Freezing, drying, jamming & wining.

What to do about 1/2 case of apricots that I picked up at the final hour of Soulard Market for $5?

 Make 6 jars of jam

Freeze 1 tray.

1 full dehydrator.

1 batch, 1 gallon apricot wine brewing.

That's what you do. 

Fermentation:

I've been brewing a lot lately. I got this book True Brews and I like it. I've been messing around with ciders, wines, sodas and kombucha. I also just bought The Art of Fermentation, which is a very in depth look at the fermentation of just about everything (including meats). 

 First rack Sparkling Sour Cherry Wine

First batch= 9 bottles and a sample. Hard Cider from Apple Juice

Sweetened with Stevia

Kombucha (fermented tea)

Also presently brewing: Pineapple Brown Sugar Cider (tepache) and

sauerkraut. This is one, 3lb head of cabbage with salt and caraway seeds. I have the cup and saucer in there to submerge the kraut in it's own juicy brine.

Since I'm on food, I made this last week and it was a huge hit. Pita Pizzas. I baked pitas with smoked cheeses, jalapenos and green olives until bubbly and then topped with a salad of cucumber, red onion, avocada, tomato and romaine with a white wine vinaigrette. The recipe was modified from Fresh Food Fast, which is one of my fav cookbooks.

and Lemon Ricotta Blueberry Souffle' from the same cookbook

What's growing:

All of this rain is helping the maters grow quickly, although the very delayed spring and this crazy 70's and 80's (not complaining) are putting back ripening.

nasturtiums are loving the cool weather

 Alpine Strawberries

 Big Wet Kale

 Cow peas look great, but no blooms!

 lots of baby cucumbers

 Friariello di Napoli 

"famous frying pepper of Naples" from Baker's Creek Nursery

 Marconi Red

 Sweet Potatoes- Georgia Jet

 Patty pans

lots more to come

thought these lettuce flowers and hoverflies were lovely

 Blanketflower from seed

 Blephilia hirsute

 cactus collection

 Double Black Eyed Susan

 Double Daylilies, Canna & Red Monarda

again with Miscanthus & Burning Bush (that I really need to get rid of)

 Germander and

Gray Headed Coneflower

False Sunflower (below)

 Scarlet Honeysuckle

 Nigella (love in a mist) seed heads need harvesting

 Verbena

Zinna- Chippendale

This is a new variety for me. I really like the small size and diversity of patterns.

Parsnip seeds almost ready for harvest

Cats in the Garden

Nya and Murl = best friends

Nya in the garden

Slime molds move. 

True story.

Slime mold day 1

Slime mold day 2 (below)

Happy weather-that-feels-like-Spring in late June!