Happy Halloween - A Twist on the Traditional Halloween Pumpkins



Lebanese Bush Marrow Squash Jack-O-Lantern

Mike made this last night from a Lebanese Bush Marrow Squash that morphed into a 15" long gourd.   The bush marrow squash is grown as a summer squash and picked when it is very young.

Dinosaur Kale on Garlic Toast

Nero di Toscana Kale aka Dinosaur Kale

This is a simple and easy recipe for kale.

Prepare about 1 pound of kale.  Wash and remove the tough center rib.  Tear kale into 2 inch long sections.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, add sea salt to taste.  Add kale to boiling water and turn to simmer for about 30 minutes (sort of like collards).

While the kale is simmering, toast 4 - 8 slices of country bread - ciabatta, a baguette or your favorite.  Slices should be about 1/2" thick.  Rub a clove of fresh garlic on toasted bread.

Drain kale and remove as much water as possible.  Put drained kale on toasted bread slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. 

Great for appetizers.  Molto mangia!

Squash with Lentils and Rice - Yummy!

I love, love, love the Farmers Market and visting my friends Mike and Gerry at Valley Farms. I am inspired every weekend and love to use the fresh produce to create!!! This weekend I made this wonderful recipe with my Squash purchase. To make it really easy, you can purchase the prepared lentils and brown rice from Trader Joes and whip this meal up in no time.

Squash with Lentils and Rice

4 Acorn Squash, halved and seeded

Salt to taste

2 Teaspoons ground cumin

2 cinnamon sticks

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

`/4 pound of ground turkey, browned

1/2 cup raw lentils

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon ginger, minced

1 can chickpeas

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Onion, diced

2 Plum Tomatoes, diced

1 Zucchini halved lengthwise, diced

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spray pan with Pam. Sprinkle inside of squash with salt and bake cut side down for 1 hour or until tender.

In a large saucepan, heat cumin over medium heat until fragrant. Add cinnamon, lentils, garlic and ginger and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover over low heat, cook lentils are tender but not all liquid is evaporated. Drain chickpeas, add browned ground turkey and chickpeas to lentils. Keep warm.

In large skillet, in oil, saute onion until soft. Add zucchini and tomatoes, cook until warm. Remove cinnamon from rice, spoon rice mixture into squash halves, top with tomato mixture.

Creative Desert Crafty and Honorary Farm Girls and Boys

    Handmade Items from the Las Vegas Crafters Guild

I always get so excited this time of year.  It's the time of year for lots of craft shows and boutiques.  The Las Vegas Crafters Guild - of which I am a member is having two shows this year.  One begins today, October 14th at the Sahara West Library and continues through Saturday, the 15th.

Our show in November is at The Lakes Lutheran Church at 9600 W. Sahara.  November 11th and 12th. 

I am so inspired by all these talented artisans.  Stop  by and visit with us and be inspired too!
The holidays are right around the corner.  Avoid shopping at the malls, buy from local artisans and support your community. 

Will The Real Tigger Please Stand Up?

The truth is both are tiggers.  One is named Tigger - our part Maine Coon cat that we have had since Amargosa Farms nursery was located at 5050 N. Rainbow.  He was born there, we adopted him since he was being terrorized by an older male feral cat.  His mother was a friendly stray. We called her Melon because of the orange splotches in her fur . . which leads to the the other tigger which is a melon.  (good segue way, huh?) 

Below is the catalog description from Baker Seed Company where we purchased the seed from:

"The most amazing melon we have grown. The fruit are vibrant yellow with brilliant fire-red, zigzag stripes, (a few fruit may be solid yellow), simply beautiful! They are also the most fragrant melons we have tried, with a rich, sweet intoxicating aroma that will fill a room. The white flesh gets sweeter in dry climates. Small in size the fruits weigh up to 1 lb. - perfect for a single serving. The vigorous plants yield heavily, even in dry conditions. This heirloom came from an Armenian market located in a mountain valley. It was the most popular melon at our Garden Show "

We have to agree.  It is a conversation starter at our famers' market.   Smells wonderful -better than it's taste which is a little bland.  More like a slightly sweet cucumber.   Not much flesh and a large seed cavity.  But, so pretty . . . can you tell we like pretty?

Desert Farm Girls Meets Cowboy Trail Ranch

Over the course of marketing our produce and attending different farmers' markets, I had to good fortune to meet Marilyn Yamamoto, owner of Cowboy Trail Ranch.

You know the saying, "Two heads are better than one"?  Well, it's true.  Marilyn and I have been exchanging ideas and have decided to work together to promote our produce, our love of growing things, and love of sustainable agriculture.

Thus Cowboy Trail Farms CSA was formed - a  community supported agriculture program that will provide fresh veggies, herbs, and fruit to shareholders.

It's a beginning, baby steps but soon we'll be up and running the marathon!