Gardening with Grandpa (Saratoga Springs, UT)

So, we'd finally arrived and had a nice,
long, sound sleep at my parents home.

And when we woke up, it was to blue skies and cool breezes! The kids wasted no time in getting outside, and were soon helping their Papa harvest vegetables from his small (but incredibly awesome!) vegetable garden.

It was pretty neat watching the kids pick their own produce,
and it was even neater watching all of their hard work go
to good use.  My sister-in-law, Julie, made the most delicious zucchini bites from the freshly picked stuff while we there. These little bites are packed with flavor and  a hit with everyone!
(recipe at the bottom)

Watching the kids work in the "field" with their Grandpa
reminded me a lot of our summer trips home to see my
own Grandparents. I can remember wandering between the
rows of watermelon and corn stalks hoping behind their home, hoping we'd find something ripe to eat. I loved it then, and apparently, my kids love it too!

Thanks Papa! :)

Grandpa and the kids

 

Dominick searching for some ripe squash

Diana and Dominick racing down...

Working the "field"

Brooke and the huge zucchini


Little cousin Tyson was working hard too!

Zucchini Bites

Recipe adapted: The Naptime Chef

yields: 12 mini muffins

1 cups zucchini, grated
1 egg (1 large egg equals 3-4 tbsp when whisked together)
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best)
1/4 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.