oz of hot water in spray bottle. Cap and shake until Borax is dissolved. Add vinegar and shake. Then add soap and oil and shake.

Fabulous Fail-Proof Dutch Apple Pie

Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this.  It makes a fantastic gift, bake sale item, potluck dish - or just plain family dessert.  This pie is always a hit.

If you're a sucker for rave reviews, you'll want to serve this pie asap!




INGREDIENTS

1 unbaked pie shell

Filling
1/2 c sugar (adjust as needed for tartness of apples)
1 t cinnamon
6-8 baking (or "pie") apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Topping
3/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c margarine

For filling, mix sugar, cinnamon and apples. Stir until well mixed. Place apple mixture in unbaked pie shell. Make Dutch apple topping by mixing flour, sugar and margarine with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over top of apples.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 45 minutes or longer, until apples are tender and crust is lightly browned.

Notes:

Good apple choices are firm apples, like Northern Spies. Mushy apples apples and crunchy Dutch Topping don't mix!

Should be eaten in two or three days, or topping will get mushy. Not that it will last that long anyways!

Can be frozen! Double wrap with plastic wrap, put in ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Does not have to be thawed to bake. Simply follow baking directions above and adjust time at 350 as needed. This is usually method, since I love to make a bunch of pies in the fall and enjoy them through the year.

Makes a very nice gift! You can get pie boxes at stores that sell Wilton products and other retailers.

Honeyed Applesauce

Dark with spices, this applesauce freezes well. Makes about 2 pint jars.

8 cups (about 3 lbs) apples cored, peeled, and quartered
1 cup clover or mild honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp lemon juice

1. In a large saucepan, combine the apples with 1/2 cup of the honey; cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. For chunky applesauce, just mash the apples in the saucepan. For a smoother sauce, press the apples through a conical sieve or a food mill (or use your blender). Add enough of the remaining honey to sweeten to taste. Stir in the spices, salt and lemon juice. Enjoy just-made or freeze in pint jars for up to six months.

Sweet Corn Salsa

This recipe is simply divine! Those who love sweet corn and sweet flavors will love this delicious mix.

Sweet Corn Salsa / Sweet Salsa

1 can sweet shoepeg corn - or 2 ears fresh, blanched sweet corn
2 cans black beans
1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c sugar
1 c olive oil (can reduce to 1/2 c)

Boil sugar, vinegar and oil til sugar dissolves. Cool, then pour over veggies. Marinate -- best if overnight. Drain before serving.

Photo source, allrecipes.com

Orange & Asparagus Salad

Here's a fresh, colorful and easy way to use Michigan-grown aspargus.

2 c cut-up fresh or frozen Michigan asparagus
6 oz bag spring or European lettuce mix
11 oz can mandarin orange sections, well drained
1/3 c thinly sliced red onion
1/4 c honey roasted cashews
1/2 c raspberry vinagrette dressing

Steam or microwave asparagus until tender-crips. Drain and let cool. Combine cooked asparagus, lettuce, oranges, onion and cashews. Pour dressing over all. Toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately.

Save Those Spring Bulbs!

Are your beautiful spring bulbs done blooming? Don't throw them out! You can enjoy them for many years to come if you plant them in your yard.

Tulips, daffodils, paperwhites, crocus, hyacinth -- all of them can be planted in your yard and they will greet you next spring with their cheery blooms. (See the bottom for a special note on Easter Lilies.)

When the ground thaws enough for you to dig in, you can go ahead and plant your bulbs. This article provides information on planting bulbs (note: it focuses mainly on fall planting, but provides good tips on how to plant bulbs).

Here's a few tips from my own experience:

- plant them in places that you won't later be planting annuals or perennials. Bulbs are hard to locate after they die back and you don't want to contiually dig them up as you plant your other flowers

- If digging up or relocating bulbs, be sure to dig deep enough so that you get the entire bulb and don't split the bulb or merely remove the green leaves.

- Don't plant the bulb too deep; some bulbs will send up leaves but be unable to bloom if planted too deep

- Bulbs are prolific reproducers. Every few years you can thin out your crop, which will enable remaining bulbs to bloom better. (If bulbs in a crowded location don't bloom, it signals a need to thin them and provide some breathing room.)

A little effort now will provide great rewards next year, and in years go come. So put on your gardening gloves and plant your bulbs this month. It's the ultimate in being earth-friendly and recycling.

* Easter Lilies can be planted after Easter and will re-bloom this summer. They will not come back the next year.

Fabulous Rhubarb Bread Recipe

Rhubarb season will be here soon and Country Harvest Greenhouse will be selling rhubarb. Here's an excellent recipe for enjoying rhubarb:

RHUBARB BREAD

This recipe comes from my "A Taste of Shipshewana" cookbook. I treasure my Amish cookbooks and the many fabulous recipes they contain. This sweet, dark bread became an instant hit in my house.

1-1/2 c brown sugar
2/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c sour milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2-1/2 c flour
1-1/2c chopped rhubarb
1/2 c chopped nuts

Topping:
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp butter

Stir together in order given. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Crumble topping ingredients together and place topping evenly over each loaf. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done.

Recipe Time!

Now is a wonderful time of year to enjoy the first harvests from your garden, or the farmer's markets. Try some of these recipes on your family:

Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
1 qt. (4 cups) sliced rhubarb
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. MINUTE Tapioca
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, cut up

DirectionsPREHEAT oven to 425°F. Mix rhubarb, sugar, tapioca and orange peel in large bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.

PLACE 1 of the pie crusts in 9-inch pie plate. Fill with fruit mixture; dot with butter. Cover with remaining crust; seal and flute edge. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.

BAKE 45 to 50 minutes or until juices form bubbles that burst slowly. Cool.

Variation: Fresh Strawberry-Rhubarb PiePrepare as directed, using 2 cups sliced rhubarb, 2 cups halved strawberries and increasing tapioca to 1/4 cup.

Pizza Kits - a fun, fresh gift

Looking for a unique and useful -- and super-easy -- gift to give this spring? How about a "Pizza-to-Grow Kit", complete with tomatoes, spices and a box to hold it all in?

It's a great gift for kids to assemble and give, and it would make a fun, practical, and tasty present for teachers or for Mother's Day.

1) To start, visit your favorite local pizza joint and ask for a box (you may have to pay a small fee).

2) Then, purchase the fresh "ingredients" for your pizza -- lots of plants. Good choices for the pizza theme would be tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and herbs such as oregano and basil. For a fun play on words, include a flower plant to represent "flour" for the pizza dough.

3) You can transfer the plants into small pots (or styrofoam cups) if need be, then cut holes in the lid of the pizza box and place the plants in each.

4) For final touch, if you choose, include a gift certificate to the pizza place you got the box from.

A Pizza-to-Grow Kit is sure to be a big hit with recipients, and, assembling it will give your kids a chance to learn more about plants and the foods they make. For a great list of tomato, herb and flower options for your kit, visit our website at http://www.countryharvestgreenhouse.com/ and we'll help you find the plants for an awesome kit.

PS: Don't forget to let your kids plant their own pizza garden!

source: Family Fun magazine

Mulching your vegetable garden

You can use organic or inorganic materials to mulch your garden. Here is a list of some options and usage tips.

Organic mulches:

Compost: You can use fully or partially decomposed compost (it is better if the compost is fully decomposed). Compost makes a great mulch and soil conditioner.

Lawn Clippings: Don't use clippings from a lawn that has been treated with a herbicide or weed killer because those chemicals can kill your vegetable plants. Let untreated clippings dry before putting them around your garden; fresh grass gets to compact and smells bad while it's decomposing.

Leaf Mold: Leaves are cheap and prolific, but they can blow around and be hard to keep in place. Ground up, partially decomposed leaves will stay in place better. Nitrogen should be added to leaf mold. Note: Don't use walnut leaves. They contain iodine, which is toxic to some vegetable plants.

Sawdust: Sawdust is often available for the asking, but it requires added nitrogen to prevent microorganisms from depleting the soil's nitrogen supply. If possible, allow sawdust to decompose for a year before using it as a mulch.

Straw: Straw can be messy and hard to apply in small areas, but it is an excellent mulch. Just don't use hay, which many weed seeds.

Wood Chips or Shavings: Wood chips, like sawdust, decompose slowly and should be allowed to partially decompose for a year before being used as mulch. Additional nitrogen will be needed to supply bacteria during decomposition.

Inorganic mulch:

Landscape fabric: used in small gardens for plants that are grown in a group or a hill, typically vining plants such as cucumbers, squash, or pumpkins.

It can also be used for individual plants such as peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. Because the fabric is black and attracts heat, it should not be used for crops that need a cool growing season -- cabbage or cauliflower, for instance -- unless it's covered with a thick layer of light-reflecting material, such as sawdust.

Small-space gardening

If you have a small yard or a simply want to garden on a small scale, there are some great ways you can enjoy a delicious, compact and attractive garden.

You can take advantage of decks, patios, porches, and window boxes to grow fresh vegetables and herbs. Even hanging baskets will work for some plants.

Container garden "beds" can be made to fit your needs and space -- and your style. Barrels, wood crates or boxes, baskets, urns, clay or plastic pots, basins... all offer fun and attractive ways to set up your garden.


A few simple rules are that the containers must be large enough to meet plant spacing requirements, deep enough to develop roots (about 6-8 inches deep), and provide adequate drainage, which may involve drilling a few holes in the bottom.

Many vegetables can be grown in containers. Tomatoes, always a popular favorite, offer several varieties bred specifically for containers and hanging baskets. Of those special varieties, at Country Harvest Farm we sell Micro Tom, Maskotka, Tiny Tim and Tumbler tomatoes.

Other good container vegetable choices include carrots, radishes, spinach, lettuce, and all peppers. Herbs and edible flowers are excellent additions to the garden and your dinner table.

The key to container gardening is to be creative with your space, ask questions if needed, and experiment with your needs and tastes. With just a little bit of dirt and space, you can grow the vegetables, herbs and flowers your family loves.

Know your zone!

Not your time zone. Your plant hardiness zone. That is an important part of plant survival.

Most of west Michigan falls in Zone 5 according to the USDA Map.




That means when selecting perennials, the plant must say it is hardy to Zone 5 or below in order for it to survive a Michigan winter. Anything listed for 6 or above needs a warmer climate than we can offer. (Plants listed 6 might make it on the lakeshore, where the lake keeps things a little warmer).

It also means that when sowing your vegetable garden and planting your annual flowers, you need to be sure you plant when it is safe to plant for Zone 5. After the last spring freeze/frost dates. The weather forcast can help you determine when that date will be this year. Or, a rule of thumb followed by many in Michigan is to wait until after Memorial Day before planting tender annuals and vegetable gardens.

This spring find your zone and enjoy the fruits of your labors!

Welcome to the Country Harvest Greenhouse Blog!

We're so glad you stopped by! This blog will be used in connection with our website (http://www.countryharvestgreenhouse.com/) to provide fun and useful information, tips, news, and ideas for growing plants and getting creative.

Is there something you would like to learn more about? Questions on plants, flowers, herbs... or some kind of craft project? If so, just leave a comment and we'll do our best to track down some information or ideas that can help you.

Until next time!