Just Another Diner

Yeah, I still got hope. And I will still work for change.














Peace.

Garden Questions

Is this blight?

Earlier in the summer I had some tomatoes with blossom end rot (thanks, Ali, for knowing what it was!). That seems to have remedied itself. Now, I've had a few tomatoes that look like this. Last year I was spared any blight heartache, but I do remember that if you do have blight, you're supposed to destroy! destroy! destroy!

Is this root edible? What is it?

Last year, my first as a mega-gardener, the thing that the girls ate the most was salad. So this year, I planted even more rows than I had last year. Guess what the girls were much less interested in this year? Even as much as I love salad, I couldn't eat it fast enough. When I went out yesterday to clean up some of the boltage, I found this root at the bottom of a big bunch of leaves. It smells kinda radishy. Is it food?

Thanks for your help!

Walking to Town Yesterday for Ice Cream

Look! A bunny! Two bunnies!

This tree looks like it has an agenda.

A strange sign on the way home. The car was nearby. The girls and I couldn't figure out why someone would steal the tires off this car. For a few minutes the 10 year old became concerned that someone might steal tires off our car. I assured her there must've been something special about these tires, ours are definitely safe.

Weird, though.

Peace.

Today's Harvest

What's for Lunch?

We are grateful for more garden bounty.

Peace.

At the Top of the Stairs

No, really, girls, there's nothing to be afraid of. Go to sleep.


Okay, so I caught it in a container and took it outside.

Peace.

More Pie

Peach.

Peaches soaked in a bit of red wine, fresh grated ginger, brown sugar, dash of cinnamon, fresh ground black pepper. Then baked in a pie [full disclosure: flour & butter were added to filling before baking].





Yum.

This Morning's Experiment

I was gonna call them Blueberry Oddballs.
Then the almost-10 year old suggested Puffball Scones.

Folks who follow this blog know I make a lot of biscuits and scones. A lot. So they're pretty easy for me to make. Still, cutting all that butter and flour together is time consuming. And some mornings, especially when I've already poured the hot water in the pot to steep the garden peppermint, I want something quick. So I used the basic biscuit recipe I learned from Betty Crocker* and I substituted olive oil for the butter. I added a generous amount of cinnamon and some tumeric. And of course, blueberries. Then, instead of rolling the dough out onto a floured board and cutting shapes, I just dumped the dough onto the floured board, kneaded it very gently to fold in the blueberries, then formed loose shapes by hand.

Good morning.

Peace.


*Huh. I went looking online for the recipe to link to and the one I found was slightly different from the one in my cookbook. The basic recipe: Oven 450. 1 3/4 cup flour. 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. 1/2 teaspoon salt. I mix it together with a fork. Cut in 1/3 cup shortening (I usually use unsalted butter). I use my fingers. Stir in 3/4 cup milk. Turn onto floured board. Knead 8 times. Roll. Cut into shapes (I use a small glass for circles or a heart-shaped cookie cutter). Bake approximately 18 minutes, until just beginning to brown.

Monday Critter Blogging

Wish I were...

...here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

...or here...

Missing my family and those lovely California breezes on this hot and sticky Massachusetts day.

Blueberry Picking Leads to Blueberry Pie

No lemon juice? Try some Lagunitas Maximus.

Yes, I am the worst crust maker in the history of the world.

And now, I get to go eat this!



Update: Yum! Delicious! I did all those freeze-this-freeze-that things, so the crust was very flaky. The problem, I guess, is my ratio, or something. I need more crust! So I end up having to roll what I've got so thin that I can't do anything with it. It just fell apart & laughed when I tried to lattice it. I got the last laugh, though.


Peace.