recipes from my garden

I’ve really been enjoying spending time in my garden this summer! It’s been fun to learn and plan for next year, as this is the first year we’ve had a large amount of space to plant and grow a big variety of vegetables! I am hoping to expand a little more every year and eventually have a little road side garden stand too! This year our biggest yields have been zucchini, tomatoes, and sweet corn.

I love being able to head outside to pick what I need for dinner, salads, and side dishes. I am excited to share a couple of my favorite recipes with you! The first is one is a great recipe for any occasion. It has seen different variations in our house over the summer as different things grow and I’m able to add them in. So here it is, Zucchini Corn Chowder: the perfect lunch, or dinner, and even better as leftovers!

Zucchini Corn Chowder Ingredients:

2 zucchini, chopped

1 onion, chopped finely

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

¾ tsp salt

3 cups chicken broth

1 jar chunky tomato sauce

1 can evaporated milk

2 potatoes, chopped small

3-4 ears of corn, cooked (or one can of corn)

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar

In a large pot, saute the zucchini and onion in butter. Cook until zucchini is tender. Add flour and salt. Stir. Slowly pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Add potatoes, corn, and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add cheese, and serve. This soup is delicious and can be altered to your taste!  Add any veggies that you love, or even sausage to make it your own.

One of my other go to favorites with peppers from the garden is Crockpot Sausage and Peppers. With only a few ingredients, and a few minutes of preparation, it makes a great meal  served on rolls or pasta.
Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:

2 lbs Italian sausage links

3 large bell peppers, sliced

1 large jar of pasta sauce

Place all ingredients in crock pot, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve on rolls with mozzarella, or on top of your favorite pasta!

So simple, and so yummy!  I look forward to planning our garden for next year! I’ve learned a lot about what to plant more of, what to plant less of, what we don’t really use, and what I’d love to include next year! If you have any gardening advice for this beginning gardener, please feel free to share!