Fish Taco's

Lavender Debs 5/28/2010, 12:09 am

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_2713

This is a great example of how NOT to take a food picture! These were SO yummy.

From my garden..... cilantro, lettuce, carrots (though they were not honestly ready)

From the Snohomish Farmers market...... sweet onion thinnings

The cilantro, oh my goodness!! Yum-oh!

Tomorrow: Lemon Chicken with herbs from the garden. I will probably put up the recipes on my blog…..eventually.

Lavender Debs 5/29/2010, 11:39 am

I have posted the Fish Taco recipe with a link to the original on my little blog. (Little in that I post the details that I link to my main blog.)
Fish Tacos at Music of the Rain

Lavender Debs 5/29/2010, 4:39 pm

A move for your viewing pleasure on this rainy Memorial Day

Megan 5/29/2010, 4:49 pm

Very nice, Lavender Debs! But why are you afraid to touch anything?

Lavender Debs 5/29/2010, 4:57 pm

It has been raining hard for a day and a half and disease spreads in so many things when they are wet. Beans more than anything else. I think that is why overhead watering is often called "dangerous" Even so, chard with lentils and buckwheat noodles are for dinner tonight sooooo.

Megan 5/29/2010, 5:21 pm

Hm. I have been trying to get the dirt off of my bean plants... we had a very hard downpour here the other day (with hail!) and it churned up the MM and put a nice coating of MUD all over everything, especially the undersides of my bigger-leaved plants.

Chard with lentils and buckwheat noodles sounds delicious. My chard is just tiny at this point, though Sad

But I want your recipe!

Lavender Debs 5/29/2010, 10:15 pm

It isn't originally my recipe but one from the amazing Deborah Madison. She is a vegetarian, and mine has sausage. There wasn't any left-over’s.

The recipe is posted on Music of the Rain as: Soba, Chard and Sausage

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_2910

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_2910

Ray'ssfg 5/30/2010, 7:30 am

Hi Deb,
I know you had an interest in my winter tomatoes so have just posted some photos under "Winter Tomatoes" in the general forum.
They are now about 4ft tall and some varieties still growing. All have flowers and the Stupice have fruit about the size of golf balls.

The rest of my garden is doing really well with lots of silver beet, leeks, spinach, peppers, lettuce, spring onions, carrots all producing.
The broccoli, cabbage, broad beans and cauliflower nearly ready.

I continue to enjoy seeing your garden photos.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 Icon_cheers

Cheers Ray

Lavender Debs 5/31/2010, 3:51 pm

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_3110

For the last three or four days the rookies at accuweather.com have been singing annie's song (the sun will come out tomorrow). Instead there is more rain. The ground squishes like the tennis shoes worn in the river when I walk back to the fence. My rain gage holds nearly 3 inches of water from this weekend. The dogs are content to lay by the fire. However, I am idgy from all the coffee that sounds so good until it hits me like a brick.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_3011

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_3011

I went to the Everett Farmers Market for the season opener yesterday. It is always enchanting on a rainy day. Took my first picture and got a message that there was no memory card. Drat! it was at home in my computer. I have more than one card but didn't happen to bring one with me. Ray thought it would be a good idea to get me a case for all the camera stuff I have. The case was at home. Even though my bag looks so disorganized to him, it was my disorganization and I knew where to search. Oh well, he loves me and gives me presents. It is on me, not him to get it together to make sure the camera has all its parts when I invite it to come with me.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_3111

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_3111

I went to the front garden to find something that wasn't purple to photograph. This Spanish lavender IS purple, but what made it worth the picture was the bees. The eves protect this garden from rain and these poor bees were gathering what they could, trying to stay dry. Poor little guys!
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_3112

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 May_3112

There was this mini rose. It is in the deep pink zone, not red, so it is still the same color family.

Oh, from the farmers market.....scored the moral mushrooms that we have been unable to find since moving to Everett. Made them into a quiche with a big mess of my spinach and the last leek. I also bought a handful of the first Washington Asparagus. If it had been from California or Oregon I would have put it into the quiche. But since it was from Fox Island near Mt. Vernon, Washington, I grilled it with olive oil seasoned with pink lavender sea-salt and fresh pepper. We ate it reverently with our fingers. Nothing like fresh asparagus. Finished the meal with a garden salad. For dessert, the strawberry-rhubarb dump with lavender cream.

Momma Pajama 5/31/2010, 6:16 pm

Oh yum! I used to eat morels all the time on my grandparents' farm in MI growing up. How much did they charge per pound, do you remember?

Lavender Debs 5/31/2010, 8:41 pm

I don't know how much they cost per pound. They were way too expensive! But Ray and I had been searching the urban river areas for them over the weekend. We almost drove up to Robe Valley to our old haunts to find a few but it was raining so hard. They need a kiss of sunshine to pop up. I bought a nice full quart container for $10.00 which made me crazy since I usually just pluck them from the forest floor. But everyone told me they loved me and thanked me for the quiche. Not sure I ever mentioned what I spent on them. They were perfectly fresh and bug free.

Lavender Debs 6/1/2010, 10:05 pm

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 00510

It is STILL pretty. Look at those Golden Sweet Snow Peas. So that’s why they are called Golden. Now, for the "big mistake" part. I thought, "There are so many, I'm just going to taste one.” Now I know where the "sweet" part of the name comes from. Oh my gosh!! So good. I'm liking them better then sugar snaps. Now the difficult part, to let most of them come to full size.

Lavender Debs 6/3/2010, 10:25 am

Just for fun, because the cat in the hat did not show up on that cold wet day, I decided to have my first ever lettuce tasting. Then, because I am really boring, I blogged it.

Deb's Lettuce Tasting

As they say down town, "enjoy"

Lavender Debs 6/4/2010, 1:12 pm

Two things happened on our single summer day and two things that should have happened did not.

The lawn did not get mowed and I was so busy that my camera stayed in my pocket, so no pictures were taken to document that it was not raining.

Today Accuweather.com is predicting "rain with showers" for the PNW.

Here is what DID happen.....
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_410

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_410

The peppers all got a square of their own. It was so hot out. I knew that we had more rain coming. What I didn't realize was that it was coming from the Bearing Sea instead of the Philippians. Noticeably colder. Our day time high today is just about where our night time highs were last week. This may have been a mistake.

The other thing that happened.....
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_411

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_411

It got so warm yesterday that the spinach got broody after two and a half months of giving. I already got rid of that nasty yellow leaf. Next time the garden dries up I'll cut the last of the spinach for a frittata or something and replant..... I am not sure what. On a whim I picked up a package of Collards, which I know nothing about. This square is right in front of a thick curtain of peas. The collard directions say two things. 1. They need plenty of sunlight which makes this square iffy, and 2. They make "itchy" southern food. What does that mean? My Jason wants head lettuce. Maybe I will put some of that there instead.

Momma Pajama 6/4/2010, 4:37 pm

My spring spinach is all bolting too. I picked up a summer hybrid ("Space" by Territorial Seed) that's supposed to be bolt-resistant for another round.

LOL Laughing

Phillipians! That's a good one! Well, I think your mind's in the right place!

Lavender Debs 6/5/2010, 1:15 pm

It was actually too hot for a sweater at 9 AM. There must be a huge hole in the clouds. The temp is still only 63 degrees but there is nothing between me and Mr. Sunshine. Yum! We are making actual shadows.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_510

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_510

The ground is still squishy. It rained last night. I made lavender scones to welcome Shabbat. It seemed romantic, all huddled together, taking in the scent of lavender under the shelter on the deck while rain pelted the roof and ran down in rivulets that were difficult to avoid. But we love each other and hardly need a reason to celebrate just being. If you want to make some of your own (they are easier then they might sound just reading the recipe) follow the path from the link in my signature (Rainsong) to my 2nd blog where I post details.....like recipes and word studies.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_511

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_511

I adore fennel. It seems so exotic that it did not occur to me that I could grow it myself until I saw a seed packet on Uprising's rack. JOY! This is one expensive veggie. I think maybe I know why. Of the first 4 seeds I hid in the soil I have one little baby fennel. It may have been just a bit early. I put 4 more into a square in box 3 thinking I might get one. I plucked out one thinking it had to be a weed.....except that the weed had the distinct licorice scent of fennel. Three other infants are growing in that box. I am going to try to move one of them today and see if it does well. For the first time this year I am hoping it isn't too sunny for the little baby to survive the move.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_512

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_512

Just might have shelling peas for the solstice. Actually, even if they are fat and ready I will not have them for the solstice. That is also my anniversary (35 years) and my Ray HATES peas, so not such a good idea. He likes sugar snaps if I make a good ranch type dip that is strong with lemon, dill and garlic. There is only one square of shelling peas and I do not mind at all if I have to eat every one of them. However, both my boys are home and both love peas.....drat!
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_513

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_513

Even though I keep grabbing one or three Snow Peas every time I am loving on my garden (and I am there ALL the time) there is still an abundance of them. I would put these into a flower garden if I actually grew flowers.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_514

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_514

The bees are drawn to English Thyme blossoms like an old woman to fine chocolate so I moved a pot of it to the edge of box #3. Nothing blooming in this box yet but I can see a promise of tomato blossoms that are going to need all the love they can get.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_515

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_515

Deborah ....enjoying the quit before the flurry of activity that usually defines our Saturdays.

Lavender Debs 6/8/2010, 11:29 am

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_810

They need to chub up just a bit but there should be at least a taste of Peas very soon.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_811

I can see a little bit of color to the Hidcoté Lavender.

All the PNW magicians were predicting sunny weather for the PNW today. It might have been hopeful thinking. If the rain will just hold off I will be pulling up my faithful spinach and after a little refreshing, planting collards in that square. I have never grown them before. This will be a new adventure for me. But, I bought a new cook book that is all about Greens and am confident that it will not be a negative experience. The new book says nothing about "itchy southern"

My dill has a new home. I was having a difficult time finding a place for her where she would not be too close to a tomato, a bean or onion. She has her own pot on the deck. Duh! The cucumbers will be replanted today. They seem to have drowned. There is a volunteer nasturtium in the herb garden right next to a huge mushroom. It was not so huge yesterday. Now I am going to have to check my mushroom book and see if I should throw it in the sauté pan with some friends.

Deborah... wondering if I can keep the sweater in the closet?

Lavender Debs 6/10/2010, 1:44 pm

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_110

Went outside to take a picture of my snap peas just to show momma P that my sugar snaps are no farther along then hers....but then I saw this guy hanging proud.

Jason and I sat on the porch and we each popped open a shell pea pod and gobbled the peas inside. Um um um. Then, last night I had just a little bit of left over steak (that NEVER happens) that became a salad with my lettuces, a sliced carrot AND two big handfuls of Golden Sweet Snow Peas. Amazing flavor.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_111

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_111

Then again there is my broccoli....isn't there supposed to be something in the middle that I can show off as I ask, "is it normal for it to be so small?"

Deborah ....thinking I'll have more chard for dinner.

Lavender Debs 6/14/2010, 1:40 pm

So Ray and I were out in the sun and chilly breeze talking about what we might do with Swiss chard and snow peas for lunch when I lean over and tug one of the carrot tops and much to my surprise, I have an actual carrot come up with honest orange color and that sweet clean scent that makes me think I should be putting a roast into the oven. We cleaned it up and gobbled it down. Ray was telling me that he loves carrots and wishes I would plant more. Silly man, quick as a wink I pointed out 4 more squares of orange roots scattered throughout the different gardens.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_115

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_115

Short and Sweet Carrot (Is that what they are called?) from Burpee. They seemed like they would fit a 6 inch tall garden better than what I usually get. I put longer carrots in a deeper garden.

Lavender Debs 6/17/2010, 4:14 pm

Honestly, I thought my poor little Strawberries had some kind of sunburn or something.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_116

I have never had strawberries get ripe before the month of June.... oh, wait. This is June. It is just so cold! Today (6/17) at noon it is 54 degrees outside. In the last 24 hours we were graced with another 3/4 inch of rain.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_117

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_117

That little yellow baby is a Pepperoncini pepper. I have never grown one before, but I don't think it is supposed to be that yellow. When my tomatoes were still babes in yoghurt cups, they would get a wee bit jaundice if I put them out when it was really too cold for them. I suspect that is what is wrong with this little Mediterranean native.

The other little sprouts are basil. They are JUST hanging on. I put them in the garden before we left for the ocean last month. There is hardly any noticeable change in them since I set them in the ground. Again I suspect they are too chilled to grow. The tomatoes are Persimmon. The branches have the worrisome habit of curving downward instead of up. I have pinched out all the lower branches but those that remain like to spread lushly out and down. At least one kind of blight comes from the soil and the leaves should not touch the ground to help prevent infecting the plant. I don’t think my brand new Mel’s Mix is infected but if I lose the battle to have home grown tomatoes, I don’t want it to be because I did not protect them from disease.
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strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_118

The soil is so bad on this side of the yard. Not even the lawn wants to grow. There are a few hardy weeds. I have laid down recycled bags from Mel's mix ingredients to clear and maybe soften a row of soil were I can mix in compost next year for Marion berries. In the mean time, the plastic is covered with bark and pots of plants that I want to isolate from the rest of the garden. The tomatoes that are growing here are in large black plastic/rubber pots. Two of them are Siltz that I grew myself from seed this year. The rest are tomatoes that I have read about on this site that others grow and enjoy. Most of them came from Rents Due Farm which is usually clean. But I don't know how protected tomatoes have been from disease. I am told that most of the blight last year came from one nursery that provided tomatoes to most of the big box stores up and down the east coast. So I have isolated these. Also in this area there are two kinds of winter squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and the zucchini that a friend gave to me. The vines can move when they start to spread.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_119

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_119

The lavender is starting to color out. I am hoping she doesn't put out flowers before it warms up. It would be nice to catch the scent of summer from my kitchen window before it is time to harvest.
strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_120

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_120

It really is this dark today. That is another Persimmon Tomato on the back right. See how it wants to curve down and brush the ground? I keep pinching back the edges of the branches so they do not touch the ground. On the far left are black plum paste tomatoes. They are putting out brackets of bright yellow flowers. The seed stock comes from Russia and seems to thrive in the chill better then my other tomatoes. The only other tomato plants that are doing as well are siltz which are also from Russia.

You can see my month old beans in the back center squares. Every time we have a little heat they grow a bit more. Still, they are so far behind what I expect for this late in June. When we had two nice days in a row I put in main crop bush beans that are just coming up. The two empty looking squares are wax beans that are really reluctant to come up. The lettuce looks healthy. If this cold spring has been good for anything it was lettuce.
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strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_121

I guess I am going to get broccoli after all. It sure is taking its sweet time.
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As ever the peas love this cool wet weather. These are the sugar snaps that have taken forever.

Deborah... keeping an eye on the little black berries just over the fence.

Lavender Debs 6/18/2010, 12:49 pm

June 18, morning sun, 69 degrees at 9:30 AM. Wowza. Yesterday it was wet ALL day. (50 to 59.... 59 degrees for a high on June 17, what’s with that?)

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_123

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_123

Shallots stretching for the sun. I was out looking for flowers to cut in the front garden this morning. I have been neglecting that area for far too long. Weeds are what a guest will notice when they come to my porch. We are hoping to put in some hardscape, a cutting garden and dwarf fruit trees in the front garden. I guess because the plans are still all on paper, I find it easy to neglect what is there. Best get on it.

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_124

strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_124

Deborah ....life is good

**camprn** 6/18/2010, 4:05 pm

oooooh! I want to come see your gardens and have coffee time with you! glad your weather has improved! sunny

Lavender Debs 6/18/2010, 6:23 pm

Hehe, I'd put out the good stuff camp.... after we got to know each other over a weedy flower bed. Doesn't that sound awful? But really, the people I have come to enjoy the most are those who either help with the dishes or the weeding. Maybe because we don't have to get to know each other while trying to chew? Whatever, you are welcome to my garden rain or shine.... and rain can be very charming with the patter on the umbrella giving rhythm to the songs of the birds.

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strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_125

Tea Time

Lavender Debs 6/22/2010, 10:39 am

My first peas are ready but there isn't enough for a side dish yet. I have been snacking on them every time I am in the garden. I know I said I wouldn't sever them for my anniversary (yesterday, June 21 -35 years!) but I ended up hiding them in a pasta dish under grilled salmon steaks. At dinner time I kept finding extra English peas on the side of my plate (which I was happy to gobble down) but I noticed that he ate up the Golden Sweet Snow Peas with the pasta. Humm.

I posted the recipe on Music of the Rain...

http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/orange-saffron-butter-sauce-on-spring-vegetables-and-pasta/

From the garden, in addition to the snow and English peas, I used a shallot. The shallot had surprisingly deep roots which I suspect were woven into the weed barrier cloth below. Really didn't want to come away from the garden!
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strawberries - The Toy Box - Page 4 June_211

Maybe next year the asparagus will be from my garden too.

Lavender Debs 6/26/2010, 7:21 pm

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By the time this became lunch the kitchen was too crowded to take a good picture. There are spring beets with greens, carrots, a big mess of snow peas and another pile of chard, a spring onion, with parsley and cilantro.

What to do? Sort of a sautéed pasta primavera. Yum. It needed a little sesame oil, but next time, after I go to market.

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