Summer Garden: Week Seven

We planted a handful of pumpkin seeds this week; they're all coming up nicely. Hopefully they'll do better then our watermelon. The watermelon vine goes on forever, has plenty of blooms but not one fruit. Our strawberries suffered a similar fate; in the end we didn't get even half a dozen berries. Fortunately strawberries and watermelon are the only plants we've had problems with this summer. Everything* else is going great.


*Two varieties of eggplants, four varieties of tomatoes (two heirloom, two hybrid), green peppers, hot peppers, leeks, basil, mint, thyme and parsley. 

Homemade ice cream

When Oliver saw that YDFM had bags of fresh cherries he found his inspiration to make homemade ice cream. After roasting the fresh cherries on the stove top they were dropped into the blender with half & half, egg yokes, sugar and salt. From there everything went into the Kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment. Towards the end he added bits of toasted almond and chunks of dark chocolate. I don't normally like chocolate cherry ice cream - but this is stuff is perfection!


If you want to try it for yourself click here for the recipe. 

What's for dinner? Mojo chicken & brussel sprouts

Mojo chicken, brussel sprouts with cayenne pepper and a homegrown heirloom tomato. These midsummer nights, when it stays light so late, these nights are perfect for grilling.  We're making the most of them; hope you are too.

Fancy Beer Friday: Not a beer!

Today's Fancy Beer Friday isn't a beer at all; it's a cocktail. We were hoping to have a bomber of Stone Ruination's 10th Anniversary IPA in time for today's post - but car trouble and the holidays have intervened. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a bottle of this super hoppy beer on my way home from work tonight and feature this special IPA next week. 


For now: Mint Julips! Oliver's whiskey based drink is sweeter (and more drinkable) then most I've had. He makes his with whiskey, fresh mint from the garden and homemade simple syrup. This drink is perfect for a summer evening spent working in the garden. 


Happy Friday my friends!

Peachtree Road Race 2012

Meals from the garden

The weather may be outrageously hot, but it's still a wonderful time of year to have a vegetable garden. For us Sunday marked the beginning of BLT (bacon, lettuce & tomato) season. To make this season opening, mouthwateringly delicious, sandwich we picked tomatos from two of our heirloom plants. The sourdough bread was fresh from the H&F booth at the Grant Park Farmers Market. Bacon and lettuce from YDFM. This sandwich was PERFECTION! I'm looking foward to more throughout the season. 

For this evening's dinner we picked our two giant eggplants. They were mixed them with pole beans, small potatoes, red peppers, curry paste and coconut milk for a super spicey curry. 

I'd write more - but our Peachtree Road Race costumes are beckoning. I've decided to add pockets to my toga and the draw string in Oliver's Uncle Sam pants need mending. One more day til the big race! YAY! Keep an eye out for us if you plan to be there too.

Sunday morning at the Grant Park Farmers Market

Please take care in the heat!

Atlanta hit 105 yesterday. Our fingers are crossed that this heat wave will end before July 4th. If you have to be outside please take care. 


From the CDC: Several factors affect the body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather. When the humidity is high, sweat will not evaporate as quickly, preventing the body from releasing heat quickly. Other conditions related to risk include age, obesity, dehydration, heart disease, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use.


Tips:
1. Drink plenty of fluids
2. Replace salt and minerals lost to sweat
3. Wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen
4. Schedule outdoor activities carefully