This week in my kitchen and garden

This week I experimented with boiling farm fresh eggs that actually peel - and was successful!  I made bread and chicken stock and picked my tomatoes, peas and green beans.  I've mentioned before, I was a little slow and hesitant with this garden and it shows in the output I'm receiving.  My tomatoes that always did so well in the city are not doing so great in my country garden.  We think it's the location and the soil.  We are going to move them to the large garden next year.  I'm happy that I at least have enough to make some freezer sauce.  I'm still eating my strawberries from July - they have such a nice taste compared to the mass produced grocery ones.  Please leave a link in the comments so I can see what's happening in your kitchen and garden.  

Another pic of my dill beans.  I can't wait to try them, Sept 11 is the taste test.  One liter jars were far too big for this project.  

Chocolate granola with protein and frozen berries.

Made with celery and onions from my garden (among other things)

Still warm from the bread maker

Banana smoothies have become a favorite in our house.  

I'm doing a big turkey dinner on Saturday - just because - and these beans will be part of the meal.  

The corporate life and chickens

Today I got up, put on a pretty dress and made my breakfast of homemade bread, home grown tomatoes, and a slice of cheese and grabbed my mid morning snack of a fresh from the chicken boiled egg.  I made my salad of home grown lettuce, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, zucchini, and radishes and mushrooms, grabbed my iphone and commuter bag and ran out the door.

I hurt my hand bailing straw last night.  I was using an old metal straw fork that's end was broken off and jagged - silly I know but I didn't notice the jagged end until after I cut myself.  I didn't realize I had hurt myself until my hand was full of blood.  I'm ok - but it made for an interesting conversation at the water cooler this morning at work.

Oh the wonderful contrasts of my life.  To come home in a blazer, throw on rubber boots and an old shirt and shorts to bail straw, pull weeds and pick some fresh veggies.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

This moment

{this moment} ~ A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Linking up with www.soulemama.com

Weekending and August garden

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!  Ours was quite busy on Saturday but then I dropped off the girls at my brother's house Saturday night and had a quiet Sunday on the farm with just my husband and I.  With all that free time you would think I would have done a lot of cooking but I didn't all I made was the kale and bean soup mentioned in my previous post (SO delish, I'm having it for lunch today).  Instead I cleaned up the gardens around the house and did laundry.  August has slowed down things at work - thankfully - and I'm finally feeling I've got a good flow going with the garden.  Our plan is to cover the unused half of the big garden with straw (we had a huge straw delivery last weekend) to keep the weeds at bay.  I've tied up my celery into bunches, taken out the lettuce and cleaned up the tomato plants.  I realised too late that I had not been diligent enough with taking the suckers off the tomatoes and so they aren't doing too great - they are covered in tomatoes but some of the plants have yellowed a bit.  Our zucchini's are regularly producing which is nice and our pumpkins and acorn squash are doing great.  The green beans and sugar snap peas are looking good but sadly my peppers are not.  I'm drying the onions right now.  Sadly my flowering gardens are almost kaput for the season, I'm waiting for the last of the hosta's and sedum to flower and I think that's it.  I am hoping my mum's come back and the zinnia's I planted are beautiful.  So pretty and easy to grow, I will plant those again.  I am looking forward to canning something and I'm hoping it's green beans and tomato sauce.  

This Week In My Kitchen :: Blog Hop

• Frozen peas have become a new staple in my freezer.  I love adding them to salads.  
• My girls had a craving for banana cake and so their wish was granted. I made it with whole wheat flour and it was a hit.
• I made split pea soup the other day, with onions, garlic, potatoes and curry powder.  It turned out a little bland so today I'm having it with peas and mashed potatoes for lunch.  I found a delicious recipe for Bean, Kale, Rice and Sausage soup on this blog:  http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/2014/08/this.html - and I'm also linking up with Heather for This Week in my Kitchen.  

Define fun

What was that?  Having a farm would be fun?  (I say to myself after a particularly hard day).  Oh yes it is fun, if you like weeding gardens after you've worked all day, dirt in your face, your nails, toes and in your face.  The smell of chicken poop in the morning, wearing rubber boots, showering twice a day, fending off coyotes and raccoons, mowing the lawn for hours and chopping wood for days.  And then I reminded myself about the singing birds, the starry nights, the fresh food, the feeling of success after a hard days work.  The clothes on the line, the peaceful nights, the happy kids, the exercise and the happy animals.  And how could I begrudge a little hard work?