homesteading – Magnolia Hill Homestead

3 Creative Ways To Use Up Zucchini and Summer Squash

It’s that time of year that gardeners everywhere are loaded down with all of that Summer Bounty, so diligently cultivated weeks ago. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the volume of Zucchini, Squash and Cucumbers like we are, here are 3 creative ways we’re cooking them up.

We love to grill outside during the Summer, so we’ve been piling those veggies onto Shish Kabobs! Layering up Onion, Bell Pepper, Mushroom, Cherry Tomato, Pineapple and chunky Zucchini to make a delicious Hawaiian style meal. Paint on some tangy Teriyaki sauce, add to a bed of rice and it’s an instant crowd pleaser!

Cucumbers have been coming out of our ears this year, and I can only make so many pickles… This next idea has been so popular at our house, we eat it almost every single day for lunch!

I use the FLAT BLADE of my Spiralizer to create this fun and ultra-thin string of cucumber slices. Mixed with sliced onion, black olives and topped with fresh basil and dill. I finish it off with a splash of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper. – Yum!

The biggest win has been creating these fun tendrils of Squash, sautéed in rich butter with garlic and onions. Adding in a handful of cooked pasta (reserve 1/4 cup of the water to add to pan), halved cherry tomatoes, basil and lemon zest. Topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese, THIS is a weekly staple at our house.

The Spiralizer has been an asset to the Homestead, as we’ve used it for so many different meals, from squash to fruit to many other tuber vegetables. As a plant-based family, we need as many tools as we can find to be creative with our recipes.

We have gotten such an overwhelming response to our Instagram Stories every time I post these meals, I thought this would be a good time to share on the Blog.

I hope you try these out & please let us know which one is your favorite. Bon Appetit!

Why Homestead?

When I first began talking about “Homesteading” I received many a side-eye. It’s a word that has been long forgotten and, in my circles, likely produced thoughts of old-world struggle. I didn’t quite grasp the concept when I had first witnessed its trend a few years ago after reading of families who escaped the corporate world to live in debt-free tiny homes, or ladies on Instagram hunting down Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book “Simple Abundance”. However, there was something gripping me as well, I can’t quite explain where it came from. Perhaps it was the call from my ancestors to slow down and reconnect with my spirit. I read blogs about crating Hygge, Urban Farming and Cottagecore, so I tried dipping my toes in and see how it felt to create instead of consume.

I dipped my fingers into the earth and replaced flower beds with herbs. I bought into a CSA and learned to cook our meals from scratch. We bought a Berkey water filter. I baked bread, fermented krauts and reconnected my spirit with the earth. It felt as though we were in alignment for the first time in many years. And instead of our typical tropical vacation, that following summer we rented out a 100 acre ranch in the Ojai Valley for a couple of weeks where we were surrounded by horses, goats, chickens and cows.

I think that sealed the deal.

I had been longing for the countryside where I grew up, and Tony was able to feel the peace and fulfillment of a working farm. Although it wasn’t easy, the slower pace filled us both with hope for a more relaxing future.

Homesteading.

The word that felt foreign and absurd just four years ago, became a motto of sorts. When things unfolded in 2020, I understood the call. Someone or something deep within had given me the gift – implanting a desire I never knew I could have. It’s so hard to explain, however I feel that there are no coincidences. It brought us here to this little slice of heaven in the South.

To some, its a calling to go off grid, to hunt, prep and live off the land. To me, it’s about growing whole, organic foods, breathing in the fresh air, witnessing four seasons, drinking clean water, peace & quiet and the freedom to be who we want to be. Without anxiety-filled careers, city traffic, black tie affairs or pharma-pushing doctor appointments.

Homesteading equals Freedom in my eyes.

You can catch more of our slow-living journey and daily LIVE stories on Instagram RIGHT HERE.

What Happened to Renew Your Space?

The Short Answer: I’m still here – Teaching Organization Workshops Virtually. However, we have moved from the West Coast to a Farm in the South, and I am venturing into some new endeavors…

2009 was an auspicious year. I was full of creative energy and caught the Blogging spark. We had just moved to the beach in Southern California, and it was a tough time to jump into a new career, having just come out of the recession. My previous careers were in non-profit which were in a hiring freeze at that time, so I was forced to look inward for resources. I wrote a book called “Renew Your Space at Your Own Pace” which compiled information from several Organizing Blogs I had written. I started a Group on Facebook which is still active today. The next year I launched my Professional Organizing business in Ventura, CA which took off like wildfire. It was not only a saving grace for us, it was a fulfilling dream come true. Through the last ten years, I have kept it going with Virtual Appointments as well as Consulting Businesses.

Ten years is a very long time for a one-woman show. I have been my own Hands-on Employee, Webmaster, Bookkeeper, Customer Service, Marketer, Advertiser, Editor, Moderator, Workshop Facilitator, Speaker…. among so many other things.

When 2020 rolled around, we began to feel restless again. Similarly to when we sold everything to pursue a life in Costa Rica, turned Oregon, started a Boutique and restored an old house. But this was different. We both felt a draw to a simpler life – one in which we can live debt-free and enjoy the great outdoors every day. We spent many months dreaming up our perfect Farm Life, ultimately finding everything we needed in South-Western Kentucky. Nestled on the Kentucky-Tennessee boarder, we traveled 2,000 miles and transitioned our lives to settle into a full country adventure. We landed here in June of 2000, and it has literally taken me over six months to feel settled in enough to write this.

Now, HERE is the reason my Website + Blog + Workshops have been missing…

I lost my mojo about a year before our move, when WordPress accidentally deleted my entire website, back-ups and every single Blog I had written since 2008. Literally hundreds of articles disappeared in an instant. The Sacred Space Course, Organizing Challenges & Member Vault disappeared as well. After fighting with them for weeks, I finally gave in and decided to retreat for a while. I had writer’s block from this (I still do), and although I can use the Wayback Machine to see the ghost of it, I haven’t felt motivated enough to recreate it.

So what does that mean for Renew Your Space?

Now that I am in this space of inspired action & feel the pull to dip my toe back in, I want to try something NEW. Have you noticed that this website is now called “The Weatherford Homestead”?

I’ve been so drawn to the “Modern Homesteading” lifestyle for a few years and I have really jumped into Self-Sufficiency since we’ve been here. I would like to share our journey of relocation across the country, designing a new garden, rehabilitating an old orchard, self-taught baking from scratch, building an apothecary, learning how to become self reliant & caring for animals. I would also like to continue offering my workshops on Space Renewal here as well.

I will be splitting this website in two for both endeavors…

The Weatherford Homestead will be sharing adventures on our new YouTube Channel our Instagram Page (The Flip Flop Farmers), and this Blog every week. I share daily snippets of our new Homestead Life in the Instagram Stories & have a substantial amount of content that I’ve shared since our move.

I’m not sure how it will all fit together, but I will always work to provide you with quality content, helpful tips and the best service possible in what I do. I really look forward to connecting with you as our Farm grows.

Much love – Renee & Tony Weatherford