water-bath canning recipe: dilly beans

hello, friends! while we're away soaking up the sunshine at the beach, i wanted to share my dilly beans recipe.

this dilly bean recipe is a staple recipe in our home during the summer months. 

so grab your green beans & head on over to my blog for my dilly bean recipe! 

- natalie

Leeks

It's the first time we have grown leeks and it has been a success.

We have a lot of them. It's not a problem because I love them. I will slice the ones we have extra and freeze them to use later. 

 Growing up my mother would cook leeks often, in soups, simply boiled, in "pot au feu" or also in a "tarte" 

This week I will share with you a "tarte aux poireaux" ( leek pie )  

Recipe : Tarte aux poireaux ( leek pie )

For the dough ( pate brisee ) : 

- 2/3 of a cup butter ( room temperature )

- 2 1/2 cups  flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1/3 cup of water ( room temperature )

For the filling :

- a couple of leeks

- 3 medium potatoes

- 5 eggs

- 1 cup of milk

- salt and pepper ( other spices if you want  ) 

- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese

In a large bowl add the flour then the butter (cut in small pieces and at room temperature- soft). 

Add the salt and mix well until all the butter is mixed with the flour, it will be still pretty dry. This is when you add a little water ( slowly until you get the consistency you want ) and mix it until you can form a ball. 

Cover and let it sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour. 

Pre-heat your oven at 350 degrees.

Roll out the dough. Fit it into a standard pie pan and make holes in the dough with a fork.

Place the dough in the oven for 5 minutes.  

Peel and slice the potatoes then boil them for 10 min.

Sauté the leeks with olive oil.

In a bowl mix the eggs, add the milk salt, pepper ( other spices ) 

Add one layer of potatoes, one layer of leeks one layer of potatoes and one of leeks.

Add the egg and milk mixture.

Slice the cheese and add it on the top of the "tarte"

Cook the pie in the oven for about 40 minutes until the top is a little browned.

With the extra dough I had I made a little heart shape one...

Enjoy !

putting up tomatoes: crockpot tomato base & canned tomato jam

on any given day this week, if you were to walk into my kitchen, you would find tomatoes.

lots of tomatoes.

tomatoes chopped & tomatoes simmering in pots. tomatoes in crockpots & tomatoes roasting in the oven. tomatoes in the freezer & tomatoes put up for the winter.

it's the season of tomatoes & we are oh so thankful for the bounty!

today i want to share with you two new ways i preserve & put up tomatoes for the winter:

1. crockpot tomato base - a simple way to preserve your tomatoes when you're running short on time is to chop them up, skin & all, & place them in the crockpot. i add frozen or fresh basil for flavor. i put the crockpot on high & allow the tomatoes to simmer for around 12 hours. halfway through the cooking process, i remove the lid to allow the liquid to evaporate. once it's formed into a thick tomato base, i add two cups of tomato base to labeled ziplock bags & place them in the freezer. during the winter months, we add tomatoes to soups, chills, crockpot meals & more. this is the perfect base for adding to almost any meal. 

2. tomato jam - tomato jam is a lengthy process, but your home is sure to smell amazing! to make tomato jam, i followed this recipe. for extra flavor, as recommended by a friend, i added a hint of smoked paprika. it is delicious paired with bread & cream cheese!

happy tomato season!

- natalie

harvesting potatoes from the garden & our favorite varieties

in our neck of the woods, it's potato harvesting time! 

we missed our window of opportunity for planting sweet potatoes (tis the farm life sometimes) so we're savoring our apples of the earth. 

early one evening, during the golden hour, we harvested our potatoes from the garden. we dug into the soil with our digging forks, sticking our fingers deep into the soil, & pulled out the most beautiful red & purple potatoes.

little chip & sweet ginger were happy to snack on the potato tops. nothing goes to waste around here!

we planted purple potatoes, red potatoes & russet potatoes. the russet variety was by far the most productive, but we were thrilled with the variety in color. 

sometimes color wins over productivity on the farm. gardening should be an experience that charms all of the senses, yes?

my handsome farmer grows some beautiful potatoes!

we harvested a big basket full of potatoes from our one row. we have been sharing them with farm customers & our neighbors. they're so delicious! 

luke has been thinly slicing them into chip-like size & roasting them in the oven with a bit of s&p, fresh garlic from the garden & olive oil.

during our garden harvest, we even found a little friend.

have you ever grown potatoes in your garden? what's your favorite variety?

- natalie

full baskets & full hearts

first, i'm rather giddy to announce that registration is open for our canning & preserving workshop! we're offering a series of "freckled hen farmhouse ec" workshops to inspire, share knowledge & cultivate the home. 

if you're in the northwest arkansas area, we would love to have you join us! if you're anywhere really, we would love to have you. our little pocket of mountains & rolling hills really is the best kept secret. 

in other news, i dug this wire basket out of a trash pile at an estate sale this past weekend. it has accompanied me to the garden most evenings this week. 

it's that time of year again. that time when we say see ya later to the grocery store & eat only from the garden. it's that time when we fill up baskets of garden beauties for gifting to neighbors & dear friends.

flowers as unique as snowflakes & pink skies at sunset.

the garden is oh so beautiful this time of year. full baskets & full hearts define this time of year.

- natalie