Maggie's Farm

Yum! Thank you, AP! Wonder if I can filch a cup from the stash the kids brought home to make their assorted sugar delivery platforms (Pie, jam).

They were none too thrilled with tonight's dinner (90 degrees and humid on the deck where I grill normally) so we were not in the mood for meat. Uncharacteristic.

Chinese Noodles with Peanut Sauce (serve cool):

Put equal parts of plain peanut butter (nothing added, just the nuts) and water in the microwave, till blendable.
Meanwhile boil up one pound of whole wheat spaghetti
Chop fresh garlic and ginger to taste and add to the hot peanut base.
Slosh in:
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 TBS or more of sesame oil
Many shakes of Tabasco
Soy sauce to taste
mustard
honey (you don't need it if using commercial Skippy which is plenty sweet)

Send a child to the garden to bring back some chives, and cilantro

Drain pasta, and put in large serving bowl, and toss with sauce.
Add nearly a whole bag frozen petite peas straight from the freezer (this chills the dish quickly)
Toss in chopped chives and cilantro and any other vegetable matter you think can get past the censors...er...veggie hating husband and children.
Let it sit for as long as possible for flavors to blend.

We had it with yellow plum cherry tomatoes, fresh cucumbers from the garden.

Kids thought it was not quite right (cilantro does not please everyone) but adults had seconds...

Skook, we have Melrose apples reddening on our semi dwarf tree in such abundance the branches are bending down (a few broken where fat raccoons climbed to filch). I am tempted to pick before they ripen because the raccoons and squirrels get every last ripe apple (I have several semi-dwarf trees that always produce and not anything for the humans, just fattening squirrels...).

Do you know if you really do get terribly sick from eating unripe apples? As I was solemnly warned as a kid? I was thinking of making pie. And maybe some applesauce and apple butter. But maybe if the animals aren't eating them yet, it's for good reason?

AP, I forgot to say that you should add cumin to the sauce. Your weather sounds like my previous two tomato-less summers.

Not to gloat, but this year we are having bumper crops of everything after a VERY early hot spring followed by cold for ages, then really hot and sunny. We had masses of broccoli and lettuce, and herbs and arugala during the cool. Right now masses of beans, cucumbers galore, zucchini (for some reason the squash bugs and mildew have barely touched them despite my usual organic.) CHerry tomatoes for several weeks now, and had Chinese eggplant before July 4th. Right now a week so far of great beefsteak tomatoes, huge cabbages, peppers almost ready, regular big eggplant.

Managed to get kids to admit that eggplant parmigiana was "actually quite tasty for a vegetable" but they will not touch my glorious tomatoes. They like the homemade pickles, and thought the yellow wax beans good.

We had quite severe rain water flooding this early spring, which probably brought some topsoil from the neighbor;s yard to help? The Nile syndrome... ALso, for once the tidal pond adjacent did not flood us several times this spring as it does most years (salting and killing my early veggie starts). I am mystified by the absence of the usual bugs and diseases. But grateful.

Buddy;the puppies were so alarmed by "the day after tomorrow" [sic?] with everything freezing. I used it to stress the quirkiness and unpredictability of nature. Human mind cannot fathom God's workings.

What I have observed over 20 years growing things in the same spots is greater extremes within seasons [even if averages have not changed that much].also we can plant earlier in spring and grow longer into fall.. This has diminished my Peonies and tulips and
led to more mildew and green algae. But also made it possible to harvest leeks, Brussels sprouts and parsley into January instead of til thanksgiving.

We never used to need AC except a few days here and there in summer. Now it is essential much of the time June thru October, but so expensive that we use window units so as to minimize the number of rooms to cool at a time.

The weird thing is that the place in the mountains is now at least 10 degrees hotter in summer and sometimes as hot as the winter cave gets. We flood more down south because water level seems higher and storms fiercer. Birddog will argue this point. I suspect his den was more prudently selected on higher ground. Then droughts.

Awed by anyone who can still earn a living farming, as opposed to my happy puttering with organic vegetables and roses.

Yup. Vista su@*#! Had to get puppies' new pc w it preloaded and we all loathe it. I am strictly Mac [prettier, more reliable, seamless music, photos,audible books etc.] Will occasionally use kids' pc because it has adobe photo 5. Don't otherwise mess w my photos except when you only get one shot in school auditorium. Would love to get an iPhone but am saving up to get youngest, fidgetty puppy a laptop to write stories and homework. on [fine motor probs handwriting and the school alphasmart "makes me look klike a dork!"howls mortified kid. Un-covered special ed expenses [one does what one can to help them pass for "typical"]. Adolescent w Asperger's...sigh..