More Zucchini Recipes!

Here are the rest of the zucchini recipes that I promised. Just an interesting tidbit: I was in my Wegmans store yesterday, and the zucchinis are being called, "green squash." I wonder why. Any ideas? Please post, because I'm curious. :-) Anyway, happy cooking!

Zucchini Fritters - from Rebekah, who runs a soap supply business:

http://birdworms.com/2010/07/21/zucchini-fritters/

Zucchini Bread Recipes - From Tina, who publishes The Essential Herbal Magazine.
http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2005/07/couple-zucchini-bread-recipes.html

Zucchini and Orzo Salad with Basil - From Maryann, who sells soap wholesale, and also makes jewelry:

http://torchsongstudio.blogspot.com/2010/07/zucchini-orzo-salad-wbasil.html

Stuffed Zucchini: From Pat, who sells handmade potpourri and other herbal and sundry items:

http://www.patriciarose-apotpourriof.blogspot.com

Zucchini Pizza - From Karen, who sells cool garden items:
www.gardenchick.com/garden-blog/2010/07/zucchini-blog-party.html http://www.gardenchick.com/garden-blog/2010/07/zucchini-blog-party.html


Calabacitas: From Cindy, who sells goods she makes, sells books she's written, and tests products for safety:
http://sagescript.blogspot.com/2010/07/calibacitas-blog-party.html

Yummy Zucchini Brownies

It's a blog party! A bunch of us bloggers are posting our favorite zucchini recipes, and who doesn't need more ways to use the prodigious zucchini? One of my best recipes follows.

Yummy Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups zucchini, grated

1/2 cup extra-virgin coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 x 15" jellyroll pan. In a large mixing bowl, measure out flour, salt, soda, cocoa, and sugar. Combine eggs, zucchini, coconut oil, and vanilla. Blend into dry ingredients. Stir in nuts, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

This is a quick, easy treat for your family or friends!

Keep an eye out for links to other delicious zucchini recipes.

Sadness & Joy

I had been busy getting ready for the upcoming CNY Bubbles & Blazes Gathering. It's both stressful and fun for me to plan an event and execute the details in getting there, step by step.

Immersed in my preparations, I was floored just a short time ago to receive an email from Abbie, informing me of the death of Kim Hughes, a fellow b&b artisan. This news really stopped me in my tracks. Kim was young and full of personality. We all enjoyed her at our gatherings, with her southern accent and witty comments. To hear of her passing was surprising and sad.

What can we learn from this? A couple of things that came to mind for me were these:

Most importantly, what is your eternal destiny? Do you know? I believe with all my heart that Jesus died for my sins, died, and rose again so that I had the opportunity to accept that and be forgiven. He did that for anyone who will choose Him.

While we're still here, live like you won't always be here. Love other people, don't carry grudges, forgive others and yourself, work hard and have fun, hug your children, live a life that you don't regret, make sure your life is going in the right direction.

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I know that Monday is usually my day to post my sale, but it just wouldn't be right to post it today. Please see my last post if you need anything and please check back.

Wandering Wisteria

Our new Petal Power Gardener's Salt Bar

Be sure to check out the great July sale at the bottom!

You can't blame me. I'm a northerner. I knew it grew like crazy in the south, but I would see small, well-behaved wisteria trees here in NY, so I thought it would be a beautiful addition to my garden. It took years to do anything, and finally bloomed after about 7 years. Suddenly, it took off, spreading runners everywhere! I didn't realize the full extent until I discovered it growing into the house siding today. Yikes! I got my clippers out and began pulling and clipping it out.

I got everything I could, and will pull more wisteria out of the siding once it dies. I also hunted for and pulled runners out of the soil, as close to the original trunk as as possible. This one is going to need constant checking!

Does Wisteria have any herbal usages? I'll have to do some research. Maybe I should make wreath bases with the vines.

What about you? Have you ever planted anything you've regretted?

It's time to harvest the catnip. I've got Jewelweed infusing and drying, and lemon balm drying. Love lemon balm tea, and using it in lip balms. I really should cook one of my daylily blooms and see what it tastes like. Have you ever eaten them?

What are your flowers and herbs doing now? I'd love to hear.



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Celebrate your independence by making your own sale. Take 50% off any one item with a $30 order (before shipping). Just let me know which item you want 50% off of. Check out www.SoapAndGarden.com, and see me on Facebook.


Soap scents include: Lavender*, Gingered Orange, Lilac Breeze, Groovy Patchouli*, Black Raspberries & Vanilla, Rice Flower, Mint Medley*, Sultry Sandalwood Vanilla, Fresh Clean Herbs, and Spun Sugar. (*essential oil), Daybreak* (spearmint & eucalyptus), Oatmeal, Milk & Honey, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Midnight Merlot, Peppermint Breeze, Pina Colada, Gardener's regular, Cedar & Sage,and Petal Power Salt Bar, Cucumber Mint, Biergarten, and Rice Flower.

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Not on my site:

Herbal Bath Teas: Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Purely Herbal Blend, Four Milk Blend, and Relaxation Blend - just $2/ea.
Liquid shower gel: All natural. 2 oz. for $4; 4 oz. $6.00. In any scent listed above.
Lotion: Hand and body lotion - 4 oz, $7
Foaming Soap: Comes in the seasonal Apple Pie, plus Gingered Orange, Summer Tropical, and Lavender. Just $7/bottle for 6 fl. oz.

You must email me to get the savings. Simply mention GMB.
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Did you know that many people in the world cannot afford the basic necessity, soap, and that many become ill and die simply from the lack of something we take for granted? We at Soap and Garden participate in efforts to provide people with life-saving soap.

Time Flies!

Yikes! So much has taken place since I last blogged. My daughter graduated high school, her grad party is an event of the past, my other daughter and her family came to visit have have returned home, and everything that was blooming in June is gone and deadheaded, LOL.

I thought you might enjoy a couple of photos of my family.

First photo: we got to the grad. ceremony early, so we had a lot of time on our hands for silliness.

Second photo: Emily with Ken and me before the ceremony. Em was almost too tired from her trip to Kansas City to go!

I want to add more photos to this post, but it's not letting me, so I'll post the ad and quit for now.



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Celebrate your independence by making your own sale. Take 50% off any one item with a $30 order (before shipping). Just let me know which item you want 50% off of.


Soap scents include: Lavender*, Gingered Orange, Lilac Breeze, Groovy Patchouli*, Black Raspberries & Vanilla, Rice Flower, Mint Medley*, Sultry Sandalwood Vanilla, Fresh Clean Herbs, and Spun Sugar. (*essential oil), Daybreak* (spearmint & eucalyptus), Oatmeal, Milk & Honey, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Midnight Merlot, Peppermint Breeze, Pina Colada, Gardener's regular, Cedar & Sage,and Petal Power Salt Bar, Cucumber Mint, Biergarten, and Rice Flower.

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Not on my site:

Herbal Bath Teas: Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Purely Herbal Blend, Four Milk Blend, and Relaxation Blend - just $2/ea.
Liquid shower gel: All natural. 2 oz. for $4; 4 oz. $6.00. In any scent listed above.
Lotion: Hand and body lotion - 4 oz, $7
Foaming Soap: Comes in the seasonal Apple Pie, plus Gingered Orange, Summer Tropical, and Lavender. Just $7/bottle for 6 fl. oz.
Shower Glow: 10 oz./$10 in any scent I carry.

You must email me to get the savings. Simply mention Blog.

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June Blooms

5 for $25! Only $4 shipping for 5 bars! Don't miss out on this one.

Top news for me is that my daughter, Emily, is in Kansas City, MO, competing at Skills USA. They are allowing the first place winners in each state to compete against each other this week. I am so excited for her, I can hardly stand it. She is part of the photography division, and has worked very hard to get where she is. Stay tuned for the outcome! She is also participating in her graduation ceremony on Friday, if all goes according to schedule.

The garden has been fun and challenging. My hubby is helping me reclaim an area of the yard that is overgrown. We live by a woods, so it came to my fallow garden, and now must come out. As a result, we both got poison ivy. We learned that it's imperative to come in and wash thoroughly as soon as you know you've had contact. Do not wait until you are finished with your job. Yuck.

On the fun side, things are growing and blooming like crazy. I've harvested Heal-All, Lemon Balm, and Anise Hyssop. God's natural order of plants is astounding! The great thing is that I purchased a Nikon Coolpix camera on the advice of aforementioned daughter so I can take pictures of everything. My previous camera broke just before the HSMG Conference, so I was without. I'm enjoying the new camera, but it has lots of bells and whistles that will require a learning period in order for me to use it to its full capability. Posted are flower photos, of course. :-)

As far as soap is concerned, I've added two new scents of gardener's soap. The first is Cedar and Sage, which is for men, and the second is Summer Path, for the ladies. Cedar and Sage is very masculine, and one that women like to smell around their men. Summer Path is decidedly feminine, what all that summer offers--grass, herbs, and flowers, rolled into one bar. In the photo above, Cedar & Sage is on the left, and Summer Path, on the right. Of course, we still offer our original bar, with marvelous essential oils that love skin.

So, what are you growing? To take advantage of the sale, please tell me what you're growing. Perhaps you'd like to include what you'll do with it, or your successes or challenges. I can't wait to hear from you!

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Soap Sale! Get 5 bars for $25! + only $4 shipping

Scents include: Lavender*, Gingered Orange, Lilac Breeze, Groovy Patchouli*, Black Raspberries & Vanilla, Rice Flower, Mint Medley*, Sultry Sandalwood Vanilla, Fresh Clean Herbs, and Spun Sugar. (*essential oil), Daybreak (spearmint & eucalyptus)

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Not on my site, but available for purchase are: Herbal Bath Teas: Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Purely Herbal Blend, Four Milk Blend, and Relaxation Blend - just $2/ea. Liquid shower gel: All natural. 2 oz. for $4; 4 oz. $6.00 Lotion: Hand and body lotion - 4 oz, $7 Foaming Soap: Comes in the seasonal Apple Pie, plus Gingered Orange, Summer Tropical, and Lavender. Just $7/bottle for 6 fl. oz.
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Did you know that many people in the world cannot afford the basic necessity, soap, and that many become ill and die simply from the lack of something we take for granted? We at Soap and Garden participate in efforts to provide people with life-saving soap.

Thank you for reading, and God bless you.

Lovin' Summer

Why do I like being out in my garden? It is peaceful, the most noise coming from the bird songs around me. I am alone with my thoughts and it gives me time to pray and to contemplate. I love the fresh air, the sunshine, the scent of "green," and whatever flowers are blooming at the time.

Today, I smelled lovely Valerian flowers. What a stark contrast to the dirty sock scent of the roots! I'm wondering if I can use the flowers or leaves in tea or some other herbal preparation. I'll have to do some research on that one. Many of my hardy geraniums are blooming, a welcome sight, for sure. Sweet Cicely, always one of my favorite herbs, is beginning to form seedheads. Soon, I'll have to deadhead so I won't have so many volunteers next spring, although the seeds are tasty to munch on. Roses are blooming with their welcome, heady sweet scents. They are always pleasurable to me, and I must make a point of gathering petals tomorrow. I use them for various purposes, from potpourri to cosmetic oils to syrup.

I have been reading on The Essential Herbal Yahoo Group about rose syrup. Mmm . . . If you love herbs, join the group! It exists for the magazine, "The Essential Herbal," which is a treasure trove of information, recipes, and ideas. Check it out!

Now, it's confession time. I nearly always wear gloves when I garden. Surgery several years ago on a sliver that went right to the bone on my thumb pad convinced me they were a good idea. Today, however, I didn't follow my own rules, and was amazed at not only how dirty my hands could get, but how the mud dried them out! Ugh. Of course, I have the advantage of a good supply of my own gardener's soap, which helps me clean my hands well, without being drying. A good washing, including a brush for under my nails, and my hand lotion, and my hands don't look too much worse for the wear.

Still, gloves are on the agenda for tomorrow. . .

What's up this week on the business front? Our 5 for 25 sale continues. Get five bars of soap for just $25.00, plus only $4 shipping! You'll save $1 on each bar, and a bunch on shipping. What a deal!

Scents include: Lavender*, Gingered Orange, Lilac Breeze, Groovy Patchouli*, Black Raspberries & Vanilla, Shea Flower, Mint Medley*, Sultry Sandalwood Vanilla, Fresh Clean Herbs, and Spun Sugar, and/or anything on my site. * indicates essential oil

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Not on my site:

Herbal Bath Teas: Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Purely Herbal Blend, Four Milk Blend, and Relaxation Blend - just $2/ea.
Liquid shower gel: All natural. 2 oz. for $4; 4 oz. $6.00
Lotion: Hand and body lotion - 4 oz, $7
Foaming Soap: Comes in the seasonal Apple Pie, plus Gingered Orange, Summer Tropical, and Lavender*, plus any other soap scent listed above. Just $7/bottle for 6 fl. oz.
Body Glow - A delightful exfoliant. It does the job without taking your hide off or drying out your skin. $12/jar

You must email me or message me on Facebook or my blog to get the savings. Simply mention BLOG.
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Donations made to Missionary Flights International and Cleantheworld.org., bringing soap to people who can't afford it, fighting disease in third world countries.

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