What to Cook?

Hello,

I just thought again that it is Sarah’s 40^th birthday. How can it be that she was born 40 years ago in Lancaster, PA.? You know I am not old enough to have a 40 year old child. I think I am about 50 or did I pass that a long time ago? Time flies when one is not paying attention.

Cooking quick meals seems to be the modus operandi at my house. Unlike my children I do not have weekly plans for meals. It is more like when I walk in the door, “What shall we have tonight?”

I realized that we had a zucchini in the refrigerator. So with Leroy’s help, I always wail for help and Leroy rescues, we made zucchini pancakes from the recipe I got from sister Carolyn. Leroy added some powdered ginger and nutmeg for a little zing. They were good topped with applesauce and perhaps some chokecherry honey or real maple syrup. Usually I do not add the sweets, but I was given the honey which is quite good and I read that genuine maple syrup actually has a bit of benefit for us. Because the meal did not have enough veggies we also steamed three enormous swiss chard leaves. These leaves were so big that I thought one would be enough, but Leroy voted for two and then I decided that no point in leaving one to be cooked by itself and it would be eaten without muttering as leftovers. Well when we were done eating the pile of swiss chard leaves fit in one of my smallest storage bowls. First they cook to about one half their original size and secondly it tasted so good, I had to have seconds. I also ate a few small cherry tomatoes making it a fine meal at the last minute.

Paula

The Bounty of the earth

Hello,

Yesterday I was going out to the recycle bin when I heard a tremendous bang. I jumped inside and outside of my skin, looked around, and discovered a walnut had fallen on a parked car. Yesterday I was out by the compost bin when another big bang startled me. Almost immediately I felt some moisture on my leg. A walnut had fallen on the sidewalk beside me; the green outer hull was broken apart. The force these missiles gather as they come from high above is a bit daunting. No need to fire from a gun just drop from a great height and I could not sustain the impact.

I picked green beans this morning, assuming that no one else had come, but that was not the case or the beans are hitting a lull. I got part of a grocery bag full. But I had taken a knife so I harvested some brussel sprouts, as well as two zucchini and a number of small tomatoes.

Leroy called to tell me that one of his coworkers who also lives in the neighborhood would like some green beans. If he had called earlier I would have let her pick them as it is, I will still give them to her. I am happy to give up that time preparing and canning those things. Now in the winter I so appreciate them, but at the moment they look a bit different.

Maybe some time when Leroy is with me we can chop off the lettuce and it will produce a crop for the fall. I guess I could do it alone, but I just do not feel like putting forth the effort.

We have started to use our disappointingly small onions. I am not sure why, but I have never had a very successful crop. Onions seem so humble, but maybe they must be treated like royalty.

Paula

In the gardens again

Hello,

I went to tai chi in Ely this morning so I went prepared to pull weeds in the garden. It had been watered some time earlier so it was quite muddy. That makes it easier to pull those entrenched items, but I was dirty when finished with my time, but not finished with the weeds.

At home I thought I would rush right over to the community garden and pull more weeds since I was on a roll, but could not convince myself do get over there. I did make it at about noon when the construction workers were having lunch at the picnic table which is quite close. When they saw me looking through the plants, one of them asked me what the purple pole beans were. I picked some for them and took them over. All but one of them tasted them and thought they were quite good.

I visited with them for a while and then mentioned the beautiful purple hot peppers. I did say that I had not eaten any because I understood that they were quite hot. One guy then told me, “I saw a younger guy come in (I suspect it was the neighbors 20+ son), pick one of the purple peppers, and take a bite out of it.”

“Oh,” I asked, “what did he do then?”

With a demonstration of the movements he smiled, “He stuck his arms up in the air, danced on first one leg then the other, and spit it out. He looked like he was in pain.”

I got one of those peppers to show them how pretty they are. One man said, “I will take this home to my mother. If she says it is hot, it is hot.”

I found and picked enough purple beans for a nice amount to eat and some to share with our landlord and his wife. Robin declared that she liked them better than green beans. By the way they turned green as they cooked. I also liked them quite a lot. Our climbing poles are rather short so I still had to bend down to find this goodness. Next time it will be higher.

Paula

The Weather

Hello,

We are alternating between hot and quite cool. I do not want to use the word cold as it is not like winter. Consequently I need clothes available for being half naked, my grandmother’s term to describe my modest shorts and sleeveless blouse, as well as much more covering apparel. When I was growing up we wore skirts and blouses or dresses. None of the pants and shorts was widely accessed in my house. Certainly when in public one wore proper clothes. I can remember feeling daring and on the cutting edge, wearing pants to class when I was in college in 1966. In elementary school and high school, when it was cold in the winter, my sister and I would wear long pants under our dresses and remove them before the school bus picked us up or we would take them off at school. On occasion my legs would turn blue from being properly dressed with extra exposure to the cold.

At night now I might wear a different weight pj several nights in succession, seeking the right comfort level. I did take back those pj’s of Leroy’s that were too small to exchange them for another medium. Would you believe that I got money back on the deal even though the trade was even? I earned almost $1. Is that like winning the lottery?

I have on shorts today, but I feel quite cool. Since I will be leaving for work in a short time I will change into something warmer then. Maybe I am becoming like Leroy who hates changing clothes in the course of the day. Sometimes he will risk getting paint on some good clothing because it is too much bother to change.

Paula

Things To Do

Hello,

Leroy has a nursing home service this afternoon. As a result he will have walked four miles today. That is four miles without really working at it. We both enjoy our walks to church in the morning. I was rather surprised to meet four young guys on the way and then a little later a woman who stopped to tell Leroy her tale of woe about the other woman who was walking ahead of us. Even though Leroy was not wearing his church collar she surmised that we were going to church and gave us a venom laced mini sermon. There were several other walkers out there. Why? Oh it is because it is 8:30 rather than 7:30. Usually only the occasional car is seen going down the street early on a Sunday morning.

This morning I opened the pressure cooker to take the jars out. I gleefully lifted out the first two beautiful jars. The third felt strangely light as the bottom opened up and beans spilled out into the water. Oh no! All that work and it must be thrown away! I had wondered when I put in one of the jars I heard an unidentifiable light tap sound so I was not truly surprised. Was it an old jar? Did I set it done too firmly? Was the temperature change greater than with the others? No answers here, but then I moved on to feeling grateful that it was just one jar and I have a warning to check the future jars more carefully. Also glad the pressure cooker did not explode as they have done from time to time. We were not hurt by it at all, but just inconvenienced.

Today I made a rhubarb mulberry crisp. I have not yet tasted it, but it smells quite enticing. I will share with Don whose tree it is. I put in a little more sugar than I would have for just Leroy and I as I know other people in this country seem to like more sugar.

Paula

Leroy and I

Hello,

Leroy and I worked all day today. We hung out two loads of laundry before we headed off to Ely with the purpose of working in the garden. Leroy wanted to go to the library to get some more seeds for a fall planting of radishes. We also got some more onions since there were still some blubs there. Then Leroy could not resist picking out a DVD and some books. I generally pick them out for him, but his taste and my taste are different so I am not always successful.

In the garden we pulled weeds like people possessed. And we were possessed as the gnats and mosquitoes noticed we were mostly unprotected. I try to remember all things, but besides bug spray I also forgot a container for mulberries. The friendly neighbors let us use some squirts of the good bug spray and that kept the insect crowd in check.

We have only been there a couple times to pull weeds so they were thriving. Some spots do look better now, but certainly not all. It will require a few more times to get it looking respectable.

The mulberries were very nice, not as plentiful as last year, but quite fine. I intend to make a rhubarb mulberry crisp and share some with the owner of the garden.

This afternoon Leroy and I went to the community garden. The beans needed to be picked and we managed to get enough to can another seven quarts. Very nice! There were four large cucumbers. How did they get so huge when I did not even know they were there? I gave three of them away. I also picked two zucchini, but with sadness as I saw the bugs have moved in and once they are in town the plant is history in a short time. Can one plant zucchini for the fall? I have not heard of it, but it might outsmart the bugs. Leroy was tired after getting the beans in the canner, but I had little sympathy as I did the entire job alone the last time.

T

These are green beans and a purple pole bean from the community garden.

Paula

My sister

Hello,

My sister has been struggling with a cancerous tumor in her lung and four lesions on her spine. She had a serious melanoma 14 years ago. It has now returned. About two weeks ago she had an operation to relieve the pain in her neck because the bones are collapsing or pushing on nerves. Today when I spoke with her she said it was a hard day because of lack of energy and a fever.

It is hard because I am far away and cannot help her except to call her.

I am letting you know so you can add her to your prayers lists. She is in need of comfort and ease.

Paula