Sunday, September 30, 2018

Sights in Autumn!

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere!
Yesterday was a beautiful autumn day!  Today is too!  The end of September is here, so it's the perfect time for the annual visit to Meadowbrook Farm in East Longmeadow (MA) for the bushel of Butternut Squash.  Nothing like purchasing the delicious orange veggie direct from the farm where it is grown.  It's a tradition to take the short drive and make the purchase.

The greenhouses are filled with assortments of pumpkins, too.

Inside a greenhouse.

Sights of  the Fall season are everywhere.

Another collection!
The cornstalks show us that the fresh native corn season has - ended.

More decorations for Autumn!

The bushel of Butternut is now in our garage.  It just would not be autumn if we did not make this purchase.  A few at a time the squash will be prepped.  The mashed yummy vegetable will be placed in freezer bags to enjoy during the other months of the year.  There's always a special place for it on our Thanksgiving Day dinner table.

Is Butternut Squash Bread in my future, maybe, also??  Sure is! 

These are some of the sights of Autumn in Massachusetts!

Enjoy!

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Freezing Green Pepper Strips


Last September when fresh local Green Peppers were available to purchase at roadside stands or in the grocery stores, I did not purchase any to freeze.  Every year I do, but it just never happened.  Oh, did I ever miss them this past winter whenever a recipe called for chopped Green Pepper!  I always like to freeze the pepper strips and use them in entrees whenever that veggie is an ingredient in a recipe.  No, I don't like to purchase that veggie in the cold winter months.  They just never look that good in the grocery stores.  Because I did not have them, it seemed that I needed them!  Well, this past week I took some action!  The first 5 Green Peppers were purchased/ prepped and found their way into our freezer.  Three days later 5 more were purchased and 5 more little bags of pepper strips were prepped and frozen.    

It's quite a simple process.  After cutting the Peppers into strips, the strips are placed in sandwich bags and then in a large freezer bag.  Whenever one package is needed, it is at my fingertips.

* * * For me 1 fresh Green Pepper = 1 little sandwich bag of ready to use Green Pepper strips.

  
Freezing Green Pepper Strips
  1.  The Green Peppers are rinsed under cool running water.
  2.  Then, dried.
  3.  Using a cutting board, the tops are cut off and discarded.
  4.  Then, cut the Green Peppers into large pieces.  Discard seeds and inner pulp.
  5.  Cut the large pieces into strips.
  6.  Place Pepper strips into sandwich bags and close.
  7.  The filled/ closed bags are placed in a Gallon sized freezer bag, labelled and sealed.
  8.  Store in the freezer. 
Reaching into my freezer and taking out a bag of Green Pepper strips to use will be a great find this coming winter!  Ten bags should be enough.  This is definitely the time of year to purchase the fresh local Peppers to freeze.  If you have the opportunity to do this, it is worth the small effort!

Enjoy!
Yummy!
 




    Tuesday, September 18, 2018

    Surprise!


    What a great surprise!  The Monarch Butterfly returned to visit our Zinnias in our side garden.  It challenged me to take a photo as it circled around me.  Then, it landed!  Snap!!!

    Enjoy!