Water Boys

Abby and company are in town for the week.  The boys today discovered how  steam engines work–and rode one, discovered how much fun large expanses of grass can be, discovered that blueberries grow on bushes–and ate so many it was incredible, picked tomatoes and raspberries and beans and carrots and ate them, petted Pounce and Hawthorne, watched Jay use a tractor to mow down grass, saw horses, and played in the water barrel.

Here is the guy who started it all:

And here they all are:

Eventually they all got soaked.  Why not?

Quince

Across the road from thie girl’s violin instructor’s home is a row of shrubs covered with knobby ovoid fruit.  Flowering quince fruit.  Ornamental species, but Palmer’s indicates the fruit is edible.  We had a couple in a venison stew while our friends were here.  I brought the ones I harvested afterwards inside last night since they were not ripening on the porch and put a few of the ripest into last night’s venison stew.

When unripe there is not much more pucker inducing than a quince. But when ripe quince smell like citrusy juicyfruit gum.  And are marvelous cooked with meat.  They contain loads of pectin so if you make jam none is added.

My folks had a quince tree for years.  That tree produced quince several time the size of the ornamental species.  Lots more flesh.  They were wonderful.

In Bloom Still

Even after the hard 20 degree nights and some wet snow.

Also in Bloom

Hardy fall cyclamen

Autumn crocus

Field Trip

Our First Dude and I went out alone last night.  And not to pick up scrap metal.  That was the last time we went somewhere alone. This time we hurried downtown to Wegmans, thinking to eat supper there, then visit the large local arboretum.  Since a deluge hit just as we left the house, we sauntered around the store for a while.

There was an abundance of fancy little tomatoes available at an outrageous price: $3.00 per pint; but no Sungolds.  We started scheming about raising sweet little golden sugarball tomatoes to sell there.

No large amounts of anything for sale.  For instance, the largest unit of onion was a two pound bag.  This time of year, when I have just about used up all the onions I grew, I am on the lookout for 25 pound bags.

We saw celery all cut into sticks being offered for sale; a two person potion of uncooked, nothing special lasagna for over $20; some cheeses were over $30 per pound, most over $10/lb; lamb loin for over $10/lb, myriads of fish.  We realized we eat pretty well for comparatively next to nothing.

This last Saturday I processed a bushel of tomatoes using Suzanne’s Mehu-maija into 12 quarts of juice/broth and 9 pints of paste.  Sungold juice and paste.  And today the kids each picked a peck more Sungolds to join the peck of red tomatoes to send back with the Mehu-maija.

Super Summer Supper Salad

Right now is the time of year to eat Salad Nicoise for supper.  Gardens are producing lettuce, green beans, new potatoes, tomatoes, onions.  If, like me, you do not have an olive tree, egg layers or fresh tuna off the boat, this still is a mostly locally grown meal.

Salad Nicoise

Dressing:

1 large shallot or small onion, minced

1 T. capers

2 T. Dijon mustard

2T. wine vinegar

1 tsp coarse salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Place the above in your food processor and while motor is running pour in 6 T. extra-virgin olive oil.

Salad:

several large leaves of fresh leaf lettuce per person, cut into pieces (a small head for four people)

1/2 pound + green beans (at least 1/2 cup per person), blanched until still slightly crunchy

1 pound small new potatoes (1/2-1 cup per person), boiled and cut up

1 egg/person, boiled

three Sungold tomatoes/person, or two large tomatoes, cut in wedges

a couple olives per person

1 6-oz. can tuna

Pour a good amount (1/4-1/2 cup) of dressing over the hot, cooked potatoes.  Compose the salad on the plates and drizzle more dressing on the beans and lettuce.