Friday Five: Home and Garden

 

This morning I looked out of my bedroom window at 6:30 am to see the fat gold full moon shining over the Sooke Hills. Each day is a bit longer and a bit brighter. 

My seed order arrived recently. In a week or two I'll start some seeds indoors, but most will have to wait for a month or two before planting. I love looking at these packages of potential and I think about working the soil, and the warm days of summer to come. 

This week I pruned roses and then dug the last of the winter carrots and beets from the garden. Although the tops mostly disappeared, the vegetables are fresh and crisp. From the carrots I made a smooth ginger-flavoured soup with coconut milk and froze enough for three meals for the two of us. 

Quick pickled vegetables - here radishes, red onions, and carrots - add bright crispness to salads and sandwiches. A simple 1-1 vinegar water solution with a bit of sugar and salt is the base. I add peppercorns to the jars, the onions also have a clove of garlic, and the carrots are good with a sprig of fresh rosemary. A couple of days in the fridge and they are ready to go.

These two darlings have been staying with us for a few days while their house is being painted. We've all restricted our contacts and it's positively delightful (and delightfully chaotic) with a 20-month-old and a 3-month-old. There are have been songs and games, tower building and books, cuddles and giggles galore. 

I picked up these tulips at the grocery store this week. Our garden tulips are weeks and weeks away; they are just now poking sharp leaves up from the ground. Bright colours are mood-lifters as we wait for spring to arrive. 

February is almost over and March will follow. Will it come in like a lion or like a lamb? We'll have to wait and see. 

Our weekend involves family and more home keeping. A walk is planned, and there will be good food to enjoy, and the busyness of two little ones. I am grateful for the time I can spend with them, and that I can help out in small ways. 

What does your weekend look like? 

A Friday Five in May

Outside my window the sky is streaked with a few thin clouds that will soon blow away with the strong breeze that has trees and flowers tossing their heads. The forecast is for a beautiful weekend, with temperatures reaching the mid-20s (Celsius). 

I expect that the wind will tear away the almost-ready-to-fall tulip petals. With that likelihood, I went out with my camera to capture the last of these gorgeous flowers. 

There's a glimpse of that blue sky. Is it just me or has this been an exceptionally beautiful spring? Everything seems fresher and lovelier and more vibrant. I revel in the beauty of the world. 

Last weekend, Tim and I took a drive down to Clover Point and went for a short, but brisk walk. The wind was sharp and chill. This gull faced into the wind, flapped vigorously, and went nowhere; he just managed to stay aloft. 

Our province, and particularly our Island, has passed relatively lightly through the Covid-19 crisis. I say relatively because there have been deaths, but our hospitals are mostly empty and positive cases are fewer each day. The restrictions here have not been as strong as in other places - we are encouraged to get out and walk, garden centres are open, some retail stores remained open, we are not wearing masks (unless we want to), and social distancing is mostly respected. 

We can begin to gather with our close loved ones, and are encouraged to keep our circles tight. In mid-May provincial parks will be open for day-use, and more retail stores will open. These are slow measures, and I respect the care that our provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, is taking. There will be no gatherings of over 50 people until there is a vaccine, or herd immunity has been achieved. In other words, for a long time. We will all have to adjust to a new normal. 

Rhubarb is flourishing these days, and to that end I baked a Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake. The recipe is on Jean's Delightful Repast blog, and is one I make every year. It's not too sweet, with a bit of tartness, and a lovely buttery flavour. Perfect with a cup of tea. I confess that I had a piece as my breakfast the other day. 

In the parade of flowers that is Spring, the tulips are nearing the end of the route while the lilacs are front and center. This bouquet adorns the dining room table and fills the main floor with fragrance. 

I'll leave you with one last blithe tulip at the start of this Mother's Day weekend. We are gathering with our family for the first time since March, and oh, how I am anticipating that.

A blessing for you today, prayed from my heart:

"May the day never burden. May the dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises. May evening find you gracious and fulfilled. May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected. May your soul be calm, consoled, and renewed." 

Notes from Domesticity

On Friday evening we went to the boat show. It's fun seeing what's out there in the boating world. We toured a couple of fabulous boats, far beyond our taste and budget, and it was fun to see them. The great thing about our own little boat is that we see exactly the same things the bigger boats do - out on the water is very egalitarian.

After wandering the docks for an hour or more we enjoyed a casual dinner at The Rum Runner restaurant overlooking the water. 

In an effort to use up the fruit from the freezer before the new crop goes in, I made a Mixed-Fruit Platz. (link is to my recipe blog) Platz is a dish from my Mennonite roots - versatile and easy to prepare. One end of the cake has the last of the plums I froze, and the rest of the cake has rhubarb along with frozen (thawed and drained) strawberries. I love the crumbly topping best of all. 

With the juice I drained off of the frozen strawberries, I made some stewed rhubarb. Rhubarb is the first thing I harvest from my garden in the spring. It's so satisfying to pull up the stalks, whack the leaves off, and dice the pink and green stalks before placing them into a saucepan with a fair bit of sugar to gently simmer for not very long until softened and sweet.

I like stewed rhubarb with unsweetened yogurt; others like it on cake or ice cream. A friend mentioned eating it with sour cream and I plan to try that soon.

I love taking care of my home. It's a safe place for me to relax, be creative, and regain energy for the things I do outside of my home. I hope it was that way for my children, and continues to be that for my husband and others who might share our roof from time to time. 

Ursula K. LeGuin writes, "I always wondered why the makers leave housekeeping and cooking out of their tales. Isn't it what all the great wars and battles are fought for -- so that at day's end a family may eat together in a peaceful house."  

“Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a man can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of rules and set tasks.” 

― G.K. Chesterton

I like Chesterton's words, too, especially that he doesn't relegate the word "domesticity" to women. I'm so glad that I live in an age where I can chose what career path I will follow. 

Weekends are precious to me; I use them for doing the tasks that keep my house to my standards - cleaning, laundry, some cooking. Gardening, too, now that spring is here. New recipes are often tried. Last night I made a sheet pan dinner with chicken thighs and vegetables. Delicious, and good for more than one meal for us. The recipe is very forgiving - use vegetables you and your family enjoy.

Balsamic Chicken Dinner

8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons mustard (I used Dijon)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken thighs and leave to marinate while preparing the vegetables.

Fill a baking tray with slices, batons, or cubes of vegetables. I used butternut squash, zucchini, onion, and rutabaga. Other options could include carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, green beans, or mushrooms. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with salt. 

Place the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables. Roast at 400 degrees for about an hour, or until the thighs are cooked through and the vegetables are tender. There will be some liquid on the pan that is full of flavour, so don't discard it. 

I added a handful of Marzano tomatoes, halved, and a generous sprinkling of chopped parsley when I served the dish. 

I'll leave you with some of the tulips blooming in my garden. These are in a shadier spot and bloomed later than others. Some are finished already. I potted up a few and they are still appearing. 

Wishing you a week full of gentle beauty and a quiet heart, even in the midst of busyness. 

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. 

Mid-winter Musings

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the

touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; 

it is the time for home." 

Edith Sitwell

I'm sitting on the floor in front of the fire looking out at the blue-patched clouds scudding across the sky. Another rainy front is moving in, but oh my, have we ever enjoyed the recent sunshine. At the end of each day, though, we return home, whether from work or leisure activities. 

January is an appropriate month for home comforts, as Dame Edith Sitwell expressed. Here, copious amounts of tea are drunk, with an occasional hot chocolate indulgence before bedtime. The calendar is mostly empty, and in the evenings we read books, place stitches, and talk about plans for later in the year. 

Tidying up happens in a desultory fashion. The other day I sorted my scarf drawer, refolding the ones that had been tossed in in a hurry, and removing a few that are never worn. 

The pile of linens on the chair above were those used during the holidays, now laundered and either stacked neatly (napkins) or in long folds draped over hangers in an upstairs closet (tablecloths). I learned to store them that way from my mom and it certainly aids in lessening wrinkles. 

I keep a fairly deep pantry. My daughter-in-law once said that in case of an emergency she's bringing her family here because there would always be something to eat. Each year I freeze berries and produce and now is the time to ensure that it all gets eaten. 

A couple of times a year I announce that we will be "living off the hump" referring to the fat stored in a camel's hump that enables it to live when food is scarce. I think I read that in a book by Peg Bracken many years ago. I try to whittle down the freezer contents and make sure that I'm using the staples in my cupboards. The other day I made a peach-blackberry cobbler for friends using frozen fruit. 

Grocery shopping consists mostly of fresh foods like citrus, so sweet and juicy just now. I made a lemon loaf last weekend, and this weekend I think I'll put together a Sour Cream Lemon Pie from a recipe on Brenda's blog. I also hope to make some Lemon Curd and freeze it in small jars to pull out when needed. 
  

Our winter has been extremely mild thus far and the Swiss Chard and kale are thriving. I picked a bunch of chard and made a rustic bean dip with it. I portion it in half-pint jars and take it to school for lunch, to eat with cucumber slices and wedges of sweet bell peppers. Some of the chard will go into a soup I'm making tonight. 

A year or so ago I purchased some Tilda fabric, along with a book of Tilda projects. I've done little with the fabric and since one of my intentions this year is to be more creative, I started small with this cushion cover. The piecing went together in a couple of Saturday afternoon hours, and the rest in small chunks of time here and there. Now a little cottage in the woods rests on the bed and makes me smile to see it. 

The Granny Square quilt I began a couple of years ago is now finished. Choosing the fabrics, cutting the squares, and sewing them together is the fun part of quilting for me. When it comes down to the actual sandwich part of quilting, I procrastinate. Recently, however, my sister and her daughter purchased a long-arm quilting machine. My mom is an expert quilter and while here in September volunteered to get two tops ready for quilting. She cut the batting and backing and sandwiched them together for quilting, took them to the mainland and gave them to my niece. Yay! All that was left for me to do was cut and stitch the binding. I enjoy the last step of hand stitching the binding to the back. There is great satisfaction in having another project finished.

This is turning into a very long post. I'll tell you about a couple of books I read recently later. Now I'll leave you with a bright bouquet of tulips that are cheering up the dining room. Pops of colour in January are most welcome, don't you think? 

Linking with Friday Bliss, hosted by Riitta of Floral Passions.

Sweet Spring Sunday

I awaken in the morning to birdsong outside my window. Drawing back the curtains, I see blue sky, with a hint of frost in the deep angles on the roofs of my neighbours. Clear, cold skies overnight signify a warmer day ahead.

After morning church, we head downtown. First, to buy a new waterproof jacket for me, then to Fisherman's Wharf for our first al fresco meal of the year - fish tacos eaten in the sunshine while watching sailboat masts sway at their slips. 

After lunch we walk along the Inner Harbour. A heron, framed by reflections from a kayak on a float house, slowly turns his head back and forth.

The new Johnson Street bridge is in place and in use. The old blue bridge is partially dismantled and the remainder will disappear in a few weeks. I am not fond of the new bridge, but perhaps it will grow on me.

We wander by the Legislature, and I admire the copper domes against the blue sky. The golden figure of Captain George Vancouver, a British naval officer who charted many of the waters around the islands in the late 18th century, tops the main dome. 

In the gardens around the government buildings, the blowsy tulips are almost finished, but still so pretty.

We walk back to our car under arches of ruffled pink petals. Hundreds of these trees grow downtown to be admired by locals and tourists alike. Home again, I am replete with sunshine. Such a beautiful day.

Thank you for your kind comments on my last post. Yes, blue days come and we get through them. I'm glad that I finished my latest batch of report cards, and spent some time with friends, and walked in the sunshine this weekend. 

Linking with Maggie of Normandy Life for Mosaic Monday. 

Gardening Weekend

Saturday. Cloudy skies with a few sunny breaks, but no rain. And certainly no snow or ice as was the case in the east. I put on wellies, gardening gloves, and my old fleece jacket. Garden cleanup was the sole task on my list for the day. 

In the morning I snapped the tulips on the left; a few hours later, the same tulips on the right, opening to the faint sun.

The last of the winter garden vegetables. Kale was beginning to go to seed, and the carrots were becoming a bit hairy, but everything tastes just fine. Tim spread compost after I weeded and cleaned out the bed; he helped with the last bit of weeding, too. My fingers were sore from all the pulling. 

After a hot shower I relaxed with a cup of tea, a piece of chocolate, and a new Country Living (UK). Small treats like this are a fine reward for a day of hard work. Of course, looking out the window and seeing the garden beds tidied is in itself, also a reward. 

The "novelty" tulips purchased a week or more ago are aging beautifully: petals curling slightly, colours intensifying, and texture becoming silky. 

Do you like dates? The edible kind, I mean. On Sunday afternoon I made an Easy Date Cake and then a cream and caramel sauce to go alongside. How good it was warm from the oven. 

Easy Date Cake

2 cups chopped dates
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Pour the boiling water over the chopped dates. Add the baking soda and let cool for 15 minutes or so.

3. In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy, add the sugars and beat well. Add the vanilla.

4. Stir in the date mixture. The batter will look quite thin and watery. 

5. Add the flour and stir well. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes. 

Cream and Caramel Sauce

1 egg yolk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, whisk the egg yolk, brown sugar, water, and butter until melted and smooth; bring to a boil while whisking continually; boil one minute. 

Add the salt, vanilla, and cream. Heat but don't boil.

One more garden beauty - the first Centaurea Montana popped out over the weekend.  Isn't she a beauty? 

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

Gardens, Yogurt, and Tulips

Are the days and weeks flying by for you, too? Do you find it difficult to believe that it's March already? Tick, tick, tick. Time passes. Dull days have given way to a few with more sunshine. When I wander around the garden, I see more and more signs of life. It's so uplifting.

The daffodil bulbs planted last spring are spiky stalks with a few buds and one open flower. Pointed red ovals of peonies thrust upwards toward the sun. Lilac, blueberry, raspberry, and more show the promise of life. 

I mentioned making yogurt last week and a couple of readers asked for my recipe. It's not complicated, but I did a little research into why the process is as it is. 

Many recipes call for the milk to be heated to 175-180 degrees (Fahrenheit), then cooled to 110-120 F before adding the yogurt culture. I wondered why the heating was necessary because the milk is pasteurized. If you Google the question, you'll get lots of answers, some more scientific than others. Basically, though, 180 degrees is hotter than pasteurization, and the heating alters the proteins in the milk to enable the yogurt to become thick. I'm certainly no expert as I've just begun making it, but it's worked so far!  

Here's how I do it:

Heat the milk (I do 3-4 quarts at a time) in a heavy pot over medium heat until 175-180 degrees (Fahrenheit). 
I run a sink full of cold water and set the pot into the water and let it cool to 115 degrees or so.
In a small bowl or cup, mix 1/4 cup plain yogurt (I use organic) with a 1/4 cup of the cooled milk. Whisk well.
Add the yogurt mixture to the rest of the milk and stir. Pour into clean jars. Screw on the lids.
I set my jars into my electric oven, turn on the pilot light, and go to bed. In 7-8 hours the yogurt is done and ready to chill. You can leave it to culture longer for a tangier flavour. I've left mine up to 12 hours. 
It tastes best if allowed to chill before eating. 

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a short boating trip to take the boat to the marine shop. On Saturday we did the reverse trip. This long pier, seen from the water, caught my attention. 

Tulips are adding colour to the house these days. I do love pink flowers, particularly in the spring when I get tired of the grey weather. Soon there will be lots of colour outside; I can hardly wait.

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life.  

A Satisfying Weekend

Weekends are a chance to catch up on a few things around here. However, I've learned that it does no good to race around trying to accomplish too much. At the very least, I do the laundry, clean the bathrooms, and do a quick vacuum of the floors. 

Meals are taken leisurely, for the most part. If I feel like cooking, I do, if I don't, well, there's plenty of stuff in the freezer that's easy to heat up. This weekend was a combination - some cooking, some freezer items. Saturday breakfast was baked eggs with Brie and prosciutto. 

On Saturday night we invited children and grandchildren over with the express purpose of helping to whittle down some of the holiday appetizers that still languish in the freezer. Soup and appetizers was the menu, along with a tray of cut up vegetables. 

Tulips are in the stores now, and I can't resist picking them up. These are fresh and just beginning to open. Such a pretty shade of pink. 

The glow of twinkle lights on the mantel makes me feel cozy and warm, closed in by comfort. 

On Saturday evening the wind rose and howled around the house throughout the night. I awoke often as gusts clattered against the windows. Sunday, the wind eased, and we went for a walk in the afternoon. Just as we reached the furthest point from home and were beginning the return part of the loop, rain fell. Hard. We arrived home drenched, very happy to change our clothes, make some hot tea, and lounge in front of the fire. Comfort, indeed. Very hygge-ish. 

Last week's leggy tulips have been trimmed. The mosaic is composed of photos taken throughout the week, from tightly closed buds to wide open blossoms.

Sunday evening's dinner was a pan-fried salmon filet with spinach, roasted vegetables and couscous. Quick and easy. All in all, it was a satisfying weekend. How was yours?

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie from Normandy Life.  

Tulip Mania

Spring has been slow and cold here. Sunny days are outnumbered by grey dull skies. Saturday, however, dawned with a bright blue sky - a perfect day for a visit to Butchart Gardens. One little grand stayed with us overnight while her parents were off celebrating their anniversary, so we called up the cousins and asked if they would like to visit the gardens, too. Daughter-in-law Katie came along to help guide herd the flock. 

Waves of tulips in a plethora of colour and shape greeted our eyes. Elizabeth Von Armin, author of Elizabeth and her German Garden writes "I love tulips better than any other spring flower; they are the embodiment of alert cheerfulness and tidy grace..." She goes on to disparage hyacinths for their untidiness, but since I love hyacinths, as well as tulips, I'll ignore that part. 

Although this was Miss S' first trip to the gardens, the cousins have been here many times as Katie worked here for several years and received a lifetime pass as a parting gift. So when asked where they wanted to go first, the Rose Carousel, seen in the top of the photo above, was their choice. This is the only carousel on Vancouver Island, and the 30 animals were hand carved by carousel artists.

Each of the girls chose an animal to ride - a cheetah for Miss A, and a horse for Miss S. Mr. F rode in a bench seat with his mother. I held Miss S for reassurance as the music began, and the carousel slowly began to go round and round, and the horse rose and fell in a stately canter.   

Then it was off to see the dancing fountain shoot upwards, fan sideways, wave back and forth and generally delight. That one tulip petal looks as though it's waving in response.

We've all heard of the dot.com bubble, but the first economic bubble of that sort concerned tulip bulbs. In the 17th century, in the Netherlands, there arose a great demand for tulip bulbs that saw a single bulb cost as much as a house. As in all economic bubbles, the burst bankrupted many. But the Dutch love of tulips continued. For an interesting summary of the 17th century Tulipomania, click here. 

Cheerful tulips nodded to us throughout our stroll. It's impossible to choose a favourite, but these rounded, slightly ruffled flower heads would be in the top 10.

The underplantings, mostly of forget-me-nots, and other small flowers, either complemented the tulips, as above, 

or contrasted, as seen here with the pink and blue. 

 They were all beautiful. Can you spot the rogue tulip in the above photo? There's a standout in every crowd.

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life.