Saturday at the farmers market I bought two large bunches of fresh deep red beets. I tried new a pickled beet recipe with a few, made a soup to freeze with four more, stored the rest, and washed the leaves and stems for salads, quiches, and other recipes. Yesterday I searched online for a recipe to use red lentils and lots of beet greens while they were still fresh and crisp. There are many spices and herbs that help keep my inflammation under control so I've been dabbling with the Indian cuisine as those recipes use coriander, cumin, tumeric, ginger, garlic, etc. The Mung Dal (Moong Dal) with Beet Greens recipe sounded easy, delicious and would use up beet greens from three beets. Actually, I substituted red lentils for the split-yellow mung beans. When I find a recipe that intrigues me but calls for unusual ingredients, I order anything not found in our Ingles, on Jet.com or Amazon Prime. In the July issue of Consumer Reports, articles included online shopping, the new w
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A few weeks ago we made reservations in Wilmington, NC with plans to see the sights, walk the beach, and eat lots of seafood. Some days before our trip a tropical system formed in the gulf of Mexico and strengthened while we were in Wilmington. The reason for Wilmington was Cliff's desire to see the Battleship NC, one of the most highly decorated ships of World War II. We roamed the ship for about an hour-and-a-half stepping back in time trying to imagine what the men experienced. The 20 bakers worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off. The Bake Shop was a popular place because everyone liked sweets. In the sick bay there were 4 doctors, 3 dentists, and 1 pharmacist. Surgical area. What a horrid thought! The tour gave me a better understanding of what life was like aboard the ship. There was light rain the morning we toured which made it comfortable because by early afternoon humidity was heavy. After lunch we toured Airlie Gardens with its 67 acres of walk
Heavy grey clouds are building and thunder can be heard all around. This morning I dug up a few more yellowed potato plants before the afternoon storms soaked the clay. In March I planted one row of about fifteen blue potatoes and two other rows of Yukon golds. The blue potatoes taste the same as white. I like the fresh moist crunch when eaten raw. And since Barb's and Mike's retirement and relocation to Blairsville, GA last June, she and I have been trying new recipes and experimenting with new foods. The men are never quite sure of what we're cooking up. I had never used fennel in my cooking until I bought Dr. Weil's True Foods recipe book. Fennel, which is in the carrot family and is indigenous to the Mediterranean shores, has a sweet mild anise taste and the bulb can be sliced into salads and added to soups. The soft feathery fronds can be chopped and added as a topping to any meal and the stalks used like celery or chopped and fried like onions. Whi
Hearing thunder in the distance, I went to the garden and pulled the last of the lettuce, cut a bag full of Swiss chard, and stuck my finger in the carrot soil to check their size when a distant voice repeated, "Let them grow bigger! Let them grow bigger!" No garden carrots for supper tonight. We had oven baked cod with a mayo, Dijon, horseradish topping, the fresh picked garden Swiss chard sauteed in olive oil and garlic, and cauliflower with bagged store-bought diced carrots boiled in chicken broth. No pictures to post. We were hungry and ate everything! Tomorrow if it's not raining when I get home from the gym, I'll dig up more yellowed potato plants to see if the voles left any potatoes for us. And I'll check the carrots again. Sunday we drove to the Ocoee River in Tennessee again to watch the flood gates open and the river quickly rise. Families arrived with folding chairs, umbrellas, and coolers to spend the day watching the rafters. Some just sa
I woke in a somber humorless mood this morning because of poor sleep lately due to inflammation pain in my left wrist and fingers. There was very limited conversation during my breakfast of champions, oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter and ground flaxseed. I get somewhat miffed when the inflammation and pain lasts for more than a couple days. Then I become annoyed with myself for feeling irritated at the pain. If I can't get the inflammation under control in a few weeks, I may call my rheumatologist. Pulling out of our driveway on the way to the gym, I noticed a slight movement in the trees before this young doe came into sight. I stopped the Kia and waited. She stood watching me watch her. Then I slowly drove around the curve not knowing if she would run across the road to the other side of the woods. She moved a little further into the woods yet never took her big beautiful eyes off me. I rolled the passenger-side window down and in a gentle voice spoke to he
First little group of harvested carrots. I couldn't stand waiting any longer so pulled a few, washed them and ate them. Left the rest in the garden to grow a little more. We've had so much rain I was concerned about the potatoes and garlic rotting in the soil. A few days ago I dug the garlic and hung them in the garage where they'll dry for about six weeks. From the thirty garlic set last October, I harvested twenty-seven heads. This fall I'll do at least thirty again. Compared to other years, this year has had different challenges. I've only picked Colorado potato beetles a few times but found potato leaves yellowing and plants rotting. So I started harvesting the sad yellow potato plants. It'll be a sparse potato crop this year. Whatever doesn't produce, I'll buy at the Farmers Market. We bought local fresh picked strawberries, beet greens, and crunchy beans sprouts this morning at the market. Summer is a great time for eating fre
This morning after slathering my skin with Australian Blue Lizard sunscreen, I donned my farmer overalls and hat and headed to the garden to pull up the pea vines. I'm already thinking about a better way to grow the peas early next spring. Farmer outstanding in her field. The new pea pods and flowers are delicious on salads or on sandwiches so as I pulled up the vines, I trimmed the new growth and picked the last of the peas. Of course the peas are so crunchy and sweet freshly picked that I kept nibbling. This is what made it back to the kitchen. Early spring was hot and very dry. About mid-May we got into a cool rainy spell with many cloudy days. Without the sun, the tomatoes plant became thin and straggly. Potato leaves turned yellow and I fought with the bugs daily, calling them names before flicking them into a can of soapy water. Seeds that had been planted didn't germi