Herbs

I think one of the most gratifying things about having a garden is being able to go out and pick the herbs you want for cooking. Buying bundles of herbs in the store is quite costly, and who needs a whole bundle anyway, unless you're making pesto?

Tonight, I roasted a chicken. Earlier today, I went to my herb spiral and picked a few springs of each of the following: rosemary, tarragon, sorrel, marjoram, thyme, and sage. I then put them in a mason jar and added some local extra virgin olive oil. The oil was then rubbed into the skin of the chicken, and the herbs were added with a lemon to the cavity.

This felt extremely frugal and housewifely. :) Not to mention, mouth-watering.

First day of vacation

Ah, it feels good. No lunches to pack (though I have to help the kids a little in the kitchen), I can put on working-in-the-yard clothes, I can drink iced coffee the entire day if I want to. There is a perk to having a career in a school setting - and that perk is SUMMER.

Today I spent some time making a list of things to do in the garden. Then I pulled up the rest of the poppies and separated seeds, filled up the green garbage can (the one that goes to the city compost), and filled up my own compost bin.

I made and staked the cucumber cages.

I pulled weeds. I noticed yet another dog vomit fungus. I think this must have something to do with the wood chips we spread this year - does this stuff grow particularly on cedar?

There are lots of interesting fungi coming up in the raised beds, which is a by-product, I think, of the decomposing mulch underneath. Most of the mushrooms are blue-grey, and I am having trouble identifying what kind they are.

I have the most gorgeous sunflower blooming in the side yard. I got the seeds from Renee's Garden, I can't remember if it's a "Chocolate Cherry" or "Cinnamon Sun" variety, but I love it.

Every year I notice how much the goldfinches like sunflower leaves. They completely ignore the flower, but perch on the leaves and eat them. It's hard to see in this photo, but many of the leaves are completely decimated. It doesn't seem to hurt the plant, and gosh the finches are cute.

The sweet potatoes are going great, despite the fact that at least one slip was stolen by a creature, I'm guessing a raccoon. It seems a very raccoon-y thing to do.

The bees are all over the Chinese Tallow trees and Agaves in the neighborhood, and seem to be having a second nectar run. This is great news, as I want them to have plenty of food for the winter. They keep making babies, I can't believe how many more bees are in the hive! The queen is a good layer.

Each year, I give the kids a new summer rule. This summer it was that they each have to make dinner once a week. This means helping me make an ingredient list and shopping for what they need. Kate's up first - she chose nachos. Not exactly gourmet. But I'll have mine on a bed of greens from the garden!

Father's Day

I started out the day noticing that pink has taken over the flower garden.

That last is a rain lily, a bulb from my great-grandmother, passed down through generations.

My parents came over, and my dad and I took a look at the bees. He noticed marauding yellow jackets, looking for dying bees to take home to their young. We watched this drama unfold.

I guess the yellow jackets can have the dying bees, though I still dislike them and wish they'd just stay out of my garden.

The whole family traveled up to the Capay Valley. We were on a hunt for almonds, but it seems like the main almond festival time is February. There wasn't much going on in the sleepy farm towns of Esparto, Brooke, Guinda, and Rumsey. We did manage to buy some apricots and cherry jam from a farm, then got some BBQ in Guinda and took it down by Cache Creek for a picnic. We traveled up Hwy 16 to Full Belly Farm, a farm that we often see highlighted on local restaurant menus. No one was around, but we got permission to walk around the farm, and it was quite lovely.

We pulled off the road to look at sunflower fields and the beehives beside them. The fields were alive with buzzing and incredible to look at.

We ended the trip at a local market specializing in local products and grass-fed local meat. Mom got some olive oil, I got a tri-tip to grill for dinner.

Tonight I think I'll send the kids and the husband out for ice cream, while I indulge in my favorite sweet treat, frozen banana mousse.

Cut up very, very ripe bananas - ones that have lots of brown spots. Put them in a bag in the freezer.

When you're ready for dessert, put the bananas in your food processor.

Add some unsweetened cocoa powder, and some cream (I use heavy cream, but you could use half and half or milk), and blend until smooth. Keep adding liquid until it's the right consistency.

Then enjoy the deliciousness. It's light, it's fluffy, and it has no added sugar.

That picture doesn't do it justice, but it was dark when I took it. Honestly, you must try this! It's so good.

The perfect end to this day will be watching the Game of Thrones season finale with Tom.

Home-Grown Peach Smoothie

Went out this morning and picked some peaches.

Spent some time peeling and slicing them, then put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer.

Came home late this afternoon, and stuck the frozen peaches in the blender with some coconut milk, plain yogurt, stevia, and grass-fed gelatin.

Pressed the 'puree' button and ended up with a delicious, thick, ice-creamy, sweet smoothie for lunch!

It was incredibly good.

Morning Greens

Today, I went out and harvested some greens - spinach, collards, chard, kale, mizuna, tat soi - I'm not sure what else - and scrambled them into my morning eggs and bacon.

I finished it up with the first peach from the garden.

Is there anything better than picking your breakfast from the garden?