Sunday was chutney day

Lots of small, windfall apples, almost-ripe but brusing immediately they touch the ground. Grabbed before the turkeys got them on Sunday morning, and made chutney: apples, onions, dried apricots, a few raisins; vinegar, spices, fresh ginger and brown sugar.

Tomaisins (Copyright. Me)

 Large batch of cherry tomatoes picked on Saturday--the day my new dehydrator arrived! There are yellow pear-shaped tomatoes, mini red ones, little gems, and Juliet grape Romas (they, for some bizarre reason, make me sneeze, those Juliets).

First I washed them, as they have been allowed to sprawl all over the garden, as well as climb up bamboo tripods.

 Then I halved them and laid them on the dryer racks, lining them up towards the center. That is not so much OCD coming through but rather following the instructions in the manual. The yellow ones looked better on the rack, all perfectly aligned, but the photo was fuzzy.

Then turn on the dehydrator: 135 degrees F, and leave alone. There's a fan inside that circulates the air through several layers of drying racks. It took longer than the manual/cookbook said--more like 24 hours than 6, or 10 hours--but eventually...

TOMAISINS!!!  Tiny, sweet, tomato raisins that are like little chews of sunshine.

And I'm supposed to store them away and eat them later? Really?

Better grow a half an acre of them next year.

Round yellow cucumbers!

Fresh from garden this morning. They have a clean, mild flavour.

Oh pumpkin

I have never grown a pumpkin before. Now the plant is taking over, and there are many more pumpkins to come. But this is the firstborn!

Sunny sunflowers!

Sunflowers! Learned that squirrels dig up the seeds, so next year they will all be sprouted in pots and then transplanted. These are in a container on the patio.

Location:Citrus Heights

Growing up... And over

Cherry tomatoes entwined with cucumbers and roma tomatoes and a watermelon vine that has only just taken off. Garden madness!

Folsom Zoo

Is it really that long since I wrote anything here? Seriously... where does time go?

Today, Jade and I visited Folsom Zoo, a sanctuary for rescued animals, those who cannot be returned to the wild for one reason or another. California black bears (sadly Fisher is no longer here), who help test bear-proofing of garbage cans... a blind skunk called Gizmo who was hiding today... coyotes and mountain lions.

Did you know that a bear who wants to get at the food you've left inside a locked car, will sit on its roof and bounce until something pops open? Or that wolves will eat pumpkins, and spit out the seeds?

That's what I learned today...

 

 

 

Another thrift-store find

This one cost just $15. It's been sitting in the garage since last weekend... too hot to do any sanding. It's more damaged than the last one: the scratches and dents are deeper, but I think it adds character.

I like that it's long and low. I may put a cushion on top and use it as a seat somehow.

Two sorts of walnut

As well as the English walnut, we also have some near-native, Black walnut trees around the creek. I thought they were a type of sumac until this morning, trying to cut one of the fruits open and failing badly.

The English walnut is grafted, about a foot above the ground, probably to a black walnut rootstock. It may be impossible to crack the pure black walnut fruits!

Not everyone takes a siesta

It was about 1.30 pm, and already about 96 degrees F (here, temperatures reach their peak around five in the afternoon, not midday), and the dogs were sleepy and taking their siesta. Suddenly, a commotion in the back garden: ten or so turkeys, yelling-gobbling, flew across the creek to our side, followed by the local cockerel (or rooster if you prefer), often heard but never before seen, shiny green and gold and red... all followed by a very-enthusiastic, furry coyote.

I think the cockrel escaped -- he went one way, and the coyote went another -- but there are a cluster of turkey feathers waving in the breeze on the other side of the creek now.

He looked like a furry, beige, large English fox.

Squash!

Quite a few squash plants of various varieties around the garden. This one is "spaghetti squash", and it's quite rampant--climbing up the fence around the pool. Perfect for me--it's gluten-free pasta growing in the garden! (When cooked, the flesh turns to spaghetti. Magic.)

Also planted the ones that look like little yellow flying saucers, butternut (to make soup), and of course a courgette/zuchinni on the compost heap.

I like seeing them grow. I'm less fond of eating them. Have to find some recipes which do not turn them slimy. Rapid stir-fry. Julienned. Not cooked-until-mushy.

Baby tomatoes

Several different kinds are growing, yellow pear grape, red Juliet grape, various "heritage" tomatoes that will hopefully be tasty.

I am letting them sprawl, because they love that and there is the room here.

The pepper plants are doing well too. I now understand why Mexican food uses so much tomato and pepper, because when Sacramento temperatures reach over ninety F, these are the only things that flourish. The lettuces and arugula zoomed skywards to make seed and the radishes tried to flower. Must remember that they are "cool weather" crops here.

Daylilies!

They are all flowering! It's the first year, so there are only one or at most two flower spikes per plant... but they are beautiful, and hopefully, will spread year after year until we have an ocean of flowers.

Sean Lennon, sound check

Sean Lennon and his beautiful lady were doing a soundcheck on an outdoor stage, near the East River... we just happened upon them, totally unexpected.

A small crowd had gathered to listen and watch.

New York. You never know what is around the corner.

By the East River

A group of tall ships and tugboats, berthed near the financial district on the East River.

We had delicious smoothies made from fresh fruit by an Egyptian engineer...

Dragon fighters!

This is the fire department in Manhattan's China Town. They fight dragons!

Lady Liberty

Lady Liberty on a drizzly summer day

I spent the weekend with Jade, in New York. On Friday afternoon, we took the Staten Island ferry, across the water and past the Statue of Liberty. It's free!

The weather was warm, misty, drizzly...

Thrift store finds: refinished!

Refinished: sanded, smoothed and given several coats of satin. Fixed the broken bits. Added new knobs (or as they call them here, new "pulls").

Love the wood grain. Really glad I didn't use the ebony stain on this one.

The knobs are from India, found at World Market. They cost more than the chest of drawers itself, but still less than plastic-fake-metal ones from the big home improvement stores. They are ceramic!