Earth Bread!

Earth Bread!

About 23 years ago we moved to a ranch community in Nebraska. We were about 20 miles from "town" and about 2 hrs. away from a store where we could buy sox and undies for the kids! I learned a LOT while we lived there. I learned that there are not "streets" in the country, there are "roads". I learned that a cow isn't just a cow....a cow is a heifer or a cow depending on if they've calved or not... and a cow is not a bull or a steer. I learned that a "truck" is a farm truck and not a pickup truck, and that's it's safer to say "vehicle" for any car/truck etc. that you drive. I learned that a "preacher" is someone who is there for just a little while, but the ranchers have been there for generations, so no preacher man better be goin in there tryin to change anything cuz he's just gonna leave anyway. I learned that everyone lives in a "neighborhood" even if there's no one closer than 2 or 3 miles away..."neighborhoods" consist of families who's children go to the same one room schoolhouse and may have a 20 mile radius! I learned that in the country the main meal, called "dinner", is at noon and that "supper" is the evening meal and is leftovers and/or sandwiches. I learned that if one makes sandwiches at noon and a neighbor stops by it is assumed that one can't cook. I learned that cowboys are real. I learned the meaning of "family" in a completely different context. -In the city everyone gets babysitters to watch their kids each weekend and dad's & mom's go to work in different places...all family members have their own lives separate from each other. On a ranch mom and dad both go to work on their own place and the kids go to school, but then they come home and help their parents. The dad's take their little kids with them in their vehicle to check cows, or fences, and babysitters are very seldom needed because most people have grandparents close by, but usually the entire family does everything together.... and it's just the way it is. I learned that it's not cool to go to town for much....people who live along the highway count the times their neighbors go to town during the week. I learned that "news" is who visited who and who ate dinner with who and who had a branding and who helped...and it's actually in the newspaper. I learned that ranch wives love to pass on their knowledge to help city people learn country skills....like chicken pickin, eating lots of beef, gardening, canning, quilting, branding, dehorning, entering various things in the county fair, & making rocky mt. oysters.

An incredible ranch wife who accepted this city girl who moved into the neighborhood from Phoenix, helped me with my garden, chicken picken, raising some sheep, and way more, & shared her blue ribbon recipe for Earth Bread with me so I thought I'd share it with you all...

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour (I used fresh ground whole wheat and it turned out great)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon (I add more)

mix dry ingredients and then add:

1 cup grated zucchini

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup mashed bananas

1 cup canola oil (I used unsweetened canned apples run thru my food processor instead of oil!)

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cups chopped nuts

It's best to let this "age" overnight.

Grease and flour 2 bread pans (lining the bottom of the pan with wax paper makes it easy for the bread to come out). I usually divide the batter between several small loaf pans instead of 2 large ones.

Bake @350 for one hour.