Summer's End

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 31, 2015 at 12:25pm PDT

It was chilly this morning when I started in Portland and by the time I got to Wapato, it was roasting (relatively speaking). I love the high highs and the lower lows we're having these days. What I do hate is the darkness. In the winter, I love the first time it is still light at 5:15 pm and it feels amazing to be gardening at 7pm in April. By July, we're in a summer light rut - we have had so much of it, we stop taking it for granted.

 As I swept up have the branches from our big sycamores out front today, I realized that the light is fading so much earlier. While our house is light and airy most of the time, the front rooms don't get a lot of evening light - so everything feels dark and hopeless inside even as early as 6 pm these days.  I was happy to put on my jacket to sweep and prune just to be in the light.

I'm not looking forward to the next fifteen weeks of shortened days and weaker light. I'm trying to spend as much time outside as possible to soak up as many photons as possible. Its a coping mechanism, but it works.

Happy September.

The rescue

Thankful for friends that drop off nectar to spice up my boring dinner. #100daysofsummer #2015yip #theyearthatis2015 #225/365

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 13, 2015 at 8:59pm PDT

Sometimes you have to thank the friend  who shows up on your doorstep bearing directly from the oven-  roasted tomatoes, some of which he picked from your garden. It makes your dinner of toast with feta cheese much better and for this I am grateful.

Recipe can be found here. 

This recipe with a bit of florence fennel thrown in for good measure was a staple of my time in Rome. It was a great way to get rid of bits and bobs and was great on bread or pasta. I can't wait to toss this bunch with pasta for dinner tomorrow.

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 10, 2015 at 5:07pm PDT

And this on quarter of the tomatoes we've harvested. If tomorrow's forecast hold true - I'll be able to make sauce and not die of heat stroke.

Do-overs

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 3, 2015 at 8:20pm PDT

I 'm beginning to dread Monday and for the opposite reason that most people dread them.  I expect to be getting up and going to work and instead I spend my Mondays job hunting, networking and hoping that this is the last Monday that I have to job hunt.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Routines help - gym, dog walking, endless watering, writing lists, acting on the actions on the list, trying to stay upbeat and not let the negativity crawl into my head.  I'm not a Pollyanna, but I do believe that what you set out to do at the beginning of the week impacts how the rest of week goes.

This Monday started out well and went downhill fast, most of it self-inflicted and through all the outside feedback I received and a little self-reflection I did while WATERING, I've decided to ask for a do-over for this Monday.

Tuesday has got to be better.

On a happier note, my winter coat arrived and it was only 83F outside and 76F inside when I tried it on. I love it and it matches my new blue Vans.

Over and out.

1 september 2011

It's the Labor Day weekend here and without kids and back to school obligations, it just becomes another farewell to summer weekend. We have been pretty lucky - most weekends we have had nothing to do.

Nothing.

And. It. Was. Awesome.

We spent a lot of weekends with our friends at their house on Orcas Island. The house reminds me of the house I grew up in and the house my brother now owns - Northwest classic with soaring windows and lots of wood beams. The house also has a garden - one that had been neglected for so long but called out for a little love and reorganization. Clearly someone once had loved this garden as it was full of perennials and beautiful - oh so beautiful. Beds made with river rock, a bit crooked, a bit rustic, but with good bones. The garden is away from the house, in an area that gets lots of sun and wisely enclosed with a deer fence.



We spent a few weekends making plans, pulling weeds, moving plants, mulching and spreading wood chips and made a garden for our friends. The weather here has not been so cooperative, so things are not as big or magnificent as we had expected, but we have an idea of what is to come.



And now we rest- we take lots of naps, walk dogs, cook good food and walk on the beach. Other than weeding and picking peas, lettuce and kale, we can sit back and enjoy a garden that will once again, be loved and tended.

Maybe the same will happen with my blogging.

plums

I have been rejoicing over plums this year. There is a big plum tree that overhangs the ppatch wall. I have no idea on the variety, all I know is that the plums start in early July and they are red on the outside and red on the inside. They taste like a plum - tangy and sweet. I have yet to find a plum tree to plant that has the same characteristics. With the plums we picked day aft
er day - windfalls mostly and some off the tree, not trying to be too greedy, we made plum jam to mix into yoghurt and have slathered on toast come January.

The ubiquitous Italian prune which seems to drop its beautiful blue/grey fruits this time of year is another plum that I can do without when fresh - a bit astringent when under ripe and mushy when ripe. Not a flavor or texture that works for me - but oh, my my oh my when combined with apple for chutney or made into a plum sauce for meats - it transforms itself to a much nobler fruit. Blessedly at least six people you know have a tree in their back yard and will be happy to part with their fruit in exchange for a jar of chutney. I won't even go into the myriad of recipes for plum cakes that will use up the excess . Much like zucchini - many have been the victims of a drive by pruning.

Last weekend at the farmer's market, I saw Damson plums for the first time in a long time. This is a plum that has definitely fallen out of favor in the past generation. I can't blame you for not loving them - they are tiny, the pit versus flesh ratio is high and they are very astringent. However, with a bit of lemon juice, some sugar and time, you can create something that will bring you back to fall sometime in January.

Damson plum jam - makes approximately 4 pts

2 lbs damson plums
3 cups sugar
juice of one lemon

If you are patient, you can pit each plum.

If not, place plums in a heavy non reactive pot - I used Le Creuset with an enamel interior and cook until plums are soft - approximately 10 minutes, be careful to keep the heat even and low and check to make sure the plums aren't sticking.

Once soft and easy to pit, remove from heat.

Place softened plum into food mill or into sieve to remove the seeds. Collect plum puree and place into non reactive pan.

If you are patient and have pitted the plums by hand, pat yourself on the back with your sticky plumy hand and place the pitted plums into a non reactive heavy pot and heat under low heat until plums are soft. Stir often to prevent sticking and burning.

You can now use your food mill to remove the skins, but don't bother.

Add 3 cups of sugar and the juice of one lemon to the plum puree. Stir until mixed and heat under low to medium heat -stirring frequently to prevent sticking until jam starts to thicken - approximately 20 minutes, the mixture will come to a boil. When it has reached the desired thickness, remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Skim off any foam.

Place into hot jars - process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Eat within two years.