Howdy. I'm back from space.

So, I've been missing in action...again. Sorry for that friends & followers. First thing is first- Happy New Year. I want to say THANK YOU- to all of my wonderful supporters. I got a lot of messages asking about the sudden blog disappearance, and I appreciate all the feedback and encouragement. So here I am. Back. I have so much stuff I want to blog about, and I definitely don't want to lose you, dear readers. I'm going to try to keep it on the regular around here.

In my absence, there's been some travel, some cooking, a few season changes, and of course tons of eating and hard work. I want to wipe the slate clean for 2011. New year, new beginnings, lotsa blogging. So, shall we begin? The garden. Sort of ironic to be giving the final garden update as I sip tea, my feet are literally frozen on my kitchen floor and I gaze out to a sunny, biting cold, -22, snowcovered backyard. 

Here's how it all shook down in Eden. It was a great summer- and there was an impressive show of veg out there. The squirrels were the real winners this summer. See, we got a new puppy right around harvest time (more about him in a bit)- and the little guy loved to cool down, shaded between plants, in the earth, by the tomatoes - so I had to cool it with the super power cayenne dustings as a form of critter protection... Because nothing says "welcome home puppy" like a flaming hot dose of cayenne in his baby face. 

I'm also worn down, and exhausted, by all the energy I had to spend hating on, and plotting against, my rodent fence dwellers. I need to find a way for us to all co exist, & it's time to bring peace to the battle of the backyard that I had so doggedly declared. I figured out that if I plant a ton of tomatoes (which I did)- there will be more than enough to go around for both myself and the squirrels. If you can't beat 'em, feed 'em...right? Next years plan? Lots of tomatoes (again), and a new (peaceful) plan to protect the (very few) raspberries & other high value crops (I even saw the beggnings of strawberries but they were plucked by the little rodent burglars before even turning red).  That's not too much to ask for. Raspberries should multiply exponentially by next summer, as raspberries do, but those suckers are 6 bucks a carton at the market, and since Im a berry addict, I need to salvage as many as I can from the backyard wildlife.

Enough to share

The zucchini flowers a.k.a squash blossoms a.k.a little morsels of heaven were just amazing and plentiful. They are, without a doubt- one my absolute favourite vegetables. I dream about making my stuffed zucchini blossom pasta. First, remove the little pollen bud in the center. A little chevre mixed with herbs (from the garden), a pinch of salt & pepper- stuff the flowers, twist them shut...batter those babies up tempura style, and fry  (I like to fry them in Canola or peanut oil).  Serve them with spaghetti & fresh tomato sauce, throw in a little sauteed zucchini (use zucchini that has been clipped from the flower, female flowers grow right at the tip of a zucchini, and male grow as independent flowers with stems right from the base of the plant- both are equally delicious & edible). This summer, an italian guest at one of my events, came into the kitchen to tell me my dish reminded me of how his mom used to make it for him in Italy- just the same, and perfectly authentic. A true & touching compliment for an italophile like myself. I'll post this recipe on my website soon. When these beautiful wonders are in season- I love to make them for my clients, and I do it almost every day. On pasta, on pizza, or as a crispy appetizer treat, I am in love, and it's serious. 

Eggplants (of every shape and size), zucchinis, squash blossoms, herbs, tomatoes & lettuces all fared extremely well. we even had a iny weeny little watermelon sprout up, amazing & cute (which then got half eaten by a critter, obviously). The only thing that failed completely were the artichokes- didn't see a single one, nor did we see grapes or blueberries, but because the plants are only only due to fruit next year

Watermelon!! (and look at the microscopic ones to the right!!!)

Sidebar about our puppy: Meet Roman. He's delicious & growing fast. Poor guy got his man parts snipped this week- and he isn't enjoying the lampshade as a fashion accessory.

What does the boychick eat? An important question in our house, since what and when we'll be eating next always seems to be on the brain. I cook Urban Wolf for him (more like I cook chicken, an egg, and add the Urban Wolf mix). It's pretty simple, and amazing stuff. I did a ton of research before deciding to do that, making sure it was legitimately the right choice (it is more work than pouring kibble out of a bag, so you need to be sure of the decision) and I don't regret it one bit. When I'm between UW batches, or if we're on the go with no refrigeration, NOW! puppy kibble is the next best thing I could find.  Here are some pics- I tried to pick just a few...but it's hard to narrow it down when you have 25000 to choose from. I don't know if I'm more camera or puppy obsessed- but it's a dangerous combination. So, instead enjoy a mini album ;)

 How we found him at the breeder (cooling off in a brick)

...And we became a family.

growing....

Veggies gone wild, summer break.

I was standing at my kitchen counter yesterday morning, making a pot of coffee, and that's when I saw him. 

A squirrel. My furry little enemy was walking across the fence above our garden, only this time he was carrying a big, juicy tomato. It doesn't take a forensics team to figure out where he got it. A quick glance at the emptied vine I'd been waiting to pick confirmed the culprit. A wave of heat ran through my body, and I wasn't sure whether to scream or burst into tears. The nervy little F-er even sat himself down on the fence for a full on tomato salad feast. The rain the past few days had clearly wiped out my cayenne job, and I wasnt quick enough on the re-apply to avoid these eager critters from descending on my bounty.

Since it was too late to do anything about it, I ran to grab my camera, quietly went out into the back (not unnoticed by the little guy) and took a few pics of him - caught red handed (literally).

He's looking right at me.

Then I went out and got myself a five pound box of the fierce cayenne recommended by Erica at Les Douceurs de Marche. This is a full on war of the fruits, and I'm going to win it. I came home and created my very own artillery: a super sized "Cayenne Shaker". I took a large mason jar, poked holes in the top, and 65 sneezes later, my shaker was loaded and ready to go, and a fresh and heavy cayenne crop dusting was carried out immediately.

I am noticing however, that the cayenne may not really be the answer to my problems.  Unless I have endless amounts of time to re-apply (and shower every leaf of every plant with the stuff), these fluffy SOB's find a way around the hot spots. Upon closer inspection, I also found that the squirrels had taken the entire branch of 10 or so large tomatoes that were growing. How was one little squirrel was able to get away with that many tomatoes at once!?!? Do thy work as a team? It's not as though the branch was broken and some were left in the earth- they are all G-O-N-E. Even as I write this and peer out the window I see the bogies multiplying... three in the fruit section, two on the fence... I can't handle this.

The tomatoes that no longer exist

A friend has offered her scarecrow. I'm going to get it tomorrow and we'll see how that works out. I also had a friend wih her dog here yesterday afternoon...  the dog spent much of the day actually lying in the earth protecting my garden. If a squirrel even came near my yard - the dog went completely bananas, barking until it left. I may need to rent her out for the summer (anyone have a schnauzer that needs a place to laze around?). 

In other (better) news, things are cropping up like crazy back here. Cherry tomato trees have just about exploded, tons of tomatoes are hiding all over the place, and the height of the trees has tripled in size. The Roma tomato plants (not even sure I realized I planted Romas) are sprouting beautiful, bean-like tomatoes, that I cannot wait to harvest in a couple of weeks- the thought of them being robbed just hurts. The larger plants are looking a little bare, should be just a few days until some new big guys start to sprout up again.

The surprise Romas

Look how big those plants are getting! They were 1/4 that height!

In the veg section, things are getting so wild and crazy I can barely believe my eyes. I had to trim back some of the zucchini plant leaves, because they were shading the neighbouring purple onion, arugula & eggplants. Micro basil looks like a little fro of perfection, and every time I clip some, it seems to replenish overnight. The thyme seems to be growing a little slower... taking its sweet ass thyme (had to insert that cheesy joke). Everything else in the veggie section is doing really awesome, the arugula, spinach & herbs are growing faster than I can consume if you can believe it. Steady watering, good water flow (since the garden is on a slant) and great sunshine- Thank you (so far) mother nature! Let's see what happens when the actual vegetables start to come in (if they every do). The only problem so far with all the extreme growth, is that it comes with an onslaught of weeds. Not sure my legs could handle the man-hours of all the weeding in squat position that needs to take place. Thinking Ric & I need to blast some tunes and hit the weed for a few hours one of these days. Ya mon.

Week 1

same shot, week 5

My friend, the micro basil

Oregano ground cover action

Eastward in the fruit patch, ground cherries are growing steadily (and being eaten by the animals at about the same rate as they come in), & raspberry season is about to be in full swing. July is Raspberry season, and I'd better get on track with the rodent control, or I won't see a single red-berry in my hands. There are only a few berries coming from the plants this year, and I plan to harvest and enjoy each one.

Click here to read week 1 of my garden adventures!

Happenings in the vegetable patch.

So there's been a nice steady few weeks of serious sun, and then big rains- which has really been great for my farming experiment 2.0. There has been some significant growth since planting day. 

The tomatoes are doing wonderfully. The three larger plants are actually producing beautiful looking fruit. the cherry tomto plant has already given me about 16 large (organic) cherry tomatoes,  the large "pink lady" tomatoes are huge, and slowly turning pink, and the third (which I thought was a pink lady, but was marked wrong at the nursery) has about 12 shapely looking medium size tomatoes, and I'm excited to see how long it takes them to ripen. They are gorgeous.

Over in the herbs & veg section, the herbs and lettuces are all growing nicely, with the exception of one spinach plant that seems to be struggling and looking pretty weak (I have no clue why!). The 4 arugula bushels have doubled in size, and the herbs are starting to look more full. The artichoke, eggplant, and zucchini plants look healthy and great- but I honestly have no clue what's happening under the ground or what to expect from those bad boys.

As for the fruits, all the plants look great- and some of the rasberry bushes (especially the heritage ones) are starting to have tiny greenish buds that I hope will turn into fruit near the end of the summer and save me from my uncontrollable need to spend 5.99 on raspberries on a weekly basis. Squirrels and birds be warned: I will defend my berries with force.

Heritage berries, almost turning pinkish!

The other plants seem to be budding as well, Im hoping that my 2 year old bluberry plant will actually produce some fruit this year- and I should see some strawberries too. The ground cherry plants are already showing the delicate paper-like green shells, that will soon house some pretty little yellow guys. I'm watching all of it, and feeling pretty positive. Watermelons dont look like they've made to much progress, and I'm not holding my breath.

Ground cherries

Animals seem to be staying away from the massive amounts of Cayenne that I have been putting down. I caught one squirrel actually jump from a vertical postion on the fence, right onto the tomato cage - a few foot drop. I ran out like a raving loon and scared it away. Besides that, they are still running back and forth on the fence all day but not daring to come down into the cayenne den of fire. It takes a lot of upkeep to sprinkle cayenne after each big rain, and it's going to get more and more intense as the summer gets on, and more fruit starts to blossom. I'm ready. Stay tuned.