Roses and Centerpieces

The carpet rose literally becomes a carpet cascading almost ten feet across at its base and tumbling across the lawn. From its loaded blooms I can cut off lavish bouquets of roses without penalty. The bush keeps blooming. Al doesn't like it sprawling onto the grass since it makes cutting the lawn cumbersome and almost guarantees a nasty thorn or two in the arm. The rose bush will need to be trimmed soon enough as the first blooms run their course but until then I'll simply hold up the drooping branches with a hoe so he can get at the grass underneath.

I love filling the old water kettle with these roses...it brightens up the side table on the deck while on the umbrella table I can place a small arrangement. This one also is contained in a small dressing bottle* and it became a little gift for my aunt when she was here for lunch the other day.
*see previous post An Arrangement-June 27

And in my "country kitchen" this colorful bowl** of fresh nectarines...oh the color, the aroma saturating the senses and quenching for the moment the inner thirst for beauty, fragrance and color.

**In January of this year while vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta, this bowl and matching platter captured my senses and I was delighted to pay Antonia what he asked. He had his wares displayed on the beach and walked by every day with some of his fine wares. Near the end of our stay we ended up chatting with him and made the purchase. I'm so glad I did. God bless Antonio.

Hydrangeas

The top photo is a close-up of a bloom on the above hydrangea bush. Hydrangeas are wonderful for filling up large spaces in the garden providing color variations as the blooms develop, interest and for providing great cutting flowers. It's best to wait, I've discovered, and let the flower mature before cutting or else it doesn't last more than a few days in a bouquet. Later on just before the first frost I cut huge bouquets, set them in vases with water until the water evaporates. As the hydrangeas dry I peel off the unsightly leaves exposing only beautiful dried flowers.

The blue hydrangeas are from a bush just a few yards away from the purple one. I'm told that the acidity of the soil determines the color. I've got six hydrangea bushes growing in various parts of the garden ranging from green/blue, blue, pink and purple and combinations of these colors.

Lunch Today - combination plate

Do you remember the term,"combination plate"? When salads as a meal first became popular in the culture in which I lived as a kid, a salad today known as "Chef's Salad", was referred to as a combination plate. Today I had the fresh red leaf lettuce soaking in salt water and the eggs boiled as I came in very sweaty from pulling weeds and spreading bark mulch. With parsley, dill and chives in hand I was ready to fix a wonderful feast for Al and me.

Salads are scrumptious, satisfying and easy to put together. In no time I had the lettuce chopped and then raided the fridge to discover some bean salad on its last legs and a cantaloupe. Al opened a tin of tuna and this is the outcome we've just enjoyed. But the dressing... this salad is all about the dressing.

My dear Mother taught me basically everything I know in the kitchen and I am more indebted to her than I ever imagined. This is the only dressing she knew as we were growing up since we only had lettuce salads in summer when we picked huge piles of lettuce and sorted them on a table outside to make sure no unwelcome guests were present under a leaf. The lettuce then was always chopped up quite finely along with a handful of baby dill weed and green onions, all growing plentifully in the back garden. The dressing was and simply is a mixture of: cream (I use half and half but whipping cream would be fabulous), vinegar, sugar. The vinegar will thicken the cream somewhat then of course you need a fair bit of sugar to offset the tang. Just pour this liberally over your plate full of greens and dig in...it's terrific!

I grew up in a home of eight children, five girls and three boys, a Mennonite home with strong Godly parents. I am the third oldest and I treasure my parents, siblings and heritage greatly. From a very young age,we worked alongside Mom in the kitchen. She would assign our duties: peeling potatoes, picking and sorting lettuce, rolling the "Klops"-the most delicious meatballs imaginable to a hungry teen, baking bread - yes, kneading it, chopping vegetables, pretending we were the cannery as we in assembly line fashion got jars and jars of vegetables ready for the canner - it just made the work fun when we pretended to have fun!, washing and drying dishes after every meal even when we had to get back to school on time for the afternoon. We always helped in the kitchen, with the laundry in summer when we were home - hanging the clothes out on a line and then getting them back in, their fresh lovely scent tickling our noses, then the ironing, yes in those days we ironed everything, and house-cleaning. This is where we learned our cooking and house-keepiing skills. On school days Mom prepared a feast, the main hot dinner-type meal of the day ready for all of us, every day- meat, potatoes, vegetables and lots of bread with some variations. My father maintained that Mom was an expert in cooking, which she was, and she should continue cooking in the same style even in their last years together. She did, but she knew where to draw the line.

Back to the salads: Growing up in our little Prairie town, I babysat for our next door neighbors- a doctors family. It was a wonderful place to be. One evening I was given the instructions to prepare a salad for the good doctor when he got home. I imagine I would have only been twelve or thirteen at the time. I was desperate to know what kind of dressing he might like and since I didn't see any prepared ones in the fridge I prepared the only one I knew how. Later his wife, who was not from a Mennonite background told me how much her husband had enjoyed the dressing on his salad. It was just like his Mom's used to be - he was from a Mennonite background. So phew, I was pleased that I trusted my judgment on that.

Where's Al?

"Burnham woods is moving..." or is it the Willms' woods is moving? We have a challenging piece of property on which we can practise all kinds of acrobatics and at our age we're sometimes wondering..."what am I doing up in these trees again?" Nevertheles, after everything's trimmed down to size again - this is just one of several peaks Al decided to take off the bank of trees on the bank behind our house after we'd already had them trimmed professionally - everything just looks neater and isn't so overbearing in the backyard. This kind of thing also allows for moments of fun and frivolity as you can tell by Al's stylin' cap!

Tasty Treats - gluten free

Since Al seems to be allergic to foods containing gluten and does so much better without regular wheat bread and other wonderful foods made with wheat, Jennifer has been vigilant looking for recipes, experimenting with new ideas and using us as welcome "guinea pigs". Through a sister who is a celiac we've been made aware of how complex that kind of a restricted diet can be. I take my hat off to her and to the many others who have to find their way through a maze of extra steps...and sticky fingers when using rice flour...in finding the right foods and balance that works effectively for them.

Today there are a myriad of gluten-free products available even in regular grocery stores. I've been using a white gluten-free cake mix called "Celimix". It is excellent warm. After I bake the cake and use what is needed, I cut the rest into serving-size pieces and freeze them. With just a few seconds of "nuking" the cake comes out beautifully and can be used as a great shortcake with berries and cream.

The following three recipes come from Jennifer. The rice krispie* treats are a real taste treat. The cornmeal muffins are wonderful when heated, to have along with a bowl of soup or as a snack. The "Dump Cake", which I don't have a picture for, is very delicious and goes a long way. I'll include the recipe here and add the picture later when I get around to making it.** Jennifer brought hers over right out of the oven...very yummy!

*Rice Krispies are not completely gluten-free because they contain malted barley.

Crispy Roll
Ingredients:

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp butter
6 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1 cup cocoa
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil and then mix in the Rice Krispies. Press mixture onto greased parchment/wax paper in a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick. Let cool for 15 mins while you make the filling.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl with hand mixer until smooth. Spread over rice mixture and roll
as you would a jelly roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate at least 30 mins before thinly slicing.

Cornmeal Muffins
Preheat oven to 425F. Grease 12 cup muffin tin
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup shortening, melted

Mix cornmeal, salt, baking powder and soda in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until thin. Stir in melted shortening.

Heat muffin tin in preheated oven(5 mins). Spoon batter into hot tins and bake for 18 mins or until brown and crusty

I adapt this recipe somewhat by adding at least 1 tablespoon sugar. I fill the muffin tins to about two thirds to the top, then add 1 teaspoon raspberry jam, top with remaining batter and pop into oven.

Dump Cake--Don't let the name fool you!
9x13 pan
350° Oven

Ingredients:

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 box of yellow cake mix, or celimix
1/2 cup melted butter
Optional: almonds, coconut, flavourings

Directions:

1. Mix the tins of fruit in pan. Sprinkle with the cake mix(and nuts or coconut if using). Pour melted butter over the dry cake mix but do not stir together.
2. Bake at 350° for 45 mins, or until golden. Serve warm with whipped cream.

**Jennifer baked another Dump cake and sent me a picture of it in the pan and also served up beautifully in a glass dessert dish. Thanks Jenn! Very Nice.

Jennifer adapted it by using a "Celimix" cake mix which worked very well.

Parsley

 

 

 

In my Mother's garden, among the many rows of vegetables she would grow every summer, we would always find her "herb garden" composed of significant rows of: dill (dell), summer savory (Paepa Krut), and parsley (Petahzell)-only three kinds of herbs, that's all that was required to flavour the hearty soups and Mennonite dishes. To this day I like to have the same herbs in my garden. The parsley always comes up strong and vigorous. More reluctant are the other two but with some coaxing I've managed to have a number of promising dill seedlings which I found strewn throughout the garden. But alas, I could only find one tiny "Pepper Weed" or Summer Savoury. But more might be coming - it's slow to get started. If all else fails, I can always pick up a bouquet of this fabulous herb at one of a number of great outdoor vegetable stands.

I've come to bring in a bunch of parsley, chop it up and sprinkle it over all the food before serving - even the roast beef is enhanced by the verdant green color of parsley. But more importantly is the fact that Parsley is loaded with vitamins and minerals. I've included a quote from a link which has lots of great information.

Now I keep a small pot of parsley on a table near my back door as a reminder to pinch off a bunch as I walk by, munch on it and feel my breath freshen and know that it is improving my health.

Another thing I discovered again today as I took the photos is that as the parsley plant grows, and it grows quickly, it develops beautiful seed heads - nice enough to use in an arrangement - which are delightfully fragrant. I've included a picture of a seed head, although not fully developed, it is very fragrant already. As it matures, the seeds will fall into the ground and new plants will grow. It's such a lavish, rich and generous gift the Lord has given to us - more than we can use. I am humbled.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100


Parsley for a Healthy Heart
Parsley is a good source of folic acid, one of the most important B vitamins. While it plays numerous roles in the body, one of its most critical roles in relation to cardiovascular health is its necessary participation in the process through which the body converts homocysteine into benign molecules. Homocysteine is a potentially dangerous molecule that, at high levels, can directly damage blood vessels, and high levels of homocysteine are associated with a significantly increased risk of heart attack and stroke in people with atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. Enjoying foods rich in folic acid, like parsley, is an especially good idea for individuals who either have, or wish to prevent, these diseases. Folic acid is also a critical nutrient for proper cell division and is therefore vitally important for cancer-prevention in two areas of the body that contain rapidly dividing cells-the colon, and in women, the cervix.

Earthworms

A beautiful flower is a feast for the eyes and a delight for the nose...the compost box, on the other hand with its living organisms, we'd rather eschew...but wait a minute...as Frank Sinatra used to croon in "Love and Marriage" (just for fun check it out on YouTube-Cotton Club Singers as I just did - and it will bring back fond memories if you're from my generation!)
...you can't have one without the other!

I've come to squeal with delight when I see earthworms coming up in droves as Al turns the compost! Glorious sight - healthy compost, healthy plants I'm thinking! Earthworms are the great composters. Some interesting facts I discovered on the web regarding this "lowly" creature:

A worm is the gardener's unpaid helper
-Worms can eat up to one third of their body weight in a day.
-Some earthworms may live as long as eight years.
-Worms can live near the surface of the soil
or even down to twelve feet below ground.
-Worms can move objects up to fifty times their own weight.
-The value of worms was understood by the ancients;
it is said that Cleopatra of Egypt celebrated them as sacred in 50 BC.

Well I'm not saying we need to go to those extremes but I do cheer when those squirmy little wormies show up as we turn the compost.

I felt obliged to start this post with a picture of a rose bush that has definitely benefited from the compost in the soil,in order to deflect somewhat from the stark reality of the next pictures of the compost box and some of its findings. The third pic shows an earthworm emerging from inside an empty peanut shell which was submerged in the compost. Jays keep hiding peanuts (my neighbours feed them) in various planters throughout my garden. That's how a peanut will have found its way into the compost. As I mucked around and made the discovery, I was very intrigued with the little drama unfolding before my eyes. I had to move like lightening to get these shots. Earthworms don't like to be exposed! "Just let me hide", they seem to shout. The third pic shows it making its hasty retreat back into safety.

Ah yes the amazing earthworm, such a humble servant,such a true friend of the gardener...

Earthworms are the intestines of the soil.

Aristotle

Slugs

An earlier post titled "Slugs Snails and Spittle bugs",see June 17,did not have a picture of a slug since I couldn't find any willing to pose for me in my garden that day. But a few days later I found a dandy specimen on the move with a baby slug taking lessons. I had to hurry in to get my camera when I saw him early one morning and it didn't take him long to get down to the green fern he was eye-ing. Sorry fellah...

There have been far fewer slugs this year than in previous years and I'm not sure what it is. I put no slug bait down but depend on my trowel for instant results-no slimy messes. I'm still seeing holes in my hostas, but not as severe, so I know they are around. I also read that some birds, such as robins, starlings,jays and crows, which frequent my garden, will eat slugs, although I've never seen it happen. This year too, we don't seem to have as many birds as usual. I read in our local paper today that there are 20% more crows in the area than normal. These crows feed on smaller birds and songbirds, and snatch fledglings out of the nest. They are even known to "gang up" on an eagle or hawk and bring it down, as happened in our area last week. I've heard very few chick-a-dees with their sweet "fee-bee" song this year, so prevalent in the past....hmm I'm missing them.

And so the cycle comes and goes...ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning...(nice sound to those opposites)...such a great big world of little creatures living in families just inches away from where I live and walk and sit every day in my garden and yet a world apart. (This last thought is profound and I can't take credit for it. I read a poem earlier online with this idea in it and I've adapted it).

Earthworms on the next posting and then back to food...please stay tuned.