from the garden: zucchini bread

As we near the end of our gardening season and our refrigerator is overflowing with zucchini and squash, I thought I would share my favorite recipe using zucchini. It is my favorite hearty bread, especially on a crisp fall morning paired with a chai tea. mmm.

I make the healthier version, since we use it as a breakfast bread. It would be delicious with a little whipped cream and coffee for dessert. I hope you'll try it!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. grated, peeled zucchini (approximately 3 medium sized)

Beat eggs, add oil; then add sugar and vanilla. Sift flour and measure; sift again with other dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix well. Mix in zucchini. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans (9x5). Bake at 325 for about one hour or until done.

*For a healthier alternative, substitute half of the oil with 1/2 cup of natural applesauce and omit 1 cup of sugar. I also do not peel the zucchini for added nutrients. Whole wheat flour can also be mixed in for an added crunch and flavor.

spring!

i am loving this spring! the warmth, the pops of color, the longer days. i am hooked.

we are going to buy some seeds and plants this weekend. *yippee* i hadn't imagined the planting season was so much later here, but hopefully soon we will be digging in the soil. in the meantime, harper has been reading up on gardening.

have a lovely weekend!

january 31, 2012

about a month ago, i called denver urban gardens to request a plot for a garden in our community garden. i hadn't heard anything and honestly had not thought of it until yesterday afternoon when i got the best news. we have a spot!

last summer when we moved here, harper and i would take our evening walks and move at a snails pace while walking past the community garden. we snuck in a few times and wandered down the rows oohing and aahing. i was amazed at what can grow here. blueberries (which harper would live off of if given the choice), raspberries, all varieties of veggies. since we live in a townhouse and have such a tiny yard, this will be perfect for us!

i have gotten out the gardening books and i have colorado local gardening book on reserve at the library. i can't wait to taste the first crunchy piece of homegrown lettuce and smell the delicious basil leaf, slice into a beautifully red tomato. it has christopher and me daydreaming about our *someday* garden that will be huge and the chickens and turkeys and goats that will roam our land and eat our scraps. well, for now, we can daydream and enjoy our small plot in the community garden.

are you growing anything new or exciting this spring? i would love to hear!

p.s. we are off to look at a preschool for harper next fall! yikes!