The Sweet Smell of Basil

This last weekend was the first time Ross and I went to the farmer's market of this year!  I guess I just keep thinking it's not yet summer.  Don't ask me why.  You'd think I was able to tell by living in an apartment with one bedroom, upper half of a house, with no air conditioning.  Let's just say last year it got so bad that our happy family of 3 (the cat is the third) took an extended Sunday drive just so we could have some reprieve in the air conditioned Chevy.  Needless to say, these past hot days here in the Minneapple have been steamy reminders that yes indeed, it is summer. 

At the farmer's market, a deal was given to me for six bundles of basil for five dollars!  Yes, please.  Everyone has their different veggies or herbs that speak summer to them, but basil is mine.  The first smell of the baby basil growing nearly makes me pass out with excitement.  So, when I got this deal I went straight home and made me some pesto! 

I was still figuring out a recipe, so the first batch was a wee bit too salty, but then I found out my perfect ratios.  After trying out a couple of recipes, I used this one.  However, I found that I didn't need to use three garlic cloves.  I used one or maybe two and omitted pepper and used just a smidge of salt.  My recommendation is to add some and then taste.  I probably didn't even use a teaspoon worth.  I also realize that some people don't think it's real pesto without pine nuts, but let's be serious...how many people can afford those bad boys?  Maybe some day:)  

Next time I swear I won't put them in the freezer before taking the picture.

Pickling Ramps

As I was weeding the garden adjacent to our apartment, I would sporadically pull "weeds" that smelled like onions.  Little did I know...they were ramps!  I had read about these guys being a perennial that many people love, but had never seen or tasted one.  So, I dug up all the ramps I could find.  My neighbor downstairs told me that pickling ramps is easy.  After looking at a few recipes, I decided on this one by, none other than, Miss Martha Stewart.  Sometimes I don't care to bother with too many ingredients and her recipe suited my desire! 

They will now be a staple in this house.  They have a sweet onion taste to them and I bet they'll be perfect on a pizza!

Oh Mulberries!

I find myself struggling quite frequently with the limited amount of space that I have in the city to grow things.  I have been fervently trying to create more space by digging up sod or planting containers full of tomatoes and basil.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate even the little bit that I have.  I have made numerous mistakes since moving here and acquiring a community garden space in the past year and a half that a small space is really all I need to learn on.  Planting too many things?  Done.  Not giving the plants as much space as indicated on the info stake because I am confident they're lying?  Obviously.  Panicking when I discover all of my tomatoes have some sort of blight on them?  Yup.  But despite all these trials and errors, one food that is plentiful in my neighborhood and doesn't seem affected by any of my mistakes are mulberries!  There are so many trees around here! 

Ross and I set out early on Sunday morning and laid out a couple of sheets and did what my grandmother had her children do...shake the tree.  We only shook a couple limbs and walked away with a half gallon full!  Thank you Mr. Tree. 

This is from a chicken's point of view.  See Skinny Lynnie back there?  Luckily, there's a mulberry tree that hangs into our yard and deposits enough mulberries on the ground for the ladies to feast each morning.  They eat enough mulberries that the other day I noticed a large mulberry...nope just poo from a mulberry eatin' chicken. 

Anywho, I made 3 jars of jam!  Another lesson I've learned is that as soon as I have produce I need to use it fast or I'll straight up forget about it.  They had already been in the freezer for a few hours when I took this picture. 

So, I thank the space I have everyday and will be thanking those mulberry trees many more times this early summer!

Garden Bike!

I love this bike.  Not only because it's brand is the Lotus, but because it helps transport all of my goodies.  I've carried toilet paper to booze in that basket and it felt wonderful cruising through the streets of Minneapolis with my potting soil and plants. 




Note the chickens under the table. 

Hello Summer!

Well, it looks like I let May go by without a single word.  To be honest, I don't even remember what I did during the month...all of a sudden it was gone!

So far June has started off to a great start!  Ross and I got out the canoe for the first of the season and floated in our local swimming hole, Lake Nokomis.  Then we headed down to Lanesboro, MN for the Rhubarb Festival and camped out that evening.  All signs point to it being a good summer!

Besides little adventures, I've been working on re-upholstering a chair and baking, baking, baking!  Last week I made these:

They're cream puffs with chocolate porter mousse and a chocolate porter ganache!  What?!  I know, before giving some away we ate them for each meal.  I combined a few different recipes.

The cream puff recipe I got from here and the beer mousse and beer ganache recipe here.  The ganache wasn't as smooth as I had hoped.  Perhaps it was because there was beer in it or because I didn't melt the chocolate properly, but it still tasted great!

Then I made a cake for my neighbor's son who just graduated from high school. 

Here's the kitchen amidst the chaos of cake making:

I layered vanilla and chocolate cake and the frosting was a vanilla buttercream.  Holy powdered sugar and butter.
 

I am not a perfectionist when it comes to baking or decorating and I figure that there are people who look for the same in baked goods.  I just have never been drawn to the perfectly smooth baked goods that look more like art than food.  Don't get me wrong...I will eat them, but they don't seem to be my style.  However, it would be nice to be able to have that skill if ever needed.  It's definitely a learning process and it's one that I love.