Grand Portage Community Garden & Recipes for the Food We Are Growing

Richard Olson, a gardener in the Grand Portage Community Garden, above, and CSA gardener Ann Rosenquist join hosts Diane Booth and Joan Farnam to talk about the community garden in Grand Portage and recipes for our abundant garden produce this year.

Click on the audio file tab to hear the program, which was first aired Aug. 5.

Click here to see a video made about the Grand Portage Community Garden in mid-July.

The Recipes
OK, let's face it... zucchini can get pretty overwhelming by this time in August.
To help you out, here are a few recipes from listeners and fans with new ways to use up those (sometimes) too large, summer squashes;
There are also a few recipes for all those other wonderful things growing in your garden this summer.

Baked Zucchini Slices

Jana  Berka, Grand Marais

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).

In one small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini slices into the egg whites, then coat the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until browned and crispy.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake by Amy Sharpe

Joyce C. Yamamoto, Little Marais

3 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. butter

6 Tbsp. cocoa powder

2 cups zucchini, grated

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2/3 cup chocolate chips

2 tsp. flour

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

—Combine first 4 ingredients and blend well. Melt butter and add cocoa, cool.

Grate zucchini (I didn’t peel it). Add zucchini and cocoa to first mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Add dry  ingredients to batter and stir ‘til blended. Coat chips with 2 tsp. flour and add to  batter with nuts.

Spoon batter into 2 generously greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pans or one  bundt pan. Bake 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the  middle comes out clean. Cool in pans 10-15 minutes, remove from pans and  cool on wire rack. (If using small 1-lb. loaf pans, bake 45-55 min.

Grilled Zucchini

Richard Gruchalla, Duluth

Cut them length-wise into fours, rub them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any herbs that you like, and grill them until they have slightly soft middles and brown 'grill marks' Turn them once or twice to make sure they get done on all sides.

Ravioli With Sautéed Zucchini  Serves 4

Jan Attridge. Grand Marais 

1 pound cheese ravioli (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 small zucchini, sliced into thin half-moons

kosher salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain them and return to the pot.

 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

 Add the zucchini mixture and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan to the ravioli and toss gently to combine. Serve with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Apple Zucchini Cake

Ann Rosenquist, Grand Marais

4 lg. eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

2 c. sugar

2 c. peeled and grated zucchini, drained

3 c. unsifted flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

1 c chopped nuts

2 1/3 c peeled and chopped apples

Grease and flour tube pan. Beat eggs, add oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. Mix well. Sift  together flour, soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add to creamed mixture. add apples and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Zucchini Bread 

3 eggs 

2 cups sugar 

2 cups grated zucchini (leave green on) 

1 cup oil 

2 teaspoon vanilla 

Beat eggs and add the rest. Add: 

3 cups flour 

3 tsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp. soda 

1 tsp. baking powder 

1/2 cup nuts (optional) 

Grease 2 loaf pans. Pour in batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. 

Here’s a great smoothie for kids to make. They love it,, and it has spinach in it!

Mud Slime Smoothie -- a Kid's Favorite

Diane Booth, Cook County Extension,  and the Treasure Gardeners Youth Gardening group

2 c frozen spinach

2 c frozen strawberries. (this also works with fresh fruit, like blueberries.)

1 banana

2 TBSP honey

1/2 c .ice and 1/2 c. water

Pick fresh spinach, freeze on cookie sheets for recipe, or use frozen spinach.

Put 1/2 c. water in bottom of blender. Add the banana. Blend.

Add honey, frozen bruit and small bits of the spinach a little at a time with the ice until all ingrediants have been added.

Here some other great recipes submitted by fans:

Cilantro pesto butter

Staci Drouillard, Grand Marais

I just whir up the cilantro in a food processor with some green onions, garlic, S&P, fresh jalepenos to your liking and lime juice. When it's a paste I drizzle in some olive oil. Then I mix it up with a pound of soft butter and make small portions of it for the freezer. It's DELICIOUS on grilled fish, on vegetables, pasta, steak, you name it!!!

Tomatoes and Tarragon

Ann Possis, Lutsen

Fresh tomatoes and lots of fresh tarragon, dressed with the best mayo you can find, and a teeny bit of Lawry's seasoned salt.

Easy Sauerkraut

Mary Igoe, Grand Marais

Ingredients: Cabbage (the amount depends on how much you want to make)

Canning salt

Sugar

Shred cabbage and pack tightly into quart jars up to 1/2 inch from the top. This is easiest with a wide mouth jar.

Add 1 teaspoon each of canning salt and sugar to each quart.

Pour in boiling water to cover the cabbage.  Gently insert a knife in the jar to remove any trapped air.

Put on canning lids and screw on LOOSELY.  Put the jars in a sink or pan, as they may bubble over. Let ferment for 24 hours.

 Remove the caps, spoon off any scum that may have formed and add boiling water as necessary to cover the cabbage.  Seal as TIGHTLY as you can with your hand.

 Let ferment for 3 days.  This does not smell like fresh roses, so you may want to put it in the basement or some less traveled part of the house.

After three days process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.  Store a minimum of three weeks before eating.

Cabbage Salad with Peanuts

Mary Igoe, Grand Marais

In a large bowl, mash together:  1/4 cup natural, unsalted peanut butter  and 1/2 cup hot water

Add:  1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP rice or cider vinegar (rice is best)

        3 TBSP brown sugar

       1 1/2 tsp salt

       1 TBSP soy or tamari sauce

       1 tsp sesame oil

Add:  7 to 8 packed cups of shredded green cabbage.  Mix well

Sprinkle in and mix: crushed red pepper, to taste

Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, stirring it every once in a while.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup peanuts right before serving (I serve the peanuts in a separate bowl and everyone sprinkles on their own to avoid soggy peanuts in the leftovers.)

This is rather soupy, so serve with a slotted spoon.

Fresh Basil Pesto
Submitted by Ann Rosenquist

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano or Romano cheese (leave out cheese if freezing)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts, walnuts or roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
3 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

A food processor makes this a lot easier.

Combine the basil with the nuts and pulse a few times in a food processer. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Makes 1 cup.
Serve with pasta or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.
(Source: Simplyrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 pound of your favorite pasta ( I use rotini so it holds more pesto)
olive oil
parmesan cheese
pine nuts
2 cups of your favorite garden vegetables, cut up small ( I like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower for color and texture)
1/2 to 1 c pesto to taste

Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the full time listed on the package.
Keep it in the pan and add the vegetables to the pasta and boiling water for that last 2 minutes and turn up the heat.
Drain pasta and vegetables. Do not rinse.
Return them to the pan and add pesto and some some olive oil to dilute the pesto a little. Stir to blend.
Add pine nuts and parmesan cheese in it or on top, to taste.
Vary the amounts based on what you like. Eat hot or cold.
For leftovers ( if there are any!) store well in fridge and reheat with a little water added.

Enjoy!