Peaches and Onions

Tags

Cook, Farmers' Market, Fruit preserves, Home, Onion, Peach, Peaches, Pinterest

Not together.  That would be gross.  But peaches and onions were the two things I preserved this weekend.

The onions I accidentally dug up as I was trying to weed the poor, neglected onion patch.  The onion patch is neglected because it is right beside the beehive.  Melanie didn’t want to weed there, so when we got back, the onions were indistinguishable from the weeds.  I pulled a few by accident while I tore away at the gigantic weeds.

Found this idea on Pinterest.  Tie them up in nylons and hang them in the cold storage.  I’ll let you know if it works.

I’ve put off buying peaches at the Farmers’ Market for the past two weekends, waiting for the case price to come down.  It hasn’t.  I finally caved and bought a ten pound case for $17.

They claimed to be Freestone Peaches.  Alas, that claim was FALSE.  Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it until after I had peeled the peaches and tried to cut them in half to pit them.  That’s when I discovered they are actually Clingstone Peaches.  So my plan to make peach preserves turned into a plan to make peach jam, and I ended up with something in between.  I diced the peach slices, but couldn’t bring myself to crush that beautiful, tasty fruit, so instead I made diced peach preserves in vanilla syrup.

In other news, Liesl has made an excellent recovery from being egg bound last week.  She has laid two eggs since with no problems at all.  Ginger has started to molt, so she has stopped laying and is shedding feathers EVERYWHERE.  Scruffy continues to produce like crazy.

Happy Monday!

 

Better Late Than Never

Tags

acting, Farmers' Market, life in theatre, Snow, spring, theatre

Opening weekend is over, and it went very well.  I’m learning lots of stuff about performing in small, intimate spaces.  Mostly, it scares the crap out of me, but in a good way.  In a “I’m still learning, and I’m so alive” kind of way.

We’ve been neglecting the homestead a bit because theatre tends to be a black hole that sucks all your life energy.  Seriously.

But we have a few homestead-y things to report:

• Took home all the leftover veggies from opening night catering and made a lovely, yummy vegetable stock.
• First time in months that we haven’t bought eggs at the Farmers’ Market because Scruffy is producing so well.  Way to go, Scruff!  More money to spend on wild boar bacon.
• Bought some more wild boar bacon at the Market.  Plus carrots, and (happy dance) cucumbers!  The green stuff is starting to return.  The end of the root vegetables is in sight.
• Attended Seedy Saturday last weekend.  Bought some seeds.  Planted some shit.  The grow-op in the basement keeps getting larger and larger . . .
• Made yogurt.  This is now a weekly occurrence.  Love that stuff.

I’m going crazy for Spring.  More snow and -20C make Jamie very unhappy.  I hope next week warms up and the melting starts.

Things You Should Never Have to Buy at a Farmers’ Market in Saskatchewan

Tags

crabapples, Farmers' Market, garden, Rhubarb, Saskatchewan, Zucchini

A list (by no means comprehensive) of things you should never have to buy at the Farmers’ Market during the summer if you live in Saskatchewan:

• rhubarb
• zucchini
• raspberries
• dill
• apples
• crabapples
• sour cherries
• plums
• saskatoon berries
• beets

All of these things grow like weeds here during the summer.  Dill actually IS a weed; walk down any back alley, and you’ll find some.  Same with raspberries and rhubarb; they abound in back alleys.  If anyone comes to my house in August, they are given a zucchini (usually the size of a baseball bat) and a bunch of beets; in fact, you aren’t allowed to leave my house without some.  Saskatoon berries are everywhere – how do you think the city got its name?  Crabapples fall off the trees and rot on the street.  Don’t even get me started about the sour cherries.  Plums can be a bit harder to come across, but usually somebody knows somebody who has a tree in their backyard that is just lousy with fruit.

So it simply kills me to see someone pay good money for a little plastic baggie of dill or a teeny tiny “organic” zucchini at the Farmers’ Market.

I think – do you have no friends?  Have you never walked down a back alley?  Are you new to the city?  ‘Cause let me show you around.  There is a veritable feast for free just waiting to be picked.

Do not pay for this!

It Was All in Good Fun

Tags

Beer, beer darts, drinking game, entertaining, Farmers' Market, Goat cheese, outdoor party, party, summer activities, Zucchini

The weather was lovely – sunny and 28 degrees – couldn’t ask for a more perfect day.  We set out the spread (I’m glad to say that my Sour Cherry Pie was a hit with everyone).  No junk food to be had in sight (well, okay, there were hot dogs).  It was a feast of homemade goodness – chocolate zucchini cake, radish pod pickles, hot cumin pickled squash, goat cheese dip and stuffed cherry tomatoes, toasted baguettes and farmers’ market veggies.  Yum. 

Then we waited for the fun to begin . . . Can’t wait ’til next year!

*Just in case you’re wondering, “Saskatchewan rock, paper, scissors” is played like this:  Moose beats Car, Car beats Hunter, Hunter beats Moose.  (Created by Joshua Beaudry – all rights reserved).

Better than a Basket

Tags

bicycle, bike basket, bike rack, bikes, DIY, Farmers' Market, mailbox, upcycle

Although I’m lovin’ my new bicycle (rode it to the Farmers’ Market and back today – yay Spring!), sadly, it lacks a basket (which makes it difficult to transport all those lovely fresh veggies home from the market).  However, it did come with a flat rack on the back already installed.  Leave it to Martha Stewart to think of something so practical and adorable!   Bonus points for upcycling, too!