BOUNTIFUL

There is much on my mind these days dampening my spirits, and sometimes I find it difficult to do pursue the creative aspects of my life.  However going up to the garden, getting my hands down deep in the dirt, pulling weeds and reaping the bounty is a balm.  So too, is getting on my bike and riding my usual route, which having recently tracked the mileage, I now know is 18.3 miles.  I try to ride it at least 4 times per week, more if possible.  Also working up a real sweat in my Zumba class twice per week, is good for my soul.  

The garden is spilling forth with goods now, broccoli, dill, cucumbers, Swiss Chard, beans, especially beans aplenty, and then some.

One of my favorite broccoli dishes is this raw broccoli salad, which quite honestly I could eat and eat and eat.

Raw broccoli cut up, and I use the thick stems, peeled, as well.  An onion from the garden cut into pieces, a bunch of sun flower seeds, a handful of craisens, crisp, crumbled bacon, mayo, a bit of cider vinegar and a touch of sugar.  Unbelievable good.

This bean salad is a staple of my childhood, and is made about two hours before dinner and left at room temperature.  Blanch beans until desired tenderness and cut up.  Slice onions, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers (which are coming a couple a day), snipped fresh dill, olive oil, wine vinegar, salt/pepper and dried oregano.  Toss and let sit.

This dish, adapted from a favorite risotto recipe is dynamite.  Mild Italian sausage sauteed with onions, when onions soft, add a cup of Marsala wine, reduce heat and cook for about 25 minutes until liquid reduced by about half.  In the mean time cook your risotto (this recipe usually has sliced potatoes in it, and it would still be good, but I left them out for this version).  Many people do not do risotto because they think it is too  time consuming, adding broth a little at a time until absorbed, which can in fact take up to 25 minutes.  But it is really worth it.  While doing the risotto, steam or saute fresh from the garden Swiss chard until cooked to your liking.  When all is done place risotto in a large bowl, cover with the sauteed Swiss Chard, cut the sausages into slices, and put that along with the onions and the Marsala reduction sauce over all.  Oh, this is mighty good!!

An Amish friend has a warehouse where he gets fruit throughout the season, and he has both peaches and blueberries in at this time. 

I bought a lug of each, and here is our first peach pie....

 

It did not last long.

So, thanks to my friend Nora, who said she missed reading my blog, I posted again!!

NO NEED FOR MANY WORDS

This is, as most of you know, a trying time for our family, and we are doing our best to be positive, strong, and live normally.  I am deeply grateful for my garden which is a wonderful, daily stress remover. 

The Garden

the peas, planted in late March

 

pods to be ready in about a week...

...the lettuce...

been eating this for several weeks now

...the onions...

planted close together so we could pull the small ones and eat them now...

...the dill, none of which was planted, all came up as volunteers...

...the potatoes...

...the sweet potatoes planted as the Amish do...

...the kale, my favorite leafy green...

...the experiment...

tomatoes planted in straw bales, looking good.

I did not plant all the tomatoes in straw bales, this below is planted in the traditional manner

now this is really looking good to me!!

SPINACH AND PESTO (and a Ballerina)

Elsa had her recital on Saturday, a lovely little ballerina she was!

Jonel and Andy grow spinach in a cold frame and it has been prolific, and I, thankfully have been a recipient of much of it.

Huge, sweet leaves....

sauteed in olive oil with onion and lots of garlic.  (The little girls were astounded at the full, full, overflowing pan that ended up with what looked like a meager amount of spinach.)

Served with linguini, pesto, and grating of cheese.  It was so fresh and decidedly delicious.

Fresh from the garden lettuce salad...

homemade sour dough bread, buttered, with garlic and pressed in the panini machine.

Nothing quite like food fresh from the garden.

SIX YEAR OLD

She asked for the moon...and a bunch of stars, too.

And that is what she got!!

This year Elsa asked me to make a 'moon' cake for her, with stars sticking out.  (Her fourth birthday she asked for the sun, her fifth she asked for the earth, and this, her sixth, she asked for the moon.)

The moon cake, with stars.

...and she loved it, she pronounced it 'perfect'.

I also made her a sun dress with matching cap

and every year I include a wrapped gift for the birthday girl to give to her sister....

...so a sun dress with matching cap for Iris, as well.

The birthday party was held Friday morning at Wildcat State Park, and although a bit cool, it really was quite pleasant.

These girls are growing so rapidly, time seems to be a trickster, collapsing in upon itself whooshing away not just the minutes but it seems the years as well.

I feel deeply blessed to be loved by these girls.

EASTER

It has been close to 40 years now that I have been making this same recipe for Hot Cross Buns for Easter.  They are delicious, and we like the stories that go along with them, like the 'good luck' for the year if you hang one and let it grow dry and hard.  

Most years I make Iris and Elsa some kind of Easter Basket, and fill it with sundry things.  This year I decided to make an edible basket,

and using my regular bread dough fashioned these baskets...

which had quartz eggs, multiple tiny ceramic bunnies, and these cute little felt birds...

 

and with all the hard boiled eggs around,  I deviled some

and turned them into these little chicks.

 

PRUNING VINES

It is that time of year again, here on Jug Creek.  Our two acre vineyard is ready for pruning.  There are approximately 900 vines, and from the looks of them, despite a very poor crop last year, they underwent extremely vigorous growth.  This means tangles, huge and fibrous canes, and much silent and not so silent cussing.

The vineyard sits on a hill overlooking the house and barn.  Although the hill is surely not tremendous, it becomes somewhat of a chore when one climbs it 6-8 times per day, often toting a huge black plastic sled filled with clippings.

These are vines in need of pruning.  This shot overlooks my workshop.

A close up shot of vines that have yet to be pruned.

I am being brutal with pruning this year, and cutting out/back some of the old trunks and tying ones that grew just last year.

Vines that have been pruned....

...and some more

This pile of prunings, which will be burned when we are done with the entire vineyard, seems much larger than any other year.  This I attribute to the vigorous growth.  I am uncertain as to why there was such vigorous growth as we do not fertilize nor water. Vigorous growth of the vines is not necessarily a good thing, and often retards the crop.

Still, on a nice sunny day like yesterday, no matter the hard work, it is wonderful to be up there in the sun while overlooking Jug Creek and this beautiful valley.

STALLED

Knowing I still had winter photos up on my blog, and seeing as we have had beautiful spring weather, nearing the 70's, for the past week, I wanted to do an up date.  However I have been 'under' this (beautiful) weather for just over a week, and truly have been in a stalled state of mind and body.  

What probably started out as a common cold I believe was exacerbated by the countless Asian beetles I have been vacuuming and vacuuming for weeks.  The vacuum refused to accept any more and when I opened it to look at the bag, it was packed to overflowing!!  I took it out to the burn barrel and stood over it poking and poking to be sure it all burned....breathing in and breathing in all that Asian Beetle 'stuff'.  The next day I was worse, but the following day was one like I have never experienced in my life.  From my neck up I was in the worst misery I could ever recall.  It finally occurred to me that I could have developed an allergy to Asian Beetles, which is an actual phenomena.  And that is exactly what seems to have happened.  I am getting better, but still am under the weather.  

But I wanted a joyful, spring photo here.  This is from a hike Freddie and I recently took on the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.

It truly is this beautiful!!

This photo recalls one of my favorite Native American poems by Nancy Wood, from the book Hollering Sun.

My help is in the mountains

where I take myself to heal

the earthly wounds that people give to me.

I find a rock with sun on it,

and a stream where the water runs gentle,

and the trees which one by one give me company.

And there must I stay for a long, long time,

until I have grown from the rock,

and the water runs through me,

and I cannot tell myself from one tall tree,

and then I know that nothing touches me

nor makes me run away,

my help is in the mountains

that I take away with me.

Earth heal me, earth receive my woe,

rock strengthen me, rock receive my weakness,

rain wash away my sorrow, rain receive my tears,

sun make sweet my song, sun receive the anger from my heart.