Homemade Raspberry Syrup...organic!

Snow cones? Italian soda? Yes, please...!
The temperature has been hovering pretty consistently right around 100F degrees the last few weeks. It's officially summer. I'm officially thirsty. Water is my drink of choice with a bit of coffee thrown in for good measure. I gave up soda pop about 10 years ago. Yay...I'm proud of that! If you haven't given it up yet, you should!
Yet...with the heat comes a craving for something refreshing and quenching.

A couple of years ago I picked up this really adorable little snow cone maker...

I hadn't ever unpacked it. I was waiting until the Sprouts were old enough to enjoy it.  It was our turn to host monthly pizza night and I thought this might be a good time to unveil it. The Sprouts just turned 3 years old and it's really, really hot outside!
I started snooping around for some snow cone syrup. Sadly, everything I found was even worse than I could have imagined! Of course the usual HFCS and fake coloring were in everything available. But, even worse...some had really bizarre warnings that the ingredients weren't safe and made lab rats all weird and crazy. (That may or may not be completely accurate...although there really were weird warnings about the ingredients). There is no way I'm feeding this stuff to the Sprouts!

I decided I'd have to make my own syrup. Something with ingredients from my approved list. I put on my thinking cap and wondered the best way to make a simple syrup type of product that would be especially tasty and amazing.

Hubs and I dropped by our local farm stand to take a peek and see if we needed anything that wasn't growing in our square foot garden. We haven't built our boxes for strawberries yet or our future raspberry patch. Luckily, the farmer had just unloaded some organic raspberries! I happily purchased 2 containers of fresh raspberries. I decided that a lovely raspberry syrup would be just the ticket!

This was a complete experiment that went RIGHT! I gently washed the delicate raspberries and put them in a large cooking pot. I added 6 cups of filtered water and gently simmered them for about 35 minutes until they were soft and falling apart. I turned off the stove and let them cool for just a few minutes.

Mmmm...they smell really good while they simmer. I did moosh them up a bit after simmering to get all the tasty juice out of them. Then I poured it through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. The remaining solids went into my kitchen compost bowl.
Then, I poured the vibrant red liquid back into the cooking pot. I added 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2 cups of organic sugar.
Again...I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for about 15 minutes while stirring often. Usually a simple syrup recipe is one cup water to one cup sugar. I was hoping this would thicken into a syrup using more liquid than sugar. It did! It worked perfectly!
May I just say...it is unbelievably GOOD! The lemon just gives the raspberry a lovely fresh taste. This amount of sugar is not overly sweet but sweet enough to satisfy!

The little snow cone maker cranked out some awesome shaved ice. The Sprouts LOVED their snow cones. I felt okay about the ingredients. I question why we EVER stopped eating real food and started to eat fake sugar, colors and chemicals!!! Perplexing...
These simple ingredients created the absolute best snow cone syrup I have ever tasted. The color is beautiful and REAL!

It's thicky and drippy and delish! Of course it would be equally amazing made with blackberries or blueberries or strawberries. C'mon...just do it! Oh, the grown-ups at pizza night were equally impressed with the syrup! Actually...they thought it was AMAZING!

Keep the syrup in the fridge. I wouldn't keep it for more than a week...but let's be real...it's not going to last that long.

The day after pizza night a friend dropped by to help me make some exotic flavored vodkas! With yummy surprises from my garden. (I will talk about that at a later date) We indulged in a tart and tangy Italian soda! A shot of raspberry syrup topped off with sparkling water! I'm not lying when I say it's better than any soda pop you could buy...

I sincerely want you to try this! I want everyone to enjoy the pleasures of REAL food! I promise you won't be disappointed! Cheers...

Spring Rolls with Vietnamese Pickled Veggies...

Easy, easy, easy!!! Don't be intimidated by the idea of making your own fresh spring rolls! Seriously...jump right in...!
There is a local Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich joint that I just can't get enough of! Something about the combination of crunchy pickled veggies, crisp cilantro, spicy sauces and tender sweet glazed pork on a crusty baguette are just irresistible! This little shop also makes fresh daily spring rolls. I figured I could make a pretty authentic replica of the shrimp variety...
A couple of months ago I was inspired by this place to make my own Vietnamese pickled vegetables. I had planted some Daikon radish seeds in hopes of doing this. I wasn't sure if Daikon would grow well in my square foot garden. It was purely an act of planting faith.
Vietnamese pickled veggies sound so exotic...when really, it is just Daikon radishes and carrots pickled in a simple brine! My Daikons went crazy in the garden! They grew very fast and matured months ahead of my carrots. I had hoped I could make the pickled veggies with my own carrots. Instead, I had to buy a bag of tri-colored organic carrots for my project. I did a second planting of Daikons in anticipation of my carrot crop. Sadly, this crop didn't do what the first did! I'm not sure if they just preferred the colder weather of spring or the Sprout that helped me plant them didn't quite get the seeds in the square! :) ...

The perty Daikon radishes...
If you are interested....and, you should be!...there are numerous pickling recipes online. Just do a search on Vietnamese pickled vegetables...Oh...and, it's kind of true...the Daikon's do "emit" an odd fragrance. No worries...they don't taste bad at all and that smell dissipates when exposed to the air...

I am still soooo in love with my square foot garden and the harvest has been surprisingly HUGE! We are just barely into official summer and I have harvested lettuce for 8 weeks now. We still aren't tired of it and I will be sad when it's growing season comes to an end. Side note...it ruins you for eating store bought lettuce...
The challenge in using what is in season is really fun. I am always trying new things to use up the bounty! I thought I'd try my hand at spring rolls. A quick visit to the garden and I came up with the ingredients...

Carrots, green onions, sugar snap peas and radishes...

And, of course the lovely and plentiful lettuce!

These are easy to find in most any grocery store. I was a bit intimidated thinking they would be awkward to use and roll...they aren't! Super easy...

The mason jar has the pickled matchsticks of carrot and Daikon. I had to purchase some organic cilantro. I forgot to add it to the herb garden!

Of course I took the tails off the shrimp. I often wished I lived closer to an ocean! Although the fish market listed these as "fresh, never frozen" I'm not sure they could have made it all the way from India
and stayed "fresh" without being frozen...:/

I set up a little assembly line. My dinner plates are the perfect size for soaking the spring roll wrapper. I just filled the plate with warm water...luckily, my dinner plates have a lip on them!

I laid down a piece of parchment paper. I soaked the first wrapper. When it was ready, I threw in another wrapper for soaking. I quickly and easily assembled the spring roll. Lettuce leaves first, then the pickled veggies, radishes, onions, fresh carrots, shrimp and finally cilantro...The wrappers are not as delicate as they look. They don't tear or fall apart. Filling in the center, sides folded in and wrapped from the bottom! After the shrimp was all gone I continued to make veggie only spring rolls.

I wanted to WOW you with a beautiful plate full of spring rolls and garnished with sprigs of fresh mint leaves. Instead...we just ate these for dinner...

Okay...I also made this amazing peanut dipping sauce...but I made it from scratch and just kept adding stuff until it tasted good! Sorry, I can't provide an exact recipe.

I did use organic unsalted peanut butter, garlic, hot sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and this amazing local honey wine vinegar...it ended up tasting really good, but I did keep playing with it until I got it where I wanted! I think coconut milk would have been a good addition as well! Next time...

I plan to make these spring rolls throughout the summer and just use whatever springs up in the garden! Oh...and they were a BIG hit with the family!!! With or without the shrimp...

Pesto!

Ahhh...the joys of square foot gardening! I'm having so much fun this year with the new garden! It is absolutely beautiful and producing like crazy! Sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming. The produce is so lovely I don't want anything to go to waste! (When some goes to the chickens I don't consider that wasteful!) My self-inflicted challenge this year is to use as much as possible from the garden and experiment with lots of new ideas!
I planted some really random things this year. I have a goji berry bush, daikon radishes and edamame. I'm crossing my fingers they will grow and flourish in our climate and their little squares. So far I have harvested one planting of the daikon radishes! What a treat!

I can't stop taking pictures! I go out every morning to see how things look! I never get tired of it and I'm always amazed at how quickly things are growing! The pea plants have completely amped up in the last week and are covered with flowers and peas! (The peas are against the fence in this pic and now as high as the fence!)
I feel very indulged and blessed to go out in the morning and pick fresh spinach for our scrambled egg breakfast and again, visit in the evening and pick fresh peas to top our "catch of the day" salad for dinner! Bliss...

We've also planted a few odds and ends in containers around the garden...

A summer squash plant...(The bad birdies have been eating some of the squash blossoms!)

A container of wintergreen mint..It's thriving! I'm hoping to make throat lozenges at some point!

Um...a possible mis-step...Brussels sprouts that may or may not produce and are taking over their squares as well as several others!

Anyway...I LOVE pesto! Back in the day I thought it was so exotic and must be difficult to make. I used to purchase it in expensive little containers at specialty stores. A few years ago my "pretty much knows everything" daughter showed me how to make my own pesto! Yay...

I only planted 2 squares of arugula this year and put it in a wee bit late. It has a tendency to "bolt" quickly as soon as the weather heats up. I didn't want that to happen! I picked a bowl of tender and nutty arugula and decided to make pesto!

It's soooo easy! I really like how versatile pesto is. You can use so many different things! I plan to make a lot more as other herbs become available in my garden. I LOVE basil and pine nut pesto. Maybe my fav. But...this arugula pesto turned out great and I made it with the raw pecans I had on hand! I like how you can make several versions of pesto...each one equally tasty!

You really can't go wrong with nuts and garlic...

The finished product! The green is just so vibrant! I ended up freezing this batch (very freezer friendly!) and plan to use it at our monthly pizza night! You can also freeze smaller batches in ice cube trays and use it all winter! If you are freezing it just omit the Parmesan cheese until it's thawed and you are ready to use!

This is my "go to " recipe for pesto. Of course you can sub with almonds or pine nuts, basil, parsley, or spinach!

Garden Fresh Pesto

2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of nuts
1 or 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
2 cups of tightly packed fresh arugula, washed, dried and roughly chopped
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the garlic and nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the lemon juice and arugula and process until finely minced.
Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and process again until smooth.
Add the Parmesan with a final pulse. (unless freezing)

If you didn't get your garden in this year...don't be discouraged! All the local farmers markets are opening up! Go grab some lovely fresh produce!

Another Edible Schoolyard...

There isn't much that makes me happier than seeing an "edible schoolyard". I'm not really sure why EVERY school doesn't have an edible garden. Kids need to know where their food comes from. They need to be familiar with all the different varieties and options available. They need to play in the dirt and sunshine while planting and nurturing tender plants. They need to know about "real" food.

Alice Waters was a pioneer in bringing about an amazing edible schoolyard in California. Through hard work and determination she was able to turn a weeded eyesore of a schoolyard into an amazing edible garden. I highly recommend her beautiful book...

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_19122.cfm

I was so excited when our Sprouts started going to a pre-school with innovative vision and an edible garden. The school constructed garden boxes for each classroom to have their own. They also have garden boxes that the school chef plants and grows for preparing the meals for the children. In addition, parents can rent a box for the season and call it their own. The school provides a huge assortment of gardening tools, water, fertilizer, compost and soil. This amazing little garden is a work in progress and new things are added frequently. They built a garden classroom that looks out into the growing garden and fun structures.  So lovely...

I couldn't wait to see the garden box our Sprouts claimed and help them get it planned out and planted! I was pretty excited to be included! I'm proud of my offspring and the fact they want to teach the Sprouts about clean food and feed them accordingly!

The entrance to the edible schoolyard.

Picnic tables for enjoying a meal outside. This year the school even donated a huge variety of plants to help get everyone started. Even the birds are enjoying the garden!

A new addition. A pole tipi that will soon be covered in climbing beans. Adorable!

This will soon be a maze of growing plants. Note the compost piles in the distance.

Getting started...we planted seeds a few weeks ago which are just starting to sprout. Lettuce, radishes, carrots and spinach. Now it's finally warm enough to add some little plants.

Making some plans...decision, decisions!

We turned this container garden into a square foot garden by simply adding the square foot grid. As you can see...the Sprouts LOVE working in the garden!

Parents can drop off and pick up their kids and spend a few minutes tending or watering their gardens everyday. It is so easy and convenient and will yield some pretty amazing meals!

I hope one day this becomes standard in all schools. We owe it to our kids...

Beekeeping 101...

I've been a slacker blogger the last several weeks! There has been a lot going on at the ole urban farmstead around here. When spring started springing lots of projects popped up.
The square foot garden is just incredible right now. The cold weather crops did really well. Almost every night for the last couple of weeks I have been able to take a bowl outside and gather a salad for dinner! There is nothing like freshly picked veggies right outside your door. I have a few lettuce varieties, radishes and spinach. I can't believe how quickly it replenishes after I gently tear of several leaves from each of the plants. My second plantings came up sooner than I expected and I have an abundance of deliciousness.
I am working hard on the new compost pile. I am committed to wetting and turning it every few days. I now separate our recycle garbage into a new container I can use in the compost pile. What we send to the landfill gets smaller and smaller all the time. The compost pile will be an exercise in patience and I hope it will be successful!
But...now about those bees!
Our lovely new tenants arrived 3 weeks ago. They showed up a week earlier than we anticipated, and with 2 days notice, we were hustling to make them welcome and get their new digs ready for their arrival. We had read and studied and watched numerous videos on beekeeping. We felt completely overwhelmed and under prepared! It seemed as if there are as many beekeeping theories as there are beekeepers!
We did have a beautiful hive ready to go. We had a custom stand built for the hive. We had found what we hoped was the perfect spot to locate the hive. We had the ingredients to make a starter syrup for the hive until it warmed up a bit and the trees started to bloom in earnest.
Months earlier we had hooked up with a guy that promised to help us install our package of bees. We had purchased most of our beekeeping supplies from him as well as our bees. He was a great help and came through on all of his commitments and promises. Still...I felt completely unprepared for the reality of becoming beekeepers!
Two days before they arrived I got a phone call from a complete stranger. He informed me he would be bringing our bee package early that Saturday morning and helping us install it into the hive. I asked if he knew where we lived...he said, "yes"...
Saturday morning rolled around and "sure enough" this stranger pulled into our drive-way right on schedule. The day was balmy and a bit overcast. We were excited and a bit nervous and not completely sure where to start. This stranger (Steve) quickly became our friend and mentor. We weren't real clear on how it came about that Steve delivered our bees. I guess the quick answer is that he is passionate about bees, part of the local bee community and for the greater good of the bee population he offered to help our bee vendor with some installations.
I feel that the universe wants us to care for bees to the best of our ability and sent this amazing beekeeper to teach and help us in this endeavor. It turns out that we were under prepared. Not with supplies and proper equipment, but under prepared with knowledge! Steve ended up staying with us for almost 4 hours and was a wealth of help and information. We are ever grateful!

This is what is considered a "package" of bees. Steve gently sprayed them with a mixture of sugar and water to keep them calm and hydrated after their long truck ride. He came completely prepared with everything necessary to install a new hive.

Before installing the bees we wanted to make sure the spot we picked was appropriate. Steve gave his approval. This spot is next to our large natural pond (water source), faces southeast and has some shelter and shade from a tree.

This day we installed the bees had almost a surreal quality. The bees really have an interesting vibration and seem so in tune with the Earth. I have to admit that their arrival had an almost spiritual component. A serenity and calm that was unexpected.

This is our un-assembled hive.

A pollen patty. We gave a portion of this to the bees to help them get off to a good start. We will give them some again in the fall.

Steve kept telling us we really needed to start beekeeping with 2 hives! We weren't so sure about that. We also didn't know if it would even be possible to get another package of bees as they are all sold on a pre-ordered pre-paid basis. We decided to "think" about it!

Again...I can't say enough about how grateful we are that Steve showed up in our drive-way that Saturday morning. He continues to mentor us and share his vast beekeeping expertise.

Making the sugar syrup with pure organic cane sugar crystals and spring water. A ratio of 1 to 1.

We would need to let the bees settle in and check on them in a few days to make sure the "queen" got out of her little queen cage. She is secured inside by a marshmallow! The bees snack on the marshmallow while they get used to their new queen. When they have eaten it all they should all be friendly with each other!

The new beekeeper (Hubs) on his maiden beekeeping voyage! Going to make sure the queen is out and everyone is happy! There is a certain ceremonial quality to it all. The quiet, the calm, the costume, the fragrant smoke...bees are definitely sacred. We need to care for them...

Gently smoking the hive to calm the bees. Everything seemed great!

Yay...the queen cage is empty! Mission accomplished...

It was exciting to find the empty cage and make the first inspection of the hive...In fact...it was so exciting that Hubs decided we really should have a 2nd hive! He was able to track down a hive all ready to go and with the promise of another bee package. This package arrived the following Saturday and we were ready to go with the new hive and another custom hive stand.

Hubs did a great job installing this new package. A few shakes and the bees headed into their new home!

One of our beautiful golden Italian bees...We are pretty in love with beekeeping so far!

The second hive queen also successfully made her way out of her queen cage. The chickens decided to wander out to the hive with us to see what's up!

We still have soooo much to learn! Honestly, it still seems somewhat overwhelming...but, we have learned that the beekeeping community is pretty awesome and very willing to help. I can't wait to see where this journey takes us!