tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55142298565960027022024-03-05T05:07:36.742+01:00Souped-up Gardencooking with garden-fresh ingredients grown in an intensive southwest France urban potager; writing book reviews; traveling around & about, mostly in France; taking photographs and making art of it allMichelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.comBlogger414125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-73172359808017891552021-01-06T15:41:00.002+01:002021-02-14T21:35:09.371+01:00Think What Is Best For The Bubble (Souped-up Garden Is On Hiatus)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What!? I'll explain. A gas bubble was injected into my right eye several weeks ago in the operating room at Bordeaux Pellegran hospital. Such a procedure, as squeamish as it may sound, is used for the temporary holding in place a formerly detached retina. In my case, it peeled off that eyeball within a week resulting in blindness. During that time my normal eye floaters morphed into a rampaging dazzle of zebras fleeing a lightning storm; yes, I knew something was egregiously wrong.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A sudden medical emergency during a pandemic was challenging, but thanks to the excellent French medical system and the unrelenting focus of <i>The Calm One </i>who ensured I got to where, when I needed, and received/receiving all things required for my eventual recovery, I am doing well, with a high probability of complete restoration of sight. Hence during this recent festive season, the words coming from <i>The Calm One</i> were not the usual ones like <i>here, have some more eggnog</i>, but more in the vocal vein of s<i>ince not only do you see 50% less than usual in addition to having double/tunnel vision along with a dizzying perspective familiar to folks experiencing seasickness, not to mention an uncanny blue tinge saturating all the foggy muck, but also because the bubble doesn't like when your eyes are lower than your heart, let</i><i> me pick up the pencil you just dropped on the floor.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Call me whimsical, maybe even practical, or my preference, the paradoxical playful pragmatic, a short and sweet phrase, <i>t</i><i>hink what is best for the bubble,</i> was born<i> </i>and has aged well in the new year because my recovery will continue at least several more weeks and even months. </span><span>It works like a mantra, a soothing focus to keep us reinforcing the admirable work done by my excellent surgeon whose </span></span>skill, steady hands, contagious calm, and ability to answer questions clearly in perfect english is examplary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Her assistant is equally brilliant. She greeted me with the most beautiful bedside manner as soon as my gurney was wheeled into the operating room. Her emotional support never ebbed. After injecting local anesthesia, the surgeon told me that her assistant will hold my hand for the next stage of the thirty-minute procedure during which I felt unwelcomed pressure invading my eye. </span>My forehead was taped to the table, but my hands were unsecured and wanted so much to flap upwards towards my eye. Squeezing her hand during that brief, but extremely uncomfortable time, was exactly what I needed to remain calm.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As an experience, it was an interesting one, well actually, up to this point of my life, it was absolutely unique. My face was covered with a thick, translucent-blue mat with an eye-shaped cut-out on which the surgeon's tools were placed. Various laser machines close by were buzzing. As time went on, so many colours flashed past my eye, and towards the end, when the gas was being injected, swirls of thick, fleecy snow-drifts whirled about, wrapping themselves around a blue sky, that is, the blue mat, until there was just a pristine, glistening blanket. It was over. The operating room staff bustled about, clearing machines and tools. Finally my eye was unclamped, the blue mat removed, and I was guided into a sitting position. The surgeon and her assistant floated into my vision field. It was so nice to see their smiling faces!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Though not needing to be put under general anesthesia allowed me to leave the hospital the same day, it also meant that my ambulatory status could lead to my doing more than the bubble liked. But it's a good teacher. If I deviate from the position my medical team inculcated in me--post operation, a large number of staff all repeated every chance they got: during the day either stand or sit up straight, that is, your upper torso must be at a right angle to your legs, at night, you must sleep on the side of your operated eye--that eye speaks to me via a heaviness bordering on pain.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Though some recommend sleeping face-down after a retinal re-attachment operation, I also had a lens transplant to take care of a pesky cataract and the advice for sleeping after that operation is face-up, so with a dual procedure covering both conditions, the compromise is sleeping on my side. But even with a good teacher, a student may act up and that's when <i>The Calm One</i>'s personal interface reigns supreme. His respectful intervention runs on the lines something like,<i> yes, you are independent, yes you could push yourself till you drop, but why do that? I am here, I will do what you best not do during this time of convalescence.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span>The postural restriction along with antibiotic, anti-inflammatory drops three times daily are essential to assist the bubble's purpose. It performs a similar function as a vise would when gluing two items together. The gas dissipates slowly, taking three to four weeks. During that time, the brain tries to adjust to the gradually increasing vision just like it did when when my vision was diminishing before the operation. </span></span>But even with patient compliance the retina can detach once again soon after. In that case, the operation is repeated but with a different gas. I wear a medical alert band on my right wrist because as long as there is gas in that eye it is courting disaster for me to be above a certain altitude or to receive some forms of general anesthesia. To keep on top of an ever changing situation, we troop off to see my surgeon in Bordeaux, an hour and half drive from <span style="background-color: white;">Angoulême</span>. With one follow-up done on Christmas Eve under our belt, the next one is in mid-January. </span>During that last visit, we followed social distancing mostly except for the surgeon and me. <i>The Calm One</i> as well as her assistant was seated over six feet from us in the room. When asked if there was anything I was concerned about, I yelled across the room to <i>The Calm One</i>, <i>are you still concerned we'll run out of eyedrops? </i>I explained to her that he was taking care of me<i>. </i>Her reply was,<i> oh he's a good one. </i>We were told that my prescription was a refill. Later on, I made sure he knew what she said because as I had guessed, he didn't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Though I have a good one, many women find themselves in the opposite situation especially during the pandemic where domestic violence mostly targeting women, and yes, that includes trans women, has increased. Even in this hospital with the wonderful women professionals all around, I was subjected to sexual harrassment which I define as being sexualized without my consent. While I was waiting on the gurney outside the surgery room, about fifteen minutes before the surgery was to begin, a man attired in medical clothes and unknown to me rapidly wheeled my gurney down various passageways to a group of about ten men by whom I was made a butt of their ringleader's joke, <i>oh no, that is not the one I want! </i>Amid their laughter, I sat up and twisted my head around so I could identify with my good eye the ringleader. When I protested loudly at their behaviour, the ringleader's henchman tried to shut me up. He didn't succeed. I just protested louder. When I was wheeled back in front of the surgery, the henchman tried again. I spit into my mask. He recoiled and left. The ringleader and his henchman together tried yet again after I was left unescorted for a brief time following surgery. They still did not succeed as I refused to respond while moving as far as possible from them as much as the narrow hallway allowed while keeping my face sharply turned in the opposite direction and taking wide, strongly placed steps, close to a march. As my focus was on my recovery (I had not drank or eaten for about twenty hours and I needed to do so quickly) that was all I decided to do at that time. Perhaps the staff who were leading me towards nourishment took note of my various reactions as it is very possible that these harassers have done something like this previously. At the very least, any whisper networks were probably fed the pertinent information.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I still find it difficult to do everything, from reading to cooking to drawing to photography to tapping away on the keyboard to walking up and down stairs to going out the house, even if it is just to the garden. The last time I tried to walk down the garden's central path, I couldn't get farther than a few feet because the clothes line flanking the path looked much lower plus it slanted over the path twice. So I'll be slowing down and taking the time to rest. This medical situation has exhausted us both.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Another helpful, short and sweet phrase, given towards the end of my eight-hour hospital stay </span></span>by countless staff, inspiring me to do all the things I need to do to maximise healing was<i> bon retour </i>(welcome back). It was said with a dual purpose, that I will be able to be embraced by the comforts of our home fairly soon (yes to my plaid flannel jammies and mint green tea with a <a href="http://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/11/whole-wheat-muffins-marbled-with-ginger.html" target="_blank">whole wheat muffin marbled with ginger orange raisin puree topped with orange icing</a>!) and that the staff will be here in the future to continue post-operative care. That first night of recovery as <i>The Calm One</i> guided my eye-patched self out of our car to begin the slow walk across our front garden followed by the awkward ascent up the stairs to the balcony front entrance, the pain of the operated-upon eye which had surfaced upon the wanning of the anesthesia, was dulled by the scent of lavender wafting by my nose, whispering, you are home, <i>bon retour</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I wish a similar double <i>bon retour</i> to myself and my readers. Someday we will return to my writing and your reading of Souped-up Garden.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Till then!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-18408137522534901222020-12-10T19:00:00.002+01:002020-12-11T18:00:46.669+01:00Last Post Until January 2021<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Souped-up Garden will be taking a holiday hiatus until the first Thursday in January. Be especially good to yourself and your loved ones as this super-sized disaster year comes to an end. In France, if the vaccination schedule happens as presently planned, I will get a Covid vaccine by the end of February and <i>The Calm One</i> most likely by Spring. Here's hoping the global situation improves through time.</span></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-44482463214502618062020-12-03T22:10:00.008+01:002021-02-25T19:05:29.719+01:00Stovetop Macaroni And Cheese, The Evaporated Milk Version With Saucisses de Strasbourg<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Macaroni and cheese was a familiar dish served frequently during my New York City childhood either in my home (from a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraft_Dinner" target="_blank">Kraft box</a> of course!) or a diner or a friend's house or . . . you get the idea, it was ubiquitous. My favourite of all was the version sold at <a href="https://dailycoffeenews.com/2017/08/01/iconic-american-automat-brand-horn-hardart-is-back-with-a-coffee-focus/#:~:text=From%20its%20first%20diner%20in,foods%20from%20coin%2Doperated%20automatic" target="_blank">the original Horn and Hardarts automat chain</a> because of tomato paste being added to those delectable little pots of goodness giving a pleasant tang and deepening the colour closer to orange than yellow. I swear they were winking at me from behind their coin-operated glass prisons. As a preschooler, I would reply to the question <i>where were you born </i>with <i>at Horn and Hardart </i>though I actually was born at Horis Harding Hospital! Different preparations for this dish abound including making a bechamel sauce and adding spices like prepared mustard/cayenne, or even a bit of tomato paste a la Horn and Hardart. The cheesy, creamy mixture can be poured into a baking dish. </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Chunks of mozzarella and/or beaten eggs can be mixed in before topping with bread crumbs and popping it in the oven. Mine substitutes evaporated milk for regular milk plus adds saucisses. Why? Its creaminess will last much longer without congealing before you get a chance to savour it slowly. After a long while it becomes a bit tacky, but never globby. The small amount of saucisses add lots of flavour, acting more like a condiment.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBVC4qvHywj8JbZQdxBrBfZmAuVUpNjUj3JzQF5wfn1lE5bNKO8MatLW02F1rq_T1ggQ9kjUFmpzG9mPsHIkU7EM9l6Aj22fyHB5iE2dYUBZhNJIEjpVoEHu1ve4URfrfcWmapuCbgeQ/s2048/IMG_5783.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="774" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBVC4qvHywj8JbZQdxBrBfZmAuVUpNjUj3JzQF5wfn1lE5bNKO8MatLW02F1rq_T1ggQ9kjUFmpzG9mPsHIkU7EM9l6Aj22fyHB5iE2dYUBZhNJIEjpVoEHu1ve4URfrfcWmapuCbgeQ/w518-h774/IMG_5783.JPG" width="518" /></a></div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>INGREDIENTS</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">makes four moderate servings or 6 small ones</span></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Evaporated (NOT condensed which is sweetened) milk, 410 g (400 ml)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Cheddar, 227 g, freshly grated (packaged grated cheese has starch added to prevent sticking, causing the clumping when macaroni and cheese cools defeating the purpose for going the evaporated milk route.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Pasta, (in my case, torti), 227 g</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Saucisses de Strausberg or frankfurters, 2-3</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">For more oomph, add a large pinch of chili powder to the grated cheese</span></li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Grate the cheese. Measure out the evaporated milk and pasta. Unwrap the saucisses.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi1cLarx3cGx6lSLVeUqDlETWwPwz_4S_2P5_Eeju-EMB3n9SvaL73sbpEBkvMba0Hhk8rnDNQpSbGwNxpPsm6Gq6IJ2CrkdqpjwtFELqvkfQTLZZVIyuqAi_v-75VeoWP717F31dL30/s2048/IMG_5769.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi1cLarx3cGx6lSLVeUqDlETWwPwz_4S_2P5_Eeju-EMB3n9SvaL73sbpEBkvMba0Hhk8rnDNQpSbGwNxpPsm6Gq6IJ2CrkdqpjwtFELqvkfQTLZZVIyuqAi_v-75VeoWP717F31dL30/w517-h778/IMG_5769.JPG" width="517" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Put pasta in a medium saucepan and barely cover with water. If not using the saucisses, salt the water. If using, add them without salting the water.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhR8POp1SGox3NEQAz5Xpy9OdcCPxVOF9kSn02OzmQcckN5XX63HPuCVE6vJRBo0ECjutPXbeWiMKa4U4KHz8LpYakXMYzNWCJoNdIPr7M7MA6Uxg0kO__1vzPRxgVQPl8DUojlf4_t0/s2048/IMG_5764.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="775" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhR8POp1SGox3NEQAz5Xpy9OdcCPxVOF9kSn02OzmQcckN5XX63HPuCVE6vJRBo0ECjutPXbeWiMKa4U4KHz8LpYakXMYzNWCJoNdIPr7M7MA6Uxg0kO__1vzPRxgVQPl8DUojlf4_t0/w515-h775/IMG_5764.JPG" width="515" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Bring to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring all the time. In about five minutes, fish out the saucisses. Let cool and thinly slice. Reserve. Meantime, keep boiling and stirring until all the water is gone except for a bit of moisture on the bottom.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBJyk28-AvH8pZwlPHY_Pk20mNIJw8FlTd8nUl6HTMbY122sFebRBYMQ1QowSe3m3Vl0n4ixO7PHx_1oOcRlxS4nneYanc_artdsUafEjdJTMpoNbG18LTJXp_MkQJCUunh-UxJFTAqQ/s2048/IMG_5773.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBJyk28-AvH8pZwlPHY_Pk20mNIJw8FlTd8nUl6HTMbY122sFebRBYMQ1QowSe3m3Vl0n4ixO7PHx_1oOcRlxS4nneYanc_artdsUafEjdJTMpoNbG18LTJXp_MkQJCUunh-UxJFTAqQ/w514-h770/IMG_5773.JPG" width="514" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Add the evaporated milk and bring back to a boil.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fANYA6L2Gg9S9MCYd8C1lKzVfGHGHab-6uQ2Nkbhyphenhyphen6yxRnhN4OflHxI0Pt33acQhb1IkZvazWcAxWAa86YLNm02WleDbAqS37Uam40Mb_vSULapLbu7mnOz26IK_zmPYFiBQuaT9Ywc/s2048/IMG_5778.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fANYA6L2Gg9S9MCYd8C1lKzVfGHGHab-6uQ2Nkbhyphenhyphen6yxRnhN4OflHxI0Pt33acQhb1IkZvazWcAxWAa86YLNm02WleDbAqS37Uam40Mb_vSULapLbu7mnOz26IK_zmPYFiBQuaT9Ywc/w516-h778/IMG_5778.JPG" width="516" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Add cheese, lower heat, and stir non stop for about two minutes until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the saucisses. Salt to taste.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7bim3TrSTt-jPJzP1QMyF6J-Jq3pI9Lss7xDxlUytYVH63m48RZuWYi7lZ16w4vh5Bst38e-w7VHgHA50giDen4C8-nNkA-rbPzLN1awciyMrdTXP8eyF8ly9QXQD2E9z8GGpMb_yvg/s2048/IMG_5779.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="791" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7bim3TrSTt-jPJzP1QMyF6J-Jq3pI9Lss7xDxlUytYVH63m48RZuWYi7lZ16w4vh5Bst38e-w7VHgHA50giDen4C8-nNkA-rbPzLN1awciyMrdTXP8eyF8ly9QXQD2E9z8GGpMb_yvg/w527-h791/IMG_5779.JPG" width="527" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A sprinking of fleur de sel at table gives a nice bit of crunch.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnb8uMjCExLVCAzBHdMBGcauEuK6riKSdc2FV885J_TnT7NHvBBzNkm8vU9WYJ97lngKwsjRTE9uwic7l4DEHDvKN5zMGG5r-RmMikOkqE5HqJVnkfymut8Evd-32OgXgdwX_3U7CzoA/s2048/IMG_5784.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnb8uMjCExLVCAzBHdMBGcauEuK6riKSdc2FV885J_TnT7NHvBBzNkm8vU9WYJ97lngKwsjRTE9uwic7l4DEHDvKN5zMGG5r-RmMikOkqE5HqJVnkfymut8Evd-32OgXgdwX_3U7CzoA/w530-h794/IMG_5784.JPG" width="530" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Its long-lasting creaminess is a delight. Any surplus can be frozen. It reheats readily with some regular milk. Keep in mind when pasta goes cold and is rewarmed, it becomes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistant_starch" target="_blank">resistant starch</a> which encourages your all important gut bacteria to flourish.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8DAQHH-y-E_QHLcFSqPY54vRwBcn-rm-c3g3nw2tWmez2hD_yacIFGjehb5WBXepS3YhiWsKiHjD8wgMqX3UrRCPr2xE8iuva3-aNLGVIz2mi1sRBpgEIlrB_nK0iglIrDWgYLKFekg/s2048/IMG_5786.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8DAQHH-y-E_QHLcFSqPY54vRwBcn-rm-c3g3nw2tWmez2hD_yacIFGjehb5WBXepS3YhiWsKiHjD8wgMqX3UrRCPr2xE8iuva3-aNLGVIz2mi1sRBpgEIlrB_nK0iglIrDWgYLKFekg/w533-h800/IMG_5786.JPG" width="533" /></a></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">À la prochaine!</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div>
Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-90582982378530508522020-11-26T20:12:00.007+01:002021-05-28T12:45:56.594+02:00Book Review / Good And Mad: The Revolutionary Power Of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Ms Traister wrote <i>Good and Mad</i> in just four months because she wanted to keep the intense intellection and emotionality flowing from a series of connected events happening in the United States as fresh as possible such as Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election, International Women Marches, #MeToo/#TimesUp, and record numbers of women running and winning political office in 2018. With each paragraph, she succeeds in sustaining her passion. My finishing the last page was like letting out a sigh of satisfaction, wonderment, and joy, as if her book was a long love letter, but focusing not on all the emotions connecting two people, but instead on the many intriquing facets of anger as they relate in the struggle for gender equality throughout its long, honourable history, describing in an intimate tone</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043;">—</span><span>at times, soothing, at other times, invigourating</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043;">—</span><span>various guideposts that has led the way and will continue to do so. She writes:</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><blockquote>In the popular imagination, feminism has since its inception been on the verge of collapse, thanks to the intensity of its very real internal conflicts: divisions over race, class, sexuality, and generational difference, not to mention the flare-ups of personal jealousies and combative power plays. These rifts have often been serious and damaging. But they have not set the women's movement apart from any other social justice movement, from the civil rights or Black Power or immigration or gay rights or the New Left or socialist movements, all of which at times been riven by generational, racial, gendered, and class divides, by homophobia, strategic differences, and personal feuds, To some degree, this is the nature of mass activism.</blockquote></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The nature of mass activism is what it is because what it is fighting is what it is. Entrenched power for a few is only able to hold onto to its privileged position by encouraging and cementing through mass media, education, and policing a climate of division and distrust. To break away from the 'normal' interface to wage protest against 'normality' is a supreme challenge. Taking two steps forward, one step backward is to be expected.<br /></span><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rha4XvGFjJEKgb6E1On86e-OkE2hdH2PvcQEg0wPIuglnDehkQlMK_jcQbbQlssCH_8vdgnNBwpqvlNlo_cDr71EZfSS_PhFhnEwVFtmp2I9RT0hyHlRYR9_ZJ6A3kyfOwOJJBgpD3c/s1149/Screen+Shot+2020-11-25+at+19.48.46.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1149" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rha4XvGFjJEKgb6E1On86e-OkE2hdH2PvcQEg0wPIuglnDehkQlMK_jcQbbQlssCH_8vdgnNBwpqvlNlo_cDr71EZfSS_PhFhnEwVFtmp2I9RT0hyHlRYR9_ZJ6A3kyfOwOJJBgpD3c/w508-h308/Screen+Shot+2020-11-25+at+19.48.46.png" width="508" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The author participating at a <a href="https://www.baybookfest.org/" target="_blank">Bay Area Book Festival</a></span><a href="https://www.baybookfest.org/" target="_blank"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Grounding women's anger by showing how it has repeadedly got the job done despite being perceived through the distorted lens of the powerful white male minority as crazy or in less dismissive terms as ineffective is essential. In many instances, women expressing anger was the exact trigger making significant advancement towards social justice possible. Mrs. Till directed</span><span> an incandescent fury after her</span><span> murdered, teenaged son Emmett was beaten beyond recognition by white supremacist terrorists on August 28, 1955 by demanding that not only would his hastily buried body be returned to her, but his wake would be conducted via an open coffin so the horror of what was done be seen.</span></span><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-2myeLG6fkEZA4ZBfs8deXt9KRNmn0iBEwVlUlZbpN6SkyF6NDssu_qGmuhnsDnfUOtf3LE11rSw6izxeWdMfNTPdUv_vSULTQxx2N3xSWCX3mcKqoDKhbPSzAfArIfcGOcPsFtVPoc/s984/Screen+Shot+2020-11-25+at+19.50.36.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="984" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-2myeLG6fkEZA4ZBfs8deXt9KRNmn0iBEwVlUlZbpN6SkyF6NDssu_qGmuhnsDnfUOtf3LE11rSw6izxeWdMfNTPdUv_vSULTQxx2N3xSWCX3mcKqoDKhbPSzAfArIfcGOcPsFtVPoc/w503-h327/Screen+Shot+2020-11-25+at+19.50.36.png" width="503" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms Traister guesting on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The expertly cut gem of insectionality shines throughout her writing, reflecting light and emitting a rainbow of colours, sending enlightening beams right through the fog of structural, systemic racism and sexism. She quotes Brittney Cooper:</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">White women and black men both want what white men have--white women want to have corporate power and black men want to be patriarchs. Black women a) know we're never going to get that and b) don't want that. We don't want to wield corporate power and we don't want to oppress people. That's why I look to black women as the political future.</span></blockquote>
<span><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhwMHUb90uObrsQDXhIiSOP7R9ni6RcMJWd8bn-60KgzN0BGafyTSIHSdPIB0aJWpggqifS6EqRsKWknEzu6yLSlv4Ke64IIZoLXAkjW87OrINu9omTRm4Pds-uYHjJWOgf-geEhZP40/s424/Screen+Shot+2020-11-26+at+18.25.47.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="424" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhwMHUb90uObrsQDXhIiSOP7R9ni6RcMJWd8bn-60KgzN0BGafyTSIHSdPIB0aJWpggqifS6EqRsKWknEzu6yLSlv4Ke64IIZoLXAkjW87OrINu9omTRm4Pds-uYHjJWOgf-geEhZP40/w530-h358/Screen+Shot+2020-11-26+at+18.25.47.png" width="530" /></a></div></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ms Traister admits though expressing anger and channeling it into action is effective and emboldening, it is also demanding on relationships and families which was born out during the second feminism wave in the 1960s of which I can personally confirm because that's when I was a young woman. Additionally, if being angry will cost you your livilihood among other supports, this approach doesn't align with everybody who is focused on the arc of progressive change. Regardless, <i>Good and Mad</i> inspires, upskills, and empowers.</span><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVihrNLfKzm6rllZywmhrSX2X9JMQ5lOTtb0TewKdxw2l6wRIMC_tAQYO_7eVEDdxalRnBG1r8aXs5uAPqVPHgGoz6bUXOwk2JJ-5xYpBF6U_HfBZd_0NOnooVPxpz1U0w3cZnoPqE0s/s639/Screen+Shot+2020-11-25+at+19.51.33.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="488" height="696" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVihrNLfKzm6rllZywmhrSX2X9JMQ5lOTtb0TewKdxw2l6wRIMC_tAQYO_7eVEDdxalRnBG1r8aXs5uAPqVPHgGoz6bUXOwk2JJ-5xYpBF6U_HfBZd_0NOnooVPxpz1U0w3cZnoPqE0s/w531-h696/Screen+Shot+2020-11-25+at+19.51.33.png" width="531" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Childhood photo of the author: girl power and some!<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">À la prochaine!</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>RELATED LINKS</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://twitter.com/rtraister" target="_blank">Ms Traister's Twitter</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Traister/e/B003E52LLE" target="_blank">Ms Traister's Amazon Page</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ProfessorCrunk" target="_blank">Brittney C. Cooper's (Professor Crunk) Twitter</a></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brittney-C.-Cooper/e/B01N6XZ20X%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share" target="_blank">Brittney C. Cooper's Amazon Page</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://poets.org/poem/i-saw-emmett-till-week-grocery-store" target="_blank">I Saw Emmett Till This Week At The Grocery Store (Poem by Eve L. Ewing)<br /></a><br /></span><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>PREVIOUS BOOK REVIEWS</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/01/book-review-so-you-want-to-talk-about.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Book Review / So You Want To Talk About Race by </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ijeoma Oluo</span></span></a></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2019/11/book-review-inferior-true-power-of.html" style="color: #dda932;" target="_blank">Book review / Inferior: The True Power Of Women And The Science That Shows It by Angela Saini</a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Cardo; font-size: 13.524px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Cardo; font-size: 13.524px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2019/06/book-review-golden-thread-how-fabric.html" style="color: #996e22; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book review / The Golden Thread : How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St Clair</a><br /><br /><a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2019/05/book-review-lolly-willowes-by-sylvia.html" style="color: #996e22; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book review / Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Warner Townsend</a><br /><br /><a href="http://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2018/11/book-review-against-empathy-case-for.html" style="color: #996e22; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Review / Against Empathy by Paul Bloom</a><br /><br /><a href="http://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2018/06/book-review-tulip-by-anna-pavord.html" style="color: #996e22; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Review / The Tulip by Anna Pavord</a><br /><br /><a href="http://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2018/03/book-review-asshole-survival-guide-how.html" style="color: #996e22; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Book Review / The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt by Robert I. 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Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-59342885390746941232020-11-19T22:30:00.006+01:002020-12-05T11:13:20.025+01:00Whole Wheat Muffins Marbled With Ginger Orange Raisin Puree & Topped With Orange Icing<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Several weeks ago, <a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/10/preservation-of-produce-raisin-puree.html" target="_blank">I posted about preserving a huge quantity of raisins close to their due date by making a puree.</a> A small batch was done separately, one spiced with ginger and enlivened with orange juice which I envisoned would eventually marble whole wheat muffins. The vision has been realised and here they are! And they are beyond fabulous, fluffy, rich with egg, butter, and milk, sweetened with maple sugar and the oh so tasty ginger orange raisin puree, not to mention the extra oomph of orange icing.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1eY66D4ewiwHkv0V1s3Nki_4DibZQQkJEzb1H4Flj_cmk7NwoZwGD9H9qgBeWoqobMJgt5yfnFedbFe4gmzOUnMEcJvphiJw9MRGcB-ecD5GnwEGHyWDGzfEjEtJq24t45Seeq7sLl0/s2048/IMG_5734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="780" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1eY66D4ewiwHkv0V1s3Nki_4DibZQQkJEzb1H4Flj_cmk7NwoZwGD9H9qgBeWoqobMJgt5yfnFedbFe4gmzOUnMEcJvphiJw9MRGcB-ecD5GnwEGHyWDGzfEjEtJq24t45Seeq7sLl0/w518-h780/IMG_5734.JPG" width="518" /></a></div><p></p><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ingredients</span></b><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">makes ten (batter filled to the brim which is my preference) to twelve muffins (batter filled 3/4 to the brim)</span><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Flour, whole wheat, 240 g (2 American 8 fluid oz cups)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sugar, 100 g ( 1/2 American 8 fluid oz cup/8 T)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sugar, brown, (1/2 American 8 fluid oz cup/8T) or in my case stir in 1.5 tsp of maple syrup into white sugar</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Baking soda, 1 tsp</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Egg, l</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Milk, whole, 1 American 8 fluid oz cup/16 T)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Orange ginger raisin puree, 4 T (recipe is <a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/10/preservation-of-produce-raisin-puree.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Orange juice and icing sugar depending on the amount and consistency of the finished icing (I use 3 T of juice to about 9 T of confectioner's sugar)</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Liberally brush a 12 muffin tin pan with butter, making sure each well is well doused along with a bit just outside their perimeters. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIje6t4v4tDJKlge10HBm4ggrC21DPZUCT-OVHv8FrLxvYt5bD56cJMeBunbGxFPC__8EQwi4fhHnDD-aGFdKKVfx_KlG8HE1k9CIJGUKgjrYss6djOxMWWM84CBPUBcnyx7RMq2pRiwE/s2048/IMG_5698.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="801" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIje6t4v4tDJKlge10HBm4ggrC21DPZUCT-OVHv8FrLxvYt5bD56cJMeBunbGxFPC__8EQwi4fhHnDD-aGFdKKVfx_KlG8HE1k9CIJGUKgjrYss6djOxMWWM84CBPUBcnyx7RMq2pRiwE/w533-h801/IMG_5698.JPG" width="533" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">If opting for maple sugar instead of brown sugar, stir in 1.5 T of maple syrup to 1/2 cup of sugar and reserve.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnILSOD04xRXYXioBZzXM3VnJHMep1kSQMf3_QWK8bdJtIjnG4eye3TnNVbf057r3hKoGzUvj04GMEXHNB_ShV7dYTKKJl0tDTVj3j7UABY2T8fA5BglPFc0boqlWqpgWBURmMO7hASCg/s2048/IMG_5688.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="797" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnILSOD04xRXYXioBZzXM3VnJHMep1kSQMf3_QWK8bdJtIjnG4eye3TnNVbf057r3hKoGzUvj04GMEXHNB_ShV7dYTKKJl0tDTVj3j7UABY2T8fA5BglPFc0boqlWqpgWBURmMO7hASCg/w532-h797/IMG_5688.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Using either an electric aid (in my case, a stick mixer) or elbow grease, cream butter, sugars, and baking soda until resembling mashed potatoes.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ImagESDQecjtEoUEko7YvHV_tK_YXbeNh-rwsOl7uYFcadS6zRR7svE7QSzOCbGZg4ufQwGWq-f5gRzoDZafgIIC2ZqDlK0LyqcHCBz_k4oJ6tmHS9CgHDOeBpGlo7pTksXFzMDaQIU/s2048/IMG_5700.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="801" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ImagESDQecjtEoUEko7YvHV_tK_YXbeNh-rwsOl7uYFcadS6zRR7svE7QSzOCbGZg4ufQwGWq-f5gRzoDZafgIIC2ZqDlK0LyqcHCBz_k4oJ6tmHS9CgHDOeBpGlo7pTksXFzMDaQIU/w532-h801/IMG_5700.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In a separate small bowl beat the egg with the vanilla and add to creamed mixture. Beat in the milk, and then gradually the flour until it is all barely incorporated. It's time to fill the muffin tins.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMYm1JJtcs4ihy6PypLZY768bh6V6NbA8vdKPv84aTlg575UQ1_EAPD0sQqNNb5Zwt-4dtsmJ3llg-8IKATz-T1MOixTJhA5mmp-ejze3Fbu4uau1zrgL_hakwvIs8Ddt2CoT1oAtfDU/s2048/IMG_5703.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="811" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMYm1JJtcs4ihy6PypLZY768bh6V6NbA8vdKPv84aTlg575UQ1_EAPD0sQqNNb5Zwt-4dtsmJ3llg-8IKATz-T1MOixTJhA5mmp-ejze3Fbu4uau1zrgL_hakwvIs8Ddt2CoT1oAtfDU/w539-h811/IMG_5703.JPG" width="539" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Fill the tin 1/4 the way and drop about 3 to 4 small amounts of the raisin puree. Repeat until the well is either 3/4 filled or in my preference, to the brim.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24DfK85mShRtvtwYW5qessR3znI3XNRizOJ6I7OyizCAz4XtJ0IeuRBs_QJeAbzBsQsnk4FvT0ZioclYBHivDl5Y-ww9abGy9o8Z-W-ETC58RYezNsZju8_JS3YzmLGd8rR1EgIym9EM/s2048/IMG_5704.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24DfK85mShRtvtwYW5qessR3znI3XNRizOJ6I7OyizCAz4XtJ0IeuRBs_QJeAbzBsQsnk4FvT0ZioclYBHivDl5Y-ww9abGy9o8Z-W-ETC58RYezNsZju8_JS3YzmLGd8rR1EgIym9EM/w536-h802/IMG_5704.JPG" width="536" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">With a wooden skewer inserted right to the bottom of a well, swirl the batter, Turn the pan a quarter, and repeat.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46R2PjqpHQ2x2eOAmFBFqnXGWUUEB1Ulx83PwGBMQJOTExb15dUqnbC8Vy6bXYSJFKaxWWTskoAkefm_BTDr4IrfDh6S7tWmD0Nzs0hwvrRZ93_vKesQ10l_u49vSIfiANx9wliIRJnU/s2048/IMG_5712.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="817" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46R2PjqpHQ2x2eOAmFBFqnXGWUUEB1Ulx83PwGBMQJOTExb15dUqnbC8Vy6bXYSJFKaxWWTskoAkefm_BTDr4IrfDh6S7tWmD0Nzs0hwvrRZ93_vKesQ10l_u49vSIfiANx9wliIRJnU/w543-h817/IMG_5712.JPG" width="543" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Bake around 17 minutes or until centres are springy to the touch and/or a skewer is inserted and comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a minute or two and then work carefully around each well with a butter knife. Turn the pan over and gently shake out the muffins. Let cool.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YsB-ZUIJ1Ax-hLy3AcCIHLEeEu_B01jhYFLrAtoPAIiiCnWYrgkmCOKvm5l02gQBUY9-EGfDxcuRCPnZmakEyZZDXYr-IqOGdRKNMGfkWh06SBav7OYZKP_UNxkJI1GTxtK74BbnhJ8/s2048/IMG_5727.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="817" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YsB-ZUIJ1Ax-hLy3AcCIHLEeEu_B01jhYFLrAtoPAIiiCnWYrgkmCOKvm5l02gQBUY9-EGfDxcuRCPnZmakEyZZDXYr-IqOGdRKNMGfkWh06SBav7OYZKP_UNxkJI1GTxtK74BbnhJ8/w541-h817/IMG_5727.JPG" width="541" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">For the icing start with one tablespoon of orange juice and add enough icing sugar to get the consistency desired. The topping can be quite thick where it is spread on or it can be close to watery so it soaks into the muffin which is what I did.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-Di9GrwG0yxCzNMPDEJCFzGkgKBRyGKLNcjGvnYFGv9hr30aFQ9G3bm-Tl-9HYYCbnN-jsXfr4_fvevx4wuCjFe-MzfAJiN3ShfSy37OBAVwF29f1LIzQ4NLnLnAjyuwMrSuVhzk70I/s2048/IMG_5736.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="808" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-Di9GrwG0yxCzNMPDEJCFzGkgKBRyGKLNcjGvnYFGv9hr30aFQ9G3bm-Tl-9HYYCbnN-jsXfr4_fvevx4wuCjFe-MzfAJiN3ShfSy37OBAVwF29f1LIzQ4NLnLnAjyuwMrSuVhzk70I/w538-h808/IMG_5736.JPG" width="538" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Best whole wheat muffin ever! It's quite sweet, so besides gracing the breakfast/snack table, it would do just as well if served for dessert. The surplus chez nous was frozen and I can't wait to eat one of these soooooooooooon. Egads, they are DELICIOUS.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrDIXv0IkrnWVgRo3Cgac3fR2t4OTMxAxWzZQpJURsdXa_icBrMSywhHizjXhvBOQy0YyCSwKFDb_4UT2361GQEQODVZsvi7ZD0tI8awRsZnSTfALWkYcu6oRbkZXsA_reSOmfbzWp1o/s2048/IMG_5739.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="814" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrDIXv0IkrnWVgRo3Cgac3fR2t4OTMxAxWzZQpJURsdXa_icBrMSywhHizjXhvBOQy0YyCSwKFDb_4UT2361GQEQODVZsvi7ZD0tI8awRsZnSTfALWkYcu6oRbkZXsA_reSOmfbzWp1o/w542-h814/IMG_5739.JPG" width="542" /></a></div><br /><p><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">À la prochaine!</span></i></p><p><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></p></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-19556389000870644612020-11-12T22:28:00.009+01:002020-11-14T19:11:11.918+01:00Heat Pump Installation<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My most vivid memory standing out on that day full of disruption and commotion which also was the second day of the new lockdown was <i>The Calm One </i>trying to find his mask before he sprinted down the hallway leading to the bathroom from which one of the two workers, both Moldavians who live in Paris, the epicentre of the Pandemic, had cried out while handling a major leak from an ancient toilet tank fastened high up on the wall caused by certain pipes just removed in the <i>sous-sol</i>. Before <i>The Calm One </i>could locate his mask, the installer called out again, and <i>The Calm One</i> flashed out of sight. Soooooooo, there were two unmasked people, strangers to each other, in a small, unventilated space. I cracked open the bathroom door and dangled the city-issued blue jobbie inside, robotically uttering <i>mask, mask, mask, mask, mask,</i> until it was grabbed. In three days time, fourteen days, the recommended time for quarantine if one suspects exposure, will have lapsed. Despite not having any covid symptoms as of yet, our oximeter is never that far away. The workers arrived masked, but soon discarded them. They mostly worked in ventilated spaces like outside and the sous-sol with its front and back doors opened, but still. The two men did a fabulous job in about eight hours. When first staring at the tangled mess of dusty pipes covered in ghostly, insulation strips dangling from our thirty-five-year old gas system that was in place when we moved here ten years ago, a long, tortured series of <i>ooh la las </i>came from the installers. They agreed not to place the outside unit on the side of the house closest to a neighbour as was originally planned because it makes a noise like a loud fan along with the air getting pretty blown about from time to time. However, the change in plans meant more work for them because they had to drill through two rooms to get to the side farthest away from other houses.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpSMIyKbNk-f-_4iJUYdrdgwmW1YmVNRKwqdpDnMw9J7s21vG7FB-4MX5S1qzqzipKhJz8p55q0Sor8etvPB1efZU2V1G7vi8D7iiYOcA4NRGNA64rttmOMw4EnvRzenvr1nzIhfBhaM/s2048/IMG_5664.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="805" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpSMIyKbNk-f-_4iJUYdrdgwmW1YmVNRKwqdpDnMw9J7s21vG7FB-4MX5S1qzqzipKhJz8p55q0Sor8etvPB1efZU2V1G7vi8D7iiYOcA4NRGNA64rttmOMw4EnvRzenvr1nzIhfBhaM/w536-h805/IMG_5664.JPG" width="536" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The jumbled mass of pipes/valves were replaced. The old boiler and water heater were removed. We were told that our old gas system was way more powerful than needed, spewing out more gunk than was even necessary because all those decades ago gas was cheap.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4AZgSJWDwHT0GoVs5wbRPglEphIXc6z_10ZSfcZNRKwCvAkGtV8EaYmRMdm7kFYvBt0V5scrW5-dSfvi0vySpEjwTVMgZNhFMAUizei6ner0nIvRHYCtzTzjbc8JinCRytjK9HhzvMY/s2048/IMG_5681.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4AZgSJWDwHT0GoVs5wbRPglEphIXc6z_10ZSfcZNRKwCvAkGtV8EaYmRMdm7kFYvBt0V5scrW5-dSfvi0vySpEjwTVMgZNhFMAUizei6ner0nIvRHYCtzTzjbc8JinCRytjK9HhzvMY/w532-h799/IMG_5681.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The spanking new HUGE water heater was put in a corner.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2taSvKfy0kNZ5WATjZHSCeWolkdR7I_p1Ho5OvaGM8dueqXg5nDHC_o665Zd7xBZSDThmv2NaF8iSuhZJ4fX1ed5_MejEnlIv1_JsqBP5f81a_6h6EpDUQ3Gw4WDagGgexkPTMU1dZA0/s2048/IMG_5680.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="815" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2taSvKfy0kNZ5WATjZHSCeWolkdR7I_p1Ho5OvaGM8dueqXg5nDHC_o665Zd7xBZSDThmv2NaF8iSuhZJ4fX1ed5_MejEnlIv1_JsqBP5f81a_6h6EpDUQ3Gw4WDagGgexkPTMU1dZA0/w542-h815/IMG_5680.JPG" width="542" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">To the left of that went an evaporator, and to left of that . . .<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF9epgGL_5DWJ41c0EUHF_fG0CMpAoRzT0M_NxyFtlf8bTItORa-WEmFUbX9p9jU5DuIS_M8sEnqggyN9_Th0dKiSl2phozDrGPBxGX23uJuuZCpxwoGyVSfKG9leeNPrvqZl5PCy0cI/s2048/IMG_5682.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="812" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF9epgGL_5DWJ41c0EUHF_fG0CMpAoRzT0M_NxyFtlf8bTItORa-WEmFUbX9p9jU5DuIS_M8sEnqggyN9_Th0dKiSl2phozDrGPBxGX23uJuuZCpxwoGyVSfKG9leeNPrvqZl5PCy0cI/w541-h812/IMG_5682.JPG" width="541" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">. . . a compressor that is connected to . . .<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo6FwxBlqhZGsKUrRYtApklSgNLo-DkHtlcsp3tUfW9sFTFhRnelQ0hI5Fa8eFp4Qh-24JfTIgStZfzKin_2YMTr0BopSwAMi1siWUoFyVdCM_tp0EBjCuiHDMChJINZHLH6Guso6vf8/s2048/IMG_5683.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="809" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo6FwxBlqhZGsKUrRYtApklSgNLo-DkHtlcsp3tUfW9sFTFhRnelQ0hI5Fa8eFp4Qh-24JfTIgStZfzKin_2YMTr0BopSwAMi1siWUoFyVdCM_tp0EBjCuiHDMChJINZHLH6Guso6vf8/w538-h809/IMG_5683.JPG" width="538" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">. . . to the outdoor double fan condenser in the east garden, essentially a reverse refrigerator. A refrigerant runs throught all parts of this system. Our upstairs which is where we live (our home is a pavillon sur <i>sous-sol</i>, a common abode in France) is heated via the heat pump set-up through existing water radiators. This arrangement also heats the water for the kitchen and bathroom. Part of the deal was our getting an induction stovetop to replace our gas cooker which once installed will allow us to cancel our gas service.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQLARI1iZaA67BD1UOm9lKVaL4jah5su7BqGrIjgEvF4Bcmm3ivEFeiWzTkKURqq4znzGEjLwbik7UG-1qutxrYH1-eOWrxrfr9pm0GZmD058WYxRYX5Bc6qJ451SK9nustSEKZ6zU7o/s2048/IMG_5667.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQLARI1iZaA67BD1UOm9lKVaL4jah5su7BqGrIjgEvF4Bcmm3ivEFeiWzTkKURqq4znzGEjLwbik7UG-1qutxrYH1-eOWrxrfr9pm0GZmD058WYxRYX5Bc6qJ451SK9nustSEKZ6zU7o/w533-h799/IMG_5667.JPG" width="533" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A most lovely rosemary of the hedge type had to be hacked down to make room for the outside unit.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnFvsem2NN_JD0CjBbcIvCBJAn5G7PyvQFawxFJQPYqdktRlaAnj_pEaFOF4ZoaLNZ9iPYUnQZ68zDuTpwyqLvn37kQCHlBesJvCnpRCYfuxvCnwpiUTmRwg7fqZ92w3CgJ9OTokh4ao/s2048/IMG_5687.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnFvsem2NN_JD0CjBbcIvCBJAn5G7PyvQFawxFJQPYqdktRlaAnj_pEaFOF4ZoaLNZ9iPYUnQZ68zDuTpwyqLvn37kQCHlBesJvCnpRCYfuxvCnwpiUTmRwg7fqZ92w3CgJ9OTokh4ao/w532-h800/IMG_5687.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The mass of aromatic foliage will be composted eventually.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_ZYIfYPlr0feELyUKz4IVW1h99vXJ-HGGGexxHBfNWq5qmsv69WtKIk9EtGMpbvz_to3uGiQrIvK0nepqpVMFMTl3KRCB64jUqz1Pyt7VM5caj9s0CbWl_lc0Y5_wVr2zn_b56JEjY4/s2048/IMG_5686.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="805" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_ZYIfYPlr0feELyUKz4IVW1h99vXJ-HGGGexxHBfNWq5qmsv69WtKIk9EtGMpbvz_to3uGiQrIvK0nepqpVMFMTl3KRCB64jUqz1Pyt7VM5caj9s0CbWl_lc0Y5_wVr2zn_b56JEjY4/w535-h805/IMG_5686.JPG" width="535" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Fortunately about two months ago I took two rosemary cuttings which have rooted well. Our household will not be sans rosemary!<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aD_BqXXi9Z4aOTUEVZxt93FwW3igZLLPzBqI_jfJ8M-5xc-riMfvdyZmYfUwUSifWXM3trwVbfNalSMQ9TfZxF_ij671ub3Mek4aSIl_AH5J5vfCzocotc6GN1Nm5LVKeiKNxgkaSO0/s2048/IMG_5685.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aD_BqXXi9Z4aOTUEVZxt93FwW3igZLLPzBqI_jfJ8M-5xc-riMfvdyZmYfUwUSifWXM3trwVbfNalSMQ9TfZxF_ij671ub3Mek4aSIl_AH5J5vfCzocotc6GN1Nm5LVKeiKNxgkaSO0/w532-h800/IMG_5685.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A very plain, straightforward thermostat was affixed to the centre hallway wall of our upstairs living quarters. My goodness, everything is so much more comfortable, very much like being in a luxury hotel providing tons of almost instant hot water with pronounced pressure along with a stable temperature in all rooms. I am glad that this government subsidised program approved us as participants; acceptance took about four steps spaced over several months. The part of the expense we need to pay is in the form of a loan with a moderate rate of interest which can be paid in full if we wish before the final scheduled payment. O<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">ur Total Conversion To Alternative Energy Project which now includes the completed installation of photovoltaic panels (no government subsidy, but an interest free loan) and the heat pump will continue with our getting a storage battery in due course. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Following that, if required, we will get more photovoltaic panels. Though our motivation for our grand project at present is to reduce our monthly utility bill, the eventual goal is not only to get off the grid but also to earn income by selling surplus energy back to the sector.</span><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLtDSxYig2XFZ_rwEO-6MBvSDv3wUYLWJKBXbnIhKF3DHxDSQkrpi7vYukuueezVA6sg5QWEZTKHvFghsellgJXymDfNCOBvUR2ELVq5DpCKAFxaJvyTuy4YYKJndxEXfbhQqPA2iD4M/s2048/IMG_5684.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLtDSxYig2XFZ_rwEO-6MBvSDv3wUYLWJKBXbnIhKF3DHxDSQkrpi7vYukuueezVA6sg5QWEZTKHvFghsellgJXymDfNCOBvUR2ELVq5DpCKAFxaJvyTuy4YYKJndxEXfbhQqPA2iD4M/w532-h800/IMG_5684.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">See you next week!</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b>RELATED POST</b></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/01/installation-of-photovoltaic-panels.html">Installation of Photovoltaic Panels</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b>RELATED LINK</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pump#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20design%20of,these%20components%20is%20called%20refrigerant.">Wikipedia article about heat pumps</a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-40309406659516304902020-11-05T23:04:00.003+01:002020-11-07T13:14:44.035+01:00There's A Heat Pump Chez Nous!<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">With the Pandemic back on the front burner along with my doomscrolling Twitter regarding the American Presidential Election, I have enough focus and time to give just a teaser on the continuation of our total conversion to alternative energy project. We already have had PV panels put on the part of the roof facing south last year, and this past week we did the second stage of this plan with the installation of a heat pump set-up. Out went the gas boiler and gas water heater, and in went this stupendous system. Once we replace our gas cooktop with the induction jobbie the installers left with us, we can cancel our gas service. The next and final step will be the purchase of a storage battery. Following that, if required, we will get more PV panels. Our eventual goal is not only to get off the grid but also to earn income by selling surplus energy back to the sector. Next week I will provide more info and photos regarding the day-long fitting of our new, fabulous, and environmentally friendly arrangement. Until then, here's a photo of the outside exceedingly pretty double fan unit.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgFpntbV3MAi8c3KiZVD5SeRGVXFve3OWCIeqxy92J_-gZDqCsbzM2ACynw60XP6Nd75NZ_UTaO-M_Zptezyx8mqWm7k853zoZt7ZID7xmuGmWoFKCHtF8pM2rlFpEXs8Su8BBBnOid8/s2048/IMG_5667.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="791" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgFpntbV3MAi8c3KiZVD5SeRGVXFve3OWCIeqxy92J_-gZDqCsbzM2ACynw60XP6Nd75NZ_UTaO-M_Zptezyx8mqWm7k853zoZt7ZID7xmuGmWoFKCHtF8pM2rlFpEXs8Su8BBBnOid8/w527-h791/IMG_5667.JPG" width="527" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> See you next week!</span></span></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-55637730629672661532020-10-29T17:03:00.001+01:002020-10-29T17:03:19.973+01:00No Post Today<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> See you next week!</span></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-43667393658303150122020-10-22T21:00:00.002+02:002020-10-23T18:27:07.373+02:00Preservation of Produce: Raisin Puree<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The other day I finally noticed two, large, long-neglected bags of raisins in our <i>sous-sol </i>cupboard. They were a smidgin away from their due date. Though I been wanting to bake some whole wheat raisin muffins for a while, I figured doing that would use up just a fraction of this dry fruit deluge so what to do with the rest? Fruit puree, whether fresh or made from dried fruits, freezes well.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi5W-OjTR27wulmwvRt63kmxxrTbaVkCY4WZF33QOtmv0IwkiQ4PqT6TT-SnanCtfxbOgZG96sJV6Bb1M_9mNg6I8s8nKNjOJF3LgnAhoOP_hKdDZZ3dBr7wrvsfeluP-NznweT_nRg4/s2048/IMG_5656.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="784" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi5W-OjTR27wulmwvRt63kmxxrTbaVkCY4WZF33QOtmv0IwkiQ4PqT6TT-SnanCtfxbOgZG96sJV6Bb1M_9mNg6I8s8nKNjOJF3LgnAhoOP_hKdDZZ3dBr7wrvsfeluP-NznweT_nRg4/w522-h784/IMG_5656.JPG" width="522" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />I made two separate batches of raisin puree. The larger one was covered with water.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrGuddmPNsfVf5mF2yTVMy4PBSukgT6BiDhePaGrbZm6lBFOBmyQLEojjf8k6f-I9uZtPtzkWY47KfLz28INSPfMyiP1Q6u8T68jsy3cu0rcf9o4z-vIue1IpN1n46wM5d-Hs5UgDyTQ/s2048/IMG_5627.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="789" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrGuddmPNsfVf5mF2yTVMy4PBSukgT6BiDhePaGrbZm6lBFOBmyQLEojjf8k6f-I9uZtPtzkWY47KfLz28INSPfMyiP1Q6u8T68jsy3cu0rcf9o4z-vIue1IpN1n46wM5d-Hs5UgDyTQ/w524-h789/IMG_5627.JPG" width="524" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div><br /></div>A smaller batch was covered instead with orange juice, and a large pinch of powered ginger was stirred in. Both batches were lidded and placed in the fridge for twenty-four hours.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjdB_IlBpqcg7Gq1eCY-sdaZGaedUY2B3FSQ40M66h2OmKCGuVmAV3zB7xFOZieTRwY00PoCRrbcQAj_tnOii0EwRhhV5pneGoDfkq5YbMPrfjgk1aoWM7MqbVN5a-7JaSIbxYK5oRW4/s2048/IMG_5633.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="783" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjdB_IlBpqcg7Gq1eCY-sdaZGaedUY2B3FSQ40M66h2OmKCGuVmAV3zB7xFOZieTRwY00PoCRrbcQAj_tnOii0EwRhhV5pneGoDfkq5YbMPrfjgk1aoWM7MqbVN5a-7JaSIbxYK5oRW4/w522-h783/IMG_5633.JPG" width="522" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My 750 watts Bosch hand-held mixer did the small batch with ease, taking about ten minutes to reach a very smooth consistency.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyU0V371VwY0UGfrRNZtTPTGumCooVdALvA7HP-rrANLFdv3YgY8RDD2VwQ3pVbWd9rR6nJgufWTgvF3imz6uDtRoTLPZa6JwgHNiNRUs7Kr1fcH-cIWM6yW-h08GN-4b-gtocRxnpdo/s2048/IMG_5651.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="785" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyU0V371VwY0UGfrRNZtTPTGumCooVdALvA7HP-rrANLFdv3YgY8RDD2VwQ3pVbWd9rR6nJgufWTgvF3imz6uDtRoTLPZa6JwgHNiNRUs7Kr1fcH-cIWM6yW-h08GN-4b-gtocRxnpdo/w522-h785/IMG_5651.JPG" width="522" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The larger batch took forever, at least it seemed that way. About 8 PM, I started the blending. After ten minutes the mixer heated up so much that it was necessary to let it cool for about a half hour so as not to burn out the motor. This was repeated four times bringing me close to bedtime. Therefore I left the partially processed puree, covered, in the fridge overnight. The next morning, I was able to finish the blending in ten minutes. It's possible that not only was this batch significantly bigger, it is also conceivable that water doesn't macerate the raisins as readily as orange juice. I would suggest that small batches in general would be easier to do, but also if you want to do a large one, then let soak in the fridge for two to three days. The puree is absolutely delicious and is versatile. I marbled yogurt and swirled some through hot oatmeal. I imagine that it would be great as a topping for ice cream or served with a cheese platter in place of honey or jam. Whole wheat muffin batter is just calling for the marble treatment which is what I am planning to do fairly soon, choosing the orange/ginger batch. Perhaps an orange icing drizzle on top?</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM8dFco4hvnvk6dpFnO42vy2eRDY1WHmf19TbXzvQrxLIktXAP5VW0MthQ-IoBYeMSTgEGCsXJSNh3KcIgVUJzsFr5jd3v1ByvUyVZbHPLP1L-AR-AvXkrtNYbr_vIjAcMOLLcb90GpM/s2048/IMG_5661.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="787" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM8dFco4hvnvk6dpFnO42vy2eRDY1WHmf19TbXzvQrxLIktXAP5VW0MthQ-IoBYeMSTgEGCsXJSNh3KcIgVUJzsFr5jd3v1ByvUyVZbHPLP1L-AR-AvXkrtNYbr_vIjAcMOLLcb90GpM/w523-h787/IMG_5661.JPG" width="523" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />To marble either yogurt or muffin/cake batter: Put separate dollops of puree and yogurt/batter in a checkerboard pattern in the first layer. For consequent layers, alternate the dollops, that is, put puree over yogurt/batter, then yogurt/batter over puree until the glass or baking pan is filled. Using a wooden skewer, insert it all the way to the bottom of the glass or pan and working from side to side, twirl the skewer. Turn the glass or pan a quarter turn and repeat the twirling.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3e4Qh2CZOYzu6k5UPkKIZPr5Y8qTekJiVIrw8ZwusEAbd2UxkXGkGI3e_j5AQgc6CCldBmgn69SMJ0zrbGTTVdukHtRACFZgnpi9JbB3uTe_kMfJuCE6kvKiYNEeqiQZMEMOdggjuEg/s2048/IMG_5662.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="795" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3e4Qh2CZOYzu6k5UPkKIZPr5Y8qTekJiVIrw8ZwusEAbd2UxkXGkGI3e_j5AQgc6CCldBmgn69SMJ0zrbGTTVdukHtRACFZgnpi9JbB3uTe_kMfJuCE6kvKiYNEeqiQZMEMOdggjuEg/w527-h795/IMG_5662.JPG" width="527" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">À la prochaine!</span></i></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></div></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-45734543905401730672020-10-15T23:07:00.003+02:002020-10-17T11:35:00.479+02:00View From The Balcony Autumn 2020<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Our front balcony entrance brings so much enjoyment, and not only to us but also to <i>Eli the Cat</i> who shows his appreciation for the doormat every chance he gets.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobeFYM8hB9HDggbNnRkL7y1IoJo19FfXNIiBT8DqiZn6qHC9qJ0iM4pqdNmgsyuXBJQuc31StwJIPMEPM2rVD6VYIsKl8ZZX4nxGKzkZU3uVV3NpNMJlnuiu6VlJL7wu1YxrjNTccxvU/s2048/IMG_5569.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="792" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobeFYM8hB9HDggbNnRkL7y1IoJo19FfXNIiBT8DqiZn6qHC9qJ0iM4pqdNmgsyuXBJQuc31StwJIPMEPM2rVD6VYIsKl8ZZX4nxGKzkZU3uVV3NpNMJlnuiu6VlJL7wu1YxrjNTccxvU/w527-h792/IMG_5569.JPG" width="527" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I love leaning over the railing to check out the front garden. The flowering shrubs in the upper right corner of the below photo are two abelia, beloved by bees. When I recently did my afternoon exercise walk around the garden the other day, I got to see a HUGE bee all on his lonesome, probably belonging to the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachilidae" target="_blank"> </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megachilidae" target="_blank">Megachilidae</a></span> family, thrusting its upper body into one of the tubular flowers. <br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwvPHuPhkSw9F_qc89AALbYdqtJDE4v5XUIezmAYLzWpEEXcOSQDLKqrIxH8lTs5EBQrlBpI3OTwoXcQ9pgE0Uo6ThVEC-7_pQPG4hohaVum4WfznrW4xVjVOHtKzecDA4AMCSEeYIw0/s2048/IMG_5549.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="796" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwvPHuPhkSw9F_qc89AALbYdqtJDE4v5XUIezmAYLzWpEEXcOSQDLKqrIxH8lTs5EBQrlBpI3OTwoXcQ9pgE0Uo6ThVEC-7_pQPG4hohaVum4WfznrW4xVjVOHtKzecDA4AMCSEeYIw0/w532-h796/IMG_5549.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The meandering brick path flanks the part of the garden situated between the entrance walk and the driveway. The aucuba was propagated from plants already present when we moved here ten years ago. Its evergreen, shade-loving, glossy, substantial leaves splashed with gold flourish in a spot facing north, brightening up that dark corner.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYNJqKqfxVkY6fXp01wwEtg_8x7Jsyf1UObWZdTtWhmjDowzxdJ2AzHUu8x6ML3eSDwgta37zHbSwJgFAvXV28N_aBsy6ry9lySFzWpIF3X1murZDBHuprrIp7zj5CdnVvrVzUQFALgg/s2048/IMG_5558.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="792" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYNJqKqfxVkY6fXp01wwEtg_8x7Jsyf1UObWZdTtWhmjDowzxdJ2AzHUu8x6ML3eSDwgta37zHbSwJgFAvXV28N_aBsy6ry9lySFzWpIF3X1murZDBHuprrIp7zj5CdnVvrVzUQFALgg/w528-h792/IMG_5558.JPG" width="528" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The balcony wraps itself partially around the eastern side of our home. Access to the balcony from the inside is facilitated by not only the foyer door but also two living-room French doors. Presently asters are the dominant blooms from that perspective.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PhL4G7BmhiW84UXeMK7A4oBSE5pX3Cn18lT0lyiW230N7Ts9dTstT44yu2RUe0D94xfhc7jXbynqydYVr7PrWi-YrQ2TRdyMCXKvQSxvGdF6r99QbHbw6dKHm-tKVvRYIQ2Hf1ZU2UM/s2048/IMG_5552.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="792" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PhL4G7BmhiW84UXeMK7A4oBSE5pX3Cn18lT0lyiW230N7Ts9dTstT44yu2RUe0D94xfhc7jXbynqydYVr7PrWi-YrQ2TRdyMCXKvQSxvGdF6r99QbHbw6dKHm-tKVvRYIQ2Hf1ZU2UM/w529-h792/IMG_5552.JPG" width="529" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">While on the side balcony if one turns towards the south, the rest of the eastern planting with its ivy-covered wall can be seen as it continues into the back garden. <i>Eli the Cat</i> stands guard at various points along the eastern perimeter, mesmerised by sounds coming from the plants' direction, mostly made by insects and the wind.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwYCEyq6arTJRaPVq2UN4eK5FwziU9LvSTDRix1L1IHk923-ThAWnbaNGr8zD5c5m046EoJldUc9livXjl3tdssWMteDsllRKKQn0Upea6yTS7E6wO2msLiSFWP8jksezq6yTAs_HJkw/s2048/IMG_5542.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="803" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwYCEyq6arTJRaPVq2UN4eK5FwziU9LvSTDRix1L1IHk923-ThAWnbaNGr8zD5c5m046EoJldUc9livXjl3tdssWMteDsllRKKQn0Upea6yTS7E6wO2msLiSFWP8jksezq6yTAs_HJkw/w534-h803/IMG_5542.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Once back on the ground, going around the southeast corner of the house brings you to the south-facing back garden with its patio and ivy-covered pergola. The pergola-facing potting room is in the <i>sous-sol</i> (our home is a <i>pavillon sur sous-sol</i>, that is, the living quarters are on the top floor; downstairs houses the unheated garage, utility/storage room, potting/mud rooms, and cellier). The temperature is now cold enough for all the frost-tender potted plants to spend at least the nights inside the <i>sous-sol</i>, near the potting room's window, including the tuberous begonia which is spending the day on the table under the pergola.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WfEhrxk9Na6AfhfiVP-ZbKj38yNpQNIMJGE1liimfJHxNFJZLvOeE9zuN5YmO7P-cvWEo9rDI35iHuTWlmtoxRTtvhMzeX7h1V-7528OY_4Do9H5KrofT3QpL0eaC-SMTvukJVha-Zk/s2048/IMG_5585.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="805" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WfEhrxk9Na6AfhfiVP-ZbKj38yNpQNIMJGE1liimfJHxNFJZLvOeE9zuN5YmO7P-cvWEo9rDI35iHuTWlmtoxRTtvhMzeX7h1V-7528OY_4Do9H5KrofT3QpL0eaC-SMTvukJVha-Zk/w537-h805/IMG_5585.JPG" width="537" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It is still flowering but will start shedding leaves fairly soon, feeding its tuber, hopefully giving us a fifth year of flowers starting in June and going all the way to November.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2JzYk3_akKEf-rxO3dtqk25L4Kr-CPpkiElGZ12mRKMNx37HfxAXkdnAT530bkO8am_s-qG9WSyspgw6dnmBovMKBECAlPj36PMJ8IyJw_iI2nKEI5qfQYU0Hgfjk6LRJBzbUpZygow/s2048/IMG_5612.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2JzYk3_akKEf-rxO3dtqk25L4Kr-CPpkiElGZ12mRKMNx37HfxAXkdnAT530bkO8am_s-qG9WSyspgw6dnmBovMKBECAlPj36PMJ8IyJw_iI2nKEI5qfQYU0Hgfjk6LRJBzbUpZygow/w536-h802/IMG_5612.JPG" width="536" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Other frost-tender potted plants that need to be sheltered at least during the night are calendula . . .</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7EZ8EiIzBQ_Jh_hyphenhyphenUKqaJ-OeAGwPQ_ZNhAPqDmrphtCArEtU7g4Li_Zn9JImjUuYkpDq7E0NrCF5-9PIFeumXWclaAFHmXcmg_00WaNdor5j1fctW6pUizq6DQdHGi0C1gM2x8xdSy0/s2048/IMG_5576.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="811" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7EZ8EiIzBQ_Jh_hyphenhyphenUKqaJ-OeAGwPQ_ZNhAPqDmrphtCArEtU7g4Li_Zn9JImjUuYkpDq7E0NrCF5-9PIFeumXWclaAFHmXcmg_00WaNdor5j1fctW6pUizq6DQdHGi0C1gM2x8xdSy0/w541-h811/IMG_5576.JPG" width="541" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">. . . bougainvillea, osteospermum, and lantana. If successfully over-wintered, they will bloom outdoors once again.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l9aB6pMzp6AG2_0QtYoam_nJ0SeBKSL5SbOh4-Mq9XMGc56MT7SsW7mduW-3J4yjOhivTwwMMXbV4OXngqFUyZzfx9nHT4VxuTZtwtv9n3_TynzpAQDWXNYFWi7pHdSIopdFFqQFVbk/s2048/IMG_5575.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="817" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l9aB6pMzp6AG2_0QtYoam_nJ0SeBKSL5SbOh4-Mq9XMGc56MT7SsW7mduW-3J4yjOhivTwwMMXbV4OXngqFUyZzfx9nHT4VxuTZtwtv9n3_TynzpAQDWXNYFWi7pHdSIopdFFqQFVbk/w543-h817/IMG_5575.JPG" width="543" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>When gardening most days, I wear woolen hats to keep my noggin warm. The summer jobbies are in the mud room biding their time.</span></div><div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZN8lorCK30pS2q2239igpZi3JUvpMh2VDDCA7ek7F7E8-brBCXaQ-n4Sey74ch5ztyOdd4fUZdjQ8BSJSEgeWL1R25_tmD8pUVUXw1FK43tasnTaRaDYwFzXAB9LHjsFRoENiQZJDlo/s2048/IMG_5582.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="823" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZN8lorCK30pS2q2239igpZi3JUvpMh2VDDCA7ek7F7E8-brBCXaQ-n4Sey74ch5ztyOdd4fUZdjQ8BSJSEgeWL1R25_tmD8pUVUXw1FK43tasnTaRaDYwFzXAB9LHjsFRoENiQZJDlo/w547-h823/IMG_5582.JPG" width="547" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;">À la prochaine!</i></span></div></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-87550404643308365742020-10-08T17:28:00.006+02:002020-10-08T19:19:57.035+02:00Photography Series: Indoor Studio on a Rainy Day<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It's been raining for a while now, close to two weeks and is looking to continue.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMt4jzCZAfeiPCAcRZrA3H2YEdjsUdhLjCKd0FkGywUvelao-9TZ2yYn_ILGFVaEY-KRbBzSnLRHeeTnKcQsABroVAUe3_s5-jEJ_a2-YPeaNrGCtmUQeDurAOW44PomgkAx_hlofcHkk/s2048/IMG_5495.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMt4jzCZAfeiPCAcRZrA3H2YEdjsUdhLjCKd0FkGywUvelao-9TZ2yYn_ILGFVaEY-KRbBzSnLRHeeTnKcQsABroVAUe3_s5-jEJ_a2-YPeaNrGCtmUQeDurAOW44PomgkAx_hlofcHkk/w499-h751/IMG_5495.JPG" width="499" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Here in southwest France, autumn is the rainy season. All the trees, bushes, and plants are getting their root systems engorged with ample moisture, fortifying them for the winter to come.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktazE8ewU-ABAeZPJ_0WwnZ6yewUYB6zDsHrdnCyL9lw3d_xrrblIAvqpKIyHoBhiVvwPs1iZEJqnd3HhTETYTnZXYbLBJZnKEogyMBskdX4Jc-LNM0a7Trdjx_kiSBoxuN0Ndph6Dmw/s2048/IMG_5493.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="767" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktazE8ewU-ABAeZPJ_0WwnZ6yewUYB6zDsHrdnCyL9lw3d_xrrblIAvqpKIyHoBhiVvwPs1iZEJqnd3HhTETYTnZXYbLBJZnKEogyMBskdX4Jc-LNM0a7Trdjx_kiSBoxuN0Ndph6Dmw/w511-h767/IMG_5493.JPG" width="511" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Some days the rain is intermittent, others, just one continual downpour. The day I took these photos belonged to the latter category. The Canon 6D Mark II which I got about three years ago is a marvel. Moi, not so much! This full range model which is known for how it accommodates both the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh" target="_blank"> bokeh</a> effect and low-light situations has many a zillion other wondrous features which are maddeningly still beyond my reach. I know there are answers to my specific problems buried somewhere in a class, book, and website, and I do search for it, but mostly am coming up purblind and empty-handed. Though I acknowledge how much I don't know, what I do know is what holds my attention which of course helps to define my developing style. And what draws me is not only the subject matter but also how I access it and how I handle the camera. No tripod. Please! And certainly no photoshop (though I make an exception for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Leiter" target="_blank">Saul Leiter</a> <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk01MuF303_DgQc-4rBOhbc_l4h5wCg:1602104721951&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=saul+leiter+painting+on+photos&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjB0eCWsaPsAhWmyIUKHe1tBC8QjJkEegQIChAB&biw=1432&bih=694" target="_blank">painting on developed prints</a> and would love to get a print for the photo below and paint splashes of various blues and golds, here and there, to emphasise three dimensionality and vibrancy). Double please! Or special lighting. Triple please! Though I do meddle with arrangements from time to time, I look for one already accomplished just by living the rhythm of one's life.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguLcv3beHz0SJ2FLxwFfO6HjGbunI8IRKFr3qH92LfxiGvFsMbNaTTP0PL2clYK5knvhkf3KUHQem2G5RdMtXfLb08s-gm3FJVjaE_ZvljTKuWRfOxOLL1ghoNFTJZXcmFNvFkz-I_hw/s2048/IMG_5446.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="707" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguLcv3beHz0SJ2FLxwFfO6HjGbunI8IRKFr3qH92LfxiGvFsMbNaTTP0PL2clYK5knvhkf3KUHQem2G5RdMtXfLb08s-gm3FJVjaE_ZvljTKuWRfOxOLL1ghoNFTJZXcmFNvFkz-I_hw/w504-h707/IMG_5446.JPG" width="504" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What I do drive myself to distraction is from what angle I will view what I am photographing. I will lie on my side, climb on chairs, put stuff on the floor and stand over it, and walk around the objects<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">—</span>involving at time moving sofas and bookcases<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">—</span>until I am dizzy. Relying on this camera's combo of live view and flip-out screen would save my knees from a lot of creaking, but it would also mean using the forbidden tripod to get steady shooting.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpCPbVX1BZCS7PPLUOPVMcispzOFsnRL1lfalSCLYhYs2jck_gQcGOgsbLWAtxNDbl702ybqz0PmIszczNtcLvUbfGYE4CXEUzwqCO4KJb3OmcRjiUXmf1oXFObNYaKDUVno9D1tpQoM/s2048/IMG_5473.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpCPbVX1BZCS7PPLUOPVMcispzOFsnRL1lfalSCLYhYs2jck_gQcGOgsbLWAtxNDbl702ybqz0PmIszczNtcLvUbfGYE4CXEUzwqCO4KJb3OmcRjiUXmf1oXFObNYaKDUVno9D1tpQoM/w509-h751/IMG_5473.JPG" width="509" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I did move the zebra-patterned lipstick case (it was nearby) into the below shot to create a complementary colour duo of blue and orangey gold.<br /><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI9J-VyBCqXg82YbVvKjy-02yx2d84peNlzivfAtLrDFUeo3x24eb6cPZRL-O72i_vlJDJR6Gn2IpoRCFBNe5AhyphenhyphenW9nip-7MhDJKwoNcaW4mQX206uH3Ocf1T75FWN8ynw5flb-73uq4/s2048/IMG_5516.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="763" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI9J-VyBCqXg82YbVvKjy-02yx2d84peNlzivfAtLrDFUeo3x24eb6cPZRL-O72i_vlJDJR6Gn2IpoRCFBNe5AhyphenhyphenW9nip-7MhDJKwoNcaW4mQX206uH3Ocf1T75FWN8ynw5flb-73uq4/w498-h763/IMG_5516.JPG" width="498" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My addiction of choosing in most photos a macro prime lens for both its close-up capability and its crisp image creates difficulty in achieving depth of field. The surest way to get depth of field is by moving away from your subject which of course would defeat the purpose of a macro lens.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZJOlNhfiAA2MDHaAMI0LK7_K_CBeY6sjCYLeR8d_Ygbt9vTCFfN0JNssTWuZh3W6mn5fKWHND3IU4P06sz9EJ_gJYdI8KSSSF-Xl9cgQkKUFHUC-tdM49zgQvpWHArtxc03RBVA2k8w/s2048/IMG_5466.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="741" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZJOlNhfiAA2MDHaAMI0LK7_K_CBeY6sjCYLeR8d_Ygbt9vTCFfN0JNssTWuZh3W6mn5fKWHND3IU4P06sz9EJ_gJYdI8KSSSF-Xl9cgQkKUFHUC-tdM49zgQvpWHArtxc03RBVA2k8w/w499-h741/IMG_5466.JPG" width="499" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Another significant aspect of what rivets my eye is texture. The black patent leather effect of the cardboard socks box along with the letter X and the shiny red heart on its side contrasts with the softness of the fabric-covered sewing basket.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bpRRtQ-_huT6f6Klejqtq-nGUzNNjDX_LwggEjXyfRccy7Dtba_E-cyY3MCt0D8Euc4X7N-97E-MicZtUOda81dcxP6zw2O7jQm_Zas7DRw-VgqI8qg7w1LEiN-KwS4QFw4mgy5KBsg/s2048/IMG_5481.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bpRRtQ-_huT6f6Klejqtq-nGUzNNjDX_LwggEjXyfRccy7Dtba_E-cyY3MCt0D8Euc4X7N-97E-MicZtUOda81dcxP6zw2O7jQm_Zas7DRw-VgqI8qg7w1LEiN-KwS4QFw4mgy5KBsg/w502-h778/IMG_5481.JPG" width="502" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I often set the camera on the aperture mode which means I get to choose the f-stop. A lower number is correlated with a more opened lens along with more light but with less depth of field and a higher number with a less opened lens along with more depth of field but with less ambient light. The camera's range is from f/2.8 to f/32. I teeter on that technical tightrope with each shot never striding confidently any great distance. The visual conclusion is often that there is either too little light but decent depth of field or adequate light but not enough depth of field.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BLqdLmwzc9SqStnk4p9PGBysMkr90-gQ5K67QVgGutDVyFJOaeWVVICGG7FW0mHOxlIRaI1ja2Z6NEGN7TcCCtfPbuhz9pg1N6ah5K-wctipPVcZXgeFMVCndOdS4XIUXoxZm6gD3oA/s2048/IMG_5463.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="749" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BLqdLmwzc9SqStnk4p9PGBysMkr90-gQ5K67QVgGutDVyFJOaeWVVICGG7FW0mHOxlIRaI1ja2Z6NEGN7TcCCtfPbuhz9pg1N6ah5K-wctipPVcZXgeFMVCndOdS4XIUXoxZm6gD3oA/w500-h749/IMG_5463.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The below photo and the following one show that depth of field and adequate light is simultaneously possible. It's just I can't count on amalgamating those two features with a sufficient degree of consistency!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwUoNPas9XCcN6SQzcc1pT3gIbh1oP3f3MD_kubvaNVuzMURdAowgyKTyANZYhZwCspkao1RzyEX0Tzld1Usk9s9fIgLqvV4Tfw80Orh9jqXzwyXJg0OJVH9nMllHOH_hInZDSNB-MoM/s2048/IMG_5489.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="745" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwUoNPas9XCcN6SQzcc1pT3gIbh1oP3f3MD_kubvaNVuzMURdAowgyKTyANZYhZwCspkao1RzyEX0Tzld1Usk9s9fIgLqvV4Tfw80Orh9jqXzwyXJg0OJVH9nMllHOH_hInZDSNB-MoM/w496-h745/IMG_5489.JPG" width="496" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My furry model then suddenly decided, as they often do, that he was hungry.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uO7v8HIre6P27YoSIzvqBgi71hqfJvXuCskvGbz2CgDRpc7JT0tGfRxXnwTMZR-gWsczTM5PiYjYiiPem860KOePPwrqCYgXGZLYHrOm4lDKEnacEcZAe2imVVVaUWxlts5WtbJNNKQ/s2048/IMG_5513.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="759" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uO7v8HIre6P27YoSIzvqBgi71hqfJvXuCskvGbz2CgDRpc7JT0tGfRxXnwTMZR-gWsczTM5PiYjYiiPem860KOePPwrqCYgXGZLYHrOm4lDKEnacEcZAe2imVVVaUWxlts5WtbJNNKQ/w494-h759/IMG_5513.JPG" width="494" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;">À la prochaine!</i></span></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-61260339727853971562020-10-01T18:46:00.003+02:002020-10-01T18:46:32.945+02:00No Post This Week<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> See you next Thursday!</span></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-1977930161951409132020-09-24T20:45:00.003+02:002020-09-24T20:53:18.824+02:00Ink Cap Mushrooms, Deliquescence & Art<p><span style="font-size: medium;">A quartet of ink cap mushrooms (Coprinus comatus) recently appeared in a sizable planter filled with lobelia.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj03qg0sNSGuVh7Qru72rywNEmHdvmHix4C3O2xnGVde7BoS4TX1x9k2oHnWLgFct5_tkoX99Q6JJAdfAYsB1lFNB8tYeKqsnS22kwCah9k2g-RiiUKAlroQRuzKu4sz4gtJNJ2OCp4_w/s2048/IMG_5356.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj03qg0sNSGuVh7Qru72rywNEmHdvmHix4C3O2xnGVde7BoS4TX1x9k2oHnWLgFct5_tkoX99Q6JJAdfAYsB1lFNB8tYeKqsnS22kwCah9k2g-RiiUKAlroQRuzKu4sz4gtJNJ2OCp4_w/w427-h640/IMG_5356.JPG" width="427" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The hefty pot is supported by another large pot.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUYB5mPu2Mlu99AKQV0LLWG2cFsku9DgHEn_aazXtXZJ_UoII7Y7B_8ccR0ZsfdQo4eNm770W8h8Ao7vWxVQsnkwJPRu7Inh3_t2f4yuKgmDu3J4aVnGly5DMNaCXFKyatB0aaUPTYpk/s2048/IMG_5358.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUYB5mPu2Mlu99AKQV0LLWG2cFsku9DgHEn_aazXtXZJ_UoII7Y7B_8ccR0ZsfdQo4eNm770W8h8Ao7vWxVQsnkwJPRu7Inh3_t2f4yuKgmDu3J4aVnGly5DMNaCXFKyatB0aaUPTYpk/w426-h640/IMG_5358.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The whole structure makes a nice visual closure for the main garden path.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZ8Mb8-bnD20RGYkhiKKe_8rCBcvIcXOO5HEpS5IRku4G1ulMxaErVegYEgtBjHG9Xj_sWjvsYfch0tAfFtejogWh1HDApYn1bxOZeUGVXkyRqkaNKKBJKegxJsp3qm0MtjY-7mlmiVQ/s2048/IMG_5389.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZ8Mb8-bnD20RGYkhiKKe_8rCBcvIcXOO5HEpS5IRku4G1ulMxaErVegYEgtBjHG9Xj_sWjvsYfch0tAfFtejogWh1HDApYn1bxOZeUGVXkyRqkaNKKBJKegxJsp3qm0MtjY-7mlmiVQ/w426-h640/IMG_5389.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Within forty-eight hours, the ink caps transformed into an elongated button shape, fresh and edible, to a form more open with beginnings of inkiness.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXeCG7p3cTQchzm26SeRM8jl6kwXKDbrp0EkZPQL0Jf4PrJIA3qukvQQ-aJHpMbNGUEq3FSi7s-5J_fVDfNUy3w4JVJCgJ1G-Qae8MZfGg2swsgJ8IFNW4kU7JyZbKuaLiivXcWERYws/s2048/IMG_5368.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXeCG7p3cTQchzm26SeRM8jl6kwXKDbrp0EkZPQL0Jf4PrJIA3qukvQQ-aJHpMbNGUEq3FSi7s-5J_fVDfNUy3w4JVJCgJ1G-Qae8MZfGg2swsgJ8IFNW4kU7JyZbKuaLiivXcWERYws/w426-h640/IMG_5368.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The underneath of the cap blackened with curling edges.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZ__xDxd2DAElqns3u7HU2Cj70vlY_FEEs5edJ7cavNoFKL0WUXskd-6SiH4yNjlE2xXchiNedi3GyHTzpgJLdFGqiF3LXnUZzbEzHcbr4d0RYyfAPi-p21PUwAa0S8a4roxRKr57V9Y/s2048/IMG_5370.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZ__xDxd2DAElqns3u7HU2Cj70vlY_FEEs5edJ7cavNoFKL0WUXskd-6SiH4yNjlE2xXchiNedi3GyHTzpgJLdFGqiF3LXnUZzbEzHcbr4d0RYyfAPi-p21PUwAa0S8a4roxRKr57V9Y/w426-h640/IMG_5370.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The perimeter kept curling and blackening.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YtqJ8sFcLeCiX4ioXD_E9eTE5ehp71OXTypt0DkKtzmpB8pSv8zQc5PLXg-wZOBJ1XZ-FVfNfcK84-IhoOtDrRHjhK-q_tuAmHr7T8VdUm2FaXh9qiWj2rZsuFeiCwLAO2Em8D3j9L8/s2048/IMG_5380.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YtqJ8sFcLeCiX4ioXD_E9eTE5ehp71OXTypt0DkKtzmpB8pSv8zQc5PLXg-wZOBJ1XZ-FVfNfcK84-IhoOtDrRHjhK-q_tuAmHr7T8VdUm2FaXh9qiWj2rZsuFeiCwLAO2Em8D3j9L8/w426-h640/IMG_5380.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Little pieces broke off as they softened.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsFnRi8P1LRKZT5OC_81o6YX642PVxu5DrpOZTGufX_oU5F9yKza6FQUq5g8khEc_yyJ5WdU0tnwWeN0emcLhfec4ZAMlhDJ1n38nMO7VCrr9MuJpXBlw8Uq-mEqi9lE-qw4AzJ57JuI/s2048/IMG_5388.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsFnRi8P1LRKZT5OC_81o6YX642PVxu5DrpOZTGufX_oU5F9yKza6FQUq5g8khEc_yyJ5WdU0tnwWeN0emcLhfec4ZAMlhDJ1n38nMO7VCrr9MuJpXBlw8Uq-mEqi9lE-qw4AzJ57JuI/w426-h640/IMG_5388.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The cap finally became complete goop.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3ceR9jp9kVKXtFZm6dQeUXcL3riU7sJ2JG2nSUMXSH8SFRVCWtm_E1I-eKfvtdHbTQUKLYGsSeCg-hr2ujAlH7R85Dg34g9eAEeMs87iX9zKrHmjPaLLSjJvgJM5ytxOnXomaWJ9xBg/s2048/IMG_5403.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3ceR9jp9kVKXtFZm6dQeUXcL3riU7sJ2JG2nSUMXSH8SFRVCWtm_E1I-eKfvtdHbTQUKLYGsSeCg-hr2ujAlH7R85Dg34g9eAEeMs87iX9zKrHmjPaLLSjJvgJM5ytxOnXomaWJ9xBg/w426-h640/IMG_5403.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">All the clumps of ink were placed in a recycled yogurt container, water added, and stirred well.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIDZgBzi-S85bD-AGOfMwRokrQ4PL56TLFz6QkzVRQHcdzB1pGXCFIM_ejytAaTDZr8Fbo4NY85bTbTwFaopR5SMuZ6yttX019yB40AmYuuuBZI8VyQIyicYX5317JY3LEd77wYxvig0/s2048/IMG_5441.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIDZgBzi-S85bD-AGOfMwRokrQ4PL56TLFz6QkzVRQHcdzB1pGXCFIM_ejytAaTDZr8Fbo4NY85bTbTwFaopR5SMuZ6yttX019yB40AmYuuuBZI8VyQIyicYX5317JY3LEd77wYxvig0/w426-h640/IMG_5441.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A quick sketch was made with a slender brush resulting in a drawing of an ink cap using the ink made from itself.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGUCYrbSCHFPy2pgigsFz_s1OuJf8lFT-ZMC909Sy5LmfGl2AAz2Sd30FcW_Ej4qB6CTTbEA9wPAI0AyV4pdkTX5oIRIcFD33EB_FmnaGPEnqwr3VcLF2J7U6dczkclBYNBmvVKHO5SY/s2048/IMG_5438.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGUCYrbSCHFPy2pgigsFz_s1OuJf8lFT-ZMC909Sy5LmfGl2AAz2Sd30FcW_Ej4qB6CTTbEA9wPAI0AyV4pdkTX5oIRIcFD33EB_FmnaGPEnqwr3VcLF2J7U6dczkclBYNBmvVKHO5SY/w426-h640/IMG_5438.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;">À la prochaine!</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><b>RELATED LINK</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><a href="https://blog.mycology.cornell.edu/2008/07/01/the-dish-on-deliquescence-in-coprinus-species/" target="_blank">An excellent article explaining why ink caps digest themselves</a></i></span></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-48458991134683459952020-09-17T18:55:00.016+02:002020-09-21T09:42:51.534+02:00Homemade Pecan Butter<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nut butter brings out the versatility of nuts in a gorgeously creamy way. If there's a food processor or powerful blender <i>chez vous</i>, then it's possible to make your own, super fresh from scratch allowing the choice of nuts, whether standalones or a mix, roasted or not, blanched or with their glorious skins left on along with any flavourings like vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa powder, maple syrup, etc. The cost most likely will be lower than store bought.</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQV_AvZUT-PoGfjxxofkDxJ_cf7A-ug_IuizkKY7VBDez0XJVZ6SGX3aP6UO_-jnhcQlgl_mPQNRNKmXDD4tbt3wQdxRe4faNdzpuUc6R-7BkZsuVXOXh-7CzosBgRhxDgVz09Kt3yCNs/s2048/IMG_5339.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQV_AvZUT-PoGfjxxofkDxJ_cf7A-ug_IuizkKY7VBDez0XJVZ6SGX3aP6UO_-jnhcQlgl_mPQNRNKmXDD4tbt3wQdxRe4faNdzpuUc6R-7BkZsuVXOXh-7CzosBgRhxDgVz09Kt3yCNs/w520-h781/IMG_5339.JPG" width="520" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The only pecans available at the supermarket were raw. Besides intensifying flavour, toasting also encourages oil release which is perfect for making nut butter. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">237 millilitres (an 8 ounce fluid cup) of pecans were placed in a single layer on a shallow baking pan in a preheated oven of 177 degrees C (350 degrees F) and roasted for about ten minutes until their colour deepened during which the pan was shook a couple of times. Let cool about ten minutes. They should be warm to the touch when ready for processing.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfF-HfhQnmIdfnB4Jf6J_2es5-8kLs-bR0MJnrMhbHwgt7lX4-TqkzcpfxmIUc5bWnEtTa_Byb5xiVQULB4Ms73MoG-OJkA7PfcJusBKGE3qwDvqcwnTK-sD3bCND887mKRfp9zPfa08E/s2048/IMG_5340.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfF-HfhQnmIdfnB4Jf6J_2es5-8kLs-bR0MJnrMhbHwgt7lX4-TqkzcpfxmIUc5bWnEtTa_Byb5xiVQULB4Ms73MoG-OJkA7PfcJusBKGE3qwDvqcwnTK-sD3bCND887mKRfp9zPfa08E/w520-h781/IMG_5340.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our food processor's capacity is small hence the paltry number of pecans, but it does boast a wattage of 750, processing them into butter in several minutes. If your appliance has less or more power, the time could be just a minute or up to twenty minutes. If yours has more room than our 2 cup one, then you can process a bigger quantity of nuts. In any case, the procedure has the same visual transition, from finely chopped to . . .</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjSx3W2oS7Miqr-GafmKgMDvQHEA9lxXsH1kwC_CQYTfzxKR2rfrms_lFvgzPBhGb9ZlSVroKbdMwZ3xdpMSbVGGFcWVPmx2bWXlMam3gDRaORD5NnUI8HxAwELOfYCVr4BBtSpIn2sg/s2048/IMG_5341.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjSx3W2oS7Miqr-GafmKgMDvQHEA9lxXsH1kwC_CQYTfzxKR2rfrms_lFvgzPBhGb9ZlSVroKbdMwZ3xdpMSbVGGFcWVPmx2bWXlMam3gDRaORD5NnUI8HxAwELOfYCVr4BBtSpIn2sg/w520-h781/IMG_5341.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">. . . their sticking to the sides of the mixer requiring scraping off with a spatula.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBQT1oN9vyDF00X3GYH7SCRHGttiDYF3dYBzpbGCFIfGyeuXkNw9bukPI_jxErOreuMx3qMQbgOQFIG3hObCCiVCsgu-rDybdnBhwC_TZDtlxmfS97cnnK6RgbMK1g9USgC2jyczZMOc/s2048/IMG_5342.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBQT1oN9vyDF00X3GYH7SCRHGttiDYF3dYBzpbGCFIfGyeuXkNw9bukPI_jxErOreuMx3qMQbgOQFIG3hObCCiVCsgu-rDybdnBhwC_TZDtlxmfS97cnnK6RgbMK1g9USgC2jyczZMOc/w520-h781/IMG_5342.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Repeat blending and scraping until you get the level . . .</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UCHx2Y4e8CEP5xTgxWTF8CNiWl9CPBtAnITz8mx8DMgVH3VBmYlllGA4snGvm_iNb89YD6O3pE3QhSPSHzmkgVJ4fVAiK4_h5eoq4yyIEc9fH6V-9EmX8f11g2D1wQgIH97cdRnr7wA/s2048/IMG_5343.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UCHx2Y4e8CEP5xTgxWTF8CNiWl9CPBtAnITz8mx8DMgVH3VBmYlllGA4snGvm_iNb89YD6O3pE3QhSPSHzmkgVJ4fVAiK4_h5eoq4yyIEc9fH6V-9EmX8f11g2D1wQgIH97cdRnr7wA/w520-h781/IMG_5343.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">. . . of creaminess desired. Add what you like, like fleur de sel, nutmeg, ginger among others, or as in my case for a small percentage of the total amount processed, some icing sugar and a melange of sweet spices which thickened the consistency somewhat. It can then be whirred a bit in the mixer to maintain smoothness. Tightly lidded, it will keep for up to a month in the fridge.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKZwtqgLBO6zsgcBWQwfnUJFgH-x4VKM1_X_AAWo3OC5zXc_T8qkrnCuX7UJWDitxatOF9r3Jj90FYFbMsrL_7e-9pHalR8OKYhyUNBBQCkhrO3NS9ZHcmQF8tkEtDnJ6uGexbA2zoaE/s2048/IMG_5351.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKZwtqgLBO6zsgcBWQwfnUJFgH-x4VKM1_X_AAWo3OC5zXc_T8qkrnCuX7UJWDitxatOF9r3Jj90FYFbMsrL_7e-9pHalR8OKYhyUNBBQCkhrO3NS9ZHcmQF8tkEtDnJ6uGexbA2zoaE/w520-h781/IMG_5351.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is where a <a href="http://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/07/blueberry-bonaza-double-batch-of.html" target="_blank">homemade muffin made with our garden blueberries</a> enters the picture.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JquPi55E_nbZUwYeD8zbhzRJm_Y9_Q0ke8-Lt-1YFO3SKT8osd0cE2Qs09XB2WX0TboSF7ohhth6zRxUGc79fZpdjXB7pOBlX_A1dbfcnvMAAkC4M2HFx37BKbOXYsaEmkXVNmCB0BM/s2048/IMG_5350.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JquPi55E_nbZUwYeD8zbhzRJm_Y9_Q0ke8-Lt-1YFO3SKT8osd0cE2Qs09XB2WX0TboSF7ohhth6zRxUGc79fZpdjXB7pOBlX_A1dbfcnvMAAkC4M2HFx37BKbOXYsaEmkXVNmCB0BM/w520-h781/IMG_5350.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A muffin gets split and without much ado, receives a light pecan butter slathering.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzxspOD2z3wqxuB9b3voxpgNfoSlCCTV1SBlH-Y-Z9roupd007MKVEXWmze8G1s3ukL46mJs87jfdKbWBbLDRCqTS14xfg9xwkpJNt6A1YjI1m902ehTbKUmKK-fB0uz5pmlnJqoxvhU/s2048/IMG_5352.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzxspOD2z3wqxuB9b3voxpgNfoSlCCTV1SBlH-Y-Z9roupd007MKVEXWmze8G1s3ukL46mJs87jfdKbWBbLDRCqTS14xfg9xwkpJNt6A1YjI1m902ehTbKUmKK-fB0uz5pmlnJqoxvhU/w520-h781/IMG_5352.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This pecan butter is more fluid than your average peanut butter . . .</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTA6RRRiyvaKC5gNq18uS-r54hkHIuenlMBG5NAXMNyq1L-55rqvOWCeIJ1-0UCkJm05wat7Dw5vyW-RFKoUWAU3ie6dFp9iYFyuy-3N2Bmva056T-kdXgflF0rn_5-d2_wTSLByLeOs/s2048/IMG_5353.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTA6RRRiyvaKC5gNq18uS-r54hkHIuenlMBG5NAXMNyq1L-55rqvOWCeIJ1-0UCkJm05wat7Dw5vyW-RFKoUWAU3ie6dFp9iYFyuy-3N2Bmva056T-kdXgflF0rn_5-d2_wTSLByLeOs/w520-h781/IMG_5353.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">. . . allowing it to fill the fluffy crumb of the muffin to perfection. The slight bitterness of this nut butter offsets the rather sweet muffin very well. I envision marbling a cake batter, dribbling over pancakes, and topping coffee/chocolate/fig ice cream with this easy, delicious saucy pecan butter. For savoury dishes, the unsweetened version can be added to pilafs, casseroles, especially bean for a complementary protein kick, and meat or vegetarian loaf.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3811DlEwyKpWorNqJi3-nUGhyphenhyphen8WcZh4RVuU6in-hQJqNu6OD99QWfws9CIxSk-Jm74EO_b2oagoukWcpXbOZkGXTsO7Ma6ZRep1FGucHN0eETM9UXdL9j0dDVF6f9BeZjr-djp5kGeA8/s2048/IMG_5354.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3811DlEwyKpWorNqJi3-nUGhyphenhyphen8WcZh4RVuU6in-hQJqNu6OD99QWfws9CIxSk-Jm74EO_b2oagoukWcpXbOZkGXTsO7Ma6ZRep1FGucHN0eETM9UXdL9j0dDVF6f9BeZjr-djp5kGeA8/w520-h781/IMG_5354.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><br /><p><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">À la prochaine!</span></i></p><p><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></p>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-88413456845459216012020-09-10T23:10:00.003+02:002020-09-11T10:26:32.557+02:00Layered Puree Of Roasted Beetroots & Their Greens<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our beet crop is in full swing. Roasting veggies is a wonderful way of preparing them, especially when serving as a mash because their moisture content is decreased to the point that flavour is intensified while the texture is made more pleasing. Beetroots are no exception. Cooler weather makes turning the oven on not too much of a big deal. Beets, along with radishes and turnips, work hard for the kitchen garden as they provide both roots and foliage resulting in a double harvest. Since red and green are complementary colours and pack a visual punch, I layered the roasted, creme-fraiche-enriched beet puree with a puree of greens sauteed in olive oil with garlic. Double harvest, double puree. Topped with a lemon slice<b> </b>and fleur de sel, it makes a light lunch or supper when served with cheese and crackers.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fDUmsxa5mP7MtUPlrHxUCfavrsbkDhlJ_h8C12E0go1GiRGPEdVL-h1yH2GWZ1CBOjAY2KWQfaxYydkWM_gktoiQhNcicYGg6MmcxLzMiqoAbvnh2yvmQFtOGGFZ5VZHu83yAN3N_WA/s2048/IMG_5331.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fDUmsxa5mP7MtUPlrHxUCfavrsbkDhlJ_h8C12E0go1GiRGPEdVL-h1yH2GWZ1CBOjAY2KWQfaxYydkWM_gktoiQhNcicYGg6MmcxLzMiqoAbvnh2yvmQFtOGGFZ5VZHu83yAN3N_WA/w520-h781/IMG_5331.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">If beets with their greens are not to be had at your market, fret not, roasted beetroot puree topped with creme fraiche is wonderful.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5vjjBq7dYnHpjnqEjZsXNp1Gpb6itEoutEkvotgO4tu7jxUrNhUQNKyMGO_U95OkRUXtwsRMc4DsqyrrUXvBdM0nLEySAh7mDV1ifw99XjK-kp9mxB4sFEAo0uGu5XpvkA8eaVWxtMQ/s2048/IMG_5325.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5vjjBq7dYnHpjnqEjZsXNp1Gpb6itEoutEkvotgO4tu7jxUrNhUQNKyMGO_U95OkRUXtwsRMc4DsqyrrUXvBdM0nLEySAh7mDV1ifw99XjK-kp9mxB4sFEAo0uGu5XpvkA8eaVWxtMQ/w520-h781/IMG_5325.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Ingredients are bolded. To roast beets</b>: Preheat oven to 204 degrees C/400 degrees F. (The <b>beets</b> can be roasted along with other stuff at lower temperatures but they will take longer.) Trim both tops and bottoms. Scrub well. Though they can be enclosed in foil, it is much easier to check doneness if they are placed in a foil-lined, lid-covered oven dish. Oil the foil. When checking them as they bake, if they look dry or sticking then add a bit of water. They are done when a knife inserted into their centres meets with no resistance. My melange of small to medium beets took about an hour. Peel carefully with a sharp knife, trimming away any dark bits as they tend toward bitterness. The finished beet will look translucent and bright red. If there are excess beets, let cool, portion, and then freeze. This way you can have borscht in the future. A tablespoon or so of <b>creme fraiche or sour cream </b>added to the blender or a stick mixer's container will ensure lusciousness. <b>Salt</b> to taste. Reserve.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfmcbTHC1oGSB6xuN7GFi0ht59wHfYkvQtaOAX9EWwE_XxKQBkM5MFsn68KBDWISPsH0mzWWIwISp69mb8Dj_fXVVkJjYDFQuPtm7NbL0iKXIbntq2jYLG7B6SHaPI_Qj31XEPz_GBw8/s2048/IMG_5326.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfmcbTHC1oGSB6xuN7GFi0ht59wHfYkvQtaOAX9EWwE_XxKQBkM5MFsn68KBDWISPsH0mzWWIwISp69mb8Dj_fXVVkJjYDFQuPtm7NbL0iKXIbntq2jYLG7B6SHaPI_Qj31XEPz_GBw8/w520-h781/IMG_5326.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>To make the sauteed greens puree</b>: Wash the <b>beet greens</b>.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPfMs-DTQE7Wlb-jBESSHQA3WRc6440j3UQcMRsSNqvQxzL-r4yXihqvZ11iQ-lfA57xd9jGtDQSAT2BUlxlcVTq6wWlPqu0jdTpS4Lyv7JlXKHkTAvpGm9oez7aQbz1LtIp5iU5Z0sA/s2048/IMG_5327.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPfMs-DTQE7Wlb-jBESSHQA3WRc6440j3UQcMRsSNqvQxzL-r4yXihqvZ11iQ-lfA57xd9jGtDQSAT2BUlxlcVTq6wWlPqu0jdTpS4Lyv7JlXKHkTAvpGm9oez7aQbz1LtIp5iU5Z0sA/w520-h781/IMG_5327.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Trim off most of the red stems as they make a grainy texture in addition to being quite bitter.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRTFXYnHiFL-wY8nzrWRb9rD-3qCr_RK-HLC_EKK6Kmkn2DDE9YEDnsexrbRCPgMeFWvBDsSqYoj4MF7chVf0kqB5YOnbs9O1GcRLTtZ_vTNpmOy7noKtN-lTZQ_G7i7Pbj6OyJ5Zzm0/s2048/IMG_5328.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRTFXYnHiFL-wY8nzrWRb9rD-3qCr_RK-HLC_EKK6Kmkn2DDE9YEDnsexrbRCPgMeFWvBDsSqYoj4MF7chVf0kqB5YOnbs9O1GcRLTtZ_vTNpmOy7noKtN-lTZQ_G7i7Pbj6OyJ5Zzm0/w520-h781/IMG_5328.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dry them in a kitchen or paper towel.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fbwH6R4T2SG6mxT4I-tqWuCsNfVZ11qJ5AQAzWiENeNr0A8g-myiJ6fLZ0pcD1YpnEPRxmQpnyWb1aM9J8LCHT8UPoCx4HZEZmP2jjyXj1sqPbKUo0xP2nNnrDaAqLjaWBI05qPufV0/s2048/IMG_5329.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fbwH6R4T2SG6mxT4I-tqWuCsNfVZ11qJ5AQAzWiENeNr0A8g-myiJ6fLZ0pcD1YpnEPRxmQpnyWb1aM9J8LCHT8UPoCx4HZEZmP2jjyXj1sqPbKUo0xP2nNnrDaAqLjaWBI05qPufV0/w520-h781/IMG_5329.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In a large pot, heat up some <b>olive oil </b>(if you adore olive oil slicked greens as much as I do, then thinly cover the pot's bottom with the oil) over medium low heat. Add as much minced <b>fresh garlic</b> as you want and saute for a minute (no browning!) or as in my case, if you are making do with <b>garlic powder</b>, wait until the greens are added. Turn the heat to high and depending on the size of the pot and the amount of greens, add them in increments. As they start to wilt, add more, stirring all the time. Cover, and lower heat to a small flame, braise until tender, around ten minutes. During that time, check to see if a bit of water needs to be added to prevent any burning and sticking. Blend till smooth. Salt to taste.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TIwsEcV89Q6HUIFyD8MoTyaV6WSdrgiWfmhhovwMAxsXDCd3RRf80r5hAbmGyk2QPQSaSGCXm4-GeV_KGy7cKDCe2huXuR1dBApkHG6c_FQonZatx3dlVZhqe7-6bEuYatzoAJIY_0Q/s2048/IMG_5330.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TIwsEcV89Q6HUIFyD8MoTyaV6WSdrgiWfmhhovwMAxsXDCd3RRf80r5hAbmGyk2QPQSaSGCXm4-GeV_KGy7cKDCe2huXuR1dBApkHG6c_FQonZatx3dlVZhqe7-6bEuYatzoAJIY_0Q/w520-h781/IMG_5330.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>To present</b>: When layering, first spoon the puree close to the sides of the glass and then work towards the centre. This way the demarcated layers will be clearly seen from the outside. Start with the greens, followed with the beetroot, another layer of greens, and then edge the top with beetroot letting the previous layer of greens to peek through. Cut <b>a thin slice of lemon</b> from its edge to its centre and then twist it into a swirl, topping the double puree with it. Sprinkle with <b>fleur de sel</b>. I served it at room temperature, but it can be chilled if desired. The sweetness from the beetroots contrasted nicely with the slight bitterness of the greens. Lovely to look at, and lovely to eat.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_FnFgp1BCwFXSrASRnbV0Ckw60yWWZkNmCYDAe7nfOCIj85MX-zrVEirhrbb-rw4M6opEacXJwrbij73DR16B3GGd9ah4gWJBDJqiZHu3Oa3csudPvTfGIwsi3Vh-4mEYksOrVAUTAI/s2048/IMG_5332.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_FnFgp1BCwFXSrASRnbV0Ckw60yWWZkNmCYDAe7nfOCIj85MX-zrVEirhrbb-rw4M6opEacXJwrbij73DR16B3GGd9ah4gWJBDJqiZHu3Oa3csudPvTfGIwsi3Vh-4mEYksOrVAUTAI/w520-h781/IMG_5332.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;">À la prochaine!</i></span>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-17755330619846305092020-09-03T21:49:00.003+02:002020-09-04T13:22:49.943+02:00Keeping Up With The Figs Plus The Late Summer Garden<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our fig tree started last week to present fruit ripe enough for picking. Presently it is yielding about twenty large figs daily. Learning from <a href="http://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/07/preservation-of-produce-blackberry.html" target="_blank">our massive blackberry harvest</a> earlier in the season, I knew I wanted to process our figgy bounty in a similar way. Without generating any more heat than what the summer was already providing along with retaining as much vitamin content as possible, the uncooked fruit in the case of the blackberries were put through a Foley mill followed by an addition of confectioner's sugar per sweetness preference; in the case of the figs, they, along with maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg added to taste, were pureed with a stick blender. Once portioned and popped into the freezer, these home-grown fruits will be ready for future use in all kinds of goodies. I do reserve daily some fresh fig puree to mix into yogurt or if I am experiencing a super home-grown-fruit-appreciation day, I make a tall parfait to take out into the garden. It showcases our blackberries, blueberries, and figs all in one fell swoop. First goes in a layer of crumbled <a href="http://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2020/07/blueberry-bonaza-double-batch-of.html" target="_blank">blueberry muffin</a>, followed with the spiced fig puree, blackberry coulis, and yogurt. Topped with more muffin crumbs and a deluge of fig puree and blackberry coulis, it is out of this world with the goodness of fruit.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05KBzzehA16l18cphy19VqxOnKRD0SijnS7hU0nk_4A5iayNkPROoQVoB_wUKPxJICtrtKTxH_UItgjb4d5iAu-gw1G11Q27A3L5K8LmuLjLUpyoh8dwCxYEtz-8dECb0kOar2UpdEEc/s2048/IMG_5266.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05KBzzehA16l18cphy19VqxOnKRD0SijnS7hU0nk_4A5iayNkPROoQVoB_wUKPxJICtrtKTxH_UItgjb4d5iAu-gw1G11Q27A3L5K8LmuLjLUpyoh8dwCxYEtz-8dECb0kOar2UpdEEc/w534-h800/IMG_5266.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I love digging a spoon in and seeing swirls of fig puree and blackberry coulis spontaneously appear in a plethora of patterns.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2Ob9jALHOTE2F9cSrEyANAyA24EGaWJ4NIF9g2eeVMr6SRS9fPXNoz-uJNqpCcXtS9_9l6pmO0C7DbxC1zpRP9Vsjmfc-a_XvmEjnKGuM_Y6HDeXVSJSvU50-xc7T3ynXVGh1D2qQJY/s2048/IMG_5288.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2Ob9jALHOTE2F9cSrEyANAyA24EGaWJ4NIF9g2eeVMr6SRS9fPXNoz-uJNqpCcXtS9_9l6pmO0C7DbxC1zpRP9Vsjmfc-a_XvmEjnKGuM_Y6HDeXVSJSvU50-xc7T3ynXVGh1D2qQJY/w534-h800/IMG_5288.JPG" width="534" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A blueberry muffin crumb gracing the gustatory situation just makes everything even better.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtwXsm-SMFZy9jFr4vkCeLWxeUOqjCdb6lKnAjMV-tSrzNgvvAmjOtB-KQL9phnRgbqxXk7AUMgsLEO1WqlcwxEyTGQ6X6lAYebu70hXjsAlpp7ZG0iC0Q1TuWx3et45RXIgoqbizOSI/s2048/IMG_5289.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtwXsm-SMFZy9jFr4vkCeLWxeUOqjCdb6lKnAjMV-tSrzNgvvAmjOtB-KQL9phnRgbqxXk7AUMgsLEO1WqlcwxEyTGQ6X6lAYebu70hXjsAlpp7ZG0iC0Q1TuWx3et45RXIgoqbizOSI/w534-h800/IMG_5289.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not only are fig trees vigorous, they are also easy to grow and maintain. Pruning is not that difficult as the wood isn't too hard. Since arriving here ten years ago, I haven't yet fertilised it. I do water it in between rains during summer. How to know when they are ripe? First thing, you need to know the colour for your fig variety when it's mature. Ours is mostly purplish brown with swatches of green. Also the fig should not be right angles to its twig/branch, but instead be drooping a bit. Additionally when pressing ever so gently, it will feel like a small balloon filled tightly with air. Lastly, though not always, there will be a drop of juice oozing from the bottom centre. Those are best eating right out of hand immediately. Picking involves slightly twisting the stout stem that afixes each fig to its branch until there's a plump packet of delight sitting in your palm. Since their skin is fragile, bruising easily which is why storebought figs are expensive, place each fig in a single layer. Recycled egg cartons are great as fig harvest baskets.<span><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy0CBu8C8tpmpuJPmghqi_J-jZh2PCXsL9UfbH0j0f79zgqpFsUil_OC_1hIGKELEGPX958-RbenCGBXhcq8lcucR06ZdwU1wDxaojpxRU74zLcRYJL1RDmp2ZnsCRK_dvAG_UWoKYfc/s2048/IMG_5310.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy0CBu8C8tpmpuJPmghqi_J-jZh2PCXsL9UfbH0j0f79zgqpFsUil_OC_1hIGKELEGPX958-RbenCGBXhcq8lcucR06ZdwU1wDxaojpxRU74zLcRYJL1RDmp2ZnsCRK_dvAG_UWoKYfc/w534-h800/IMG_5310.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two thirds of our tree is in our garden and the other third is in . . .<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPi3KT7W-N8M4B4JaMYSi8LMTk5sPrJZjlwm6fHhnbtt1vgrQ6BUK72rRC2SpCoMrX5_lWZM8DTnddY1h2t-gGIX-wJWtCzKeEzI1k3ONroP3QmBvDUsTWyDx3AgYwVj4RpTHxC6R1dk/s2048/IMG_5320.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPi3KT7W-N8M4B4JaMYSi8LMTk5sPrJZjlwm6fHhnbtt1vgrQ6BUK72rRC2SpCoMrX5_lWZM8DTnddY1h2t-gGIX-wJWtCzKeEzI1k3ONroP3QmBvDUsTWyDx3AgYwVj4RpTHxC6R1dk/w534-h800/IMG_5320.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">. . . in the yard of a refrigeration depot which is directly behind our urban garden. When their entrance is open I can harvest figs from that side. This coming late winter, I will remember to prune that part of the tree which presently is touching the ground!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAER-nBuAnMuj1DU4aPeO02hyphenhyphen3E6Rub1B8zWn-NdIBWoPwYfPf4Pmi2eAGx4CV4XtkYAqtYQRBRas2Lsd3f0WfS2R7cUEBgoyYgVN0pOhMeqOpuD6Cwo6tu31-ldU2c8JA7J2VkX7bOAM/s2048/IMG_5308.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAER-nBuAnMuj1DU4aPeO02hyphenhyphen3E6Rub1B8zWn-NdIBWoPwYfPf4Pmi2eAGx4CV4XtkYAqtYQRBRas2Lsd3f0WfS2R7cUEBgoyYgVN0pOhMeqOpuD6Cwo6tu31-ldU2c8JA7J2VkX7bOAM/w534-h800/IMG_5308.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Late summer is such a lovely time. It's so enjoyable to sit under the pergola and gaze upon . . .<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUhtPv92q_37PCc5CWt0PWbWAgx0m2F0cyRPuf9GXimu5-9OVlaXZH_ub80tRbtraqDjytjeiQUYrvfeG4gXsFzCvdBww6Ga1VSxs5fpi4q6jfNMo81gxmg5Gs2W6rAziYgwzXI3n7SA/s2048/IMG_5253.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUhtPv92q_37PCc5CWt0PWbWAgx0m2F0cyRPuf9GXimu5-9OVlaXZH_ub80tRbtraqDjytjeiQUYrvfeG4gXsFzCvdBww6Ga1VSxs5fpi4q6jfNMo81gxmg5Gs2W6rAziYgwzXI3n7SA/w534-h800/IMG_5253.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">. . . all the abundance.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNV_gigXEhZ5YHgzTq2ZpLDJZj6Qrx6BFtNpPp4qoY4qwjtsYrrnqSg8JMp9nTuxMF0vB1WwJaXXr3avwL-AoZRIOqzOQLjGPCvchlTkn0q9pgg4tuNRzW12ID7aigcmerMBEWu9QFbM/s2048/IMG_5255.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNV_gigXEhZ5YHgzTq2ZpLDJZj6Qrx6BFtNpPp4qoY4qwjtsYrrnqSg8JMp9nTuxMF0vB1WwJaXXr3avwL-AoZRIOqzOQLjGPCvchlTkn0q9pgg4tuNRzW12ID7aigcmerMBEWu9QFbM/w534-h800/IMG_5255.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Out in the front garden, the border directly in front of the balcony stairs leading to the front entrance door is a tropical riot of yucca and canna with a cooling splash of temperate dahlias, lobelia, and sedum.</span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGWLCicJatygaTRRO3I5UFSIy3dreh3YMVP4QwAh_tJIK4ZZqrJkBQcwrjbzHhQH30Mkj5EcNIJU_7lGasHAUK-N8HsDLldlsp-YRADoCBXKxBPxwFcHXTjq1tTcM0gb88lhpjACjsM0/s2048/IMG_5315.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGWLCicJatygaTRRO3I5UFSIy3dreh3YMVP4QwAh_tJIK4ZZqrJkBQcwrjbzHhQH30Mkj5EcNIJU_7lGasHAUK-N8HsDLldlsp-YRADoCBXKxBPxwFcHXTjq1tTcM0gb88lhpjACjsM0/w534-h800/IMG_5315.JPG" width="534" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">À la prochaine!</span></i></span>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-48352183662159742292020-07-23T19:41:00.002+02:002020-07-23T19:41:25.307+02:00Summer Break 2020<font face="georgia">Souped-up Garden will return the earliest mid-August, the latest the first week in September!</font>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-72026409535955273932020-07-16T23:44:00.006+02:002020-07-17T17:06:10.840+02:00High Summer 2020<font face="georgia">A fresh spring garden, all bright green and friendly, became a lush summer solstice one which is now becoming a glorious mature profusion but not surprisingly showing signs of wear and tear. Watering, weeding, and deadheading will prolong the abundance for a while.</font><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySbGNGWcHl9F2Kk7oraVj8okIAUNhuIjrpcP6XhGKViqR56QFT4u_DMi5pAuXKeXdg33SP2SvuaNolaJxNKfbyeu8eZjB3oPozq006OLG4Ea3FAlkZIoNtd7lko3KmxUs6ZQw1pFKcOQ/s2048/IMG_5208.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySbGNGWcHl9F2Kk7oraVj8okIAUNhuIjrpcP6XhGKViqR56QFT4u_DMi5pAuXKeXdg33SP2SvuaNolaJxNKfbyeu8eZjB3oPozq006OLG4Ea3FAlkZIoNtd7lko3KmxUs6ZQw1pFKcOQ/w520-h781/IMG_5208.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">There are three large pots of orange/yellow calendula and deepest blue lobelia</font><span style="font-family: georgia;">, all sowed from seed, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">throughout our garden. They did need to be sprayed with sulfur to combat a fungal disease called calendula smut. And they may need to be dosed again in order for them to continue flowering all through summer.</span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiMF4Evu5WqIZxG-i5oYAjPef5j0tHUiU8fEg6adyxW-6EHffQuihlfRE-LA9pYahwuuhnu9aTMVL0lII_2EIVRhWVRqpprrAFrd1r9dbcIsmBUEnCsyi7iXhNqItLYcDaHxnlYNsZkU/s2048/IMG_5173.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiMF4Evu5WqIZxG-i5oYAjPef5j0tHUiU8fEg6adyxW-6EHffQuihlfRE-LA9pYahwuuhnu9aTMVL0lII_2EIVRhWVRqpprrAFrd1r9dbcIsmBUEnCsyi7iXhNqItLYcDaHxnlYNsZkU/w520-h781/IMG_5173.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">For years now social media images of a pot on its side spilling out lobelia visually simulating a small stream intriqued me, and this was the summer I finally got around realising this clever concept.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqrc4yM85X0PIQ_pcUIWg3vS1xD1Tgkgpp0QzSwmS7frH6PSOxraqlGA_Y6HWRu48j4MIKeh_ShlqplAvUD0orHiA8chxynCnNH4cPt9w5WJvZrXLinW_jaQZdbGH-b35MbAXN_zfe9k/s2048/IMG_5186.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqrc4yM85X0PIQ_pcUIWg3vS1xD1Tgkgpp0QzSwmS7frH6PSOxraqlGA_Y6HWRu48j4MIKeh_ShlqplAvUD0orHiA8chxynCnNH4cPt9w5WJvZrXLinW_jaQZdbGH-b35MbAXN_zfe9k/w520-h781/IMG_5186.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">The 'stream' flows amidst cannas and dahlias. I love it so. It was just a matter of burying</font><span style="font-family: georgia;"> one quarter of the depth of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">an empty pot put on its side, filling it one thirds with soil, and planting by laying the roots laterally with the flowers placed beyond the pot's opening before topping up with more soil. </span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTchgk0qpM0DG8BWSKXNqU0KIAiDHgkwDLEsCESPEFD53z51DiLQVRfUc7w9O_GezC1HpRiHZ7-i5FJuR9WcGSsB_y2c-aBSyCLe8wFzhYhFbGw8vX6QXT_6pV66f6Xet5VkHYUPyjSJc/s2048/IMG_5187.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTchgk0qpM0DG8BWSKXNqU0KIAiDHgkwDLEsCESPEFD53z51DiLQVRfUc7w9O_GezC1HpRiHZ7-i5FJuR9WcGSsB_y2c-aBSyCLe8wFzhYhFbGw8vX6QXT_6pV66f6Xet5VkHYUPyjSJc/w520-h781/IMG_5187.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">It is now the fourth summer that this fragrant tuberous begonia has graced a small <i>sous sol</i> window sill. I hope it will bloom yet again in 2021.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMiPnUNoq7RU7ifgsUvJ82XsQSuVRW1vEoZeEwvSTtxS2TR3jIsnIGaYnw8FCCNmyxKtTmF-ruNE_r3KiEgoFRtbherHsKUo1T2_ppdvW_vnlClydnBIfvwNpQvkq59tihFdaDennvAY/s2048/IMG_5203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMiPnUNoq7RU7ifgsUvJ82XsQSuVRW1vEoZeEwvSTtxS2TR3jIsnIGaYnw8FCCNmyxKtTmF-ruNE_r3KiEgoFRtbherHsKUo1T2_ppdvW_vnlClydnBIfvwNpQvkq59tihFdaDennvAY/w520-h781/IMG_5203.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Pots of miniature roses have found their home in a large tub along with a blueberry bush. In this way, not only does the display look full, when the roses are watered/fertilised so is the blueberry!</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmrrTph5CLbcsjTESWXlGIaKlwT310dabkb2HnrONkZq0aHZGRN88WAyO6OJJTe8yOeGJzlU1UOZMO0jIYHL_ndhLHaH9W8AX0l-9pGO-TvuVpHzwMdop8erU5tjxilDFTM4SpX6TK5k/s2048/IMG_5178.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmrrTph5CLbcsjTESWXlGIaKlwT310dabkb2HnrONkZq0aHZGRN88WAyO6OJJTe8yOeGJzlU1UOZMO0jIYHL_ndhLHaH9W8AX0l-9pGO-TvuVpHzwMdop8erU5tjxilDFTM4SpX6TK5k/w520-h781/IMG_5178.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Hydrangeas are now fading into glorious subtle tones/texture and by autumn will become much like silver lace which always is a treat to behold.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMizgMzhrzxUR1JFz3FB199gKpZsQDcK_XfK1WziJoDDBhaCYSdqKstts1FlnKkI575rWYLf4JLOfd9kK6NbNYTzDbkE1trkuLUab8mSTiIj9eRzkikvSayyo2ziu4wNqXCsWVbvNnZQc/s2048/IMG_5192.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMizgMzhrzxUR1JFz3FB199gKpZsQDcK_XfK1WziJoDDBhaCYSdqKstts1FlnKkI575rWYLf4JLOfd9kK6NbNYTzDbkE1trkuLUab8mSTiIj9eRzkikvSayyo2ziu4wNqXCsWVbvNnZQc/w520-h781/IMG_5192.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">The ivy topiary heart is being shaped gradually. I just love it! Sculpting greenery is fun and gives so much joy. The structure on which it grows is a thick honeysuckle trunk that gave up the ghost nearly a decade ago. Requiring both patience and decisiveness makes topiary quite a learning experience.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6XbMJwSjYu9r_7JVD2VYwUj4XXkoA_-vaj9Qy3DFsVL9c1TjN0RYkpj5Vjb2r7yZ5ouryN0KqGYxdUAdfc6fiPDvJDaTSonaVveAW1Y5NmkJ7HjcuL8vXwzIcDuZxl0gZgMOTNEhPBg/s2048/IMG_5221.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6XbMJwSjYu9r_7JVD2VYwUj4XXkoA_-vaj9Qy3DFsVL9c1TjN0RYkpj5Vjb2r7yZ5ouryN0KqGYxdUAdfc6fiPDvJDaTSonaVveAW1Y5NmkJ7HjcuL8vXwzIcDuZxl0gZgMOTNEhPBg/w520-h781/IMG_5221.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Beets are putting out foliage which when thinned are added to minestrone.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwdG78kWxbnudkUM8voCClmegqQmfvIQXxfwDKD-alVnIB2AyVg70zKcLDunf3rJKY8quA-sNiP5nxML2JkoVGMxMD5diXuM-dzYjfQu8YxGorZeNBPMUvIkmJ1HWDg1V1UkVWnvQ178/s2048/IMG_5209.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwdG78kWxbnudkUM8voCClmegqQmfvIQXxfwDKD-alVnIB2AyVg70zKcLDunf3rJKY8quA-sNiP5nxML2JkoVGMxMD5diXuM-dzYjfQu8YxGorZeNBPMUvIkmJ1HWDg1V1UkVWnvQ178/w520-h781/IMG_5209.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Green beans are flowering. Soon tiny pods will appear and in several weeks they will be ready for picking.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAn6mkdCYwQyfjPUIrb5Xm_SpRuSMLqan6o_vuYBA9FZUhIkwDwmti_nXF3IksaknSxMbLfM4m8ghzfQEhdXEsEVpCBUoVH-Ly5tGnrlqmIdtu2qMXhEEMhEyGSaiXfErs5qMtEDzT3M/s2048/IMG_5210.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAn6mkdCYwQyfjPUIrb5Xm_SpRuSMLqan6o_vuYBA9FZUhIkwDwmti_nXF3IksaknSxMbLfM4m8ghzfQEhdXEsEVpCBUoVH-Ly5tGnrlqmIdtu2qMXhEEMhEyGSaiXfErs5qMtEDzT3M/w520-h781/IMG_5210.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.4531px;"><font face="georgia">À la prochaine!</font></i></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-17981415545401773372020-07-09T21:26:00.004+02:002020-07-19T15:31:12.736+02:00Preservation of Produce: Blackberry Coulis<font face="georgia">Our single blackberry bush already has given us ten litres and is still going as there's no tomorrow. I suspect there's another ten litres in its future.</font><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAXqkmt3XtF3W9RiYDHMoqP0_iTiiYhKgn2ksqzKhsy-9aWUtiiSIhwEsttIGlmXVnAQ-anoyWz51nAgDoMNBkmQKAyxwN-mNg79eQbwhS0B2Mp1AvmlOwyPx3WvO0W6cutA87rpKePc/s6240/IMG_5160.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAXqkmt3XtF3W9RiYDHMoqP0_iTiiYhKgn2ksqzKhsy-9aWUtiiSIhwEsttIGlmXVnAQ-anoyWz51nAgDoMNBkmQKAyxwN-mNg79eQbwhS0B2Mp1AvmlOwyPx3WvO0W6cutA87rpKePc/w520-h781/IMG_5160.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Our cultivar is thornless which makes harvesting a cinch.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zk3bXM7kJdTVqMint5ny-1el7LdPcG5q9FIc5FJ5cVYoATgh0-NqJfbeToWLBZOhGlq6G8B_iQSIEKvKGwAfPnzhFYifm6jyVPMvJJuxxXG3UZjRdjP0kwei2rh4hCuuG9EEdSSZhyphenhyphen0/s6240/IMG_5146.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zk3bXM7kJdTVqMint5ny-1el7LdPcG5q9FIc5FJ5cVYoATgh0-NqJfbeToWLBZOhGlq6G8B_iQSIEKvKGwAfPnzhFYifm6jyVPMvJJuxxXG3UZjRdjP0kwei2rh4hCuuG9EEdSSZhyphenhyphen0/w520-h781/IMG_5146.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Though consistently watered and pruned, I yet have fertilised it in the ten years we have been here. I am not sure if I ever want to as its largesse is already a challenge to keep on top of via processing. Pruning is a simple job of keeping the new canes which spring up during summer not much longer than ninety centimetres (three feet) and its lateral branches approximately thirty centimetres (one foot) in length. After all the berries are picked, then the canes that sprung up last summer and carried the present harvest will be clipped off at ground level. In the below photo, the new cane on the left which will bear fruit next season has been trimmed; the older cane, once all its berries have been plucked, will be removed completely.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMfn9A2ZrT6sogy8xapg5Zruf-mgdu0PEynAXiXeqQO6uZQiK9ClXrLhf2dAwVFcd-VSIiuq6bLJZPy-OxkUsJRy7fDip7KY0fS90uaEt3bcFfEnbbgE03p72VRFexGI-2ufCXdfYmA8/s6240/IMG_5148.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMfn9A2ZrT6sogy8xapg5Zruf-mgdu0PEynAXiXeqQO6uZQiK9ClXrLhf2dAwVFcd-VSIiuq6bLJZPy-OxkUsJRy7fDip7KY0fS90uaEt3bcFfEnbbgE03p72VRFexGI-2ufCXdfYmA8/w520-h781/IMG_5148.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">A ripe berry will have plump, individual drupelets. If they ripen too much, their fibrous centres will be replaced with juice which can be seen oozing among the drupelets. The juice can become slightly fermented; when popping one such berry into your mouth, it's like taking a tiny sip of blackberry wine.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBJ7WgrSnaA7Nmo5nIwLIlIvBxZU8Vb0Vqxlzpss2IROeF_DfHFF85y08pszj_eH2JCWZL_zVeur5svBORy9HIYWZtmqDrlbNFnG7LhbJGQvpsxck0rJjLe29jXSv0tCMcxOWIiza2kM/s6240/IMG_5150.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBJ7WgrSnaA7Nmo5nIwLIlIvBxZU8Vb0Vqxlzpss2IROeF_DfHFF85y08pszj_eH2JCWZL_zVeur5svBORy9HIYWZtmqDrlbNFnG7LhbJGQvpsxck0rJjLe29jXSv0tCMcxOWIiza2kM/w520-h781/IMG_5150.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">A Foley mill made short order of all those berries.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxraaQ4N7Ahu3ZvI5mRii87ZPP3hUz5_etyQ1Z0rKM08qoPSoIoFrPSQqshZ-XiBIF_IwsphvyTitZgdOw5PSdRA9-yxje1fwCdkIaw8JU2ktjuP5F5aZJE1MFIphTo07dFe-qF0-0Hv0/s6240/IMG_5163.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxraaQ4N7Ahu3ZvI5mRii87ZPP3hUz5_etyQ1Z0rKM08qoPSoIoFrPSQqshZ-XiBIF_IwsphvyTitZgdOw5PSdRA9-yxje1fwCdkIaw8JU2ktjuP5F5aZJE1MFIphTo07dFe-qF0-0Hv0/w520-h781/IMG_5163.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Icing sugar was added to the sieved, mashed, fresh berries, better known as coulis, until it reached the desired sweetness which isn't too much as additional sweetening can be added if desired. It is the uncooked state of the fruit that gives such a burst of flavour as contrasted to a puree which is sieved, mashed, cooked fruit.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUkn3PlVaD7U8q7-kg7Q1b9BT2ho1REraHBDyJ8tSHkn-1TlWOSX-YQE6tl-QjdwaH-zke-2m9gjAU33L89jEnEKj3zqnaSHlMGTPyKEXK6D6li1HbQEgCPCLsKlQ3ZwbRM2CmNWWdZ0/s6240/IMG_5165.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUkn3PlVaD7U8q7-kg7Q1b9BT2ho1REraHBDyJ8tSHkn-1TlWOSX-YQE6tl-QjdwaH-zke-2m9gjAU33L89jEnEKj3zqnaSHlMGTPyKEXK6D6li1HbQEgCPCLsKlQ3ZwbRM2CmNWWdZ0/w520-h781/IMG_5165.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Those ten litres of blackberries became three litres of coulis. Besides ladling it into variously sized containers, ice cube trays were filled also. Once frozen, the cubes were placed into a ziplock bag. The luscious coulis, once defrosted or if your mixer is powerful enough, throw in a few blackberry ice cubes instead, is used in smoothies (the one below has yogurt, water, coulis, maple syrup, and powdered ginger) . . .</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBjHp6-hHBUdYLsXlaQUECCiBiPjZwyqXgR0lIKaSdoHwUbFFEIy6EUnd5Ic2-gJP-XfeC5bV2jhoCzhPeMclUk-r5jb7W2hL84zcBqtct74o_xt9Hayo4gG6v3Ou9O09ulyCIp78l6Y/s6240/IMG_5166.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBjHp6-hHBUdYLsXlaQUECCiBiPjZwyqXgR0lIKaSdoHwUbFFEIy6EUnd5Ic2-gJP-XfeC5bV2jhoCzhPeMclUk-r5jb7W2hL84zcBqtct74o_xt9Hayo4gG6v3Ou9O09ulyCIp78l6Y/w520-h781/IMG_5166.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">. . . and parfaits (the one below has a layer of yogurt and one of creme fraiche, two of coulis, and a topping of yogurt marbled with coulis sprinkled with icing sugar) . . .</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_K83FAzJTSuMTZLObp1k0RAfe9TfyYC6seWRCEjk_vZ1PIHcGrgD41gvOVueEX_rerq2jwtaXlrd4D1Ak6zI9fIJEpMzaH7QvUNuck-4HiCwJbnuq44GDvbOm0hmYR3np-X5Ea6IVUc/s6240/IMG_5168.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_K83FAzJTSuMTZLObp1k0RAfe9TfyYC6seWRCEjk_vZ1PIHcGrgD41gvOVueEX_rerq2jwtaXlrd4D1Ak6zI9fIJEpMzaH7QvUNuck-4HiCwJbnuq44GDvbOm0hmYR3np-X5Ea6IVUc/w520-h781/IMG_5168.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">. . . not to mention a dessert sauce, as in the below photo, smothering coffee ice cream. Coulis can drench cake/muffins, fill doughnuts/hand pies/cake rolls, and made into blackberry butter (reduce either over a low flame or in an oven until very thick). Versatility, thy name is blackberry coulis.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNKXC1Cfb6xb_2jNnxV6Hrn2KhDZhGya03OhsWMLWMfZ1tpeJzdRTSnCxluDVDgP0nG6MtoOQjhgop8FpfGsKjLKhR9MaTbThRY06z9x84q0-xBzOfR8jy77isQsiwsRzRbOG-oeJStY/s6240/IMG_5171.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNKXC1Cfb6xb_2jNnxV6Hrn2KhDZhGya03OhsWMLWMfZ1tpeJzdRTSnCxluDVDgP0nG6MtoOQjhgop8FpfGsKjLKhR9MaTbThRY06z9x84q0-xBzOfR8jy77isQsiwsRzRbOG-oeJStY/w520-h781/IMG_5171.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;"><font face="georgia">À la prochaine!</font></i></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-62049078440505401512020-07-02T22:08:00.010+02:002020-07-03T15:15:36.512+02:00Blueberry Bonanza: Double Batch of Muffins and Cake<font face="georgia">Our two potted blueberry bushes have given us three litres and show no sign of letting up. I looked at all those blueberries and said, <i>Batch! </i>I have been wanting to try <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maida_Heatter">Maida Heatter</a>'s Blueberry crumb cake showcased at <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/07/blueberry-crumb-cake/">Smitten Kitchen</a> for a while now, and we had just finished the last blueberry muffin made from the previous harvest season. Channeling my inner blueberry counter, I concluded not only was there enough for each recipe, but both could be doubled. Since they are still coming in, I foresee blueberry jam in our near future.</font><div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmWClzK_lgmazdu1LacuXm8fsmArCnf05SXI01jlWQj4hsKz_yx6Jbsa9fqnqogHK2NHLUZldCjyyVzvEFvuQ_roGQXqjiD09oWbjS60Hip9GHKboUt8W-qMOCTwIJtA3CsowLQkmq9c/s6240/IMG_5082.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmWClzK_lgmazdu1LacuXm8fsmArCnf05SXI01jlWQj4hsKz_yx6Jbsa9fqnqogHK2NHLUZldCjyyVzvEFvuQ_roGQXqjiD09oWbjS60Hip9GHKboUt8W-qMOCTwIJtA3CsowLQkmq9c/w520-h781/IMG_5082.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">The sizable amount of lemon zest along with cinnamon and a crumb topping in her recipe appealed immensely to me.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQLijyNhJe5tWumNXXYD7M-ME5Xlb6k8LJ-dALQLjorHpeVkL16gEYfkSu3R8uocsRpFVqxbqU51EAWCxx3_M11BMRGno39lbvGIchCqu63NS3s3CxFZjdRtdIpBoDNPhSWwY1Foxm60/s6240/IMG_5070.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQLijyNhJe5tWumNXXYD7M-ME5Xlb6k8LJ-dALQLjorHpeVkL16gEYfkSu3R8uocsRpFVqxbqU51EAWCxx3_M11BMRGno39lbvGIchCqu63NS3s3CxFZjdRtdIpBoDNPhSWwY1Foxm60/w533-h800/IMG_5070.JPG" width="533" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia"><b>Ingredients</b></font></div><div><font face="georgia" size="2">two 9 inch cakes or one large sheet pan cake, recipe can be halved</font></div><div><font face="georgia" size="2">Adapted from Maida Heatter's recipe via <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/07/blueberry-crumb-cake/">Smitten Kitchen</a></font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia"><b>Topping</b></font></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><font face="georgia"><b>Flour, all purpose, 80 g (I used pastry flour which made the crumbs most uncrumblike but still fabulous)</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Sugar, granulated, 200 g</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Cinnamon, ground, 2 tsp</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Butter, sweet, 110 g</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Salt, large pinch, 2</b></font></li></ul><b style="font-family: georgia;">Cake</b><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><font face="georgia"><b>Flour, all purpose, 480 g</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Baking powder, 4 tsp</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Salt, table, 1 tsp</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Butter, sweet, softened, 110 g</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Sugar, granulated, 300 g (I accidentally doubled it to 600 g, and the cake was still not too sweet)</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Zest from 2 large lemons</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Eggs, large or medium, 2</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Berries, fresh, clean & dry, 680 g (though Smitten Kitchen used 910 g!)</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Milk, whole, 16 T</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Vanilla extract, 2 tsp (I subbed maple syrup)</b></font></li><li><font face="georgia"><b>Icing sugar for dusting (in my case, with the double amount of sugar, there was no need)</b></font></li></ul></div><div><font face="georgia">Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (If baking in two pans, then it's at 400 degrees F) M</font><span style="background-color: white;"><font face="georgia">ix the topping ingredients, that is, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Work butter into the mixture until crumbs are formed. Reserve. </font></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Line a round pan with parchment paper, greasing and flouring the paper. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until blended. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy (I used a stick blender, but it can be done in a food processor/stand mixer or by hand). With a wooden spoon (if not using a stand mixer), beat in eggs and vanilla (or in my case maple syrup). Stir in one third of the dry ingredient mixture until combined followed by one half of the milk. Repeat with the next one-third of the dry ingredients and the last half of the milk. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Finish with the final one-third of the dry mixture. (For a fool-proof way of preventing berries from sinking, put a 2.5 cm (an 1/2 inch) thick layer of berry-free batter in the pan before folding them into the rest of the batter and topping up the pan.)) Gently fold blueberries into batter until well distributed. Pour into prepared pan and give it a shake or two to even out the batter. Scatter the crumbs.</span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW6YP5RRti0GtCdfaid_Ok_prM7hrGiHF3olCjw5eQomvahHNa4UrDSdNu_QyH7FwNfGHaTyoZ0Z9YDtFxXw211dMzBdxZ62mm_oB6NfRfjbYGrdI_9cvDeD1nsNGyDTUPqnIADMss2k/s6240/IMG_5087.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW6YP5RRti0GtCdfaid_Ok_prM7hrGiHF3olCjw5eQomvahHNa4UrDSdNu_QyH7FwNfGHaTyoZ0Z9YDtFxXw211dMzBdxZ62mm_oB6NfRfjbYGrdI_9cvDeD1nsNGyDTUPqnIADMss2k/w520-h781/IMG_5087.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">Bake for forty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out dry and/or when you give a sprightly touch in the centre, the cake springs back. Cool cake at least twenty minutes before flipping it out onto a plate to remove the paper. Flip it back right side up. Dust with icing sugar if desired. </span><font face="georgia">The topping melted into a glaze (because I used pastry flour and soft butter instead of all purpose and cold butter) which added a nice cinnamony crunch.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUevnyJvm34Vs11JKJYVme77XGFxcawZIUA7UPSg6ZmmAH_2SUs_PZ94RuNya4O6DMvmcd3iE0JVUBepVZe9aItwbuQcDVd1eHAQAI2ZEVtHXvOKytNf0mZ9QlZkK1LDF1IKUF5lZ8NM/s6240/IMG_5090.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUevnyJvm34Vs11JKJYVme77XGFxcawZIUA7UPSg6ZmmAH_2SUs_PZ94RuNya4O6DMvmcd3iE0JVUBepVZe9aItwbuQcDVd1eHAQAI2ZEVtHXvOKytNf0mZ9QlZkK1LDF1IKUF5lZ8NM/w520-h781/IMG_5090.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Berry beautiful!</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEzZ7IIN_GAMNFkr7BnA3bCNELll4vwmIAi8BN6OS4JGxeh8lQWcrYXufmRtww-08LhLWAhGJaVabeG_JeA07FdC2Or7tC6Xkv5qy4l0xRxMH1hyphenhyphenp7l4moVBVIsbhzarIhANULYpvC9Y/s6240/IMG_5094.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEzZ7IIN_GAMNFkr7BnA3bCNELll4vwmIAi8BN6OS4JGxeh8lQWcrYXufmRtww-08LhLWAhGJaVabeG_JeA07FdC2Or7tC6Xkv5qy4l0xRxMH1hyphenhyphenp7l4moVBVIsbhzarIhANULYpvC9Y/w520-h781/IMG_5094.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">The cake is fluffy and the berries luscious.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS9bRAYw9HbWtYllYL8liHseyrn46v34Ne8i9RvaNNeDTtGW08ERqeU-AXgemM-f07B_hhRL9oAn3xZ4V4PMI72oaDmGIi2sHKICijZKaHRwBbq3zM6H0B9N2SVVOd5BS30P5shqIt6Y/s6240/IMG_5107.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS9bRAYw9HbWtYllYL8liHseyrn46v34Ne8i9RvaNNeDTtGW08ERqeU-AXgemM-f07B_hhRL9oAn3xZ4V4PMI72oaDmGIi2sHKICijZKaHRwBbq3zM6H0B9N2SVVOd5BS30P5shqIt6Y/w520-h781/IMG_5107.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">The only change I made to the blueberry muffin recipe I have already used is to double the sugar and mash one fifth of the berries. Single batch recipe is <a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/2019/06/blueberry-cake-muffins.html">here</a>. I love how the muffins are well streaked with blue, and also it made the fresh fruitiness even more so.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lpzRxWQ6oQe3iQ6GNMc7F2uhaGESc0cGeT0bKBI337_S_SlKn8QDy1vqFbPu_OxRTL4ax7kx4q39TNt3OzBozkSApTUiVHyljYLecFutbO9G9WeTylrD3KiDIWJ_FwHh4EHGEtu55tM/s6240/IMG_5128.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lpzRxWQ6oQe3iQ6GNMc7F2uhaGESc0cGeT0bKBI337_S_SlKn8QDy1vqFbPu_OxRTL4ax7kx4q39TNt3OzBozkSApTUiVHyljYLecFutbO9G9WeTylrD3KiDIWJ_FwHh4EHGEtu55tM/w520-h781/IMG_5128.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Portioned up into single servings and popped in the freezer, the cake and muffins will be ready whenever we are to partake in their deliciousness.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNnG4AJMDlaAoRvUaFqjJa-p5TgHxuQnd1JQb305-FspnuOL6jREuDhf4SuGhtka2XeZW2DKoDMVMlduL65C-DLp-cjDwoheDPwhQAPJpZz_3cOIaI3SRi2mH-MXR0tkKQPDarMI6wBs/s6240/IMG_5141.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNnG4AJMDlaAoRvUaFqjJa-p5TgHxuQnd1JQb305-FspnuOL6jREuDhf4SuGhtka2XeZW2DKoDMVMlduL65C-DLp-cjDwoheDPwhQAPJpZz_3cOIaI3SRi2mH-MXR0tkKQPDarMI6wBs/w520-h781/IMG_5141.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 15.4531px;"><font face="georgia">À la prochaine!</font></i></div><div><br /></div></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-18852750659006875532020-06-25T23:14:00.005+02:002020-06-26T13:23:22.851+02:00Southwest France Walks / Return to Linars<font face="georgia">Hiking during the summer is a new endeavour for us. Since it gets so hot in southwest France, we had decided to limit our walking to the spring and autumn. Until now, that is. <i>The Calm One</i> suggested that since we had a collection of nearby short walks previously trod and therefore familiar, it would be a cinch to do one of them in the evening when it's cooler. So at around 8 p.m., we tootled off in our electric Zoe to the rural village of Linars </font><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia;">where vineyards and cornfields abound. It's just</span><font face="georgia"> a ten minute drive southwest from our small city of </font><span style="background-color: white;"><font face="georgia">Angoulême.</font></span><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSDnPBo_RgJY4HGCIqiqEwYj9q8aCK64uq_CkWkxUWSNc833u9uBadP-xcpTwARB9paCBHC7O413s61Q8n4X_nFQeYBNTk1KJsJXDRp9K2TfDC3aw-8ggdml_X6P88h1ZXVsJLL-h1eg/s6240/IMG_5046.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSDnPBo_RgJY4HGCIqiqEwYj9q8aCK64uq_CkWkxUWSNc833u9uBadP-xcpTwARB9paCBHC7O413s61Q8n4X_nFQeYBNTk1KJsJXDRp9K2TfDC3aw-8ggdml_X6P88h1ZXVsJLL-h1eg/w426-h640/IMG_5046.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Some posts holding the wires supporting vines were tagged with strips of white cloth. A non-verbal communication among cultivators?</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-Mm8dvZFJyS7JYx1WWJ8lzu1u6bR5ZgF4ewcIQCr6jbLJsfUMf5nAShNaxrvVkZcuUlDrpTuR1eiWjyj11wzI623Ovm2uSkn0FG1qa9XzPyUCV4gonCffZG6dnn4cEIwGnwn5XKjjeQ/s6240/IMG_5044.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-Mm8dvZFJyS7JYx1WWJ8lzu1u6bR5ZgF4ewcIQCr6jbLJsfUMf5nAShNaxrvVkZcuUlDrpTuR1eiWjyj11wzI623Ovm2uSkn0FG1qa9XzPyUCV4gonCffZG6dnn4cEIwGnwn5XKjjeQ/w426-h640/IMG_5044.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another marking system may be in the form of these blue plastic tubes.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpi8th2i1rPmWXj5jZzSNYDeu0hesbgj1428T8dk08_eZ60Vo5jol0rxi7DwjTzsPNygIaBsSOUYzmovMtS9SENDurR9i5zD65Z6aVxy75-w_tLYPT1VvkdUrrk_mKOdMs7e671bv44g/s6240/IMG_5058.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpi8th2i1rPmWXj5jZzSNYDeu0hesbgj1428T8dk08_eZ60Vo5jol0rxi7DwjTzsPNygIaBsSOUYzmovMtS9SENDurR9i5zD65Z6aVxy75-w_tLYPT1VvkdUrrk_mKOdMs7e671bv44g/w426-h640/IMG_5058.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Gnarled, old, and still vigorous. Plants are fabulous!</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6vlwWD1-BrQbx_xv0zcNy6df910f8jo-WoTKbcaMimz8OrZnM0z8niN_DyX087Z0cCvmMCHJx9jlRuXWGorJ1jRaw0in6DjHbD0KRHN1Ojzx2i4E8mtnXMeUi9DjwLzAqeAhNOirks8/s6240/IMG_5053.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6vlwWD1-BrQbx_xv0zcNy6df910f8jo-WoTKbcaMimz8OrZnM0z8niN_DyX087Z0cCvmMCHJx9jlRuXWGorJ1jRaw0in6DjHbD0KRHN1Ojzx2i4E8mtnXMeUi9DjwLzAqeAhNOirks8/w426-h640/IMG_5053.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Though our department is known for its cognac which is made mostly from the ugni blanc variety along with several others, since the 1970s, its wines, red, white, and rose, are receiving increasing attention. There are lots more grape varieties now being cultivated. It's common even when wandering not that far from the city to spot vines discreetly tucked away in a bend of a path, flanking a forest, or squatting between hills.</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYIJitWvf73g18HAuGgPorYLPpp_H4Yg0WbM-mno70cTF93hBzeGktfaQxf9MvzS4QF0ElnxHn5WULOlPoigyjoL5dXpjD4i6CDWbVpGNlYnMPUlze3jGBaQ4kh21fThTjl0RjKFeWAk/s6240/IMG_5056.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYIJitWvf73g18HAuGgPorYLPpp_H4Yg0WbM-mno70cTF93hBzeGktfaQxf9MvzS4QF0ElnxHn5WULOlPoigyjoL5dXpjD4i6CDWbVpGNlYnMPUlze3jGBaQ4kh21fThTjl0RjKFeWAk/w426-h640/IMG_5056.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">The nearby countryside is dotted with cornfields.</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdcR81bnXGcyv3wj5-arXEF9c9LM3WR1RxZmJkyjvBturrep971fKnA9N6IXI9B_-ixFkr78ulX6G6wz17dfG6wqenTaesX9yoo8_eXrG6TBGRCafmQTui8llRT6kyBSqgOSGm4up9A0/s6240/IMG_5062.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdcR81bnXGcyv3wj5-arXEF9c9LM3WR1RxZmJkyjvBturrep971fKnA9N6IXI9B_-ixFkr78ulX6G6wz17dfG6wqenTaesX9yoo8_eXrG6TBGRCafmQTui8llRT6kyBSqgOSGm4up9A0/w426-h640/IMG_5062.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Obviously wildflowers in the above and below photos are some kind of wild daisies. Lovely tiny blooms borne in clusters atop ferny foliage didn't fail to lifts our spirits.</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7TBVOIOMacw_j4pIngP7e-NO8UIkydYwWpP-Dx7t-IDY3WnviwQTjZfYkzjU5gE3R8_VV8nQbQoqVqKeuAyDfszAwRr0v2IctDK7-IuFz2d235hMUmBfN4pVdCQomG3lKxTDDqsi30Q/s6240/IMG_5061.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7TBVOIOMacw_j4pIngP7e-NO8UIkydYwWpP-Dx7t-IDY3WnviwQTjZfYkzjU5gE3R8_VV8nQbQoqVqKeuAyDfszAwRr0v2IctDK7-IuFz2d235hMUmBfN4pVdCQomG3lKxTDDqsi30Q/w426-h640/IMG_5061.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Yellow and pink bicolour sweetpeas were stunning.</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRECeNJEftIqJOKOvUoiQjlN0PMqc6M8-8mUV9GD4fHrlMw1izeSaaamMqvnM6DsoaTqs3ZsH7wGkhvximpk44ZchJukARUFEzyDm1PHNWnAzLtSvtECuoCtOMhi1e4wt3JOMkfwvQkFc/s6240/IMG_5063.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRECeNJEftIqJOKOvUoiQjlN0PMqc6M8-8mUV9GD4fHrlMw1izeSaaamMqvnM6DsoaTqs3ZsH7wGkhvximpk44ZchJukARUFEzyDm1PHNWnAzLtSvtECuoCtOMhi1e4wt3JOMkfwvQkFc/w426-h640/IMG_5063.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Striated purple geraniums also graced our hike.</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbOYxzOvAPm4fKvpk7jci4ZDF8bkAcVzhs9JlPdWwNz8x9ThODCVTtN9Tux59dS7qz_LCRD2FIcqmkS8PoMJyFrbIm2hiUVbBp5n5mLk2yUgG8gyhr0I2ETrk4H1xRENGH4umWZRpS5E/s6240/IMG_5043.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbOYxzOvAPm4fKvpk7jci4ZDF8bkAcVzhs9JlPdWwNz8x9ThODCVTtN9Tux59dS7qz_LCRD2FIcqmkS8PoMJyFrbIm2hiUVbBp5n5mLk2yUgG8gyhr0I2ETrk4H1xRENGH4umWZRpS5E/w426-h640/IMG_5043.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia">Towards the end of our walk, twilight was quickly deepening, but the setting sun was still able to stripe a field with gold.</font></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiidbUkEJtbgUYjLRq9JNev0TaxLAZebJsvaxjUpXr5J0no842jD2_YxVvtrVfYUkhWOj6a19ogAyIzqI1c01bMXjzQyYXMSXCevzG8Wtw6mLIgjiIy463nWFYhyphenhyphenQ7aFKLxgVOvxDDCMA/s6240/IMG_5066.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiidbUkEJtbgUYjLRq9JNev0TaxLAZebJsvaxjUpXr5J0no842jD2_YxVvtrVfYUkhWOj6a19ogAyIzqI1c01bMXjzQyYXMSXCevzG8Wtw6mLIgjiIy463nWFYhyphenhyphenQ7aFKLxgVOvxDDCMA/w426-h640/IMG_5066.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><font face="georgia">À la prochaine!</font></i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><font face="georgia">RELATED POST</font></b></div><div><b><font face="georgia"><br /></font></b></div><div><font face="georgia"><a href="https://soupedupgarden.blogspot.com/search/label/Southwest%20France%20Walks%2FLinars%20%26%20Mouthiers">Previous Linars hike</a></font></div><div><b><font face="georgia"><br /></font></b></div><div><b><font face="georgia">RELATED LINK</font></b></div><div><br /></div><div><font face="georgia"><a href="https://undiscovered-french-wines.com/home/charente/">Undiscovered French Wines (that is, Charente wine)</a></font></div></div><div><br /></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-56123308004367288612020-06-18T17:41:00.004+02:002020-06-25T23:18:48.884+02:00Fruit Jam Hand Pies Using Pastry Scraps<font face="georgia">Pastry scraps are to be coveted. If they will not be used in a day or two or if there are not enough, put them in a plastic bag and pop into the freezer. As time passes, additional fresh snippets can be placed with the frozen ones. Of course, store-bought pastry can be used instead for these hand pies. </font><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1BNraDYirTzBr0cW2kvDQ1Qpwbkt82wlQS-tF-xpcay_kuCD-LfDy78mJXcwtyJKPxksWiVmj_9JJRYoG0WvP23xppJe8i3MEDSMx_hSJ0IamfgEM4Og5D27Y0AfMEZtg5V-PY29r6U/s6240/IMG_5021.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1BNraDYirTzBr0cW2kvDQ1Qpwbkt82wlQS-tF-xpcay_kuCD-LfDy78mJXcwtyJKPxksWiVmj_9JJRYoG0WvP23xppJe8i3MEDSMx_hSJ0IamfgEM4Og5D27Y0AfMEZtg5V-PY29r6U/w426-h640/IMG_5021.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia"><span>Where did these particular pastry scraps come from? From the gorgeous chicken pot pie which is once again gracing our menu! During the lockdown, </span><i>The Calm One</i><span>, the official shopper <i>chez nous</i>, would venture forth with the <i>attestation </i>printed off the government's website stating which grocery store he was going to, therefore not being able to pop into several stores as is his normal food-shopping routine. So the shop where he bought our chickens didn't get a visit until recently.</span></font></div><div><span><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvmxBdZoQpsWgdrWRHOMlitj0PbTZCLPu5Z7jwheiDxQGLsP5Usc1DaFb5ml-NcMSQqdsjRiuKvBawy2AOhAhFIP4SM1BKmucKLRwrhsrBDk7Ll8bwWM3hRB09o7gOVzj6Yjz5ZGbcuI/s6240/IMG_5014.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvmxBdZoQpsWgdrWRHOMlitj0PbTZCLPu5Z7jwheiDxQGLsP5Usc1DaFb5ml-NcMSQqdsjRiuKvBawy2AOhAhFIP4SM1BKmucKLRwrhsrBDk7Ll8bwWM3hRB09o7gOVzj6Yjz5ZGbcuI/w426-h640/IMG_5014.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Preheat oven to 220 degrees C/425 degrees F. Remember to keep one half of the rounds free of jam to top the other half that are dolloped with jam. In my case, I had twenty circles and ended up with ten hand pies. Once the pastry is rolled out and cut (I used a 7 cm/3 inch cookie cutter but a glass would be fine also) . . .</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZKwetBFQjbJGGNOGAXyOrrwsswQp-kpa7aHXPBixxvurYW43D9RfjlgF0HLi-aqBJohxw0al58turKq5kiWhxmqTAbzRmJfEM7C9s8nKkrXNYdmaZZMTyRas33zgHE6665ltf0wuWn8/s6240/IMG_4996.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZKwetBFQjbJGGNOGAXyOrrwsswQp-kpa7aHXPBixxvurYW43D9RfjlgF0HLi-aqBJohxw0al58turKq5kiWhxmqTAbzRmJfEM7C9s8nKkrXNYdmaZZMTyRas33zgHE6665ltf0wuWn8/w426-h640/IMG_4996.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">. . . one has to choose which jam (1/2 to 1 tsp) to plop onto the pastry circles.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlipjgIplnDWSmVhG0OMGvrEVsFQU7nXqrU0HM0Qm3kzLF2G1RJFT-dUKJdmggZTw4x8pq6uNnoCA06jT0DODgHhnZF52YFOXiIqsn2n38hXlSercdL0Z9e9jCrCoJhVyAroQ_CzBMshk/s6240/IMG_4997.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlipjgIplnDWSmVhG0OMGvrEVsFQU7nXqrU0HM0Qm3kzLF2G1RJFT-dUKJdmggZTw4x8pq6uNnoCA06jT0DODgHhnZF52YFOXiIqsn2n38hXlSercdL0Z9e9jCrCoJhVyAroQ_CzBMshk/w426-h640/IMG_4997.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">We love variety so there's blackberry . . .</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmTya6-SR-Iu6f0WmANrsbhY6GXw3JdgO-L3FLapnQpXd1msX5rL3InwU9KCLUGWEP384bzZ3TJYtfIq9YMHjZFn0_arnu0W1sfXibxzFnRJ0oSibNTlgE7ByVBjQkyo5pQUNpKudNTY/s6240/IMG_4998.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmTya6-SR-Iu6f0WmANrsbhY6GXw3JdgO-L3FLapnQpXd1msX5rL3InwU9KCLUGWEP384bzZ3TJYtfIq9YMHjZFn0_arnu0W1sfXibxzFnRJ0oSibNTlgE7ByVBjQkyo5pQUNpKudNTY/w426-h640/IMG_4998.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">. . . and peach . . .</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq9mQfNuwku5T-M7D1zTYNpmpLdf89XuJ1DdyquuH-UP1oaPvjXku3zjzmApOwNL8NAaXSYrp51bhb8GjYgu20AfOtRTWb73XAirL0xm95TY90hIHVOTikNeOb0QsxVYeAgV8GlG5QqE/s6240/IMG_5004.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq9mQfNuwku5T-M7D1zTYNpmpLdf89XuJ1DdyquuH-UP1oaPvjXku3zjzmApOwNL8NAaXSYrp51bhb8GjYgu20AfOtRTWb73XAirL0xm95TY90hIHVOTikNeOb0QsxVYeAgV8GlG5QqE/w426-h640/IMG_5004.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">. . . last but not least, raspberry.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZ1fj73hbqfyVpdNQyC5jZceKw8FVy0gJZk0QPMWBdc2yPSwecUU9sv8ijn2L47mZxfZS-5j9lbkRwLfrIDJwTQW8pTosaQ3AQvviWpLgAocLiVK3gCNG13mEwkhaoxR7qocnUYSJD5w/s6240/IMG_5006.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZ1fj73hbqfyVpdNQyC5jZceKw8FVy0gJZk0QPMWBdc2yPSwecUU9sv8ijn2L47mZxfZS-5j9lbkRwLfrIDJwTQW8pTosaQ3AQvviWpLgAocLiVK3gCNG13mEwkhaoxR7qocnUYSJD5w/w426-h640/IMG_5006.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">If less puffy pastries are preferred then thoroughly prick the circles with a fork before baking for around fifteen minutes or until they are golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar while they are still hot.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxU54XvBzkMasgLG405TySNfd_IWUNh9TuHp8WpKAu3fBfhyphenhyphenfxnIQt0rnOzOFa4216AWdKcXxDtWkOO-lFIZkCHfQaSnR6FBhtnyiszB3ea5nKGmeazxg-WjoOnBBZqMY_GXlU4UWIhg/s6240/IMG_5007.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxU54XvBzkMasgLG405TySNfd_IWUNh9TuHp8WpKAu3fBfhyphenhyphenfxnIQt0rnOzOFa4216AWdKcXxDtWkOO-lFIZkCHfQaSnR6FBhtnyiszB3ea5nKGmeazxg-WjoOnBBZqMY_GXlU4UWIhg/w426-h640/IMG_5007.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Some like when the hand pies ooze.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5hJELCfaJ-hPRmVv5woZD-JTivhvBulcgi3yqdSr8KdiY6CJO1NKJd1t0gfntbCztiaf55EN7G46jOTFccqhIB7oJPbVZ8xGgwbl1zbXyu2KaI5WJPVeN-67eTXf8oj-shF0mkn_heg/s6240/IMG_5009.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5hJELCfaJ-hPRmVv5woZD-JTivhvBulcgi3yqdSr8KdiY6CJO1NKJd1t0gfntbCztiaf55EN7G46jOTFccqhIB7oJPbVZ8xGgwbl1zbXyu2KaI5WJPVeN-67eTXf8oj-shF0mkn_heg/w426-h640/IMG_5009.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Others don't. If in that group then before assembling the circles, dab cold water around their edges. Seal firmly. Also put just a tiny amount of jam! To ensure portion control, I place them in a single layer in a shallow plastic container and freeze. It takes about an hour for them to defrost. I love having mine with a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of mint-flavoured green tea.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4veL3xGLDcfb_HeF2lHEj2P45-TuANpicQfyG5JmUEDVt-9drKDdLbVO8lGmG-pt52amJz2bNci6FboFtomHyNGN7vGML7LGEbGpC77hTNzA7ETY-udSp3VRy9HXicni3oRVYCTgabrc/s6240/IMG_5010.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4veL3xGLDcfb_HeF2lHEj2P45-TuANpicQfyG5JmUEDVt-9drKDdLbVO8lGmG-pt52amJz2bNci6FboFtomHyNGN7vGML7LGEbGpC77hTNzA7ETY-udSp3VRy9HXicni3oRVYCTgabrc/w426-h640/IMG_5010.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><font face="georgia">À la prochaine!</font></i></div><div><font face="georgia" size="5"><br /></font></div></div></div>Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-72632479278718440302020-06-11T18:19:00.015+02:002020-06-25T23:20:24.914+02:00Jogging Toward Summer Solstice 2020<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span><font face="georgia">There's about two weeks left before summer officially rolls in. <i>Chez nous</i>, the crop method is the preferred one and not succession planting. There's a push now to get all of the vegetables planted before the longest day arrives. To cheer me up as I sieve compost, wield spades/forks/rakes, and keep recently sowed beds moistened, I recall with great fondness of all the produce already harvested and processed since February such as asparagus, rhubarb, peas, and strawberries waiting to be included in delicious meals for the coming months. Sometimes I take a break just to check out crops getting closer to being picked to ensure I don't miss the best time to harvest, like blueberries. Lovers of acidic soil that blueberries are, they wouldn't flourish in the slightly alkaline earth in our garden. Instead, they do their blue thing in large pots filled with an acidic potting mix. Keeping one of them company is a cobalt blue, hand-blown glass fishing float which most likely made its way from Spain and got put on display at a flea market in France, specifically in Grenoble, where we became happy buyers. One of the highlights of my twilight garden exercise romps started when lockdown first began and which I still do is bending down here and there, sampling a blueberry, a raspberry, and a strawberry.</font></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><font face="georgia"><span><br /></span>
</font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKzPHAEvK_TY-voDbNOznYuv0LG-yh2c6bXX_cJ0zExISgVppF7E4hPL2GcSdHYXRw-ebBJa4088tUTXPhclBMipsoJ-vq9TcD6rD9ReVHdnftONS3VXpbUbH9x3MvL0XQpv-ktNN0bM/s6240/IMG_4944.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKzPHAEvK_TY-voDbNOznYuv0LG-yh2c6bXX_cJ0zExISgVppF7E4hPL2GcSdHYXRw-ebBJa4088tUTXPhclBMipsoJ-vq9TcD6rD9ReVHdnftONS3VXpbUbH9x3MvL0XQpv-ktNN0bM/w426-h640/IMG_4944.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><span><font face="georgia"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span>This berry-festooned branch is just one of many.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhN7up87EUgwprydim8QqMBa6HOat6ps-Rcu3KmCZxXxzoWDumV3VRmjqyLvnFjWvMsNcLqXX-ffYVBX87v1ssNe-ZxqD006hv_f_BXEYxqN9LvSoY3Osg6q1p3jg7gcD2wUtPmWQKBA/s6240/IMG_4955.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhN7up87EUgwprydim8QqMBa6HOat6ps-Rcu3KmCZxXxzoWDumV3VRmjqyLvnFjWvMsNcLqXX-ffYVBX87v1ssNe-ZxqD006hv_f_BXEYxqN9LvSoY3Osg6q1p3jg7gcD2wUtPmWQKBA/w426-h640/IMG_4955.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span>Below photo: the green beans are in and covered with horticultural fleece to prevent them from being eaten by birds. The parterre with bushy plants directly in front of the beans is one of our two potato beds. The two unkept ones in the foreground will eventually be planted with strawberry runners and carrots. The silvery, boxy thing in the lower left hand corner is one-half of the coldframe we got at Lidl just before the Covid-19 lockdown. The splash of vivid red in the lower right are volunteer poppies.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8DlL61NYHh8V4cKJuqx1p8Uwk261uqN8eSlYuNgbkOdOEKztME9qXzwQ9E8eC6bd4ho7LKoxNEuuq6jp3f8dceA_FD4CA81GQCB82Ikycip8iuJf37i-2EvnEOBBpak6Xj0Lp8nQrNc/s6240/IMG_4958.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8DlL61NYHh8V4cKJuqx1p8Uwk261uqN8eSlYuNgbkOdOEKztME9qXzwQ9E8eC6bd4ho7LKoxNEuuq6jp3f8dceA_FD4CA81GQCB82Ikycip8iuJf37i-2EvnEOBBpak6Xj0Lp8nQrNc/w426-h640/IMG_4958.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span>The heat-loving, purple osteospermums were potted up last autumn and brought indoors. Two out of three plants survived the confinement and are flourishing in the front garden. This winter they will go into the coldframe, watched over judiciously, and if needed, brought indoors. But this time, I will put the pot on wooden slats placed over circular trays filled with water to provide humidity. Though they get enough light in our living room, the central heating is a stress. Hopefully these two specimens will continue to over-winter through the years.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoHCuy95r5X0AYrvuvIrNDkmUU7B2drb9bwsFRl-i1NZMcyqfJAbhr4dG8qfXErGtoR3QjvQFO3FArzYK5xOl7Y2ZbyPv8D235f6EonwSwFwNQ60-g9QwZzlipLpb8sIF3jgsR9anehs/s6240/IMG_4960.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoHCuy95r5X0AYrvuvIrNDkmUU7B2drb9bwsFRl-i1NZMcyqfJAbhr4dG8qfXErGtoR3QjvQFO3FArzYK5xOl7Y2ZbyPv8D235f6EonwSwFwNQ60-g9QwZzlipLpb8sIF3jgsR9anehs/w426-h640/IMG_4960.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span>Calendula were sowed in flats early spring and kept in the cold frame until it was warm enough for them eventually to embrace the big, wide wonderful world. Their hardening off started when the frame was first propped open during daytime for a week followed by the seedlings being outdoors for a few hours over a period of several days leading to spending an entire day before being transplanted into the big pot where they will spend their time until autumn. Having never grown them before, I wonder if maybe I shouldn't have pinched the young plants in the hope they will be less leggy when mature as I might have ended their flowering capability. I won't relax until I see their wonderful orange blooms!</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspKBGNkoWEGGK2FQ2C-sd3Yjn3aIQEqOIFIjn5M3zgkzByJGtMfBvaFvBB7Rfbf6VWg2aV3D8vbJe5OEvSzlJ4ejw8GdhJu5PIbfx8cdzAf9Gau_1o-YpIQrUHT7ujqxtLDFCKLvtFYI/s6240/IMG_4974.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspKBGNkoWEGGK2FQ2C-sd3Yjn3aIQEqOIFIjn5M3zgkzByJGtMfBvaFvBB7Rfbf6VWg2aV3D8vbJe5OEvSzlJ4ejw8GdhJu5PIbfx8cdzAf9Gau_1o-YpIQrUHT7ujqxtLDFCKLvtFYI/w426-h640/IMG_4974.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span>The beets were sowed the other day. It is such a pleasure to work our veggie beds as the soil has been so much improved over the last ten years with the additions of compost, leaf mulch, wood chippings, grass clippings, and green manure. It's fluffy and a lovely shade of brown. Yes!</span></div><br /></font></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocnLX46l61ffDPKN7ktcoeHPpLc0t3rNTuDW3fyToh6gyPlpkscFO6OxTnk4oMd4m4-CNJ5I0vTvW6jRZ6ZMX1VYyTS1pOafVukw2rxoPw1Bui62CvYhWZGS2P_F7Q2dZCXwdjM_7668/s6240/IMG_4977.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="georgia"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocnLX46l61ffDPKN7ktcoeHPpLc0t3rNTuDW3fyToh6gyPlpkscFO6OxTnk4oMd4m4-CNJ5I0vTvW6jRZ6ZMX1VYyTS1pOafVukw2rxoPw1Bui62CvYhWZGS2P_F7Q2dZCXwdjM_7668/w426-h640/IMG_4977.JPG" width="426" /></font></a></div><span><font face="georgia"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><span>Turnips and carrots are the last two vegetables needing to be sown. Carrots have a specific set of challenges which when met will yield a most satisfying crop. Like all homegrown veggies, their taste has a depth of flavour that is incomparable. That paper cone holding up the seed packet in the below photo is a DIY tiny seed sowing device. The seeds being quite small means that too many may get planted hence becoming crowded as they grow in size which requires thinning. As they are thinned their distinctive fragrance will attract a certain species of low-flying, white butterflies who then will deposit eggs which become larvae burrowing down into the edible root completely destroying its comestible value by leaving it riddled with brown tunnels. This destruction is carried on out of sight, therefore it is only when the crop gets pulled out of the ground, the cruel realisation hits, that after all that hard work, there are no carrots to eat.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishit72DKhHsm8XnW7DvyyaKaxDD0zFvHA6TnItTM7A3JMZDCTQYF3hMD-03tiHtCSMq159Fl7kQvLM_tVgHCyasK4_4JxKKsM9Ob0UWDgFBpyVDGbnHJFKEy8J8fTzVDn-fJ588YeSUI/s6240/IMG_4980.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishit72DKhHsm8XnW7DvyyaKaxDD0zFvHA6TnItTM7A3JMZDCTQYF3hMD-03tiHtCSMq159Fl7kQvLM_tVgHCyasK4_4JxKKsM9Ob0UWDgFBpyVDGbnHJFKEy8J8fTzVDn-fJ588YeSUI/w426-h640/IMG_4980.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">To ensure that a nice steady stream of seeds are sowed, wet ordinary paper, like from a notebook, rolling it into a cone with a narrow opening. Press the outside edge to seal while still wet so it won't unravel. Moistening the paper and letting it dry roughens up its texture, slowing down the flow of seeds. If any thinning is necessary, the late afternoon is the best time as the butterflies are not around too much at that time. Another approach is to cover the thinned seedlings with horticultural fleece for about a week so their scent would have dissipated. In addition to keeping them free of larvae, they like loose soil which is as stone/pebble free as possible. Our bed is spaded and forked well, but it is not obstruction free so the only variety that I have had any success with is <i>Carentan</i> which has a mid-length and stout top half. If its growth gets forked by a stone, there's still enough carrot for the pot. Keep in mind during the several weeks it takes for the seeds to germinate, the soil must be kept evenly moist. A hose nozzle that makes a fine mist is a way to water without bunching up the carefully spaced seeds. <span>Last year's harvest is still feeding us at the moment; I am guessing that it will supply about eighty percent of our annual needs. Hence just a few months of supermarket buying will suffice to get us to this season's harvest.</span><span> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5YO2b4wJcEFIGpcJBVqYS773pYbMRQknAbZceTd6iApguUO69z5G7U-KSy4pJswR2fpDk5GGxFVzXFcydVv5sq7h28yx60JymClDpqLYmjsqKl_gGhmpW-M9rxGuSq2jCR52m_iLAcg/s6240/IMG_4981.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5YO2b4wJcEFIGpcJBVqYS773pYbMRQknAbZceTd6iApguUO69z5G7U-KSy4pJswR2fpDk5GGxFVzXFcydVv5sq7h28yx60JymClDpqLYmjsqKl_gGhmpW-M9rxGuSq2jCR52m_iLAcg/w426-h640/IMG_4981.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span>Besides getting all the crops in before the solstice, I also try to get any desired cuttings from existing evergreen stock started. After getting dipped in growth hormone, planted in small pots, and thoroughly watered, they are drapped with clear plastic bags and kept under the pergola. When new growth is detected then they will be placed in the sun. If they do not reach nursery-bed transplantation size before winter, then they will go into the coldframe. All that condensation inside their little plastic homes is a comforting sight because it means until their roots form, they will still receive moisture through their leaves. A ton of laurel and heather cuttings already have been propagated leaving Leyland cypress, ivy, and rosemary to be done. Whew!</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUQbXjMp2LiF59Ic8-WSYjecyZhv9BzGLmk357QSV1M0KG7TMUO_mpovUYpSN_pTs5STXt_YMb3YnNDOWeS__d-t_v_JSAYzklVy9aClWdz_n1dEBaom1x7hElc_-ByOB9NgzbUzCaFM/s6240/IMG_4979.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUQbXjMp2LiF59Ic8-WSYjecyZhv9BzGLmk357QSV1M0KG7TMUO_mpovUYpSN_pTs5STXt_YMb3YnNDOWeS__d-t_v_JSAYzklVy9aClWdz_n1dEBaom1x7hElc_-ByOB9NgzbUzCaFM/w426-h640/IMG_4979.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">À la prochaine!</i></span></div></font></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-70885467735708265862020-06-04T11:35:00.003+02:002020-06-04T21:08:29.285+02:00Pasta with No-Cook Tuna Sauce <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><font face="georgia" size="4">The cookbook writer, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcella_Hazan">Marcella Hazan</a>, didn't just keep putting up with the dismal state of cooked tuna pasta sauce after noting the fish becomes tough with an unpleasant taste when heated like I did, but eventually blazed ahead, coming up with a scrumptious no-cook version which is stirred into hot pasta resulting in a creamy, warm concoction dominated by the luscious flavour and texture of tuna. I can't recommend this recipe enough. It's now my go-to meal when I am pressed, because it takes about fifteen minutes, uses ingredients often at hand, and is deliciously nutritious though its richness requires portion control. Fresh garlic and herbs brightens the dish both in taste and colour while the softened butter gives this sauce its unctuous consistency.</font></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><font face="georgia" size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu81BdNqgU2lI4uQyS4QPBocSDn5gGVDjKT13drT_9LPNfiGXHtf4ys_0PRVOaRn9EeeAL-aSe2b8RGa5VKQNjtjqC7aVSxoUuoarcOUr7MH5IrSKotC4q2BPzbHB9WyCi3Vd4dLZWT9g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu81BdNqgU2lI4uQyS4QPBocSDn5gGVDjKT13drT_9LPNfiGXHtf4ys_0PRVOaRn9EeeAL-aSe2b8RGa5VKQNjtjqC7aVSxoUuoarcOUr7MH5IrSKotC4q2BPzbHB9WyCi3Vd4dLZWT9g/w426-h640/IMG_4937.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Ingredients</font></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">adapted from <a href="https://food52.com/recipes/81962-marcella-hazan-tuna-pasta-recipe?utm_source=Instagram&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=Social">here</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">makes two servings (ingredients can be doubled except egg)</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Pasta (my choice was torti though Hazan's is fettuccine), dry, 60 g (two closed fists; for long pasta, the diameter of an American quarter X 2)</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Tuna, canned either in oil or water, 100 g (3.5 oz)</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Garlic, finely minced, 1/4 teaspoon (one small clove)</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Egg, 1, lightly beaten</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Butter, sweet, softened to room temperature, 22 g (1.5 T)</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Cream, heavy, 6 T</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Parmesan, freshly grated, 4 T</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Sorrel, fresh from our potager, a few small leaves (Hazan uses parlsey)</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Salt, table, for salting the water in which the pasta is boiled</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper</font></b></li><li><b><font face="georgia" size="4">Pasta water, a teaspoon or two</font></b></li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><font face="georgia" size="4">While the pasta is cooking in salted water, prepare the sauce. Put the drained tuna, minced garlic, beaten egg, softened butter, cream, and grated Parmesan in a mixing bowl.</font></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><font face="georgia" size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlxmuVdfT4J5GqBy8V5ixo8U75uy7HFu_SKflIbECVGQchLw_jKyLlrXiySifMkcnu5Eg0bS-Khf3fd-SS6V2yA5FuOcl8tRLGp1zf58KOHf-onlQ26qhO_r6oAXks0D0_L_op_95ZFg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlxmuVdfT4J5GqBy8V5ixo8U75uy7HFu_SKflIbECVGQchLw_jKyLlrXiySifMkcnu5Eg0bS-Khf3fd-SS6V2yA5FuOcl8tRLGp1zf58KOHf-onlQ26qhO_r6oAXks0D0_L_op_95ZFg/w426-h640/IMG_4923.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><font face="georgia" size="4">Mash everything well with a fork until creamy but still a bit grainy.</font></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VqSSPQKPvWD0aXHlbbUt8EUvMMW1C9ydUgPbW1KFZzfPTpSbZYl0z0FRRPfIZ__81qQAF-UFO0fsW5rsRT3whRxmv9bmT-e98eecm6R1-Y2ktPO8yxxAF4sFf3KnTjwCqaG2PUr8jq4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VqSSPQKPvWD0aXHlbbUt8EUvMMW1C9ydUgPbW1KFZzfPTpSbZYl0z0FRRPfIZ__81qQAF-UFO0fsW5rsRT3whRxmv9bmT-e98eecm6R1-Y2ktPO8yxxAF4sFf3KnTjwCqaG2PUr8jq4/w426-h640/IMG_4925.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Stack the sorrel, roll tightly, and slice thinly making a chiffonade or if using parlsey, mince finely. Drain pasta, reserving a bit of the water. Put pasta back in the pot and add the sauce, mixing well and folding in the chiffonade of sorrel or the parlsey. Dribble in the pasta water gradually, ensuring the desired consistency. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. Hazan recommends an additional sprinkle of cheese at the table, but I opted for fleur de sel. </span><font face="georgia" size="4">The sauce coats the torti with a velvety sheen while the sorrel adds a citrusy zing. Leftovers are best served at room temperature because after all this is a no-cook sauce!</font></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-DMLpbtxdw-ZsoonkV6y4eVGkU3e5lGAFVj8kKwSUNSy4HUEYs3edR3oCW1CEXpa3jcSuS3oMYLElQzulLlpBIjDPw7Qo_vP17XX2KFyImwtS9NFEZIBttg_7KHy7dXkyQ42l3tujOw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-DMLpbtxdw-ZsoonkV6y4eVGkU3e5lGAFVj8kKwSUNSy4HUEYs3edR3oCW1CEXpa3jcSuS3oMYLElQzulLlpBIjDPw7Qo_vP17XX2KFyImwtS9NFEZIBttg_7KHy7dXkyQ42l3tujOw/w426-h640/IMG_4943.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<i style="background-color: white;"><font face="georgia" size="4">À la prochaine!</font></i><br /><br /></div>
Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514229856596002702.post-14247194314419864322020-05-28T20:27:00.012+02:002020-05-29T13:57:23.930+02:00The Pea Whisperer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><font face="georgia">Growing garden peas is a mad (is there any other kind?) passion of mine. It has to be since growing them in southwest France with its long, hot summers which often begin mid-May pose a challenge of perfect timing. The crop needs cool temperatures but also around ten weeks from sowing to reach a maturity suitable for harvesting meaning those purty little seeds have to be in the ground by the first week in March so they can be plucked before the heat hits in earnest. But the soil temperature must be around 60 degrees F or else they will just sulk or rot or be nibbled by birds. Even if our climate provided a more generous growing window, harvesting them at the peak of sweetness would remain exacting. The pods can seem full and yet inside the peas can still be too small, therefore not yet developing the sugar which turns them into green candy. Or the converse, they are obviously too full, bulging with peas which marched right past their sweet glory into starchy stodginess. Thankfully, the pods are translucent when held up to the sun. If the peas are just touching each other, the pod goes into the basket. </font></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">This season I got in three beds of peas! Not the one or two I have been toying with the last ten years, but three whole whopping beds! </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzexfbdYptmgUXC-Bol2QSTQQs61gJcZJLHNvxxYbBKx8lHF6TBkFjMz3GaA1hEDLsPPegFFfwz0EcSrwEteYvYCvWLTwtBLUDSmoE4r1oCd4LMRkKP6FODr81WzTjffNCSFjLjSbxyLI/s1600/IMG_4864.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzexfbdYptmgUXC-Bol2QSTQQs61gJcZJLHNvxxYbBKx8lHF6TBkFjMz3GaA1hEDLsPPegFFfwz0EcSrwEteYvYCvWLTwtBLUDSmoE4r1oCd4LMRkKP6FODr81WzTjffNCSFjLjSbxyLI/s640/IMG_4864.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><font face="georgia">The pea variety beloved by me is the dwarf one. No staking is required and they can be eaten raw from the pod. The other common type is a vine sporting wrinkled peas that must be cooked before eating and also can be left to dry in their pods while still on the vines enabling them to be stored in the cupboard.</font></div><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jnJQVp-vq8YThq_bNbC2RxSKY4508MqMibTRvL_YnW_1oLE99P2VyWt-SQoFOBoSQdRQJ90QcBKhiwUA7r_Vt3HQ6AfmA62LJl9OMASy_rDveB45aECvoqtJV3Kh-ZYeycztjLdidCE/s1600/IMG_4878.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jnJQVp-vq8YThq_bNbC2RxSKY4508MqMibTRvL_YnW_1oLE99P2VyWt-SQoFOBoSQdRQJ90QcBKhiwUA7r_Vt3HQ6AfmA62LJl9OMASy_rDveB45aECvoqtJV3Kh-ZYeycztjLdidCE/s640/IMG_4878.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Best time to remove the pods from their plants (carefully detach them so as not to uproot the shallowly rooted, still producing mother lode) is in the cool, early morning. If they do have any residual field heat then they first will have a dunk in cold water before being dried, placed in a plastic bag, and put into the fridge awaiting processing which takes place within a week. Harvesting which lasts several weeks has to be done at least twice weekly to encourage more pods to form. In my three-bed case, I pick pods from one bed every day, rotating through the series of three. The total number of pods picked were fifteen litres which amounted, once shelled, to two and quarter litre of peas. Not any peas, but the most pampered, tenderest, sweetest ones, such that a smaller quantity than usual will pack a huge taste punch in our favourite dishes such as minestrone, chicken pot pie, shrimp fried rice, creamy shrimp pasta, and a side of peas and carrots to our pot roast of lamb leg. En bref, a little of these wonders go a long way. Ok, I am justifying my labour, but they are stupendous. I am guessing our harvest which has been frozen in appropriately sized ziplocked portions will last from four to six months. Processing consisted of boiling them in a large pot of water for two minutes and then shocking them in an iced bath. I spent a day in making the ice as there's only one small tray <i>chez nous</i>. Precious ice diamonds. Next time, I will freeze water in plastic containers and plop instead a few of those into the bath.</span><font face="georgia"><br /></font></span><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKyE0K3axymE8_tVL3Y_k8RfeKZqTtONfv_r1b_vX7AyzpZkXUoX2BSPQsTKxO9BE1aXS_FtfjtMcv4W_W8D4YKy91SL_aPvWSPFvX67ocVf_XTFG04HsJiJu2Dxo8tojkfDVJZ4ZxnE/s1600/IMG_4873.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKyE0K3axymE8_tVL3Y_k8RfeKZqTtONfv_r1b_vX7AyzpZkXUoX2BSPQsTKxO9BE1aXS_FtfjtMcv4W_W8D4YKy91SL_aPvWSPFvX67ocVf_XTFG04HsJiJu2Dxo8tojkfDVJZ4ZxnE/s640/IMG_4873.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">The shelling took place under our ivy-covered pergola.</span></div><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkLdj_fn4wEXSd5Ur9kZBS3fs0FyNnfP9yLa_WsCxxh-w-PR7kWcRR5zjw_we6cPIDAh27zzg_0Q0A67bpSyH41MgJXhqng22siIUT7hYBu7roD90X3u4xl4wKHAU_vfXFB2ArVE-2nQ/s1600/IMG_4867.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkLdj_fn4wEXSd5Ur9kZBS3fs0FyNnfP9yLa_WsCxxh-w-PR7kWcRR5zjw_we6cPIDAh27zzg_0Q0A67bpSyH41MgJXhqng22siIUT7hYBu7roD90X3u4xl4wKHAU_vfXFB2ArVE-2nQ/s640/IMG_4867.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">These are the kind of spent shells with which I can live.</span></div><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">The most common number of peas in a pod are about six to eight. Sometimes there a niner (as in the below photo) or even a tenner.</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQF0Ks-90t_5zLCKuhmOTwDq_y3NpsKv5P_L3y0zsAIOKsyD9cTRwf8WXovIiVWfiqIG5jE6eXW_V2N888j_u0jXFpQGaBGcFPRtVbJMS3tOe2ncEw3e7AEu1mL-yZd-sUo-5S3M7qxPQ/s1600/IMG_4882.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQF0Ks-90t_5zLCKuhmOTwDq_y3NpsKv5P_L3y0zsAIOKsyD9cTRwf8WXovIiVWfiqIG5jE6eXW_V2N888j_u0jXFpQGaBGcFPRtVbJMS3tOe2ncEw3e7AEu1mL-yZd-sUo-5S3M7qxPQ/s640/IMG_4882.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">When they become too mature, they lose their roundness and resemble a set of teeth or a row of corn kernels. The few overgrown ones reluctantly got discarded. Looking forward to spring pea madness in 2021, hoping for three beds again, and who knows, maybe four?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR4-Lx6kwBNKnnoKfKcWCDYRdTjnwtwzwoxPKNhecRfAV1HfX2GGEpHkFIVcqrgrZTX0SXY4HmgjClg9p1Akz57M83eiaL1mzP19yLWTRXiIfplur-KTVJmuVTvk87AZjsbrpcWYp-uI/s1600/IMG_4885.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR4-Lx6kwBNKnnoKfKcWCDYRdTjnwtwzwoxPKNhecRfAV1HfX2GGEpHkFIVcqrgrZTX0SXY4HmgjClg9p1Akz57M83eiaL1mzP19yLWTRXiIfplur-KTVJmuVTvk87AZjsbrpcWYp-uI/s640/IMG_4885.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white;"><font face="georgia">À la prochaine!</font></i></span></div></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Michelle Beisselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01278477713809914484noreply@blogger.com0