We try to keep up with technology!
The world has turned 260 degrees since yesterday morning, and Ol’ Sol is shining brightly even though the outside temperature was in the 50s. We called Colleen, and New Hampshire was in the 80s; this Global Warming has got to stop!!
The week got started with a whimper! We went to Mary’s PT and Ralph’s Market for some necessities. We got Jan some turkey pinwheel sandwiches, and I dropped off a six-pack of non-alcoholic beer for Jan to keep cold for me. We visited for a while.
Arriving home, Mary made brunch, and we did some house cleaning before getting into the Grey Ghost for our first trip to Home Depot. We wanted some azaleas, a new tomato, strawberries, and soaker hoses.
What time is it? Pie time! When Becky and Dan came over and did the garden tour, Dan mentioned he loved blackberries, and I suggested that Mary make a blackberry pie, and we would take it to him. Well, we did just that!
How many grams of protein are in a blackberry pi? 3.14159265!
The blackberries were a mix of fresh ones and some frozen ones, originally from Oregon! The pie made the house smell fabulous!
I assisted the baker by doing the top crust with some designs. It was not fair; she captured the top of my head as it was unadorned with hair!
QUIET!! Artist at work!
The top needed sugar sprinkles and a butter wash so the crust would turn brown.
Today was “Pie Day” Mary sprinkled sugar on the top before entering the oven.
After the oven completed its task, the pie was ready to cool and be taken to Newport for personal delivery!
The masterpiece.
We meandered through the garden again before heading to Newport and observed that the Nasturtiums were in full bloom.
Nasturtium flowers can be frozen in ice cubes, blended into smoothies, or used to decorate cakes. Nasturtium flowers pair well with meats such as veal, poultry, fish, corned beef, and ham, shrimp; fruits such as bananas, blueberries, avocado, and tomatoes; scallions, radish, beets, leafy greens such as arugula, mesclun, baby spinach, oak-leaf, and red-leaf, potatoes, herbs such as chervil, dill, and tarragon, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and almonds. The flowers should not be picked until needed, but once picked, they will last up to two days when stored loosely in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
Our Nasturshims are ready to eat.
Further exploration revealed the Fava Beans were in total production, and the stems were loaded with the beans. Mary picked a large bag of beans, and we watched a movie while she prepared them. I chopped up the remains and put them in our pail for burying in the garden as the pods are high in nitrogen, and the worms have a field day with the remains.
Mary prepped the Fava Beans, and they turned out fantastic.
We pick the defunct leaves from the plants as we meander through the garden, and that’s why the garden always looks neat and ready for visitors!
We took an afternoon stroll in the garden.
The new strawberry baskets are phenomenal; no more bug bites, and the strawberries stay clean! We have 100 more on the potting bench, many of which we will install tomorrow.
The new strawberry racks are great!
Scout, The Wonder Dog, has perfected a method of looking like he is resting/sleeping, but in reality, he is supervising our visit to the garden. It must involve some mental telepathy; we are not sure.
We were under adult supervision the entire time.
Later in the afternoon, we went to Home Depot, got a replacement tomato, bought two new strawberries (we found some room), and a soaker hose for the crookneck squash! While there, we shopped for some patio furniture for the front yard patio, and we wanted another firepit built into the table. The rocker was also a swivel and was quite comfortable.
We are shopping again!
Returning home, I made a mice-meat pie for Vicky, who we will see tomorrow at Old Ranch. I go for a pre-op clearance with Dr. Rucker at 10:45 am, so we will call Vicky and meet her at Old Ranch at about noon. She will be surprised by the pie!
Irene will also join us for lunch; always a pleasant surprise!
Did You Know? Mincemeat was originally a medieval (England) sweet, spicy mixture of chopped (minced) lean meat (usually beef or beef tongue), suet, and fruit.
It was generally served as an entree. Gradually the meat content was reduced, and today the mixture contains nuts, dried fruit (raisins, apples, pears, citrus peel, etc.), beef suet, spices, and brandy or rum, but no beef.
Mincemeat is used primarily in pies and tarts. Mince pies date back to medieval times and possibly long before. They are descended from a huge pie baked on Christmas Eve containing chopped beef, suet, nuts, spices, and fruit, of which whole dried plums were vital.
The pie was baked initially open, but a crust was added to the top as time passed.
Yummy
We had a great dinner and watched a movie before heading to Newport for the pie delivery!
The iPhone buzzed, beeped, and made other disgusting noises as soon as we arrived home. I thought Scout was on the computer again! It was a text from Becky!
We have a gratified recipient! We are awaiting his in-depth review of the final result.
About to be devoured!
Upon returning home, we watched a movie and crashed for the evening.
