Things have been super busy in the kitchen and outside in the garden! The season is changing and I just pulled up my dying tomatoes, bolting cilantro and a few other things. Somedays the garden is so plentiful that I have to hustle in order to make use of the crop before it spoils. I …
I Should Have Planted More Cucumbers & Quick Pickles.
I know that I am constantly trying to keep up with my garden but we often think that it is not big enough. Shocking, I know. As it turns out, 5 cucumber plants are not enough. I have been in the habit of harvesting and then storing until I can collect enough to make a quart …
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August Garden Pictures
Cherries in Syrup and Sour Cherry Salsa
Wondering what I did with all of those cherries? Of course I canned a batch in syrup! My very first. This treat can be pulled out for waffles, desserts, sauces and drinks. It wasn’t quite what I was aiming for, the syrup is a little thin, but my first attempt at preserved cherries was still a success! We …
Early July Garden Pictures
The kitchen has been warm but I have been tending to my garden.....
More Blackberries Than I Can Pick
I see Jelly in my future. I have more blackberries than I know what to do with. I pick every berry that is close to me and never seem to get them all. I start picking at the end of one long drooping arm, pulling off blackberries the size of my thumb. As I pull …
Lemon Balm and Mojitos for a Balmy Day
Lemon Balm was probably my first potted herb. I have long had container gardens, never living anywhere long enough to put down roots. The smell was probably what attracted me. Every time I walk by I crush a few leaves in my fingers just to catch another whiff of the intoxicating smell. What: (Melissa officinalis) …
You-picks and Strawberry Preserves 101
Firstly, I am sad to share that I lost some of my favorite pictures of the berry picking and jamming venture to a computer crash. Luckily, those were the only thing lost. After some pain and suffering..... Strawberries. Growing up near Plant City, FL, I was pretty spoiled when it came to strawberries and maybe …
Spud and Bud Sauted Salad
Such an over looked food source the daylily is! Easy to propagate and hard to control beds can give you plenty of food to play with. I served this yummy dish with pan seared salmon and a stuffed lily but this vegetable sauté stole the show. Collect green buds of the daylily. I would snip …
Eating Daylilies
My morning runs are getting slightly less comfortable due to the rising summer temperatures. I now sweat profusely. Something I do not really miss about Florida. The flower colors seem to get bolder as the temperature gets warmer. It is almost as if the flowers are trying to intimidate the sun with equal radiance. I …
Nancy Warner 