Pinned! – Top Five Articles

I’ll have to admit, I have only recently become a convert to Pinterest. I first heard about it from my wife, who is much more on the cutting edge of social media that I am. I eventually set up my own account (Dave HappyAcres), and started merrily pinning away. I have found it a great way to keep track of all those great sounding recipes, articles, and such that I run across while browsing blogs and other websites. And it sure beats my old system of using bookmarks in my browser or writing notes to myself that I usually couldn’t decipher later on.

I’m not sure I’m using Pinterest like a real social media though. I don’t follow many other people’s boards, nor do I have many followers myself. What I do find interesting though is seeing what other people have pinned from my blog. It helps me know what others are finding useful, which can hopefully lead me to post more meaningful articles in the future. If you have a blog or other website you maintain, you can see what has been pinned from it by using the following link: http://pinterest.com/source/yourwebsite.com/. It makes for entertaining reading, and I thought I would share some of what I discovered as sort of a 2012 year-end recap. So now I’d like to list the top 5 articles and blog posts from Our Happy Acres, with link to the articles themselves.

1. Cold Frames

Cold Frame construction

I have to say this one was a complete surprise to me. My 2011 article about cold frame construction has been pinned and repinned more than anything else I have blogged about in the past three years. Even though I didn’t intend it to be a step by step tutorial, it does have enough information so that anyone handy with tools can construct their own cold frames. I’m sure it helps that this post wound up on Tipnut, which does bring in a lot of people who are searching for ideas on now to build a cold frame.

I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me though. I have been using cold frames myself since the early 1970’s, ever since I saw James Crockett using them on his PBS TV show Crockett’s Victory Garden. They are a great way to extend the season, and serve as a mini greenhouse for seedlings, cuttings and other plants. I’ve made them a lot of different ways, and used a lot of different materials, but my method I shared in this post is still my favorite. I have four of these cold frames in use myself at present. In 2011 the materials cost about $35, and I think every one I have built has been money well spent.

2. Zucchini Tomato Bake

Zucchini and Tomato bake

This was another surprise to me, even though I know I am always looking for new ideas on what to do with zucchini. This is an easy and tasty way to cook zucchini in summer when you also have access to some fresh and ripe tomatoes. I’m not sure how I came up with the idea for this recipe, but I’m sure glad I did. It is healthy, quick to make, and scalable to fit any baking dish by adding a little more or less of the zucchini and tomatoes. Looking at the photo in the dead of winter, with snow on the ground, I wish I had some squash and tomatoes to make it right now!

3. Freezer Tomato Sauce

Freezer Tomato Sauce

This one didn’t really surprise me. I know I do my best to preserve lots of our homegrown tomatoes in summer, especially in a good year when the counters are often covered in red, ripe goodness. My recipe is for a basic tomato sauce that can be used in a variety of dishes, and I make several batches of it every year for the freezer. My wife is using some today as I write this post, making a batch of Chicken Chipotle Taco and Burrito Filling with some leftover turkey we have. I rarely use store bought canned tomato sauce anymore, as long as I have some of this homemade sauce in the freezer!

4. Whole Wheat Sourdough Pita Bread and Baking Pita Bread

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

I am a big fan of flatbreads in general, and in the last few years pita bread has become my favorite flatbread to make, bake and use in the kitchen. I have posted recipes for both a sourdough version and one that uses yeast for leavening. I most often make them using whole wheat or spelt flour. I need to post my version using spelt, since my technique is a little different for that version. I don’t know how many people are actually making pita with my recipes, but they are sure getting pinned on Pinterest a lot.

5. Hamburger Buns

Moomie’s Famous Burger Buns

This one is no surprise to me either. Since I first posted it back in 2010, this recipe for Moomie’s Famous Burger Buns has been printed off quite often by folks looking to make their own homemade buns. I make them all the time for us, and freeze leftovers for use later on. If you’ve never tried homemade hamburger buns before, this is a good place to start. With 50% whole wheat flour and 100% great flavor, they are sure to become a favorite for anyone who tastes them.

Other Favorites on Pinterest

Fairy Tale eggplant in container

Also getting pinned numerous times were a few other articles, including Growing Eggplant in Containers, Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes, Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake and Dehydrating Garlic. Another topic of interest lately has been my various posts on Christmas ornaments. And homemade condiments are popular, with folks pinning mustard and hot sauce recipes.

bead and sequin ornament, circa 1970’s

I hope you have enjoyed this look back at some of the popular articles here at Our Happy Acres. As 2012 draws to a close, I wish all of you a Happy New Year, and hope 2013 brings peace and happiness to each and every one!