tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64695572290782387562009-07-16T09:41:56.628-07:00Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-3517155723032442452009-07-15T04:09:00.000-07:002009-07-15T04:09:00.576-07:00

I harvested my scapes yesterday and had the difficult task of deciding how best to use them - not because scapes are tricky to cook with but because there are so many tasty ways to prepare them. I didn't plant as much garlic as I should have and only have a handful of the curling tendrils. Oh! The humanity.Scapes are the flower stem and bud of garlic and have a mild and fresh garlic flavor.

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-25087365159514298832009-07-13T04:49:00.000-07:002009-07-13T04:57:48.724-07:00

I promised a review of the copper tape method of slug repelling. As you can see here, the slugs are staying on their side of the tape.Yes, my friends, I am pleased to report that the copper seems to work. I got three rolls from Lee Valley Tool and finally had sunny days to apply it to the raised beds. I watched this group of slugs climb up the box and as soon as they reached the tape layer

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-58881964133586231582009-07-10T03:32:00.000-07:002009-07-11T04:02:23.886-07:00

I got a bagful of scraps from my sister a week or so ago and my first project is a shirt based on this design by Alexis at My Mama Made It. I'm currently at the point of sewing the collar to the shirt, but I think I need to unpin it and stitch the binding on first.I like the colors that I'm using but the material itself is a knit fabric, so it doesn't hang the same as the cotton fabric that

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-34096914378630630972009-07-08T03:00:00.000-07:002009-07-09T03:22:47.018-07:00

On rainy days, there's nothing better than a scoop (or two) of fish pie to end the day. This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver and while I made some minor changes to his version - and don't eat mine with ketchup - this is still basically his dish.I never manage to get a picture of fish pie because it's always eaten before I remember to get the camera. I've borrowed this photo from Katie-Ella's

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-62710245381029455152009-07-06T04:56:00.000-07:002009-07-06T05:14:40.910-07:00

The slugs have certainly taken their toll on the garden and yesterday's inspection revealed that many things are simply going to have to be replanted.There are some things that just won't have enough time to grow between now and frost. Fortunately, lettuce isn't one of those things. The trouble with lettuce is that the seeds are just so miserably small. I can never tell how many seeds ended up

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-54831038740891012102009-07-05T07:28:00.001-07:002009-07-06T05:15:06.905-07:00

Yesterday was our big group birthday party for all of the family members with summer birthdays. We're all clumped right together in the same week, so it makes sense to have one birthday party on the 4th.I managed to finish the gifts for my sister and niece. It was a little dicey there for a bit and I'm hoping that I remember the pressure and get cracking on the presents for my little Buttercup.

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-68167329270835463342009-07-03T05:44:00.000-07:002009-07-03T06:04:39.014-07:00

Still finishing up my birthday present projects which I'll give away tomorrow and talk about next Friday so what else is on my project table? Well, on Tuesday, my parents showed up with a bunch of stuff from my sister. Among the tons of kid things was a garbage bag full of fabric scraps.Most of them are polyester knits and as you can see, they are mostly black but I'm working on some project

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-18456820326704032532009-07-01T06:54:00.000-07:002009-07-03T06:05:00.599-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } The big group birthday is Saturday and I'm in charge of cake and salad. I love the classic Fourth of July potato salad but this salad with shrimp and Israeli couscous is a bold alternative to the mayo covered

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-26615222054580889112009-06-29T06:34:00.000-07:002009-06-29T07:01:00.762-07:00

With all the rain, the garden has become a buffet for the slugs. I went out Saturday morning and the little blighters were everywhere. They have eaten most of the lettuce. They have eaten the radishes. They're slowly taking down the cabbage. They were all over the scallions. Now they're working on the peas.My beautiful peas which were so thick and lush back before the rains came are now

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-38518705794869288502009-06-28T06:40:00.000-07:002009-06-28T07:06:15.924-07:00

Apologies for no Friday craft post. I'm focused on birthday presents right now for people who have access to computers and know how to use them. Our family birthday party is next Saturday, so I'll have a late craft post then about those gifts. I am very pleased with myself, by the way.The last two days of no rain and occasional blue sky lulled me into a false sense of hope that I might

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-63091302564335850502009-06-24T12:06:00.000-07:002009-06-27T05:35:04.025-07:00

Today's a good morning for french toast. In my kitchen, this means cutting some thick slices of bread and sticking them in the toaster until they start to get crunchy on the surface. My egg batter is made up of two eggs and a cup to a cup and a half of milk, a spoonful or two of sugar, and healthy doses of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Once it's all whisked together, I soak the toast in it

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-26007485387459353692009-06-22T03:11:00.000-07:002009-06-22T14:53:52.870-07:00

[PHOTO of my soda bottle cloches just as soon as it stops raining]I was up at 5:30 this morning at the soft and delicate shrieks of my little Buttercup. The sky was starting to get light but since then it seems to have grown progressively darker. This makes day 19 or so of rain.I'm starting to get nervous about the seeds I planted last week. I realized this morning that I forgot to put the

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-79983183319147054732009-06-21T13:21:00.000-07:002009-06-21T13:34:48.935-07:00

There's been a lot of parts of luna moths around lately - mostly wings. I don't know if it's George or bats. This one is still in one piece and I did my best to grab some pictures before it fluttered into the night. I really have to make/scrounge/buy a tripod.I don't know if it's the rain or my own fickle heart, but I keep thinking of projects that would be really cool to do. What I need to

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-56598319250507246472009-06-19T10:25:00.001-07:002009-06-19T11:22:42.081-07:00

Yet another rainy, rainy day. While I'm waiting for my little Buttercup to finish her nap so we can run our errands, I thought I'd share one of my current projects with you.These are almost all the parts I need for my LED Booties. They are one of the two things I'm trying to get made for the baby for her birthday. I'm still missing the conductive thread and the battery, but I can certainly

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-54854844440648468402009-06-17T07:32:00.000-07:002009-06-17T07:32:00.951-07:00

I've been re-reading (for the millionth time) the Borderland series by Terri Windling, et al. They are such good books. I find myself wondering if they had been published in today's market where teen fantasy books can sell a bazillion copies, would they still be in print? Would new stories still be written? Would we have a franchise of movies to watch and complain about?Alas, the world will

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-31027039109894248102009-06-15T07:18:00.001-07:002009-06-15T07:31:50.535-07:00

It's just another rainy day here and while the weather is not so conducive to waking up, it does make for great picture-taking light.The flower beds are in some serious need of weeding and I've fallen behind in my planting over in the vegetable garden. This rain really needs to slow down soon! The iris are in full bloom though and look quite lovely. I didn't think we'd get any blooms this year

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-56974446546762210622009-06-02T06:47:00.000-07:002009-06-02T06:58:09.822-07:00

If you're going to have neighbors, get the kind that like to play with their tractors.It's convenient that my weekend falls on Tuesday and Wednesday since the rain in Maine falls mainly on the weekend. Sunday weather was pleasant long enough for my neighbor to come over with his tractor and make short work out of the lilac stump and an offending barberry bush. He also tilled the end of the

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-82044829245551058822009-05-30T09:55:00.000-07:002009-05-30T10:14:22.312-07:00

After the last few rainy days, it was really nice to throw open the windows and let the fresh air and sunshine in. I was sitting under one of these open windows when the most magical sound came floating in.Now, we have a lot of birds in this area and I know a lot of their songs. Chickadees, bluejays and robins are frequent enough visitors that I recognize their calls. Every once in a while,

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-43902623716426042672009-05-28T05:09:00.000-07:002009-05-28T12:08:20.587-07:00

Husband and I used to loved to go out to eat. Scratch that. Husband and I STILL love to go out to eat, we just don't get the opportunity to do it as often as we used to. It's a shame because although I love to cook, Portland has some really first-rate restaurants. If you're in the Portland area, I recommend the following (in alphabetical order). Click on any of the restaurant names to go to

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-77136080049056011792009-04-15T15:06:00.000-07:002009-05-28T04:09:33.158-07:00

Not a lot of time to talk about tonight's movie. Still need to post today's idea for my (mostly) Handmade Holiday blog. I'll just leave it that the Mummy is a fun ride and staring at Brenden Frasier and Oded Fehr for two hours ain't so hard either.The Mummy Wrapaka theI've Been Cursed and Falafel Sandwich1 (14oz) can chickpeas, drained1/4 cup chopped onion2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-78657741242281521902009-04-01T09:46:00.000-07:002009-05-28T04:10:11.646-07:00

Spanglish didn't get great reviews but it wasn't rated as Spawn bad, so I thought we'd give it a try for tonight's Dinner & A Movie. Thomas Keller was consulted on a sandwich that is made in the film and for me, that's enough to warrant a viewing.Spanglish SandwichFrom Thomas Keller and Food and Wine Magazine4 thick slices of bacon2 slices of Monterey Jack cheese2 thick slices of rustic white

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-73618237215627111682009-03-20T14:09:00.000-07:002009-05-28T04:10:50.550-07:00

It seems like it's been a few weeks since we've had a Dinner and a Movie night. Husband has yet to pull one off but it's not for lack of trying.Two weeks ago, he had picked out a comedy with Will Farrel and Emma Thompson and planned to make book-press sandwiches. He spent all week negotiating his Netflix queue so that the movie would arrive on time and just when we thought it would be perfect..

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-60472424992431631702009-03-11T07:45:00.001-07:002009-05-28T04:11:27.820-07:00

This was actually last Wednesday's Dinner & a Movie. Husband is having trouble getting his Netflix queue lined up right to get his movie choice here in time. Unfortunately, he's kind of picky about his movies, and won't just pick one off the shelf.I have no such reservations, so when last week's movie went astray, I grabbed Amelie and whipped up a French Bistro style meal with creme brulee for

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-85819392921094073652009-02-28T14:53:00.000-08:002009-02-28T15:00:25.535-08:00

I love Farmgirl Fare Susan's Breakfast Bars. I've made Blueberry and Strawberry and I've just eaten the last of the Harvest Fruit. Harvest fruit was apple, pear and cranberry. I'm only mentioning it because Harvest Fruit was really, really good and I want to remember it for next year.

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469557229078238756.post-36147095231181890162009-02-27T17:28:00.000-08:002009-02-28T16:08:42.797-08:00

After cleaning out the cupboards back around New Years, we had some interesting meals of things that had been hanging around for too long and needed to be eaten or thrown away. It got me thinking about what should be in my pantry at all times.Much like my heirloom cookbook post, this one will change as I think of new things.BakingFlourSugarBrown sugarConfectionary sugarSaltBaking powderBaking

Chris The Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14372445381170050692noreply@blogger.com0