Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

This And That

in the middle of summer.

The garden is growing leaps and bounds.  Tomatoes are setting fruit .. and huge heads of broccoli have been picked, blanched ... and frozen for winter.  Raspberries are ripening .. and being picked .. though not many are surviving the walk to the kitchen ;)  It's been cool enough for the lettuce to still be producing ... which means LOTS OF SALADS!  I'm noticing the northeast corners of the double stacked raised beds grow lush .. while the southwest ends seem stunted.  Will have to adjust my planting next year to take this into consideration.

We just got back from a mini trip up to Glacier National Park ... arriving only days after the Going To The Sun road opened for the season.  This drive passes across the Continental Divide and opened rather late this year.  (I think the latest ever.) 

It seems the weather tables have turned and the inland northwest has THE best weather across the United States this summer.  Of course, we'll get our payback come winter.  The air conditioner has only been turned on once this summer ... and that was due to humidity .. not excess heat.

I've been enjoying and really using our flour mill of late.  It's become a habit now to grind enough wheat for a day or two.

I also dragged out my pasta roller/cutter after watching an Italian cooking show that featured a recipe with dough made so quickly in the food processor .. then rolled and cut quickly.  For this I am using some of my home ground flour and semolina flour ... a good mix.

The herb garden has been harvested once already with bundles of greens hanging in the garden shed to dry.  My favorite dried herb is thyme.  There should be enough time for another growth spurt and harvest.  Nothing beats fresh herbs in the summer right out the kitchen door.

Now that our daughter, Ann, moved out in May ... we are seeing a savings in electricity and food.  Coffee beans last much longer :)  Speaking of coffee ..we're now roasting beans in a hot air popcorn popper!  It works much better than smoking up the kitchen using a skillet ... and can be done outside.

Glacier National Park
What's growing in your garden ... and happening in your neck of the woods?

6 comments:

Mr. H. said...

What a absolutely beautiful place, I really must take a trip to Glacier some day. Sound slike you had a great time.:)

Cabbage Tree Farm said...

Pretty pictures.
Homemade pasta is the best, and takes next to no time! The home ground flour sounds great too.
As we are in our winter (although very mild), we have mainly broccoli & cauliflowers growing, the coriander/cilantro is doing well though and I have just picked 4 chillies!! Looking forward to getting the seeds sown for our summer veg in a month or so.
Best wishes

Pat said...

We have mountains of lettuce! Lots of tomatoes ripening and cucumbers getting big! It's been one hot summer! Weeds are also doing well.
That little bitty daughter of yours couldn't possibly increase your grocery bill...she's too petite, coffee...possibly! Give her a hug for me, and tell her I said hello!

Felisol said...

Dear Mrs. Mac.
I can tell Miss Patty that the difference between two and three in a household is noticeable concerning our grocery bill, not to talk of our cafe bill e.t.c. Nevertheless it's also so much more fun being three, I gladly pay.

I'm always left impressed by all the things you are up to during a busy week. Roasting coffee in a popcorn popper, that really takes the prize. How clever.
The only thing I have harvested from my garden is a jar of red and black currants, and herbs. I dry herbs and mix it with sea salt and grind it. It's tasty and a jar last a whole year in our modest household.

I finally spread the cow fertilizer yesterday. A literally late bloomer.

The Professor's Wife said...

Glacier National Park looks so amazingly beautiful! We have TONS of zuchinni growing in our garden.

Wendy said...

How BEAUTIFUL!!!