We are digging up potatoes this week. Tattie howking (how-king), as my husband says. He has fond memories of howking tatties when he was a kid in Scotland. I'm pretty sure he just makes up words and says they're Scottish. How would I know? I grew up in Canada with Dutch parents and I'm pretty sure they made up words too. You'll get a quart of potatoes this week and next week. This week we have more beans and zucchini. Less cherry tomatoes but a few more larger tomatoes. The salad mix includes chard, arugula and various lettuces. The cucumber are producing a few here and there though not consistently. Also note the small leeks. I was hoping to get the huge leeks like in the grocery store but that requires way more water and a better soil structure. We'll work on that because I love leeks! The last crops that we planted are starting to be ready. There are some turnips and radishes and soon cilantro, spinach and more lettuce. Basil and baby fennel are in the baskets this week too. Last night I made an amazing Thai soup and the basil/fennel combo gave it that lovely flavour that Thai soup often gets from Thai basil. Check out the recipe below.
Last Sunday, it was sooo hot, my dad and I went to Grimo Nuts for a tour. Fortunately nut trees tend to be large and cast lots of shade so it was a pretty comfortable tour. I've heard from a number of people how lovely Ernie Grimo is and he gave a really great tour. I want to plant hazelnuts and a couple other nut trees and it was great to see and hear what and how he does it. I was interested in hazelnuts and pecans but now I'm thinking of hickory and heartnut. I love that he can grow so many of these crops in this area. I can't wait to experiment and share the bounty that I end up with in a few to ten years. Did I mention how committed I am to this work? Thai Soup Serves 4-6 I made some modifications from recipes I have in the house because I don't always have all the ingredients called for in a "true" Thai soup. It still had a lovely flavour. Here is what I made. 1 small hot pepper 3 garlic cloves 1" piece of fresh ginger 1 tbsp lime (usually lime leaves are used) 1 teaspoon lemon (lemongrass is the usual item) 2 teaspoons of powdered coriander about 3 small roma tomatoes 4 cups chicken or veg stock 2 cans of coconut milk 4 chicken thighs chopped up and a handful of frozen shrimp (optional, just add more veg) carrots, beans and zucchini cut into bite sized pieces (peppers and mushrooms would be nice too) handful of chopped basil and fennel (don't skimp) salt to taste Start heating the stock and chop everything up. I used a small hand blender with the chopper attachment to blitz up the hot pepper, garlic, ginger, lime, lemon, coriander and tomatoes. Use a blender or hand chop finely. When the stock is heated add the hot pepper mixture and the chicken. Add the veg when the chicken is cooked through. Cook until the veg is to your desired texture. Add the shrimp, basil and fennel. Add salt to taste. Cook for a few more minutes and serve.
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April 2022
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