recipe

Homemade Ketchup Recipe

June 5, 2017 by Jenn Crookston

WELCOME Gardener, Happy to see you here checking out a delicious Homemade Ketchup Recipe for all those tomatoes you are growing!

Are you looking forward to summertime and all the amazing foods summer brings? I love picnics and bbq-ing, basically anything that allows me to eat outside and on dishes I don’t have to wash afterward. One consistent condiment is ketchup, it seems like ketchup goes with just about every summertime meal.
I love trying new recipes, especially recipes that are simple and include items I always have on hand. Every year we plant a variety of tomato plants and I enjoy using them in the summer and fall. Unfortunately half of my family are not tomato lovers so I find myself giving tomatoes away so they don’t go to waste. This year I am determined to learn how to can tomatoes so I can use them all year round and they’re perfect for this Homemade Ketchup Recipe.

Homemade Ketchup RECIPE:

*Whole Peeled Tomatoes, I used 1 large can Whole Peeled Tomatoes (1lb 12oz can)
(I’m looking forward to canning my own tomatoes this year to use for this recipe and many others)
*1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
*1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
*1.5 tablespoon Honey
*1-1.5 teaspoon Mustard
*1/4-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
*1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
*1 teaspoon Onion Powder (can add more to taste)

Homemade Ketchup Recipe INSTRUCTIONS:

*Place all ingredients into a medium-size pot.
*Bring ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling turn down and simmer for 60 minutes.
*After 60 minutes remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
*Once cool pour into blender and blend until smooth.
*Pour into air-tight container and place in refrigerator for up to 14 days.

While this recipe isn’t the quickest it is quite possibly the simplest recipe you’ll find out there and it is delicious. I highly recommend making it a couple of days ahead of time, if you can, the more time the flavors have to blend the better it will taste. I love the rich flavor, I personally love that you can taste more of the tomato flavor and my family all loved it, even the tomato haters, so you don’t have to worry that the flavor is too strong.

I’m excited to bring this delicious ketchup to all our summer gatherings, I can’t wait to try it in homemade fry sauce too!
If you’re planning a bbq this summer or attending one, you need to try one of these amazing salads that are serious crowd pleasers!

Mom’s Potato Salad

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade

August 1, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Hello, thanks for stopping by!

Do you love a tangy, refreshing lemonade on a hot summer day? Me too! Add in some peaches and mint and you have the ultimate drink…Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade!

Sweet peaches and refreshing mint pair perfectly with tangy lemonade. We can’t grow lemon trees here in our Utah climate, but if you grow peaches and mint in your garden, this recipe is a necessity!

For help picking the right trees and tips for taking care of them talk, to an expert at Western Gardens. There are a lot of varieties and they’ll help you choose exactly what you need! (And if you ask nice, they might even show you some of the cool multi-variety trees like the “fruit salad” tree! It has four different kinds of fruit grafted onto ONE tree! So cool, right?!)

As I was slicing peaches for this lemonade, I saw my blooming mint plant on the counter and decided to throw some mint leaves into the mix too. And I’m so glad I did! The mint added a cool, refreshing hint to the sweetness and made every sip a wonderful mix of tart, tangy, sweet and refreshing. I’ve made three batches so far and I’ve found that the longer you let the lemonade cool in the fridge, the better it tastes. I recommend letting it cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade

Ingredients:

4 cups water
½ cup sugar
4 medium peaches, pits removed and quartered
2 Tbsp mint leaves
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)

Directions:

Add water and sugar to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add mint and peaches to sugar/water mix, reduce heat to med-low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour into a blender jar and remove the center of the lid, if possible (to allow steam to escape).
Place a towel over the lid and blend on low for 25-30 seconds, or until smooth.
Pour through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Discard the solids.
Whisk in lemon juice and cool in fridge for at least 3 hours.

Are you a tangy lemonade fan? Or do you prefer your drinks a little sweeter? No matter what your taste is, Western Gardens has a wide variety of herbs and fruit trees to make any drink your taste buds can imagine! Talk to an expert today to see what plants will thrive best in your garden.

If this Fresh Peach Mint Lemonade sounds good, check out these other tasty drinks!

Blackberry Mint Lemonade | Brazilian Lemonade | Lemon Berry Slush

To get a PRINTABLE version of this recipe, click NEXT!

Pages: 1 2

Strawberry Mango Salsa

May 28, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Hi there, so glad you stopped by!

Are you looking for a sweet, tangy and delicious salsa? Something out of the ordinary that will have everyone begging for the recipe? Then you’re in the right place! This Strawberry Mango Salsa has only 6 fresh ingredients, and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes!

Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month?! If it was up to me, every month would be National Strawberry Month. Since, sadly, it’s not, I will take full advantage of it in May and stock up on strawberries at a great price, while I wait for my strawberry plant to start delivering those red beauties right to my door step!

There are many ways to eat strawberries. From eating them plain to putting them in desserts or drinks, or even in your favorite breakfast. Strawberries are great no matter how you eat them! Today I’m sharing a new way to eat this delicious red fruit…in salsa!

I’m not a big spicy salsa fan. In fact, most salsas are too spicy for me. So when I heard about fruit salsas, I was in the kitchen whipping up a batch that night. My first attempt was a tasty peach salsa that we made last fall.

Peaches are out of season this time of year and this pregnant mama was wanting a sweet salsa to enjoy with some tortilla chips. Luckily, A few weeks ago I found strawberries for $1 a box and knew they would be a good base for my salsa. I also picked up a few mangoes and limes and made my way home.

I cut some cilantro from my indoor herb garden, diced up some leftover onions from burgers that weekend and mixed it all together. What I got was a sweet and tangy salsa my whole family devoured! I actually had to go back to the store the next day to get more strawberries to make another batch. If you like a little more heat to your salsa you could add some jalapeño or serrano peppers to kick it up a notch.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup mango, diced (about 1 mango)
1/8 cup red onion, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
juice from 1 lime

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine honey and lime juice.
In a large bowl combine strawberries, mangoes, onions and cilantro.
Toss with honey-lime mix.
Chill until ready to serve.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup mango, diced (about 1 mango)
1/8 cup red onion, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
juice from 1 lime

Instructions

In a small bowl combine honey and lime juice.
In a large bowl combine strawberries, mangoes, onions and cilantro.
Toss with honey-lime mix.
Chill until ready to serve.

https://westerngardens.com/strawberry-mango-salsa/

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries? Head into any Western Gardens Center to pick up your strawberry plants and get started enjoying the fruit of the month!

Want a few more tasty strawberry recipes? Check these out:

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry French Toast Cannolis

Copy Cat Sonic Lemon Berry Slush

Cookie Butter Apple Dip

April 20, 2015 by Becky

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and do we have a treat for you today! In fact, we have a double treat. We’re going to show you a simple 4 ingredient Cookie Butter Apple Dip in mini chocolate bowls, PLUS we have a great giveaway for a Gardening Grab Bag! Win it for yourself, or give it to a favorite mother in your life. Keep reading, you won’t want to miss a thing!

The chocolate bowls go together in minutes, and then you can put them in the fridge to set. Everything can be prepped ahead of time so you can just pull it out of the fridge when you’re ready to serve!
Simply melt your chocolate (the instructions below will keep it in temper. If you overheat the chocolate, the cocoa butter molecules won’t realign properly, resulting in a soft set chocolate even at room temperature). Put a small dollop of chocolate on a lined cookie sheet, dip the balloon in the chocolate, and place it on the dollop of chocolate. Then just let the chocolate harden, deflate the balloon, and you’re ready to fill it with cookie butter fluff!

Cookie Butter Apple Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chocolate
6 Tbsp cookie butter
2 Tbsp vanilla greek yogurt
apple slices

Directions:

Blow up 7 water balloons to desired size (I did mine small). Wash and dry balloons.
Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. (Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, in a plastic bowl until smooth).
Put a small dollop of melted chocolate on a lined cookie sheet (a little bigger than a nickle).
Dip a balloon part way in chocolate until it’s the size you’d like. If necessary, use a spoon to push the chocolate onto the balloon. Place on the dollop of melted chocolate. Repeat with all balloons.
Let chocolate set. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes if necessary.
When chocolate is set, make a small snip with scissors near the knot of the balloon. You want it deflate, not pop. Peel deflated balloon out of the chocolate bowl.
Thoroughly combine the cookie butter and yogurt. Place in a sandwich bag, snip a corner, and pipe into chocolate bowls. Serve with apple slices.

**********THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**********

And now for the Mother’s Day Giveaway! We’ve teamed up with Bite of Delight to bring you this awesome gardening grab bag valued at over $55! {It contains a pruner, trowel, trigger nozzle, garden shears, gardening gloves, kneeling pad, tote, and a black 3-pocket apron that will be custom embroidered with the winner’s name of choice!} And we’ll ship it all to you in time for Mother’s Day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway ends 4/27/15, so don’t wait to enter! Open to US residents only.
We are also running this giveaway on our Instagram account, so head there for even more chances to win!

And if that wasn’t enough, there are NINE more chances to win equally awesome prizes from these other fabulous blogs for yourself or a favorite Mother in your life.

1- My Daylights 2- Eat It & Say Yum 3- Tastefully Frugal 4- The Things I Love Most 5- Bite of Delight and Western Gardens 6- Home Crafts by Ali 7- Gypsy Road School 8- Mom’s Bag of Tricks 9- Honest Harm 10- Happy 2BA Homemaker

Fresh Tomato Soup

November 4, 2014 by Becky

Fresh tomato soup is one of our family’s favorite go-to soups. It’s comfort food for sure, and pairs perfectly with grilled cheese (a staple in our home)! There are variations galore, but this is a basic, actually-tastes-like-garden-fresh-tomatoes soup.

This is one of our favorites, especially when you need something quick on a busy weeknight. It only takes about 20 minutes to throw together, and you don’t have to have a lot of special ingredients. Just a few pantry staples and, of course, some lovely ripe tomatoes!

This is a great recipe to double, or even triple, and freeze some for another night. If tomatoes aren’t in season and you don’t have any left from your garden, you can easily substitute canned tomatoes (use 28 oz whole peeled or diced tomatoes).

Ingredients

https://westerngardens.com/fresh-tomato-soup/

To make the grilled cheese croutons, butter one side each of two pieces of bread. Place cheese slices between the bread, making sure the buttered sides are facing out. Cook in a panini press until both sides are golden brown. Cut into squares and add to soup.

*Butter or avocado oil may be substituted for the coconut oil.

Garlic-Basil Butter

October 14, 2014 by Becky

Flavored butters are a simple way to add a touch of sophistication to your meal, especially this garlic-basil butter. Impress your guests or add it to a weeknight meal. It’s fancy enough for company, but easy enough for every day! It takes only minutes to prepare, but it makes even a simple meal seem a little more fancy with delicious flavor!

If you want to take it up a notch, you can have an assortment of herbed butters by adding our chive butter to your spread. (Spread. Ha! Sadly, that pun was intended.)

We love simple recipes, and this one fits the bill. Garden-fresh herbs and veggies don’t always need a lot of dressing up. This butter really lets the flavor of the garlic and basil shine through without overpowering your dish. Summertime perfection!

Ingredients

https://westerngardens.com/garlic-basil-butter/

Give this garlic-basil butter a try the next time you have fresh herbs, you will not be disappointed in the lovely flavor, and you will love how easy it is to whip up!

Butter freezes very well. Place the butter on a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Roll it into a cylindrical shape, then twist the ends of the paper to seal. You can place it in a freezer bag for an extra layer of protection, if desired. When you need some basil butter, unwrap the log and slice off a disc to use for toast or veggies, or in your recipe. This is a great option if you are trying to use as much basil as you can at the end of your harvest, and it’s just as easy to make a big batch as it is a single batch.

Enjoy!

How to Freeze Basil Pesto

October 9, 2014 by Becky

Pesto is a great way to use up a lot of basil if your garden is bursting at the seams, or if you need to harvest it before a drop in temperature. The basil pesto recipe we posted last week is a great one to try, especially if you’re looking for a less expensive pesto that still has wonderful flavor (we used pecans instead of pine nuts!).

But what if you make a big batch of pesto and you can’t finish it before it starts to go bad? Freeze it! Freezing pesto is simple, but we have a few tips to keep it fresh and green. Pesto oxidizes (darkens when exposed to air), so keep reading to find out how to keep it looking bright and green!

Start out with clean ice cube trays and a cookie scoop. My scoop is 1 tablespoon, and since two would have overfilled the tray, I placed one scoop in each pocket. You will need just a little space at the top, so don’t fill it completely full.

Once you have all of your pesto scooped into the trays, gently tap them on the counter to remove any air bubbles and to settle the pesto into an even layer. Lightly drizzle a thin layer of olive oil over the top of each pesto cube. This will help seal out any air that could turn your pesto brown.
When you are finished drizzling the oil, cover the tray with a layer of plastic wrap and press it gently onto the pesto to remove the air. Once the air has been pressed out, just place it in the freezer!

I missed a spot on the plastic wrap…it probably pulled when I picked up the tray. Check yours before you set it in the freezer just to make sure it didn’t shift like mine! Because of the oil, it retained it’s green color as it froze, but I like to be double sure that my food will be perfect when I want to use it!

Once your pesto is frozen (I left mine overnight), remove the plastic wrap and run the bottom of the trays under cold water for a second or two to loosen the pesto, if necessary (be careful not to get water on the pesto).

Label a gallon size freezer bag, being sure to include the size of your pesto cubes.

Now just remove the cubes from the trays and toss them all in the bag!

They should be a lovely green color. Now you are ready to pull out exactly how much you need when you’re ready to eat it! Garden-fresh flavor any time. Doesn’t get much better!
Be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible before you put your bag of pesto in the freezer, and you’re done! Easy!

Basil Pesto

October 1, 2014 by Becky

If you still have tons of basil in your garden and can’t stand to see it go to waste at the end of the season, basil pesto is the perfect solution! You can make it exactly how you like it for MUCH less than you will pay at the grocery store. It’s delicious in all sorts of recipes…and you can even freeze it (stay tuned for simple instructions)! There are so many reasons to make pesto, so don’t let that beautiful basil go to waste!

Pesto is very versatile…you can make it a strong flavor or make it more mild (which is especially helpful if you’re cooking for kids – or anyone else – who doesn’t like strong flavors!), and you can even add in other greens and different kinds of nuts. This recipe changes up traditional pesto just a little bit, but it still has a wonderful, rich flavor that will make you happy you made a big batch! You can always make a smaller batch, but if you have a lot of basil from your garden, this recipe is perfect for using it up!

Ingredients

https://westerngardens.com/basil-pesto/

Enjoy your pesto tossed with pasta, on baked potatoes or spread on bread! And stay tuned for some upcoming recipes that use this delicious pesto!

Pine nuts are traditionally used in pesto, and walnuts are often used as a substitution. We used pecans in our recipe and loved the results!

For a stronger flavor, add in one additional cup of basil leaves and omit the spinach.

Chive Butter

September 24, 2014 by Becky

If you are ready to take your meal to the next level, try adding fresh Chive Butter to your dishes! Delicious on hot rolls, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, steamed or roasted veggies, and steaks.

Garden-fresh chives are an easy way to make your meal taste more gourmet with almost no effort! Plus, chive butter can be made ahead of time, saving you the headache of one more thing to do during dinner prep crunch time. Since I’m always looking for recipes to make my life easier, this one is now at the top of my list!

Chives are not only a great way to add flavor to your meal, they are said to be good for the circulatory system. They are rich in vitamins A & C, calcium, iron, and contain trace amounts of sulfur. Plus, they’re beautiful when they bloom…and chives are a perennial plant! I love that I don’t even have to do anything and they keep coming back every year. Win!

Ingredients

https://westerngardens.com/chive-butter/

Fat-Free Sweet Potato Fries

July 22, 2014 by Becky

If you are looking for a delicious, healthy side dish or snack, fat-free sweet potato fries are a perfect choice! They are simple to put together, loaded with good nutrition, and they’re always a crowd pleaser! They’re fantastic with our homemade garlic-cilantro aioli. We love this simple aioli because it goes together in 30 seconds in your blender! We love recipes that are quick, simple, healthy and that taste great…and both of these recipes fit the bill! Give these sweet potatoes a try and let us know what you think!

Ingredients

https://westerngardens.com/fat-free-sweet-potato-fries/

*If you don’t mind some oil on your fries, try tossing your uncooked sweet potato wedges with 2-3 tablespoons of avocado oil before seasoning them.

*Root vegetables can take a lot of salt. Don’t be afraid to give them a good sprinkling. {Don’t go overboard, but don’t skimp unless that’s how you like them}

*If you’re worried about your sweet potato wedges sticking to your foil, try crinkling the foil before you place it on the baking sheet. This way the potatoes will be touching less of the foil’s surface, which means you will have less sticking when they come out of the oven.