freezing tips

If you pack berries into a freezer bag, when defrosted, it will be one solid mess of berries. A better way to freeze the berries is to put them onto a cookie sheet overnight. Then the next a.m., put the individually frozen berries into the freezer bag. Softer items, like pesto and freshly squeezed lemon juice, can be frozen overnight in ice cube trays. Then the next day, pop them out of the tray, put into freezer bags and you will have individual size servings. Also, to prevent glass canning jars from cracking in the freezer, leave at least 2" headroom.

Zucchini Nut Bread Recipe

As promised, here is the Zucchini Nut Bread Recipe.

Zucchini Nut Bread
Makes 4 Loaves preheat oven 360 degrees
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil or soft butter
2 TBS. vanilla
5 cups shredded (peeled and seeded) zucchini
3 &1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3&1/4 cups white unbleached flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 cups crushed pineapple OR applesauce
2 cups nuts
(Optional: 1/2 cup cocoa, and 9 oz. Chocolate chips for chocolate version)

Beat 4 eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil or butter, and vanilla. Stir well, add
zucchini and applesauce (or pineapple). Separately mix together flours, baking
powder , baking soda, salt (cocoa for chocolate version). Combine dry
ingredients with wet ones and add nuts. Grease 4 loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour 10
min. Enjoy!

Putting Up Food

Yesterday Emily Van Cleve interviewed me for the Journal North newspaper for an article called "Putting Up Food". It was about my large organic vegetable garden and I shared simple and easy tips I have learned over the years for preserving food. I mean, as much as I love those zucchini's, after awhile, what is a same person to do with all of them?? I made zucchini pickles this year and everyone loves them, they have turmeric that turns them golden and mustard seeds, dry mustard and apple cider vinegar. Google Zuni Cafe Zucchini Pickles to get the recipe. Also, I froze lots of zucchini nut bread and I'll post that recipe tomorrow. I also made jars of apricot jam this year, dried all kinds of herbs, made and froze pesto, and stored garlic, onions, potatoes,etc. Whew! I am grateful for all the abundance, especially this year and I'm tired, too.

Fun Show

Marigold Art, 424 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe invited me to join artist Ruth Tatter in a "Wildlife Revisted" Show this month. The opening on June 4 was packed and a lot of fun. Kate McGraw of the Albuquerque Journal North did another wonderful article on June 4 called "Animal/Nature with a huge (6"x4")image of my African Queen and it drew people to the opening! Was great to see a lot of friends and Barbara, the owner, made her famous wild porcini mushroom dip. She teaches people how to pick wild mushrooms and I want to learn....

Sky Meadow Spirit

My gallery suggested I do a four panel piece and the result was this painting "Sky Meadow Spirit". The idea came while I was leafing through a magazine and I saw a photo of a beautiful lush meadow. I accidentally dropped a clipping of a sky scene onto the meadow photo and I loved the play of contrasts. So, two alternating panels are of a meadow and the other two are of the sky. The mysterious figure on the bottom of the third panel wasn't planned, he just appeared and I went with it. Very "Green Man" energy, all good.

"Releasing the Muse"

Here's a new painting hot off the easel. It's called "Releasing the Muse" and it's acrylic mediums and silk-screened Japanese paper underneath and then painted with oils. I thought I'd never finish this painting as it has evolved and mutated many times. But now it's done and hanging in a show at the Community Bank on Guadalupe and Paseo de Peralta here in Santa Fe. Show is up until Jan. 9, 2010. On to the next canvas!

NM Museums' Seminar

Yesterday, I went to a very interesting seminar that the NM Museums sponsored. Learned a lotta new stuff and here's some things I want share. Check out mashable.com for good demographics and Moo.com for business cards with lots of different images (great for artists!). I finished a new painting, loving it! Will post image later.