​This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!

     I have begun harvesting the beet roots now and that means there are plenty of beet tops that also need to be used!   
      I pulled about 8 beets today with the plan to pickle some!  (Check out my recipe on this post)  After I picked them, I had them waiting in a colander until I was ready to clean and process them.  There were so many green tops that my husband thought that i was using them as a flower arrangement!  (They did look beautiful!)  But nope, I had other plans for those beauties!  ​

     Here in Phoenix it is the time of year when everyone who has citrus trees in their yards  are trying to give away as much of it as they can.  I don't understand why the grocery store still charges 50 cents or more per lemon when people have lemons falling off of their trees unused, begging people to come and take the fruit off of their hands.  
     I do not have a citrus tree at my house.  But, I have been the grateful recipient year after year of wonderful oranges, lemons and grapefruit from  other people's yards, sometimes to the point that I have had to search for ways to use them all!  
      As you know, I hate food waste.  To see oranges and lemons left to fall off, rot, attract roof rats and other rodents just kills me! I know it can be overwhelming to deal with it all, so I'm going to share the ways I've learned to process that citrus into usable food storage that you will be glad that you have as the year progresses! 

     Back in August, I shared with you my Garden Journal and my plan to try to have something growing all year round in my garden.  I used my Garden Journal to plan everything out and kept notes about everything that happened in my garden.  As you can see, I've been having tremendous results! I'm harvesting peas, spinach and beets, along with the beet greens.  My Broccoli is beginning to flower and a few carrots are sprouting.  Hopefully, my Fall Garden Harvest will get done this month and I can start putting in my Spring Garden after that! I've already starting sprouting transplants.   I feel like I'm kicking off the New Year right!  

​This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!

     If you ever shop at a Kroger store, (like Kroger, Fry's, Dillon's, Smith's...), you will sometimes find a clearance rack in the produce department where they sell bags of almost turning, overstocked  produce for just 99cents per bag!  Do not snub your nose at these things!  If you are ready to use them right away, you can find some great deals on those little shelves.  I've gotten huge beef steak tomatoes,  Alicia got enough peaches to can, and the other day, my son came home with a coconut, at my granddaughter's request! She loves coconut! 

       After cracking that thing open, catching the water and scrapping out the meat, while eating a fair share, she and I decided that a coconut cake using fresh coconut in it was in order.  

       So, that is just what we did!  
      This recipe takes 4 eggs and uses coconut milk in place of regular milk.  I used 1 cup of butter in it, but I think I might try 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of coconut oil the next time that I make it.   Also, I toasted about 1 cup of coconut and put it right in the batter.  It gives it a nice nutty crunch as you eat the cake, along with the toasted coconut sprinkled on the top of the glaze!  I didn't have coconut extract, so I used vanilla, but coconut might be great for amping up the coconut flavor.  

      Be sure to grease your bundt pan well because this cake is moist and it will stick to the pan!  
      Be sure to store your moist cake in a sealed container to keep it moist!  (I use the round Tupperware Cake Taker.)

        The cake was a hit around my house! My young grandson came back for seconds!  If you don't have a fresh coconut, this recipe should work with shredded from the store as well.