Cinnamon-Honey Granola

I'm a big fan of whole grains so one of my favorite breakfasts is a granola parfait (layers of granola, homemade fruit sauce and yogurt)*. Satisfying, healthy and stick-to-your-ribs filling, granola also makes a great afternoon snack - just keep a jar in your desk for those after lunch cravings.

This is an easy recipe and makes about two quarts of granola. I store in a mason jar, but any container with a tight fitting lid will maintain freshness for about a week. This recipe can be halved or doubled - feel free to mix in your favorite dried fruit after the granola is removed from the oven.

* If you like whole grains at breakfast, be sure to check out pumpkin oatmeal! Delicious whole grains and a vegetable for breakfast!

Combine oats, coconut, nuts, seeds and cinnamon. Add honey and oil, mixing well.
This is honey we pulled from our hives. Make more little bees!

Spread mixture onto a greased or lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown. Feel free to toss in 3/4 cup of your favorite dried fruit
after removing from the oven.  Allow granola to cool, then break apart
and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Crunchy, oaty, nutty goodness!

Breakfast parfait: Greek yogurt, strawberry rhubarb sauce and granola. Super yum! 

Cinnamon-Honey Granola
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts of your choice - I like pecans, almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seed
1 tsp ground cinnamon (or more, depending on your tastes)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup cooking oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. If your oven has a convection function, using it will make a crunchier granola. Combine the first six ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add honey and oil, stirring to combine. Spread mixture on a greased or lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Break into clumps and place in an airtight container. Consume within a week or freeze for longer storage.

Garden Update from John, Chief Gardener

Hi friends! Checking in with a garden update. We had a nice soaking rain yesterday and the garden is looking great. 

Musque De Provenance Pumpkins.  Just blooming and beginning to produce fruit.  

We have been picking and freezing Rodcor yellow wax beans and Provider snap beans.  I started picking Northern Pickling cucumbers this week and did some pickling yesterday while Jan was out.

Whole dill pickles packed in jars ready to have lids placed and be processed. 

Processed dill pickles with red chili pepper. 

Processed bread & butter and whole dill pickles.

The whole dills are one of the easiest, yet enjoyable items you can process. Great for first time canners. I used this recipe:

Kosher Dill Pickles:

From The Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

For each quart:

1/2 pound pickles, 4 inch size (5 or 6 cucumbers)

4 heads fresh dill, or 2 tablespoons dillseed

1garlic clove (optional)

1 small piece dried hot pepper (optional)

2 1/4/ cup water

3/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon of pickling salt

Rinse cucumbers and remove stem and blossom end. Pack cucumbers into hot clean quart jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add dill, garlic and pepper. Make a bring by combining water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil and pour hot brine over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rim, adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Let pickles stand one week before opening.

New this year, I used the Ball Pickle Crisp, so we will see if the pickles end up crisper than normal. 

Honey Harvesting and Bee Status 

Our lone bee hive.  We are down to one hive this year, but it is thriving.  I harvested two supers of honey earlier this year and will probably pull one more in August.  The two wide supers at bottom of the hive is where the queen generally lays eggs, and the shallow supers at the top are where the honey is stored. 

Bee pollinating some of our squash.  The bees in the garden keeps me company while I weed.  

Harvested and bottled honey.

Honey in jars to be given to family and friends.  Half, one, and two pound jars.

Cover Crops

Pumpkins planted late with buckwheat growing as a cover crop to suppress weeds.  I generally hoe down the buckwheat as the pumpkins spread and grow.  And the bees love the buckwheat!

Cover crops have become an important part of my gardening rotation.  Buckwheat, rye, clover, radishes, and other crops have been useful in weed suppression and adding organic matter to the garden. 

See you next time! Happy gardening!

John