Goings On

We finally got around to getting in the bees yesterday.  The first Nuc we made is ready for its new home!  All the frames are drawn out and queenie is laying well.  We were also pleased to discover eggs in the second Nuc, which hopefully means we've got a good queen in there, too.  We'll check back in a few weeks to see if we can find her for marking/clipping.  We didn't really get into the two hives... took off the honey supers and verified we had eggs and closed them back up!

Wednesday's Produce Auction haul included a $4 case of zucchini, $15 for 30 lbs of tomatoes, an $8 box of sweet potatoes... new red potatoes, onions, and a cantaloupe.  I also stopped and got the first peaches of the season at the orchard right down the road.

So, yesterday after I got back from the bees, I spent the whole day working on those boxes.  I made my Basil Simmer Sauce... and only ended up with about 10 pints after it all cooked down.  Not very time or cost effective, considering the same amount of Ragu would have cost about half that... but I love how it tastes.  Ragu is actually one of the few 'processed' foods that I still buy... it has 5 ingredients that are 'real' food and there's no way I could make enough sauce for our family.  This batch will be used judiciously for special occasions!

Since I knew I wouldn't be giving any of the sauce away, I decided to give my reusable Tattler lids a try (I bought a case of the regular and a case of the wide mouth last year when they were on sale.)  I've read over and over again online that there's a learning curve and I expected to have some that didn't seal... but I got 100% on my first try!

I still have shredded zucchini in the freezer from last year (it took up so much room!), but I recently read about dehydrating it, instead.  In this quart jar is twelve cups of shredded zucchini that will be reconstituted for use in breads and our beloved lunchbox squares... talk about saving freezer space!  I can also grind it up and sneak it into sauces for some additional veggie-boosting goodness.  1/2 cup of the dried stuff is equal to 2 cups fresh (needed to put this in here in case I forget!)

I will be spending this afternoon and all day tomorrow at the Spring meeting of the Virginia State Beekeepers Association.  I'm looking forward to learning all sorts of new things, and especially tomorrow/s session on Top-Bar Beekeeping by Wyatt Mangum.

Zucchini Casserole

Last Wednesday was the first produce auction of the year, and Saturday marked the beginning of the Chesapeake Farmers Market.  This year, we have two locations about equi-distant from us, conveniently located in the two areas where I run errands, so I'm thrilled about that.

I came home from the first auction with a basketful of green beans, and promptly pressure canned 16 pints.  I had to freeze 3 quart bags, too.

I came home from the first Farmers Market with some summer squash and zucchini, and decided I would make Aunt Audrey's Zucchini Casserole inspite of the fact I was the only one who would eat it.  This is one of those dishes where one bite instantly takes you back to childhood summers.  Back in New England, we had to wait longer for the first squashes to be harvested.

First, slice your zucchini and summer squash.  Use young and tender ones and don't bother peeling.  You want about 4 cups.  Saute them in a little bit of water with 1 cup of thickly chopped onion.

 When they are cooked, drain the water.  In another pan, melt 2 TBL butter and mix in 2 TBL flour.  When combined, add in 1c milk and salt and pepper to taste, making a white sauce.  Cook until thickened.

 Add the white sauce to the veggies.

 Top with 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

 Mix 1/2 cup melted butter with 3/4 c homemade bread crumbs (don't even bother with store bought!) and sprinkle over the top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, I never snapped a picture of the finished product!  It turns out that Joanna decided she liked it, so I had to share the left-overs.