Category: Seasons

Seasons

Harvest Time: Pumpkins

 ,

Some people grow enormous squash. This week at our farmers’ market, our favorite farmer brought in a squash so folks could guess its weight. It was a funny looking thing, about three feet long, a foot tall, just over a foot wide, with a all-over bumpy surface. I watched a man lift his son, then lift the squash, to better gauge the weight of the squash. I guessed it to be 96 lbs. Caitlyn refused to guess, although she admitted to wanting one of the farmers’ market t-shirts that was the prize. The farmer told me (later, not near the …

homesteading, in the kitchen, Seasons

Harvest Time: Apples!

 , , ,

The apple tree in the back yard has gone bonkers this year. I’ve made a first run at the apple harvest, filling this box more than half way. The apples are small and slightly underripe (read: pleasingly tart) and bake into lovely things. Like this yeast-based apple bread, which smells amazing when it’s baking and goes wonderfully with cheeses (we’ve tried chevre and cheddar so far; brie would be delightful). Or these apple muffins. I may have made 6 batches of these for a neighborhood End of Summer community event, and my neighbors may have eaten every single one. And …

field trips, Seasons

Summer Journal: Wandering in Canada

 

Back in July, we took a two week road trip to break in Caitlyn’s passport. I mean, Canada is right there. How is it that we hadn’t gone yet??? So we raided the library, mixed up some gorp/trail mix, loaded the car and embarked on a trip that turned out to be mostly about boats, trees, and swimming in everything possible. Here are a few highlights: Caitlyn sights Canada. We enjoyed an afternoon tea at Butchart Gardens. Food and setting were lovely. I felt underdressed (but then anything short of Lady Grantham would have left me feeling underdressed). Our smallest …

in the kitchen, Seasons

Pesto Time

 ,

I admit I have a tendency to over-stock. I routinely add extra fabric to whatever I think I’ll need for a project. I like to have extra time to get from here to there. My idea of what is “enough” food to have on hand is frankly a bit ridiculous. I keep a pantry like I imagine someone might if they lived on a tiny forested island where the nearest grocery store was 100 miles and a boat ride away. If we ever have a real zombie apocalypse, I know of several people who plan to come camp at our …

homesteading, Seasons

Beginnng the Harvest, or Free Onions!

 , ,

This may be my best year ever for onions. Check out these fine things: I ordered my onion starts from Dixondale upon the recommendation of Erica over at Northwest Edible Life (’cause, as far as this urban homesteading thing is concerned, Erica is everything I only wish I could be). I’ve never grown onions this large (which is weird to say, since I think that was one of the pull quotes on the literature that came with the starts. I guess there’s some truth in advertising after all!). My Long Day Sampler of onions included white Ringmasters, red Redwings and …

Seasons

Summer Journal: Berry Picking, Part One

 , ,

It’s not like I need the strawberries. I grew lots this spring and I still have leftovers from last year in the freezer, waiting for me to have two spare minutes to rub together long enough to make jam. But at this point it’s tradition. Caitlyn and I join some friends, we drive up to Skagit Valley, we pick too many berries and we finish with fresh strawberry milkshakes. This year, our late-June was packed. We didn’t make it up to the berry farm until after July 4th, only to discover that the strawberries were done. Spring was gorgeous here …