Apples Galore

My mother-in-law, who lives just a few blocks away has one of the most majestic apple trees in the neighborhood.  It must be over 20 years old, and my mother-in-law admits it was the reason she bought the house.  It's the perfect climbing tree for the kids and even sports a tree swing. What's not to love about it? 

I will tell you what's not to love.  The hundreds of apples that fall from the tree daily and immediately begin to rot and turn to mush.  The man from the city who gives you a warning that if you don't clean up the apples you will get fined. 
So we have spent many a day helping our Granny out, picking up rotting apples, only to have them replaced with new fallen apples next day.  The upside is that we have gotten to pick lots of fresh apples too.  Not a bad deal.

     Martha Stewart's pie crust Pate Brisee with Bobby Flay's Apple Pie recipe. Although it was much easier, I don't I don't like this recipe as much as the recipe that sautes the apples in a little butter first.and reduces the juices. 
After so many pies this summer, I really am enjoying a good apple crumble more.  Cook's Illustrated has a great crumble recipe.  

Everything is peachy

This peach tree which was planted in the chicken yard 3 years ago, has grown so fast that the branches are bowed over and almost lay on the ground.  Early on in the season I tried removing the fruit so that they were all a hand's breadth apart. This should allow for bigger, healthier fruit. Looking at it now that the fruit is larger, I see that I wasn't very diligent.  There are many areas of clumps of fruit. I also failed to prune the tree, resulting in too much growth.  I read recently that if the branches are bowed too much it releases a hormone that prevents the tree from fruiting next year.  I was so excited at how much it had grown, I didn't want to prune it.  Ahh well, live and learn.   

In order to grow anything in the chicken yard I wrap chicken wire in large circle around the base to prevent the girls from scratching and killing the roots.  I have great luck growing anise hyssop, which smell wonderful and the hens don't like to eat.  As long as the base is protected it grows great. It is very drought tolerant as well. 
(The first photo is not from my garden, it's just a great shot of hyssop)

 



Those are the hyssops in the background, they have gotten quite a bit larger since this picture

Here you can see that these peaches are not a hand's breadth apart.  It is hard to tell from the photos but many of the peaches are tiny. 

There are still many big fat juicy ones though, just in time to start making peach pies!   I use Martha Stewart's wonderful Pate Brisee pie crust recipe and Cooks Illustrated's filling.  
First you blanch the peaches for easy peeling.  (This works amazing well.)  Then pit and slice them, and toss them with lemon juice sugar and a pinch of salt.  I used less than half the sugar and it still tasted a little on the sweet side.
Cooks Illustrated has tested out several ways to create the perfect filling, juicy but not too runny.  It tested flour, tapioca corn starch and potato starch added to the peaches for thickening.  They concluded that potato starch is by far the best with crushed tapioca second.  I didn't have any potato starch on hand and although it is not the same thing, I used potato flour. 

The photo does not do this pie justice.  It is amazing served warm with vanilla ice cream, or with a pinch of heavy cream drizzled over the top. Perfection! 

The moment we've all been waiting for.....

That's right, the long awaited San Maranzano's are ready. (and a brandywine or two). I spent the morning in the garden picking tomatoes and trying to manage the tangle of plants.  I cut out tons of the dreaded borage, tied up some slumping sunflowers,  and now can see what is in my raised beds.  
I picked over 5 lbs of San Maranzano's.

the

 This year we are slow roasting them (200 degrees for 12-12 hours) with a bit of olive oil, dried basil salt and garlic. Then they can be used for recipes or frozen for up to 6 months.  They fill the house with the most intoxicating aroma.  I also roasted mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini to toss over warm pasta for dinner tonight.  Unfortunately I got called into work tonight and won't be able to enjoy this with my family tonight, but I hope to enjoy these throughout the winter. 

....

Crazy Gardener

Fin peeping through tomatoes and sunflowers

I am obviously a more-is-better kind of gardener.  I can not seem to pull out anything that is green and alive including some weeds.  I love jungle feeling I get from a closely packed garden.  
A few weeks ago friends visited us from Tucson.  Dry, desert-y Tucson. When the family headed out to our back yard my friend turned to me and said concernedly "Diane, this looks like a crazy old woman's garden!"  
Not "Wow, what talented gardener created this lush garden?"  Not "Wow, what an abundance of fresh food you must have." 
Just a crazy old woman's garden.  Crazy?  Old?? 
Of course I went through the various stages of grief. Denial, anger, depression and then finally acceptance. Yes, perhaps my borage is a little bit out of control, and yes sunflowers and holly locks are coming up in the middle of the few walking paths are still passable, but they are flowers after all.    
Today when I made a scrambled egg on bread with thick slices of Brandywine tomato, mayo with fresh chives, I didn't care one smidgen about being a crazy old gardener.     

  

Borage.  Do not plant this plant unless you would like it around in abundance for years to come

                                   

Volunteer Holly Hocks

Raised beds with flowers around outside

                             

Everybody sews!

Although I love blogging, it really is a time sucker.  Unfortunately real life and work keep taking precedent, so it's been about three weeks since I have gotten around to this blog.  Even now I can hear the kids screaming and feel a little guilty for taking this time to download pictures and write frivolous things.
A few weeks ago, I had a bee in my bonnet to to sew.  
How can I get the machine out and sew and keep the boys entertained all at the same time?
My kids love technology and motors.  I sometimes forget that at the heart of this beautiful little Singer is a motor with pistons and moving parts and a an honest to goodness motor.  All I needed to do was get them interested in the machine (that took no time at all) ,  let them pick projects and promise to let them actually use it.  Viola! 

Asher picked a little pillow made from one of the few pieces of scrap fabric I have.  He loved pushing the pedal and watching the needle pump up and down.  He really loved the finished product! 
                               

Fin wasn't happy just sewing, he needed to take the lid off and see all the inner machination, that I had not even dreamed existed under there.  He decided on a quiver for his bows and I decided that I didn't need a pattern.  I used the left over fabric from my Amy Butler tunic.  It took a little longer than I would have liked, lots of modifications, with Fin insisting it didn't fit right, (this is the same kid who can only wear one pair of socks because the seems on every pair bug him)) but eventually we finished and he is using his quiver daily and showing off his archery skills.
I waited until everyone was in bed and got out the same fabric. I knew I wanted a tunic, but since i can't seem to follow patterns I decided to make it up as I went.  I used a favorite top as a guide.  I can see how having a form would have been very helpful.  It is a real pain to try on a top 25 times with pins sticking you in the sides and head. 
I finished it that night and have been wearing it faithfully since!  Not as cute as the Amy Butler tunic, but it fits a lot better and now I feel like I got a lot more use out of the fabric. 

Tomatoes Peppers and Chicks

First Brandy wine tomato of the season.  Unfortunately it got battered in the storm but still had the most exquisite taste ever.

Fairy Tale eggplant

San Maranzano tomato

Asher helping with the daily chicken maneuvers.

Things around Blackett Farm have been busy to say the least. My husband went out of town for the weekend, I worked some extra shifts, and the rain that I have been secretly praying for finally came.  
Boy did it come. Here in Colorado, weather does not joke around.  When it is dry, it is so dry the whole states practically self- combusts.  When it rains, the skies open up and the streets turn to raging rivers.  It is a great time to find out how well your raised beds drain.  Judging by the standing pools of water a day later, not very well.
The rains also brought those magical weeds that grow at an accelerated rate that no other plant on earth could ever achieve.
They also come out of the ground a heck of a lot easier than when it's bone dry, so we have been weeding like mad and cutting back the wild borage. That is one hardy plant.
We picked our first tomato, a little messy but incredible. My rite of summer is a succulent Brandy wine tomato thickly sliced with mayonnaise on fresh Italian or French bread bread. Other hardy whites will do but whole wheat doesn't seem to do them justice. Since I am of Italian Heritage, I wonder if I naturally don't tolerate whole wheat? That's what I tell myself anyway.
I found a beautiful cookbook from sunset Edible Garden Cookbook!  I can't wait for the eggplant.

Beating the heat

To avoid the heat we have been taking our walks early and stick to only the shadiest of routes. 

Our local pool which is conveniently situated 8 quiet blocks from our house, inconveniently doesn't open until 1 pm. This summer with temps near or above 100 for the last several weeks, I have been hard pressed to even leave the house, let alone take a long hike. 

We call these pretty ivory discs "moon plates", but I don't think that is the correct name.

 


 Well, I have finally finished my Amy Butler tunic.  It is way too small but for what it ended up costing I will squeeze myself into it if it suffocates me in the process. If I add in the cost of repairing my old Singer machine, 3 yards of this lovely fabric, an Amy Butler tunic pattern and 6 hours of lessons, (which was really money well spent) and these adorable vintage buttons, this little top is one of the most expensive things I own, next to my car and mountain bike.  I just might ask to be buried in it.

The staff from A Verb for Keeping Warm have vowed to try and make 25% of their wardrobe and I see from many blogs it is really catching on.  Ahh a new goal and reason to keep sewing!  Or I could donate all my tops but this and three others and be done with it!

On the bee front....
It has been so hot the bees have been bearding like mad.  I am concerned they might try and swarm again, which is supposedly certain death for them this late in the year.  I will take pictures tomorrow.