Shameless Self Promotion!

My latest books came out in August and September. They may be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other major book sellers, as well as directly from the publisher Hatherleigh Press.

Taking Root

The meyer lemon tree (which is potted) had a small sprout near the base of the trunk. Needless to say, I didn't want it there so I carefully removed it. However, it looked like such the perfect little tree, that I put it into a small pot to see if it might just root as soon as I removed it from the trunk so the wound on the cutting would be fresh. (Although if necessary, the end can be snipped off again.)

Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but it is worth a try. I did try to give another piece a try earlier this summer, and it was doing fine  untill.....I forgot to bring it in during a few days of heavy rain, and it was so small, it drowned.

Do I actually need 2 lemon trees should this one take? Not really. But I can't resist the challenge. And if it is successful, then I can have 2 nice trees and lots of lemons.

A Brief Break to Deal with Coconuts!

At the property in Florida where my parents are, a big bunch of coconuts broke off with their branch.  Although they were really not ready to harvest,  we decided to give it a go anyway to see what we would get.

We didn't do too badly. Even at this early stage, we got a bit of coconut meat and coconut water.....all of which went into the freezer.

More Drying.......

Lots of drying going on here. This batch has a mix of green tomatoes and small ornamental peppers (which actually taste like bell pepper). The green tomatoes went into the dried tomato and bell pepper in oil mix while the ornamentals went into a good, dry container for future use.

The dried tomatoes in oil were so very good with my homemade feta cheese!

 

 

 

Drying is really a great way to preserve foods, especially if you have no space to store canned foods and/or are out of freezer space. Simply add water to rehydrate to a pliable form.

 

Seed Saving

Gathering and saving garlic chive seed.

Further Adventures in Cheese Making

As I said a few days ago, I began a quest to learn cheese making. Since there are no workshops on this subject where I am, I took it upon myself to teach myself. I've been learning a lot and having a blast as I do. I even created my own cheese recipe after a mistake making one cheese proved delicious in the end. And yes, I've replicated it!

Since the farmer cheese, I have since made feta as well, and was able to cut into my cheddar wheel (yum!). I even marinated some of my feta in oil and fresh herbs with some black olives (the only ingredient besides the oil that I did not grow or make) and some of my dried tomatoes, trying to replicate a feta mix that I love but have not been able to find any longer. I think I've hit it! (yay!)

While it should sit for a week or two, I couldn't resist and tried a piece after only a few days. It was soooo good. But it really does need to sit just a tad more.

Cheese Making

This season I decided to begin making cheese. I have actually been practicing with store purchased milk until I have gotten more comfortable with the process.

My first effort was farmer's cheese with garlic and dill. Very good crumbled onto salad or as a snack. It is a very easy cheese to make, creating the curds with vinegar.

Stay tuned for further efforts as well as some of the end results for this year's food drying.