Summer Canning

This summer, my canning friend June & I decided we needed a plan. Last summer things got a little out of control as we canned a a ton of jams in one crazy nine hour canning day.

This year, we decided to simplify things a bit and do more seasonal canning.

So this summer, it was all about the jams: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry & a mix of blue/blackberry. For fun we tossed in a Lemon Vanilla jam.

It was a very sweet afternoon.

The blackberries in their jamming glory (or gory?).

Final tally:

26 - 1/4 pints

13 - 1/2 pints

7 - pints

Jane Austen's Fight Club

It's so wrong, yet so funny.....

Jane Austen's Fight Club

Must....watch.....now. All the proper ladies are doing it.

Go Local Challenge: I'm the guest blogger this week!

Head on over to Living Senses this week! I'm the guest blogger for the Go Local Challenge! This year I wrote about the resurgence in canning. Plus there's lot of informative link for those who are  interested in learning more about canning.

Oh, and there's a link for super cute download-able PDF canning labels. And they're free. Go on, check them out, you know you want too!

GL Challenge*: Canning with Amy Pennington

Last week I took a canning class from gardener, canner, cookbook author & uber savvy business woman Amy Pennington. She's recently written a cookbook called Urban Pantry, Tips & Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable & Seasonal Kitchen. It's about growing what you eat, eating local and preserving food. It's a delightful book full of great recipes and a lot of inspiration.

During the class she made a quick batch of raspberry jam and brandied cherries. I learned a quick and easy technique for water bath canning when one doesn't have the official water bath canning equipment (shes says to put a clean dishtowel in the bottom of big old pan to keep the jars from clanging around together).

Here's Amy looking all Seattle suave with her iced drink and hot pot!

Mmmm....red raspberries cooking down for jam!

All prepped and ready to go!

If you're in the Seattle area, Amy is teaching a canning/preserving class one Thursday a month (day and evening classes) through October at Cupcake Royale on Capitol Hill. Each class she'll can something different and seasonal so if you take more than once class, you'll learn something new! I'm thinking of signing up for the October class to see what fall goodness she comes up with!

*Go Local challenge is pretty cool, check it out!

Summer baking

For some reason, when the temperatures heat up outside - and inside my un-air conditioned kitchen - I seem to feel the need to bake. Because 83 degrees inside isn't hot enough, I break out my bread pans, muffing tins and cooking sheets. Why you ask? I blame the summer fruit. Fresh picked blueberries from the farmers market seem to want to become warm, gooey blueberry muffins.

And who am I to stand in their way?

Although, I think next time I may try to make Popsicles. There would be less sweating involved in those.

GL Week 3*: Our go to meal

Our go to meal this summer has been steak salads. I've never really eaten them too much before. I figured if I'm going to have a steak, than have a steak. And the same with a salad. While they're on most menus they've just never really appealed to me. Until now.

On a whim I bought some steak from the farmers market at work. It was from a farm  in Carnation, WA. The steak was a smaller cut and thinner than most in the grocery stores. Since it was smaller, and I'm not much of a meat eater, I suggested the idea to the hubby since we had so much lettuce in the garden. (Plus, I'm already getting a little tired of salads with everything. Not a good sign as it's barely the second week in July).

We marinated the meat, then the hubby fired up the grill as I got the salad fixin's (there's a nod to my Southern' days) ready. In the end, it was a delightful treat full of our lettuce, snap peas, carrots, local blueberries, a sprinkle of local cheese and of course the steak.

But the recipe I want to share this week is that of the dressing. It's not local, but since it goes on a local salad, I'm calling it close enough. It's my mom's balsamic vinegar. And as many times as I've tried to recreate it, it's just never as good. She was here this weekend so I got out all the stuff and an empty jar and asked her pretty please to make me some. It's quite tasty! Enjoy!

Joy's delightful summer balsamic vinegrette

- some balsamic vinegar

- some olive oil

- a teaspoon or so of dijon mustard

- a dallop of honey

- juice of 3/4 lemon
 - pinch of salt & pepper

Dump all ingredients into a jar and shake. Taste and season to your preferences. Feel free to add more of other spices if you prefer.

*GL stands for the Go Local Challenge. It's technically week 6, but I'm a little behind as Mother Nature didn't quite cooperate here in the PWN.

A sunny day in West Seattle

Today was the lowest tide of the year. I started my day at Alki Beach to take a peak in the tide pools.

I saw lots of critters and learned a thing or two from the beach naturalist.

Later that night, we took a stroll through Schmitz Preserve Park. It's hard to believe you're about 5 minutes from the beach and less than 10 minutes from downtown Seattle all while being in the middle of an old growth forest.

On the way home, I spotted this. Someone else was out enjoying the day as well. Tea time, what a lovely way to end the day.

Garden discoveries

A funny thing has happened in the garden. You see, this bright orb has made an appearance here in the Pacific Northwest and with that my garden exploded! It's as if the plants are afraid the sun is going to disappear so they are sucking up all the warmth they can while it lasts.

Our first artichoke has shown up.

I am in love with my snap peas. And they are quite tasty!

See....it's all big and pretty! Even the marigolds are thriving!

Ode to a Power Trimmer

Before:

After:

(The vines on the new trellis are three kiwi plants which apparently grow rather well here.)

Bushes tackled: 1
Trees trimmed: 2
Vicious Blackberry vines ripped out of the ground: 5
The power trimmer is my new favorite toy.

Happy 4th!

Hope your Fourth of July was a festive and tasty one!

The sweater conundrum

I have been really wanting to knit a sweater lately. A big girl sweater for myself. I've never done that before. In all my years of knitting, it just hasn't happened. It's such a big undertaking. It seems so permanent.

But I've recently cast those fears aside and cast on for not one, but two sweaters. The Vine and Trellis sweater from Interview and the Minimalist Cardigan. They were pretty and lovely and like all young crushes, started out so innocently.

However, once the butterflies in the stomach settled, the excitement each time I picked up the projects. The love stopped. Literally. And in one case was slightly painful.

The Vine and Trellis was challenging. It was a lace and cable pattern. But I got a little confused and it got a little messed up. Then the project needed a little space of it's own. And well, you know how that goes. While the project was in time out it seemed to have gotten even more messed up. Unable to get back on track, I ripped it out.

Then there was the Minimalist Cardigan. I love the simplicity of the project - it's the in freakin' name. The project was all seed stitch. That stitch, combined with the worsted wool yarn actually made my hands hurt. Really hurt. So out that project came as well.

Now I've got plenty of sweater yarn, the desire to make a sweater. So I just need a little push. Got any sweater suggestions for me? Perhaps some advice? I've got a summer of great knitting time planned. I just need a project  or two. Or four.

GL* Week 2: Opening Day

I am lucky enough to live in a good eat-local-foodie city. And when the weather warms up (please, please let it warm up soon) the farmers markets seem to spring to life throughout Seattle. Case in point: Downtown.

While we do have Pike Place Market, it's usually filled with tourists this time of year. Not exactly the ideal place to pick up your locally grown veggies and fruits when people are constantly taking pictures of your veggies. Luckily Pike Place Market created Pike Place Market Express, a smaller version of the famed market minus the loud fish tossing guys right in the heart of the Seattle business district. And even luckier for me, it's right outside my office door. Literally.

Today was first day. I ran outside at 10 a.m. eager to see what was in store. There's plenty of fresh vegetables, fruit, and of course the famous market flowers. New this year is a local honey vendor and meat booth. While I passed them up this time, I am going to try them both out this year. This week I couldn't pass up the raspberries or the apples. I have to say, I love the apples from the farmers market so much more than the ones at the store. Not only do they taste better, but they are the perfect size! I can't stand the super sized apples from the grocery store. Too big for me.

I took this pic with the phone on my camera. It was a pretty quick pic because I didn't want a coworker coming into my cubicle asking, "Why are you taking pictures of your food?"

The only downside to this market. Getting your bounty home on the bus.
* GL = Going Local. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

Ian & the Oz Vest

Remember a few months ago when I was working on the Oz Vest pattern for a friend? It was a simple pattern that gave me more troubles than I care to remember. Even after sewing it on all twisted, ripping that out, sewing on two different sets of buttons because I didn't like the first set, I still managed to get it all done and ready to go before the little guy arrived. There was minimal OK, a lot of swearing while working on this project.

But in the end it turned out pretty darn cute.

And you know what? Ian seems to give it the thumbs up.

And that's just what I wanted to see.

#%^! Slugs: Part Two

I have to thank you all. I put out a call for help when the slugs infested my garden again.
I received several comments. Many suggested the beer traps. I got one for Slug-O. And an eco-friendly friend suggested a plant wash.

The hubby decided to take matters into his own hands and that wasn't eco-friendly. At first I wasn't so thrilled with that plan, but frankly, the stuff said it was OK for a garden and I was tired of seeing the damage done from those slimy buggers.

But at 10:30 p.m. the other night, the hubby grabbed my headlamp and decided to see if could track them down. And he did. He quickly came back to report that they were in the lawn and heading towards the artichoke. And that they were pretty big.

So I had to check them out for myself. And he was right. Four of them were heading towards the artichoke and they were big and clearly on a mission. I got a little defensive towards my plants. I channeled my inner 8-year old boy and I took care of the problem. With salt. Yeah, that's right. I salted the hell out of those little buggers. Peta fans just step off now because I enjoyed it a little too much.

I managed to stop these four but I know there are others out there. Too bad for them I picked up my salt at Costco.

Three Years

June 16, 2007

The adventure begins.

April 2010 (take on a weekend get-a-way at Lake Quinault)

Three years later,  the adventure is still going strong.

Going Local 2010 (and getting a late start)

Once again this summer I'm taking part in Living Sense's Go Local Challenge. The theme this summer is Using Your Bounty. I'm really excited to take part again this year and I'll even be a guest writer on her blog in July (I'm excited about my topic but you'll have to wait and see it for yourself!)

Each Monday (OK, I'm late already but are you really surprised here?) I'll be posting on my site about my local gardening/eating experiences and sharing links to others in the program. Be sure to check them out!

I have to admit that so far my local eating and gardening hasn't been so great. The cold, wet spring hasn't been too kind to my garden, especially with my slug infestation! But I'm hoping this challenge will help get me motivated to look for some good local food at our area farmers markets. Stay tuned.

#%^! Slugs!!!

They're back!

Towards the end of the summer last year the slugs found my garden. Apparently they've been waiting for me all winter.

It didn't take them long to feast on the veggies I've got in the ground. I haven't even tried anything in the garden and they already have.

They even got to my little baby bean sprouts! Is there no justice in the garden?!

So....what do you think? How do I get ride of them? I'm not a fan of putting chemicals in the garden. Last year I tried an organic treatment and I think I could hear the slugs laughing at me as they still slithered and munched away.

Any ideas? Anyone?
Please?

The Queen Bee

I came home early from work today and discovered a swarm of bees in the tree in my neighbors front yard. I mean a swarm of bees. I could hear them before I saw them.  I wasn't really sure what to do about it, but I luckily someone in the neighborhood did.

A few people were right in the thick of it, looking at the bees and very excited about this. I asked what was going on. The woman explained a queen bee had landed there and was being protected by a new group of bees (hence the swarming). She said they needed to get the queen to a hive, someplace safe, before the bees moved on. She said they could possibly get into under the eaves of one of the houses and motioned to mine and my neighbors (not something I'm really keen on). There were a lot of bees and I'm not really a fan of large swarms of bees so I left them to be excited and went inside.

About 10 minutes later I heard a couple of cars pull up and a few people get out. A guy, whom I later discovered was named Brian, had a cardboard box and he and the lady, Margaret, got right in the thick of it trying to get the queen in the box. That seemed to make them swarm more, but Brian, Margaret and the others gathered to watch didn't seem to mind. I watched from a distance.

I swear there are lots of bees there but you can't see them. I didn't want to get to close. They looked quite busy. They got the box under the huddle of bees. Margaret said it looked like football hanging from a branch as the bees were huddled on each other covering the queen.

A few hours later, the crew was back at the tree. The box I had noticed was sitting under the tree with a note on it. I went back outside to see what the status was. Most of the bees were now in the box which Margaret said was thick with bees. I took her word on that one. She said they were waiting for more scouts to come back, then Brian would take the box back to his place and one of the empty hives he had. I wasn't sure how he was going to get them back to his place. I wouldn't want to be in the small hatchback he pulled up in, but that's just me.

See, lots of bees. Brian's trying to get the bees in the box.

I learned a few things today:

• First, next time I see a swarm of bees I should call Puget Sound Beekeepers Assocation and someone will come and take care of the swarm. Since honey bees are dying off, it's important to keep the queens safe and make sure they have good homes.
• Second, I'm not a big fan of swarms of bees, honey or otherwise (but I kind of thought that to begin with.)
• Third, I met a few neighbors over this ordeal. Margaret and her hubby Mike have chickens and they invited me over to meet "their girls" anytime I want! And I plan on it!

Simple things...

Reading a good book on the couch on a Sunday morning.

Making homemade soup.

Laughing with friends.

Going for a run.

Eating chocolate chip cookies with milk no matter how old you are.

Sometimes I really appreciate the simple things when life gets to be a bit hectic. Which is why I really loved knitting the Simple Things Shawlette. It was a quick and easy knit which is just what I needed these days. I loved coming home after a stressful day to just sit and enjoy the hypnotic sound of my bamboo needles and easy repetition of the pattern. And the kick ass red color didn't hurt either.

Project: Simple Things Shawlette by Mary-Heather Cogar

Yarn: Pashmara by Fly designs in Blood Red

More details and pictures can be found on my Raverly page

I am Elinor Dashwood

I saw this post on Sara's blog and I just had to procrastinate my laundry more and take it right away: Which Jane Austen Heroine are you? I have to admit, my answers were a bit all over the place so I wasn't sure who I'd end up being. But Sense and Sensibility was the first Jane Austen book I ever read (and still one of my all time favorites) I think this answer will do!

Yarn Storage

When my parents visited a few weeks ago, they brought up my college graduation present from my grandmother. It's not like she didn't get me anything when I graduated, oh, so many years ago, it's just that I didn't really have a place to put it. I was in the post grad stage of constantly moving from one crappy apartment to another and I didn't want to move it around as it was a piece of furniture that didn't require assembly (something very rare for a post grad).

So now that I'm a homeowner, my father delights in bringing me item of my past that have been stored in the garage/attic/former bedroom/etc. This last trip brought me this:

It was my great grandfather's trunk. It had been living in my grandmother's garage for years and she thought I might like it. And I love it! My father, the creative, handy guy that he is, refinished it for me and added this delightful element:

Removable and slideable drawers! Perfect for organizing sock, lace, worsted, etc. You get the picture.

(Clearly I was so excited about the yarn storage/organization system that I didn't even notice the picture was blurry.)

And the best part is, now I have way more room for my yarn! Time to go shopping!

S'mores - Seattle Style

The hubby & I had a BBQ this Memorial Day weekend. We decided to make homemade marshmallows and graham crackers for s'mores on our fire pit. We followed the directions from jam it, pickle it, cure it & other cooking projects by Karen Solomon. If you like to try new things in your kitchen, this book is for you. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated at the idea of making my own marshmallows, but they were surprisingly easy to do - albeit quite messy. Just like a good s'more.

The marshmallows setting in the pan. I didn't get any cooking pics because the process happens pretty fast.

The hubby helping to get them out of the pan. Then you cut into squares and dip in powdered sugar.

Voila! Homemade marshmallows!

Homemade graham crackers. Again, didn't get any cooking pics, it was pretty busy in our kitchen!

The roasting of mallows. Note the jeans and fleece in the pic, yes, this is a BBQ in Seattle. A little cold weather and rain does not stop us! There were homemade mallows to be roasted people!

Get ready for it...

Ooey, gooey, s'mores goodness!