![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
ranunculus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ranunculus) wrote2025-06-15 09:19 pm
ranunculus) wrote2025-06-15 09:19 pmGarden
Today there was a HUGE hatch of cucumber beetles. Both spotted and striped versions. I think I got 150 bugs into my soapy water or squashed. During the morning all I did was walk circles around the garden gathering beetles. Well, that was after I took Firefly for a walk. Wasn't up to riding, low blood sugar. Compare that with two days ago when I got 5 beetles total all day.
This evening the harvest was part of dinner.
I don't think either squash was fertilized, but the next ones probably will be and these were still perfectly edible. Also had potatoes from the garden and a hamburger patty from a local ranch that sells their beef direct.
This evening the harvest was part of dinner.
I don't think either squash was fertilized, but the next ones probably will be and these were still perfectly edible. Also had potatoes from the garden and a hamburger patty from a local ranch that sells their beef direct.
rebeccmeister (rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-15 07:21 pm
rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-15 07:21 pmMore strawberry delights [food, gardening]
It feels like we've gotten a good strawberry haul from the garden this year, to the point where I didn't feel like I needed to buy any strawberries at the farmer's market yesterday. I'm also trying to be mindful about what I put into the freezer, relative to what I actually take out and use. I don't find frozen strawberries to be quite as delicious as fresh, and I find strawberry jam to generally be too sweet, so this year I'm trying to figure out as many ways as I can to use the fresh ones while they're fresh.
Oatmeal is always a good conduit for fresh fruit.
Let's be honest, I like to add a lot of condiments to my oatmeal. Chia seeds, amaranth seeds, flax meal, cinnamon, yogurt, honey, almonds, pumpkin seeds, Zante currants...but a lot of that seems necessary to add protein and fiber so I'm not hungry again in an hour.
Today I used rhubarb we got from the farmer's market along with the strawberries, to make strawberry-rhubarb almond tarts:
I used this crust and almond filling recipe from some time ago, then baked the tarts for about 25 minutes at 375 °F.
I think the tarts could have benefited from another 5-10 minutes in the oven, but they were still so good!
The rhubarb was still a bit on the crunchy side, but I kind of liked that for the sake of being able to really taste it in all its sweet, tart freshness.
I'm also excited that S is excited about working on things in the garden (something tells me he needed a break from computer screens!). Today he dug out the BBQ-pit bed and expanded it by a couple square feet. He sifted out and added in some compost, noting that there were still a TON of worms in the compost. Then he planted some tomatoes, peppers, and basil in the BBQ bed. He has also been helping to de-jungle the main garden bed, and did a ton of pruning.
I can't wait until sour cherry season. I have PLANS for sour cherries.
Oatmeal is always a good conduit for fresh fruit.
Let's be honest, I like to add a lot of condiments to my oatmeal. Chia seeds, amaranth seeds, flax meal, cinnamon, yogurt, honey, almonds, pumpkin seeds, Zante currants...but a lot of that seems necessary to add protein and fiber so I'm not hungry again in an hour.
Today I used rhubarb we got from the farmer's market along with the strawberries, to make strawberry-rhubarb almond tarts:
I used this crust and almond filling recipe from some time ago, then baked the tarts for about 25 minutes at 375 °F.
I think the tarts could have benefited from another 5-10 minutes in the oven, but they were still so good!
The rhubarb was still a bit on the crunchy side, but I kind of liked that for the sake of being able to really taste it in all its sweet, tart freshness.
I'm also excited that S is excited about working on things in the garden (something tells me he needed a break from computer screens!). Today he dug out the BBQ-pit bed and expanded it by a couple square feet. He sifted out and added in some compost, noting that there were still a TON of worms in the compost. Then he planted some tomatoes, peppers, and basil in the BBQ bed. He has also been helping to de-jungle the main garden bed, and did a ton of pruning.
I can't wait until sour cherry season. I have PLANS for sour cherries.
rebeccmeister (rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-15 06:09 pm
rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-15 06:09 pmEntry tags:
Saturday's adventure [rowing]
Yesterday, we rowed Petrichor up to the farmer's market in Troy! Once it stopped raining the weather was absolutely beautiful, making it a fantastic day to be out on the river. This was only S's second time ever trying to row, and the first time might have been about a decade ago. He did very well, although early on he commented that he had to keep an eye on his oar to make sure it did what he told it to do, which got complicated by the fact that he had oars on both sides of the boat to try and watch.
Getting the oars in:
I gave a little cheer every time we made it past a landmark to help keep morale up.
It took us about 2 hours to get this far, this time. During our morning practices we can usually reach this distance in about 35-40 minutes.
We had to pull over and stop to pee twice on the way up.
The Troy docks are taller than our rowing docks. But we did bring along some fenders, at least. It's going to take more practice to figure out our mooring system.
In this case, it didn't help that the town's fire rescue boat gave us a MASSIVE wake right in the no-wake zone at the dock. Sigh.
We reached Troy just in time for some lunch at a hipster coffeeshop, and then had about 30 minutes to roam around the farmer's market. We brought home rhubarb, green garlic, kale, eggs, milk, lettuce, a loaf of bread, and maybe one or two other things I'm forgetting at the moment. A good haul.
I'm still so chuffed by the adventure.
Yay boats!
Getting the oars in:
I gave a little cheer every time we made it past a landmark to help keep morale up.
It took us about 2 hours to get this far, this time. During our morning practices we can usually reach this distance in about 35-40 minutes.
We had to pull over and stop to pee twice on the way up.
The Troy docks are taller than our rowing docks. But we did bring along some fenders, at least. It's going to take more practice to figure out our mooring system.
In this case, it didn't help that the town's fire rescue boat gave us a MASSIVE wake right in the no-wake zone at the dock. Sigh.
We reached Troy just in time for some lunch at a hipster coffeeshop, and then had about 30 minutes to roam around the farmer's market. We brought home rhubarb, green garlic, kale, eggs, milk, lettuce, a loaf of bread, and maybe one or two other things I'm forgetting at the moment. A good haul.
I'm still so chuffed by the adventure.
Yay boats!