In the next few days, I will finish putting the garden to bed and plant next year’s garlic. We had a great year, and the freezer is full of produce to get us through the winter.
Dan and I took our annual trip to the North Shore, but the colors weren’t as brilliant as in prior years - weather and climate change will do that. There was shopping, hiking, good food, and relaxing in front of a roaring fire - it was a nice getaway.
We also headed to Canada to see Kakabeka Falls and Thunder Bay. The falls were beautiful. We took a short trip in the Marina area in Thunder Bay and then headed back to our cabin in Lutsen.
I got my covid and flu shot on Thursday and wow it knocked me out. I was not feeling my perky self at all on Friday - but by Saturday morning I was back to normal (well normal for me). I’ve been volunteering with the Master Gardeners - ushering in the new group of interns and I’m impressed. Lots of young diverse gardening enthusiasts - I think it will be a great year.
If you’ve been reading my blog you know we have a surfeit of okra. I finally gave in and pulled the plants I couldn’t take it anymore. So now the question is what do we do with all that frozen okra in the freezer. I’ve been hanging out on Pinterest lately and found several options; the latest, Vegan Sausage and Okra Stew - it was quite good if I say so myself.
Ingredients:
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
½ lb. raw okra thinly sliced, you could also use frozen okra
2 - Yukon gold potatoes chopped into small bite-sized
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ pureed cauliflower
1 cup frozen corn
4 cups veggie broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions:
Brown the sausage over medium heat in a heavy-bottom pan. You want it to be well-browned and broken up into little pieces.
While the sausage is cooking, chop the okra, onions, and potatoes and mince the garlic.
Add the okra, potatoes & onions to the pan. Sauté for about 4 minutes and add the garlic and pureed cauliflower. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper.
Increase the heat to high, add the veggie broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for approximately 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the frozen corn once the potatoes are cooked through.
The stew will thicken as it cooks. When the potatoes are fork tender, the stew is complete.
A few photos from our North Shore trip are below!
