wcs

Tournesols

2009-07-17T08:30:00.011+02:00

Sunflowers. Summer is the time of year for sunflowers, and many of the farmers around our area plant whole fields of them. I believe that they're harvested for their seeds, which are processed to make oil. We use a lot of sunflower oil at our house.

It's really worth clicking on this photo to see it larger.

On Wednesday we were on our way to Vouvray to buy some wine and we passed several large fields of blooming sunflowers. Ken stopped the car so that I could snap a few photos. The flowers are a beautiful sight to see; fields full of brilliant yellow.

We notice that the farmers rotate their crops each year. One year they might plant sunflowers, the next corn, then colza, then maybe wheat or barley, and then back to sunflowers. And there are always some of each somewhere. It's a constantly changing show, year after year.

Acres and acres of sunflowers.

And while you might normally think of sunflowers as a Provençal crop in France (à la Van Gogh), they obviously do well up here in the Touraine region, too. In fact, like many of our neighbors, we planted a row of them in our garden. But ours haven't opened yet. I'll be sure to post pictures when they do.

And A Green Berry

2009-07-16T08:30:00.000+02:00

I really have no idea what this is. I don't recall what the flowers looked like that preceded these berries. The fruit is a little less than a centimeter in diameter.

Green berries.

These don't seem to be as abundant as other things out around the vines. It doesn't look like anything that I've seen people eat, so I'm thinking that the birds and deer get them. Of course, I could be completely wrong.

They may turn red later in the season, or not. I know they're not groseilles because they're too big, not to mention that the groseille season is pretty much over now. So the mystery remains, unless one of you recognizes them.

Bastille Day Garden Tour

2009-07-15T08:30:00.005+02:00

Something about holding the camera and pointing it towards me makes me look all puffy. Oh well. I can't complain. I'm still standing and able to move around, right? But enough about me. Here we go. This is what the vegetable garden is looking like right now:

How is your garden growing?

My Blackberry

2009-07-14T08:30:00.004+02:00

Although I'm having trouble getting it to connect to the internet. Oh well. I may just have to eat it. But seriously, folks...

Blackberry blossoms with fruit forming.

The blackberries that grow wild out around the edges of the vineyards and woods are in full flower now. Some even have fruit beginning to ripen. Great food for birds, deer, and intrepid humans willing to brave the thorns and bugs to pick berries.

Oh, and today is la fête nationale, know to us Americans as Bastille Day, in France. Our town, like many others, held its fireworks display last night. It's the last day of a four-day weekend, unless you are a juillettiste and are still on vacation.

Pink Flowers

2009-07-13T08:30:00.008+02:00

Here's another wildflower that is abundant in the vineyard during the summer months. And it's yet another wildflower whose name is unknown to me. The flowers close up overnight and re-open each morning.

Pink flowers opening in the morning light.

Our weather has taken a turn toward fall-like. It felt chilly the last few days and it's been very dry up until Sunday. We've been getting a flow from the northwest -- the North Atlantic -- that has chilled things down from the weeks-long heat of mid June.

High pressure is building up slowly from the south, but it's not yet strong enough to push the North Atlantic flow back up toward the British Isles and Scandinavia where it belongs. So here we sit, under the clouds. At least the temperatures are climbing back up. We're wearing shorts and t-shirts again.

This kind of weather is not unusual; it happens every year. The difference lies in how long it lasts.

Barbed Wire

2009-07-12T08:30:00.002+02:00

Yellow daisy-like flowers grow in the fields all around us. They're very common. These are growing on the edge of what was once used as a horse and donkey paddock out behind our house. The barbed wire encloses the paddock.

Yellow daisy-like flowers with multiple flower heads.

When we first moved here, the paddock's owners kept a horse and a donkey there. One day the horse disappeared. A couple years later, the donkey was gone, too. But we still hear the donkey braying (is that what donkeys do?) in the distance, so they must have moved him closer to their house.

Now the paddock grows wild. In other words, it's not being grazed any more. Once in a while someone will mow it down, so there are no shrubs or trees encroaching. But it's full of wildflowers, like these, and that makes it beautiful all summer long.

A Seed Pod

2009-07-11T08:30:00.005+02:00

I have no idea of the name of the plant that produces these black seed pods, but they are appearing around the vineyard right now.

Dark seed pods among the summer green.

The stems look similar to something called prêle, but I don't think that's what it is since the corresponding leaves are missing.

Whatever it's called, I think the contrast between all the summer green and the dark pods is quite nice.

Chicorée Sauvage

2009-07-10T08:30:00.001+02:00

Wild chicory. This stuff grows in all the fields around us. When they're not mowed down, that is. The blue flowers are spectacular and they just scream "summer" to me.

A bee visits a wild chicory flower on the vineyard's edge.

I remember wild chicory from my childhood in upstate New York and had pretty much forgotten about it during my time in California. When I noticed the tell-tale blue flowers here in France they brought back memories of those endless summers as a kid out in the country.

Lots of flowers spark memories for me. It's like how hearing an old song can transport you back in time. I remember goldenrod and Queen Anne's lace like that, too. Magnolias remind me of the days I lived in Washington, DC. And yuccas and cactus remind me of trips to southern California.

Do you have flower-related memories?

Vineyard Interlude

2009-07-09T08:30:00.006+02:00

As I mentioned earlier, last Saturday morning brought some high clouds and I carried the camera out in the vineyard to take advantage of the good light. I took photos of not only the clouds, but of some of the summer flowers that we're now seeing out among the vines.

The vines are being pruned back now to limit leaf growth and favor the grapes.

The next few posts will be of those images. In some cases, I've learned what the flowers and plants are called (mostly thanks to my readers). Otherwise, I haven't a clue. So I still appreciate your helping me out with their identification!

Blettes

2009-07-08T08:30:00.007+02:00

Silverbeet or Swiss chard. We've been talking an awful lot about chard lately. That's because this is the first year that we've planted it in our vegetable garden. It's been an undeniable success and we're eating batches and batches of the stuff.

Swiss chard growing in our garden. These leaves are about two feet tall.

It's real good cooked up and served like fresh spinach, but that's just the beginning. Ken has made it with a mustard-y cream sauce, which was very nice. I've baked it into an eggy quiche as well as a more chard-y tart. We used only the stems one time to make a tomato and cheese gratin.

On Monday, we stuffed chard leaves with a pork/beef/veal farce (stuffing) and poached them. I'm certain there will be photos of that on Ken's blog (and here they are).

And the plants continue to produce! We're in chard heaven. Add to that our frozen mustard greens and collards and you can see we'll be getting our minimum daily requirements of greens for some time to come.

Pole Beans

2009-07-07T08:30:00.004+02:00

This is the first year that we've tried pole beans in the garden. One year we tried runner beans when a British friend brought us some seeds. Usually we plant bush beans, either green or yellow.

Pole beans beginning their climb.

One of our readers, an American named Carolyn, was kind enough to send us some pole beans (as well as several tomato varieties) from a seed producer she likes. So into the garden they went this spring! Now they're up and climbing their poles and putting out blossoms.

Beautiful purple blossoms will lead to yummy beans.

I have five poles with three to four bean plants per pole. I can't wait to get our first crop. We already have our first yellow beans ready to pick, and we're still waiting on the limas.

Thanks, Carolyn, for the seeds!

Gone To Seed

2009-07-06T08:30:00.004+02:00

One year we planted coriander in our vegetable garden. We love the leaves, called cilantro in the US, for Asian and Mexican dishes. It grew great, but we quickly discovered the problem with this tasty herb: it goes to seed very, very quickly.

Our garden coriander is already in flower.

As the plant prepares to flower, the leaves it grows become very narrow and they loose some of the characteristic pungent flavor that the lower, broader leaves have.

The trick, therefore, is to plant successive crops, so that there is always some fresh coriander coming up. Of course, I haven't gotten it together to do this and I'm still relying on the volunteers that pop up in the garden every year from the previous year's seeds.

And they pop up in between the other vegetables that I'm growing. So this year I'm trying to pull out some of the coriander before it sets seed. I'll let some plants form seeds, but collect them rather than let them fall back into the garden. Then I'll plant them next year, hopefully using the successive planting strategy to ensure a longer, more useful harvest.

The best laid plans...

Look, Up In The Sky...

2009-07-05T08:30:00.006+02:00

No birds, no planes, and no sign of Superman. Still, the sky during my Saturday morning walk with Callie was amazing. We were under a layer of what I think were altocumulous clouds, and it was moving off.

The edge of the cloud mass over the vineyard.

I could see the edge of the cloud mass. While I was still in relative shadow, I watched the sunlight advancing toward me. It wasn't all that dramatic, but I thought it was pretty. Now, as I type this, the clouds are long gone and the unobstructed sunlight is heating up the day.

Clafoutis In July

2009-07-04T08:30:00.008+02:00

Cherry time is just about over. But for those willing, there are still cherries on some of the trees. The birds haven't yet finished them off. Many are way up high, but some are still reachable.

What may be the last clafoutis of the season.

Ken went out on Thursday and picked a basketful around the neighborhood (where we have permission or where the tree is abandoned). And I made the classic French dessert: clafoutis de cerises (klah-foo-tee duh sir-eez). This is our third or fourth one so far this year.

It's a very simple egg custard that you pour over the cherries and bake: three eggs, 125 grams sugar, 80 grams flour, 1/4 liter milk, a tablespoon of melted butter, and a dash of kirsch. Since we try to eat with the seasons, we only have cherry clafoutis at this time of year.

Such a treat!

Give Me Your Answer, Do

2009-07-03T08:30:00.005+02:00

At some point during the past week, when I wasn't looking, our stand of tall daisies burst into bloom. I must have missed the memo.

The daisies have come out!

They'll be beautiful for a couple of months, then they'll start to die back and I'll put off trimming them until late fall. This is a pattern of mine. But you will forgive me this, because I have wood to cut for the winter, and a humongous hedge to trim in the fall.

And the butterflies are enjoying the feast!

While the daisies are blooming, the show is quite nice. And the bees and butterflies love them. We've transplanted some with the hope of having a new stand out back by the fence. I think it'll take a few seasons to get what we want, but we have time.

A close-up.

The days are hot and long right now. It's very nice, and I'm resisting the temptation to complain about the heat. It's really not that hot, and the humidity is not oppressive. I know when this heat breaks I will miss it.

So we're taking it easy, not working too hard. And we're drinking plenty of fluids...

A Friendly Visit

2009-07-02T08:30:00.004+02:00

The latest guests on the "Deck of Fame" were Alana and her mom Sherrie on Tuesday evening. Ken became acquainted with Alana through the Slow Travel France forum where he participates regularly. She and Sherrie are spending two weeks in the Loire Valley and a week in Paris this summer.

Sherrie (left) and Alana. Don't they look like sisters?

Alana lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and they both enjoy traveling and France. You can read about some of their adventures on Alana's blog here. Sherrie lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest, just outside of Portland, Oregon.

It was a lot of fun getting to know them both and we enjoyed their visit. We had drinks out on the deck, as you can see, along with some olives and home-made hummus spread on toast. The evening was warm and the time went so quickly that before we knew it it was after eleven!

We hope they continue to enjoy their adventures in our region and have a great time in Paris next week!

Only The Shadow Knows

2009-07-01T08:30:00.002+02:00

So here's a lame post. I took yet another picture of my shadow. At least I know it's still with me, so I will stay forever young, like Peter Pan. Yeah, right.

Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning.

Here's hoping your shadow never gets away from you!

And Happy July!

The Corn Is Green

2009-06-30T08:30:00.009+02:00

We are excited about our sweet corn experiment. Ken brought back some seeds from the US in February and we planted them in our garden this past spring. About three quarters of the seeds came up and they seem to be doing well.

The corn is not quite as high as an elephant's eye. Yet.

We've noticed that the feed corn growing in fields around us is just about at the same height as our sweet corn (about a meter tall), and that's kind of encouraging. I know corn likes water, so we've got to make sure to give these a lot to drink.

Sweet corn is kind of an exotic thing here in France. French people tend to think of corn as animal feed. In fact, most of the corn grown in France is grown for feed. When they eat corn, it's usually in a salad, and when they buy corn, it comes in cans, rarely on the cob.

And our basil is coming along very well.

Ken spent a good deal of time on Monday morning weeding around these stalks. It sure would be great to have a few ears of crunchy sweet corn to eat later this summer!

And the basil that I've grown from seed is doing well, too. It loves the sunny weather, of course. I'm looking forward to tomato, basil, and mozzarella salads, along with a lot of pesto sauce for the freezer!

Cilantro And Spring Onions

2009-06-29T08:30:00.005+02:00

We are so happy this year to have a regrowth of cilantro, or coriander, from the plants that keep self-seeding themselves in what used to be the herb garden, along with a great mini-crop of spring onions. Ken brought the spring onion seeds back from the states in February, and they've grown wonderfully.

Sunday's harvest of cilantro (left) and spring onions (right).

Since we love to cook Asian and Mexican foods, both of these ingredients are welcome in our summer garden. It's hard to find them in supermarkets out here in the country. Sometimes we find some cilantro, fresh or frozen (gasp!). But it's very rare.

So now that we know we can grow each, depending on the year, depending on the weather, we are very happy boys.

Tomatillos

2009-06-28T08:30:00.002+02:00

This is the second year we've tried to grow the famed native American fruit that is related to the common tomato. Last year the weather sucked and we got a late start and the plants didn't do anything.

After the blossom fades, a paper lantern appears.

This year, the seedlings were healthy and strong, and the plants are going gangbusters out in the garden. Now we have a whole bunch of blossoms, and the fruit is starting to set.

One of our tomatillo plants. They get very large.

So we're hoping for a good crop with which to make some good old southwestern salsa this fall. It all depends on the weather from this point forward. As the fruit matures, we'll certainly keep taking pictures and posting them here.

Inside the lantern, the fruit grows.
When the paper browns and tears, it will be time to harvest.

Deck Repair, Part Two

2009-06-26T08:30:00.006+02:00

The deck work is done. Now we're cleaning and performing the water test. Once the old tiles were cleaned, the match between old and new is even better. So we're pretty happy about that.

All the middle tiles have been removed. Down to the original surface.

I still have half the deck to clean, but I've been watching tennis on tv and moving pretty slowly. We did pour some water on the new part of the deck and the puddling problem is pretty much gone. There is still, however, a little water incursion in one spot. We need some rain to see how bad it will actually get.

A leveling undercoat was put down.

In other news, we got our taxes done and submitted on Thursday. Nothing like waiting right up until the last minute, is there? And we need to head over to the bank to pick our our new ATM cards before our old ones expire on the 30th.

The new tiles, grouted in.

We also got the forms for our carte de séjour renewal. Ken's going to call the préfecture to ask them about the ten year cards before we actually send the paperwork back. This will be our sixth annual renewal, so we've been here long enough to qualify for the ten year card. We'll see how that goes.

Couscous Lunch, Part Two

2009-06-25T08:30:00.007+02:00

Also called "Merci Jean-Luc" for reasons that will become clear. At this point in the afternoon, we were all full of couscous, goat cheese, and our dessert of lemon tart that I made earlier in the morning. I didn't get any photos of that. It didn't last long. And we all had coffee.

Fortunately, those who were driving were very responsible and stopped drinking in plenty of time so as not to be hazards on the road. The rest of us stopped well before dark.

Couscous Lunch, Part One

2009-06-24T08:30:00.009+02:00

On Tuesday we welcomed our Australian friends from Preuilly, Susan and Simon, our neighbors Jean-Luc and Starr, the tile guy Jacques, and our house guest CHM, for a couscous lunch in our back yard. And here is the video proof of the fun we had.

Much wine was consumed. Like that's not obvious. There was an amazing mixture of French and English. Wow.

The weather was great, too.

So I owe you a couple of "part two's" don't I? They'll be coming along.

Deck Repair, Part One

2009-06-23T08:30:00.016+02:00

I've mentioned the problem we have with our terrasse or deck, I'm sure. But here's a recap: when we moved into the house in 2003, the deck was a mess. The concrete deck surface had been coated with a messy black tar in an attempt to seal it. On top of the tar was a layer of green astro-turf carpet-y stuff.

The deck before we cleared it (2003).

That, in turn, was covered with several sheets of plywood, several rotting tarps, and some bricks to weigh it all down. This whole mess was soggy and moldy, and the plywood was coming un-plied. And the deck still leaked when it got wet. We found this out after we dumped all the crap and washed the deck surface down. It leaked right into the garage below.

Some of the deck debris (2003).

Within two months of moving in, we had the deck re-waterproofed and tiled and thought that the problem was fixed only to find out, the next time it rained, that water collected in a puddle in front of the door that opens onto the living room. We tried to get the guy who did the tiling to come back and fix it, but the job was done "under the table," we paid him cash, and he had no intention of coming back.

Some of the astro-turf in a pile (2003).

We've lived with the puddle problem now for nearly six years. And since we had higher priorities for capital investments, we just resigned ourselves to sweeping the water puddle off the deck every time it rained.

The black tar stuff and the late Miss Collette (2003).

A few weeks ago we were having drinks with friends who routinely work with contractors and they mentioned to us that they know a great tile guy. So they hooked us up with him and we showed him le lac Terrasse. He gave us an estimate for breaking up the problem area and re-tiling it and we said ok.

Newly tiled deck (2003).

The building store where we got the first batch of tile in 2003 still carries the same stuff, so thankfully we don't have to have the whole deck re-done. The match between the six year old batch and the new stuff is pretty good, at least good enough for us.

Demolition under way (2009).

So the work started on Monday.

The Garden Tour, Part Deux

2009-06-22T08:30:00.009+02:00

So yes, I promised you another video of the vegetable garden. And here it is. I am not responsible for, well, ok, yes I am.

Ken and CHM both say that the me you see in this video is not the real me. I wonder who else it could be? Looks like me to me. What do you think?

I must say that, at the beginning when I say that "we are the twenty one June," well, that's just me mixing up English with French syntax. As I always say, I'm illiterate in two languages.

I must also say, if it is not evident, that a few glasses of wine were consumed just prior to the making of this video. And, as if that's not enough, I took the camera with me on my walk with Callie in the vineyard. You may well see the resulting video tour of the vineyard over the next few days.