Wednesday, May 06, 2015

When You Feel Overwhelmed...

...go ahead and take on more responsibilities. If they gave prizes for behaving contrary to your best interests, I'd have first prize. 

So here they are, two cases worth, all individually tagged for sale (why must they do that?) and in varying stages of ripeness.
We're having some strange weather. Tonight looks like it might be bad (tornado watches, etc.) and the rest of the week has warnings for severe storms, hail, etc.
I've been harvesting quite a bit from the garden. The pizza has sauteed rocket as a topping, and the pasta dish below is made with Red Russian Kale. I did a bit of cooking ahead knowing the kitchen will be in use during the Apricot Olympiad. The peas are starting to flower at long last, so hopefully they'll be making their way to the table soon. That pasta is nothing requiring a recipe-sauteed onions and garlic, then the kale and beans, combined with noodles. That's it. I love deciding what to cook based on what's ready to harvest.
 Red Russian Kale
Seven Top Turnip Greens (this variety does not produce a turnip, and is grown exclusively for the greens). They're the mildest turnip greens I know of.

 I'm still trying to figure out what season we're in. Sleeveless blouse, wool jacket, sandals? Cripes, Mother Nature must be menopausal-it goes from hot to cold faster than I do!
Outfit Particulars:

Da Rue of California pleated skirt-Hand-Me-Ups (I think)
Blouse-Sears, maybe 10 years ago
Shoes-Goodwill
Vintage beaded handbag-Thrift World
Talbot's jacket-Goodwill
Belt-Goodwill
Flower-Tiff and Tam
Earrings-Vinateg Coro
Bangle-Goodwill
Fragrance-White Shoulders


The pots of nasturtiums are coming along.

The Lily of the Valley is alive, but somewhat stalled in progress. It really needs to be warmer, I suppose. In the pot behind, you can see purslane. Why I'm growing something that grows wild everywhere near here, I don't know, but it has been interesting watching it take root. The rosemary on the left is a few years old now, and still doing well. I think it will need a larger pot soon.
I might not be around much the next few days as the apricot shot-put, 100 metre apricot dash, and apricot water-polo events are up first.
I'll leave you with the spectacular photo Danny took of the moon last week. I had no idea our camera could do that with only a telephoto lens and a tripod.

Goonight, Moon!

6 comments:

Bibi said...

WOW ! Those are some gorgeous photos, Danny!
Cameras nowadays are just incredible. Even the pone cameras take incredible pics.
Where do they grow apricots in the US anymore? My uncles in CA grow Red Lion nectarines, Santa Rosa plums, & Granny Smith apples- but not apricots any longer- said the bottom fell out of the apricot mkt with all the foreign imports.
Those Fall colors really suit you, love the corsage & 'nude' sandals are very much 'on trend'.
Early in my marriage I fixed a big pot of turnip greens for my Kashmiri husband. I quickly learned that Kashmiris do NOT eat turnip greens. OOPS! Who Knew? I mean Punjabis (Kashmir's nearest neighbor to the south) eat turnip green saag.
PS I am wearing Comptoir Sud Pacifique's Vanille Abricot, I guess I'll just always be living in the 90's with my luscious gourmands (& the occasional fleurmand).

Mim said...

Oooh, apricots! Always at their best when cooked, so I look forward to seeing what you do with them. Isn't it an odd time of year to get them? Things are only just flowering here. Seems odd to think of getting apricots in May.

Curtise said...

Those are amazing moon photos, well done, Danny.
Menopausal weather? I hear ya, it's happening here too, makes getting dressed far more complicated than it has any right to be. But I think you've cracked it with your elegant jacket, pleats and pussybow!
My goodness, that's quite an apricot bonanza you have there - good luck! xxx

Goody said...

@Bibi
Apricots are now a luxury item, with a very short season (if you don't get them right away, there might not be a late crop to rely on later). I won't tell you what these cost, but they are from California. The Chilean fruit we get in winter is generally pretty good, with the exception of apricots. They pick them under ripe, and in December there's no way to ripen an apricot on the counter (believe me, I've tried). A decent jar of apricot jam will run about $6.00 US so I suppose I could argue it is a cost savings to make it ourselves. Barely.

@Mim
These apricots came from California where the growing seasons are a bit earlier. We do have some local apricots mid-summer, but they're never as nice as the California ones. Danny's turning these into various jams, fruit butters, and nectar for the State Fair (he has to defend last year's ribbons).

@Curtise

In years past it was a lot of work...but now I have Danny to deal with it! I'm glad he's taken up the bottling hobby as I'm getting too old for all that peeling, chopping, stirring, etc.

He'll be glad to hear you like the photos-the camera is now standard when he leaves the house.

Sue said...

So hope you were safe with all those storms. We heard about all the Tornados on our News down here in the southern hemisphere and I did wonder about you. Tell Danny those moon photos are excellent, such a talented lad, just like his mama!!

Goody said...

@Sue

We missed this round of weather (just lots of rain) but places to our south and west got clobbered. So far it has been a somewhat mild spring with respect to tornadoes.