RIP Saffy

I'm so sad to say that Saffy died yesterday. We had a scare last February, so we were lucky to have an extra 11 months with her. Here are a few of the last pictures I took of her, from after a snowstorm on December 30, 2012.

Sweets

I've continued to cook from issue 61 of Donna Hay mag, most recently trying the spiced stewed plums. They are so good over vanilla ice cream, but have other uses too. I'm actually tempted to glaze some grilled chicken or pork with the plum syrup!

James has begun to eat small portions of banana, so I will need to make things with banana so none goes to waste. This morning, I made The Domestic Goddess's (Nigella) banana muffins while feeding James. It was good to do some baking first thing as the temps will be soaring to the 90's later. Summer is here!

New Favorite Dishes

Issue 61 of Donna Hay is sure a good one! I've made the Spiced Lemon Chicken also shown in my last post a couple times now. Most recently, I made Donna's Black Bean and Tomato Salsa to go with it and love the flavors of it. I've had it with the chicken, Greek yogurt and avocado as pictured and for leftovers had the same combo just without the chicken. I think I'll be making it all summer!

Summer Cooking

On a recent trip to the bookstore I bought Issue 61 of the Donna Hay magazine as I was excited to try a number of the summery recipes that are so beautifully presented. Tonight, we had Spiced Lemon Chicken with rice pilaf for main course and Plum Clafoutis for dessert with a dollop of vanilla ice cream melting over it.

I have ingredients ready to make another sweet, the Pineapple Coconut Loaf, but intend to make other things too. I will let you know how they turn out. Is anyone else cooking from this issue? Let me know your recommendations!

I definitely give five stars to tonight's recipes!

A Mobile Test and an FO

I managed a knitting project this week, Mini Jubilee Bunting, but I'll actually use it for the 4th of July. There are 7 little flags, each about 4 inches long. The inspiration is from Let's Knit mag and The Flitter Knitter and a free bunting pattern.

I strung the flags with attached I cord which is something I've been wanting to try for awhile and worked nicely here.

I'll have to edit this later to add links. I'm not sure how and James wants to touch the screen too which is making this tricky!

Indoor Seed Starting

Here are many of my small sized seed packets, somewhat organized. I am not good at keeping seed packets neat, but must try to do better so I know what I'm saving from year to year and use up older seeds first. Fortunately, nothing is older than 2011 at the moment.

I am so late starting seeds this year. Normally, I start them around March 15th and I had been thinking about starting some of the slower peppers a week or two earlier than that. This year, I sowed on April 29th! I know I won't have early harvests, but I think they will still grow and have plenty of time to mature. They should get a quicker start since the basement is warmer this time of year. In fact, the heat mats probably won't even be running much (they have a thermostat). And, I won't be tempted to put seedlings out too early and have the usual concern about cold nights.

Peppers (sweets and hots). I'll probably plant some of these in the hoop house so they have a longer growing season. From past experience, the habs, lemon hots and hole mole peppers will probably need the extra time and warmth.

Tomatoes

Eggplants, raab and room for more...

I keep thinking that I should have managed to start the seeds on time despite having a new baby, but it's easy to say that now that I am getting sleep again. With feedings every two hours around the clock, I couldn't manage much else at the time!

I may sow some greens and herbs in the remaining space indoors, but most of my next sowing will be in the prepared pots waiting in the hoop house. Also, I need to do some direct sowing in the hoop house!

Hoop House Update

The hoop house easily withstood the only significant snowfall of the season. Here it is pictured on January 22nd.

I was too busy with the end of the pregnancy and then my new baby to do anything with the hoop house, but plants overwintered well even though I ignored them. I never did get a thermometer for it to record highs and lows, but next year I want to try that. Today, Jeff helped me with cleaning up the hoop house to ready it for planting. We left some flowering plants like kale for the honeybees that were happily buzzing around them. There are carrots, beets, Swiss chard, parsley, par-cel, dill, fennel and scallions to eat.

I filled pots with potting soil in preparation for starting winter and summer squash, cukes, pumpkins and zinnias in the hoop house. The trays with the shallow channels will be used to start seeds indoors. I intend to have them sowed and under the grow lights by the end of the weekend. I will be starting my tomatoes, eggplants and peppers very late, but expect they will still do ok with our fairly long growing season. We just won't have them very early like other years. A few of the longer to ripen peppers I'll put in the hoop house so they have a chance to fully develop.

It is exciting to be starting the garden for the season! I think James was interested in all our activities. He was outside with us in his stroller.

Soon, Jeff will till the garden and the peas will go in. Not only will Jeff and I be enjoying the garden produce this year, but James will have homemade baby food from the garden when he starts on solids in addition to breastfeeding.