Getting Domestic: The Produce Edition

I bought canning jars the other day at the grocery store. You heard that right, after harvesting our lone red tomato and purchasing a bushel of cucumbers at the Farmers' Market this weekend, I was inspired to get in the kitchen and make something of my fresh produce.

Look at my results:

Homemade Refridge Pickles: Made with Farmer's Market Pickling Cucumbers and Fresh Dill

Homemade Salsa: Made with Garden Tomatoes and Cucumbers from the Farmer's Market

While only 1 large tomato came from our garden I feel good that the other 4 came from our local Hy-Vee with a tag saying they were grown here in our state on a farm about 1.5 hours away. They were very fresh.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread: A favorite from a Bed and Breakfast in Kansas City

Made with Zucchini from a friends garden. They were huge and yummy. This recipe makes two big loaves and we've already eaten the first one in a day's time.

I'm not a food blog but I could post the recipes if you wanted. They are not originals but they are treasured "friends". We had a little sampling party tonight with the salsa and the pickles before dinner. Yummy! The salsa had just enough kick and the pickles were crisp and tasty with a dilly sweet taste.

Who knows, maybe later this summer, I might can a few more items that actually require canning. Both of today's recipes in my Ball Canning Jars are just for refridge; no boiling required. I'll have to admit that the real canning seems a little difficult to me!

On a completely different note, we've found a fabulous bread store in town that sells fresh bread. They are a bakery that sells directly to stores in the area and, for years, we've loved their hot dog/hamburger buns and Italian bread. Now. we are getting their bread at deep discounts. The outlet store is right near my husband's office so when he walked in today from work with the bread, he smelled like a "bagel" according to A.

All this bread was purchased for only $3.75 and the most expensive was the Cinnamon Raisin Bread at $1.85 which we enjoy in the mornings toasted with a little butter.

Raisin Cinnamon Bread, 12 Hamburger Buns, Loaf of Italian Twist Bread and a Loaf of Wheat Bread ....

Am I making you hungry?