summer's first strawberries

The little strawberry patch has been thriving at our new place, and the first berries ripened over the weekend. We picked nine strawberries and found them to be so precious a treasure that we ate them right away, savoring them to the last juicy bite. There might have been a couple more berries, but, alas, it looks like we had to share them with birds and other creatures. This is definitely one drawback to pesticide-free, organic gardening, but it's a price we're willing to pay for what we get out of it.

We'll have more strawberries ripening soon, and I can't help but remember how impatient I was last year when we put this patch in, picking off the blooms that first year and urging the plant to hurry up and grow! And now I think this was so worth waiting for. Look at how gorgeous our berries are!

I've been amazed over the years at how easy it is to grow and care for strawberries, and how sustainable a crop it is since it expands and produces more all on its own. You won't get a yield the first year, but the following year you will have several berries and be amazed! We started our patch with five June-bearing plants last year, deliberately picking a mix of two different varieties that do well in the state of Washington, and now we're seeing pretty decent results, with having put in very little weeding or maintenance the past year. At only 2 feet by 8 feet, this a small strawberry patch by most standards, in a sunny but otherwise unused spot along the side of the house. It will yield enough for us to enjoy in-season, but not enough to can or freeze or do anything. So we're starting to scout out a little more space in unused corners of our yard, to put in a new patch, and hopefully, double our yield in two years. Maybe then we will have enough to make jam, and freeze for our smoothies, desserts, and whatever else we do to enjoy these babies through the rest of the and until the following June when we will see them again. This is too precious, too sustainable, and too easy a fruit to grow to ignore its potential!

Red Russian Kale, oh the possibilities!

I planted a new variety of kale in my little garden this year. Red Kale. Red Russian Kale, to be exact. It is much more tender and delicate than the Dwarf Blue variety we planted for the second time this year. I had only planted one row, as I do with most new seeds but, after having cooked a few meals with it this week, I am so happy with the results and am kicking myself for not having more available right now!

Red Russian Kale Omelet

With that said, I am savoring every bite of what we have available to harvest now...we put it on grits for dinner the other night, alongside caramelized onions, and a fried egg on top. And, filled it into omelets for breakfast this morning with roasted garlic, a bit of thyme, and shaved asiago cheese. Tasty.

Red Russian Kale

This Red Russian variety - according to my research - tends to develop more flavor after frost (and freezes well, as all Kale does), so I think I will plant a few more rows in mid-to-late summer so we can continue savoring this tasty green treat through the winter months.

Kale Harvest

I bought a package of Kale seeds and planted some, even though it was not in the plan for my little veggie garden this year. I was hesitant, never having planted kale before, but figured it would be worth the try since we've been eating more and more of it lately. I planted roughly a 1'x2' area and it grew so well, and so abundantly and thickly that this harvest here is only about one-fifth of what remains. I may need a bigger salad spinner. Yippee!

If you have even the tiniest patch of dirt I encourage you to plant some Kale. It's very good for you (I'm no expert on the details of that!) and it was so easy to grow. Plus, you could buy a package of organic kale seeds for less than $2, and probably get pounds and pounds of kale out of it versus spending $2 or $3 for a single bunch at your local grocery store or farmer's market. Do it!

Wild Mint Growing In Our Backyard!

We stumbled upon several wild mint plants while strolling through our back yard over the weekend. There it was, happily growing out of the compost pile that the previous homeowners had left behind in a corner of our backyard. Fresh mint...in our own backyard. That's RIGHT! And in case you didn't catch what excites me most about this discovery - it is FREE. Yippee! I was already daydreaming about fresh mint tea with when two things occurred to me. First, that I had just depressed myself not even one week ago because mint was the only herb I had not started indoors or bought. Second, this little baby is going to come back next year and every year after that. I couldn't help but wonder, was the timing of this just a coincidence? God's gifts are truly wonderful. Even the tiny little "minty" ones, wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, the inaugural concoction using our unexpected gift from the ground:  fresh mint tea. Simple, fragrant, and warms the bones. I love it. For one serving, add 8 - 10 oz boiling water to 1 scant teaspoon green (or jasmine) tea leaves, and drop in a couple teaspoons worth of mint leaves lightly bruised between your fingers. Let steep for as many minutes as it suits you. Oh-so-good. Enjoy!

Now doesn't this look very warming? So. What will we do next with our minty bounty?  Maybe Mojitos!

Zucchini from my garden

I harvested the second 12" zucchini of the summer, and have thoroughly enjoyed making various zucchini entrees. The latest of which is this Deconstructed Zucchini Parmesan that I had fun throwing together last night. They turned out so well, I will definitely make them again. And not just to hear Ryan call them "Zucchini Volcanoes" again :)



Here is the recipe: Deconstructed Zucchini Parmesan (or Zucchini Volcanoes!)

You will need:
1 cup breadcrumbs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 large zucchini, or 2 medium, sliced ¼ inch thick
½ cup skim milk
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup pasta sauce
¼ cup olive oil or enough to coat the bottom of a large frying pan

Mix breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, set aside. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Coat zucchini slices in milk, then breadcrumb mixture, and fry on each side about 2 minutes. Remove to a paper towel. Once all the zucchini are fried, remove any fried bits from the pan, and heat up the pasta sauce in the same pan. Assembling – start with one layer of fried zucchini, top with a little bit of both cheeses, then a tablespoon of sauce. Repeat with a second layer of zucchini, more cheese, and more sauce. Then place third layer of zucchini over it, with a tablespoon of sauce, then cheese on top, followed by - if you wish - freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Fall, time for apple pie

It was forty-six degrees outside this morning. The first brisk morning that makes the hair on your arms stand straight up. Our apple tree is completely weighed down with hundreds of tiny green apples, blushing pink. I am in pie-making mode and will be churning out several of these over the next few weeks. I'm not a baker, but if there's one thing I can bake really well it is apple pie. With real butter, and real ingredients, not half-fat low-sugar this and that. Traditional. From scratch. Encased in a delicious homemade buttery crust, and topped with a beautiful lattice finish.

I also made an apple custard two weeks ago, which turned out really well, then I made one more last week. I refuse to make them for myself/ourselves anymore...did I mention, I'm trying to shed 5 lbs?

Anyway, I went to the store this evening and got a huge stack of foil pie plates. And I made a list of all my favorite people that will get apple pies from us, and it is shockingly long.

Then, of course, there are some people with various food preferences, and don't like cooked fruit, or this and that. "Not a big nutmeg fan." "I hate butter." Gasp!? Julia Child would be ashamed. Anyway, I’m not sure who all really want pies. Are there any takers??

my first pesto!!!

I had fun yesterday evening. I picked about 3 cups of fresh basil (from my garden!) and made pesto. It turned out really well too! After all the effort, I only got about one and a half cups worth. But who cares! I made pesto and that's all that matters. I set aside about half for our friends Eric and Becky, and another half for a girl I work with who likes pesto, and then Ryan and I sopped up the pesto from the bottom and sides of the mixie (food processor) with bread.

Then we went to visit Eric and Becky and their two day old baby boy. He is the cutest, pinkest, wrinkliest, most adorable little 5lb baby boy that I have ever seen. What a sweet little fellow.

I woke up bright and early this morning, slightly determined to end the work-week on a very good note, still energized from the successful pesto endeavor. I washed my face, turned the oven on to preheat, and Lola and I took off on our morning walk. Then I stepped into the garden to check up on it (partly out of worry that the two-thirds of the pesto plant I picked off last night would not grow back). I showered and changed for work, put on coffee, and made cinnamon rolls.....much to Ryan's surprise and delight (since we really haven't had a good breakfast on a workday in a while).

Today is going to be a fantastic day. I just know it. And I made pesto.

my wish for a garden

I want to have a garden this spring. With the horrible winter that we have experienced this year, it looks like "spring" is still weeks and weeks away. But, that hasn't stopped me from planning my little garden! I want the pleasure of growing and eating my own veggies! I want to experience running outside and grabbing a handful of some delicious leafy green spinach for dinner! It is going to be a small 6 by 6 foot garden, and in it I will grow spinach, okra, bell pepper, chili pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and basil. Maybe raspberries also. So what if I know nothing about gardening and have managed to kill every plant that I have ever owned? At least I am marching on, into the unknown. So what if I don't have the hours to spend tending to the garden, nurturing it and loving it? If I plant the seeds and water the earth, they will grow! People tend to complicate things that are simple and uncomplicated to begin with, so what is there to know? You dig up the earth, throw in the seeds, cover, water regularly, and wait patiently. Simple.

Ask me about my thriving garden in four to six months.