“The creatures that inhabit this earth - be they human beings or animal - are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world. Many creatures have toiled singularly or jointly to make our lives comfortable. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, have not just dropped from the sky. Many creatures have labored to produce them. That is why we should be grateful to all our fellow creatures.” Dali Lama
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| Our sweet, warm Six toiling to keep MuRefuge secure. |
Anyone who has grown zucchini, whether hybrid or heirloom, knows well how hard this plant toils to give us an abundance of food.
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| A toiling pollinator inside a zucchini flower. |
The particular variety that we enjoy here at MuRefuge is an Italian heirloom which has a luscious flavor even when the size is pretty large.
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| Just picked for Fresh Herb and Zucchini Fritters. Check out the recipe below. |
These heirloom plants are quite large. I usually plant 7 seeds in a smallish area, less than foot diameter, pulling out the 3 or 4 least healthy looking plants when they are a few inches high.
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| The remaining 3 or 4 plants take over a half or more of one of the largest raised beds along with the walkway around the end of that bed. |
Fresh Herb and Zucchini Fritters
This simply delish recipe will feed 2 generously as a main course.
Serve plain or with yogurt, herbed organic kefir cheese (Cathie’s
preference), homemade ketsup (Dwight’s favorite addition).
- 1 1/2 pound freshly picked Italian heirloom zucchini
- 2 duck eggs, lightly beaten (of course, chicken eggs can be substituted)
- 1/2 C. dried bread crumbs (I dry and pulverize the ends of sprouted bread)
more or less:
- 1/2 C. finely chopped chives
- 1/2 C. Italian ‘Gigante’ flat leaved parsley, chopped
- 1/4 C. fresh Basil or 1 Tbs. fresh Marjoram, chopped
- 1 tsp. fresh peppermint, chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Grate the Zucchini and squeeze out any excess water. Mix all the other ingredients together in a large bowl, then mix in the Zucchini. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup filled with the batter, drop 4 scoops into a hot cast iron skillet prepared with a small amount of organic ghee and organic olive oil. Press each scoop down with a spatula to make the fritters. Cook one side until browned to your liking, turn and brown the remaining side. Serve immediately.
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| Recently made Zucchini Cake |
Zucchini Cake
Mix well together in medium bowl:
- 3 C. sprouted flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 T. (YES! 2 tablespoons) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground mace
- 1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
In large mixing bowl cream with a hand held mixer:
- 1 C. room temperature organic, unsalted butter. Then add
- 1 C. organic maple sugar, mixing 1/4 C. at a time
Beat until light, about 5 minutes
Add 4 duck eggs, one at at time, beating well after each
Add 1 T. organic vanilla, beat well.
Now add sprouted flour mixture, beat well.
Then fold in 4 C. coarsely grated zucchini.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly apply organic
ghee to 4 C. glass bunt pan. The above mixture will
be fairly thick; ladle into bunt pan. Bake for 1 hour
and check doneness with a toothpick. Remove from the
oven when toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes
before removing from bunt pan. Cool completely. May
be served for breakfast with organic kefir cheese or for
dessert frosted with organic butter, maple sugar, vanilla
and kefir cheese (adjust amounts for your own taste or preference).
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| Blooming lemon verbena |
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| Close up of lemon verbena |
