Green Tomato Cake and Scratches

I am on vacation this week, but have been busier than ever. My cousin, Saja is visiting from Memphis with her two daughters. They are lots of fun and love driving the mule and visiting the horses. I have a trainer come and ride and he gave them a lesson on Monday.

Claire developed scratches last week. I thought it was an injury and was putting Furazone ointment on them. It turns out it is some kind of bacteria that gets into the skin just above the hoof from wet pastures. It is also known as hoof rot and other lovely sounding names. It has been so unbelievably hot that wet pastures is hard to imagine. Nonetheless, Claire got it and then it spread to cellulitis and her whole right front leg was swollen. The vet came and gave her medicine for the cellulitis. The swelling is almost gone, but now Libby has scratches.

Basically the treatment is scrubbing with Betadine scrub and then rinsing and putting on Betadine solution. You would think they would have permanently orange legs, but it fades in about an hour. Claire is mostly healed and Libby is getting better, but I hope it is gone before I have to go back to work next week. It is time consuming and I don't want to have to do it before and after work. I will if I have to, but I don't want to.

I have been busy, but decided to make some Green Tomato Cake. I like fried green tomatoes and I like to make Banana Nut Bread and it looked like an interesting mix of the two. I got the recipe from Cultivate magazine and played around with it a bit. It called for raisins and I don't like them. It called for 2 cups granulated sugar and I did 1 cup granulated and 1 cup light brown sugar. I would have done dark brown sugar , but the light brown was open and almost gone....you know how it is. Anyway, here it is.




Green Tomato Cake

2 cups chopped green tomatoes
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans




Place the chopped tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Place in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain. Dump them out on a few paper towels and pat dry.




Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bread loaf pan with Pam.

Blend one stick of butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and beat until smooth.




Add the nuts and raisins or Craisins if you want to. I didn't. I dumped 1 cup of flour and then all the spices and mixed and then added the second cup and mixed. Add the tomatoes and stir them in. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 60minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake's center comes out clean.



I made a critical error. The recipe called for a 9 X 13 pan, but I wanted to make it more like a bread. I kept checking every five minutes from the 40 minutes for the original recipe in the larger pan. I took it out too soon even though the toothpick came out clean. I must have put it in the wrong spot, or it could be that the crust was so crispy the it cleaned the tootpick for me on the way out. Whatever the reason, it was underdone and I had to put it back in the pan for more cooking. Even with all this, the cake came out moist and so good. So try it but if you use a loaf pan, check the tooth pick very carefully. Or use a 9 X 13 pan and cook for 40 to 45 minutes.

Blueberries!

Blueberries are Lee's favorite fruit. We have tried to grow them, unsuccessfully. I think the location and soil has a lot to do with it, but nonetheless, no bluebs. So when the Roanoke Times had an article about pick-your-own blueberries, well, we were in!

The first farm we went to was Woodall Blueberries in New Castle. It is a LOOOONG drive from Buchanan, about 1 hour. We left early expecting heat. It was so cold, in the sixties, and overcast that I got Reynauds in my fingers. We left after picking a little more than 1 gallon. They charge $10.00 per gallon and gave us the extra at no charge. They were pretty picked over, but we got all we wanted in about 1 and 1/2 hours.

Next we drove to 3 Birds Berry Farm in Blacksburg. They had a lot more berries in cultivation, including raspberries and blackberries. Unfortunately we didn't read the part about closing, only the part about when they open, so we didn't have time to do much in the way of picking. Plus it was a Saturday and they explained that earlier in the week is better. By Friday they get pretty picked out and after a day to ripen with no pickers on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were best.

We managed to get 1 1/2 gallons of blueberries quite quickly and then we left as they were closing. So, no other berries, but we will know better next year. They charge $20.00 a gallon, which is why we went to Woodalls first. But the had a much larger operation and three different berries, so we will hit them earlier and mid-week next year.

I have no idea what caused it to be cold and overcast and rainish, but it made for rather nice picking weather. Early in the day my fingers got very cold, but by the time we got to 3 Birds it was perfect. I am glad I brought tennies instead of my usual weekend footwear preference of flip-flops!. I can imagine that it would have been less pleasant on a hot buggy day. I guess we will find out next year.

I followed the advice at the farms and picked over the berries and then froze them in Ziploc bags with the air sucked out. I will wash them when I use them and try to get any frozen spideys and things off before I cook them. I'm having company in a few weeks. I plan on blueberry pies and crepes and pancakes and muffins, and maybe a cobbler or two. YUM. I have a freezer full and I'm not afraid to use them!

More Turnouts

When we built the barn and the pastures for the horses I was not working at the library. When I was called and informed that I had gotten the job at the library, Lee and I were in the middle of building two turnouts for the two stalls we were going to use for our horses. If we got any boarders we would then build the additional turnouts. Part of this reasoning was because of the amount of work and a lot was because the wood was really expensive.

It looks like we won't be getting any boarders any time soon and I want to move Libby and Claire to other stalls so we can wash the ones they are in. I also hope by rotating stall and turnouts, they will hold grass that much longer. In reality I know they won't, but I think that Claire might keep a bit of grass. Libby will pace hers away in a matter of days.

So Lee went and picked up the posts and we started digging holes. We have an auger that works off the three point hitch on the tractor. We can lift it and lower it and spin it, but there is no downward pressure. This makes it hard to use on compact soil and dirt, but hope springs eternal, so we marked the corners and started digging.

This sounds way faster than it is. You have to run a string to keep things straight. We also had to work off the existing turnout and try to keep every thing square. We decided to build one big turnout for the last two stalls on each side. This would give the horses more room and also be fewer posts and post holes! This was a big part of the decision! We placed a post next to the barn where the division would be so that we could run a hot wire or some other temporary divider should we need to at some future time. It would also mean fewer post to "plant" should we get boarders.

When the barn was built, the contractor had to scrape the field flat. This meant a lot of the nice soft topsoil was removed and spread around and the rest is very compact. It is sort of clay like and very red. We wondered if this was the result of Civil War battles done on this site, but we know that is not so. Makes for a chilling story, though.





Right away we had problems with the post-hole digger. We came up with a process where Lee would run it for a minute or so. Then he would lift it out and drive forward a few feet. I would use the heavy bar to loosen the soil or break up rocks and he would back the tractor back up again. This required Lee to be twisted half way around and look over his shoulder for hours. Every once in a while he would stop the tractor and come back to chop away at the hole with the clamshell, manual post hole digger. Then back to the tractor and more twisting. He is very sore at this point.

We were making progress, but it was very slow. It took about 45 minutes to an hour for each hole and that was a lot of heavy work in high humidity and heat for us. RJ was exhausted just watching us!



We took a break about 1:00 to go get the gates I wanted to install. I liked the idea for many reasons. One was, if there was a fire, we had an alternate exit from the barn. Also, there are times when I just want to put a horse in or get them out and I am in the pasture. Fewer steps ...always a plus!

We were tired and wanted to go the the Fincastle Winery for the program they were putting on. That is a story for another time, but the Botetourt wineries have been having music and food and wine tastings on the weekends and we are rotating around and trying them all. So we quit early on Saturday.

Early Sunday we started in again. The second hole we started to dig was going to be the side where the hinges for the gate would be. Then we hit rock. We started breaking it with the breaking bar, but soon realized that it was too big and too deep for us to make any sort of headway. The inside half of the hole was soil, though. After much back breaking work, we decided the only thing to do was to dig the hole back a few inches and then place a second post and bolt it to the first. We used a LOT of concrete and decided to put the latch on this side and the hinge on the other side, as it will have a lighter load that way. It is currently sitting on top of the rock with support from the other post and I don't think it will go anywhere. It does look stupid, though.




We hit rock in the next hole. This was starting to get frustrating! We were hot and sweaty and drinking water like crazy. I could feel my skin burning even though I had slathered on sunscreen. Sweat kept dripping off my nose and my sleeves were wet from wiping off my face. Worse than that I was developing a major case of hat hair! OK, I wasn't too concerned about the hair. There was no way I would be seen until a bath and a blow dry had taken place, so barring a trip to the emergency room, it wasn't an issue. I was jealous of Lee's new hair cut (buzz), though. Periodically he would go over to the hose, remove his hat and run the water all over his face and head. Within minutes he was back to sweating, but it was cool for awhile.

By 1:00 I was again the proud owner of noodles for arms and legs. Lee was sore, but I was just weak. Farmers used to say that they worked from "can see to can't see". This meant they worked from dawn to dusk. Lee and I work from can do to can't do. When we run out of steam we are done. Sometimes we go back in the evenings when it is cooler and we have rested. I don't know if I can today. I told Lee we can do a hole or two each evening after work. Maybe we won't have the same problem with rocks that we had on the first side. It was a lot easier when we built the pastures and the perimeter fencing. These were places that had not been scraped and compacted by heavy equipment. I don't hold out much hope for improved conditions. I'll keep you posted. Get it????

Hummingbird Cake

It is Father's Day and there are no kids, so it falls to me to treat Lee. Unlike me he hates eating in bed!!! What's up with THAT!

While reading a book I have since forgotten, the author talked about a Hummingbird Cake. I had never heard of one. I Googled it and found a recipe from
Southern Living. The article said that it was their most requested recipe, so here it is.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups all purpose flour.
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped bananas

Preheat oven to 350. Spray Pam in 3 9-inch round cake pans.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.



Add eggs and oil. Don't beat, just until moistened.




Stir in vanilla, pineapple, pecans and bananas.




Pour into 3 prepared pans. I used a 1 cup measure to try to keep the layers even.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and then turn out onto wire racks. Cool completely.




Meanwhile, make the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter ( one stick)
1 16 oz package powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Beat butter and cream cheese in Kitchenaid until smooth. gradually add powdered sugar...do it slowly or you will be wearing the sugar and so will your kitchen. When it is light and fluffy, add in the vanilla

Spread the frosting between each layer and on top and on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

Store in the refrigerator.

Banana Carrot Walnut Bread with Pineapple Cream Cheese

Our newspaper, The Roanoke Times, recently printed three different banana bread recipes reprinted from Maida Heatter's Cakes. I decided to take one and play with it a little. Here is what I came up with.

1 cup raisins or Craisins
1 cup grated carrots
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oatmeal ( I added this for fun and because I like oatmeal and to increase the healthy aspect)
1 TBL unsweetened cocoa ( This makes it dark, but it is hard to taste the chocolate)
1 tsp each baking soda and cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar (I used Splenda brown sugar baking mix)
3/4 cup vegetable oil ( I used 1/2 cup, and added more banana for moistness)
2 large bananas (1 cup)
1 cup chopped walnuts (my addition...gotta have the nuts!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with Pam.

In a medium bowl mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Using my Kitchenaid mixer, I beat the eggs to mix. Beat in the sugar and oil. Coarsely chop bananas and add to the egg mixture along with Craisins and carrots. On low speed, add the dry mixture 1 cup at a time, scrapping the bowl as needed. Add the chopped walnuts. Turn mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then turn it onto a cooling rack.




When completely cool, slice and spread with pineapple cream cheese. Our store was out, so I made some with whipped cream cheese and drained crushed pineapple.

It's Haying Time Again

The grass is high and the weather is hot, so it is time to hay our fields again. If we had the equipment and expertise I would like to do it ourselves. As we don't, we have an excellent resource in Aubrey Crouch. He is very fair in the shares and makes sure we get enough hay for all our horses for the year. In return he gets half the first cutting and all of the second cutting for his cows.

We have been spraying for weeds which increases the value of our hay and next year we are planning to fertilize the fields. We have to research the best kind for our sprayer. Plus been having problems with the sprayer, so we have been putting it off.

A Knitting Fool

I have a tendency to be obsessive/compulsive. So now that I have the knitting bug I am going crazy. I promised my daughter Trista, in England, that I would make her an afghan. We hadn't decided on a yarn, so I have involved myself in baby knitting. After I made the booties for Rupinder, I started on an afghan for her. I worked on it EVERY day and here it is.




After I had started on the afghan I made a startling and fun discovery. It seems that one of my favorite patrons in the library is a cousin. My great grandmother and her great-great grandmother were sisters! How fun is that? She is about 15 months pregnant...OK, let's call it due, and now I am going to start on some booties for her. I was going to use the same yarn I used for Rupinder, but Lee took me to the best yarn store in Roanoke to shop Trista's afghan, so I bought some great yarn there for booties and I will try a different pattern for this new pair. I found it in the same book as I had checked out last time, but they looked a little more complicated.



However, this time I am psyched up and ready for the challenge. I had to order the yarn for Trista while we were both on the internet and viewing the same page. It will take a little while to get here, so that leaves me time to finish...and even START...the booties. The afghan pattern for Trista is WAY more complicated and beautiful, but I made one years ago for my sister Robin, so I know I can do it. I'll keep you informed of my progress.