Random Stuff from the Last Few Months and a Sandwich

I realized today that it has been longer than I thought since I've posted anything.  Several months in fact.  Oops.  I haven't really been doing anything interesting (other than growing a person), which has contributed to the lack of posting.

Here's a little summary of what I've been up to recently:

The garden also went in really late this year - we kept having frost warnings right through the end of May!  It also hasn't really stopped raining, which hasn't helped getting things into the ground.
This year's garden is much smaller than usual, since I don't plan on spending too much time out there near the end of this pregnancy.  The only things I've planted are:
Black Plum Tomato
Lipstick Pepper
Cantaloupe
Cinnamon Basil
Rosemary
some flowers out front that the munchkin picked out

The tomato plant is a very prolific (and very tasty!) variety, and I'm looking forward to re-supplying my stash of salsa!

The sage, chives, thyme, spearmint, rhubarb and strawberries all survived the winter, which was also pretty convenient.

The two books that I have read since my last update, which have stuck out to me are: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (slow moving, but very atmospheric and sadly sweet) and The Acolyte by Nick Cutter (this one is a distopian novel where the science-denying, Evangelical religious right have taken over and instituted a sort of dictatorship.  Very creepy read!).

Finally, I'm very happy the seasonal farmer's markets are back!  There is a year-round market not too, too far from us, but I am fond of the seasonal market that is much closer.  When my finds at the market are combined with what we get in our produce delivery box, some very tasty meals can be had!
I've ended up making this sandwich for lunch the past two days in a row (I only have a cell phone pic, so my apologies if you can't view it well)

Delicious Sandwich!

What you see in the photo includes:
Herb & cheese sourdough from De La Terre Bakery
Garlic & chive fresh chevre (goat cheese) from Fifth Town Artisan Cheese
Spring mix from one of the veggie vendors at the market (I can't remember which one!)
Sweet Russian Mustard from Kozliks Canadian Mustard (I prefer the spicy Russian, but we ran out!)
and then tomato, cucumber and radish from the produce delivery.

Do you have a market nearby, or a favourite sandwich?

Garden Update: July 2014

Now that we're in July, I thought I'd do a quick update on the garden - especially since I got my first serious haul of produce into the house the other night (as opposed to the little smaller bunches of stuff that I've grabbed).

Sugar Snap Peas, French Breakfast Radishes and a mess of green beans!

I have pulled up quite a few radishes & eaten a lot of sugar snap peas before this photo - these are just the ones that have largely made it into the house unscathed.  The peas especially are lucky to have made it this far - I find them extra delicious right off the vine.

Here's the main veggie patch.  

I know that it largely looks like a big green mess, but from left to right, you can make out: potatoes, in a light beige pot, sweet peppers, in the plastic terra cotta looking pot, broccoli (the dark green leafy thing behind the peppers), snap peas, carrots & dill all mushed together behind the broccoli,  the cherry tomato in the pink cage in the centre, the white rectangular pot of lettuces, celery, radishes & beans to the right of the cherry tomato, and in the last tomato cage, the beefsteak tomato plant.  Also, lots and lots of weeds . . .

The beefsteak tomato is not loving life this summer.  Most other things at this end of the garden seem to be doing okay though.

Here's the left side garden.  The blasted daylillies are taking over again.  However, the white patch in the front is my lovely thyme, all in bloom.  The chives are also doing really well. The oregano is still struggling along in the middle of the patch.  The far end is where the sunflowers ended up, and so far, so good with them.  We'll see what happens when we finally get some flower heads - especially when they get seeds.  I suspect I will have it out with the neighbourhood squirrels again.

  

The right side garden.  The daylillies on this side are largely containing themselves.  Between these guys and the hostas you see in the background, the strawberries are doing okay - they did not fruit very well this summer, but they are everbearing varieties, so I may get a better crop in August.  The onions seem to be going along alright, as is the nasturtium I got.  The spearmint from last year escaped its pot and somehow got into this patch, so, that will be a forever struggle to keep it under control.  

Finally, the deck pots.  I have two of the rectangular pots - the other is just out of frame.  They both contain the watermelon radish seeds, and neither is doing well.  Too much rain, and the squirrels have been digging in them.  Rosemary and lavender are also performing decently.  The cinnamon basil (the dark green pot) however is also not loving life.  I can't figure out why.  On the upside, at least it is giving me (and the bees) a decent amount of flowers to look at.

The globe basil to the left is doing awesome.  I love it.  Really, you have no idea how excited I am for pesto making.

That concludes today's tour.  How are your gardens growing?  Have you harvested anything yet?

A Tasty Summer Beverage

Now that the rain has passed through, an most of the storm damage has been cleaned up, the sun has returned with a vengeance!

This means that the kiddie pool has been set up on the back deck, we have tackled the garden again (at least a bit, the rain made all the weeds go crazy!), and are running errands the long way so we can enjoy the sunshine.  Subsequently, we are very *very* thirsty.

The corner store has a small produce section that is quite cheap.  This produce sections includes lemons and limes that are wrapped up on little styrofoam trays in packs of four.  As a result, my fridge now contains nearly 2 quarts of homemade lemon-lime ade.  A perfect drink for a hot summer day.

Okay, so it isn't 2 quarts anymore, because we drank some.  Can you blame me?  I had to make sure it would be good enough to post about!

To make your own lemon-lime ade you will need:
4 medium lemons
4 limes
1 cup simple syrup
cold water to fill your juice jug

To start, make your simple syrup - take 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and put it in a cup or a bowl.  Boil some water, and add a 1/2 cup of the just boiled water to the sugar and stir until all of the sugar is dissolved.  You now have simple syrup!  Set it aside for the moment.

One at a time, cut your lemons and limes in half and then cut a thin slice from one half (these will float in your finished ade, continuing to impart delicious citrus flavour.  You can put them in your final juice jug now).
Juice your citrus halves!  I juiced mine into a separate container with my little hand reamer.  Mine looks a lot like this one.  When all my lemons and limes were juiced, I strained the juice through a sieve, into the final juice jug I was using.  That way, I got the big bits of pulp and most of the seeds out of the final beverage. 

Now, fill your jug most of the way with cold water, give it a stir and then a taste.  Add your simple syrup until the sweetness is to your preference.  I added the entire cup, since I had pretty tart lemons and limes.

Now the hard part - putting your lemon-lime ade into the fridge to get nice and frosty.  I'm impatient, so it was hard to wait!  It was really worth it though - I enjoyed my first glass on the back deck with a friend, while our munchkins played in the kiddie pool.

If you want a more 'adult' version, I think it would definitely make a tasty punch with either vodka or gin.  If you'd like to switch up the flavour profile, you could do lemons with strawberries, limes with blueberries, or throw in a handful of diced frozen watermelon!  Mint might also make a tasty addition. 

Stay hydrated!