Jessica's Garden

Failed Baking

2010-07-13T07:59:00.000-04:00

Monday was a very normal day, and that's ok with me. It was hot and sunny, the mosquito's took over the garden in the evening, so other than digging potatoes and carrots, I didn't spend a lot of time outside. I've been avoiding repellent with deet in it, however, if the mossy's keep up all week, I will resort to an evening or two or real bug spray. I've been using a catnip oil that has been working well so far.

Raspberries have been at the market for about 2 weeks now, and I've been eating them non stop. Cereal is Kashi flakes and granola, lotsa raspberries!

I know I've said this, but I'm thrilled Ontario fruit is around. Morning fruit: One yellow, one red plum, one apricot.

Lunch again, my usual garden salad and english muffin with Laughing Cow cheese. I know this is a pretty boring lunch, but I just don't get tired of it.

Since the bugs were eating me like dinner, I thought I'd make some banana bread. I won't post the recipe, this was a fail as far as baking goes. The flavour is good, the texture is not, and I don't think it's cooked all the way in the middle. I ate 3 pieces anyway.

I had big plans for an awesome steak dinner, but as the bbq was heating up I ran out of propane. Steak on Tuesday it is! I ended up with the planned fresh dug potatoes and beans, with 2 microwaved Yves veggie dogs. Still tasty!

After dinner I had another piece of failed banana bread. You know, even failed baking isn't that bad.

Have a great Tuesday!

Jess

Back to Blogging

2010-07-12T08:03:00.000-04:00

Good Monday Morning!

I took a blogging break. Just didn't have time. The garden is weedy, my day job is busy, friends and family have been in the mix and I really couldn't get to it. But I'm back with a weekend market recap!

As always, the market was fabulous. I love it. There is an energy I can't find anywhere else.

The beets were fabulous this week. This is my best beet harvest. Beets used to seem so 'uncool', now I think they rock. The colours are amazing, vibrant, and I had so many compliments on them. I even heard one customer tell her friend, "this is the place to buy beets".

This is my vendor neighbor/friend Nancy. She owns a bakery and I get to stand next to unlimited butter tarts and pies every Saturday morning. They are SO hard to resist!

Have you heard of//seen/tried these bars? They're really good. I had a couple samples from a store in town a month or two ago, and saw them at Costco a few weeks back so bought a box. I REALLY like them. Tons of nuts. I've tried all 3 bars and like they equally. If you see them, and like nutty, hardy bars, I suggest giving them a try.

The rest of my day job career is smooth sailing from here on out. Not that it won't be a lot of work in the next 6 weeks, but I have 3 and 4 day weeks for the rest of the summer. The last week is a full week as I'll be training my superb (I hope!) replacement. In this mix of short weeks I have a vacation with my mom, a vacation with The Shepherd, visiting with friends, a night alone in the city...so much to do. I feel like I'm entering a transition phase of my life and I couldn't be more thrilled about it!

HAPPY MONDAY! ??

Jess

Heat Wave

2010-07-07T07:19:00.000-04:00

Thank you thank you thank you for all your sweet comments about my belly! Even though I feel like I'm doing well, some days it's still tough to watch the scale climb. Lucky for me, I have all of you to put a smile on my face, as well as The Shepherd, who compliments me several times a day. He's just the greatest. :)

Food has been tasty and average for 2 days.

Breakfasts have been Dorset cereal with wild raspberries. Their flavour is like no other, tart but sweet, tiny, yet crisp.

Snacks have been fresh apricots, cherries, Lara bars and smoothies!

Some decaf iced Americano's have cooled me off.

Lunch has been my usual salad and bread with laughing cow cheese and sashimi! You know it was Tuesday yesterday!

Random eating has been jelly beans from my coworkers desk.

And also triple chocolate ice cream.

The garden is growing so well.

I picked these carrots. They aren't huge, but I just couldn't wait any longer. There is a sweetness to fresh carrots, they always taste different to me than the carrots I buy at the grocery store. The red one's are especially sweet.

It was so hot after being in the garden I couldn't eat anything warm. All I wanted for dinner was salad. So I made a huge salad! Mixed greens, spinach, the above carrots, radish, peas, leftover cold beets, toasted pecans, more goat cheese than should be allowed, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I was stuffed.

I'm not complaining about the heat, I'll take this over snow any day, however, 3 or 4 degrees cooler would be nice. :)

Have a lovely day,

Jess

Market, Farm and Belly

2010-07-05T08:14:00.000-04:00

I hope all my Canadian friends enjoyed their day/days off last week and that my American friends had a great July 4th weekend! I'm assuming a lot of you have the day off today! ENJOY!

We had a great weekend! A great market, visit from my brother, dinner with friends, warm, sunny weather. It really doesn't get any better.

Here are the market shots. This is what my table looks like at 7am. As the morning goes on, I replenish what is bought until it runs out.

The market was a hit! I had SOOO many beets to sell! I can hardly believe I only have 3 more weeks left at the market this summer, and perhaps a bonus weekend or two in August. Bittersweet. I love this shot of the clean beets at home before wrapping/mixing them.

The Shepherd doesn't often come to visit at the market. He does his own thing. I'm a front line gal, he's a behind the scenes guy. Here we are at the market sitting on the tailgate of the truck.

My brother and his fiance came to visit Saturday after the market and for the evening. Mel is so sweet. This is her Canada Day cake. White cake and jello, cool whip and strawberries.

So good, and so nice.

Here are shots of us all feeding/watering 5 of the dogs. Happy dogs.

My brother and The Shepherd.

The Shepherd and I. :)

This is my squinty-eyed belly shot of 25 weeks. I feel like I'm doing pretty well!

Yesterday's highlight was wild raspberry picking! I managed to find 2 pints around the farm. Red and black berries. So tasty. Really small, really good. I had to stop myself from eating them all as I was picking.

Looks like it's going to be a hot hot hot week! I love it.

Enjoy every day.

Jess

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T07:11:00.000-04:00

6:30am on Thursday. When I have to be up early, I don't like it, but when I don't have to be up early, I love being up early. It's a relaxing time of day. The cat goes outside, I leisurely drink coffee and think of all the great things I could have for breakfast, then just have cereal because I love it.

Laundry is going, garden is waiting. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!!

Yesterday's breakfast was Kashi Flax...I know I've said this before, but I can never remember the exact name of this cereal. It was SO crunchy, it was uncomfortable to eat.

Looks like a Kashi-kind of day.

Cherries! I still have another day or two worth in the fridge, but they are getting to the point where the need to be eaten. Oh produce, why can't you last weeks and weeks so you never spoil?

Lunch was a great salad. Mixed greens, spinach, carrots, fresh peas and leftover beets. Goat cheese, pecans and balsamic vinegar. Super.

Something I've been forgetting to post is the food I eat after work. I ALWAYS have a snack. Usually a bit of granola bar or trail mix, dried fruit, maybe a handful of cereal, but I always have something. This week and last, I've been munching on this great fruit and nut mix. The raisins are huge, the almonds are plenty, it wasn't a cheap bag, but worth the $.

Even when we only have soup for dinner, I know by about noon what we're having. Today I forgot to plan dinner. ??? Quesadilla's to the rescue! WW tortillas I found in the freezer, spinach, red pepper, hot peppers, turkey kielbasa my dad left here on the weekend and cheddar. Pretty good spontaneous dinner. I'm not a spontaneous cooker at all.

Then, I seriously enjoyed some of this ice cream. It's like vanilla with a kick...and to top it off I added a hefty scoop of chocolate PB. The best bowl I've had in a looooooong time.

Again, Happy Canada Day! Enjoy your day off!

Jess

I Love Beets

2010-06-30T08:10:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope that you're all getting ready for a long weekend of National Birthday's! Ours is tomorrow, and I know the US's is Sunday. I hope we all have a patriotic and celebratory weekend!
Random snack pictures from the last few days:

I really do love beets. Sometimes I forget how much. I don't eat many of them through the winter, probably because in the summer we eat so many, we need a 6 month break!

Dinner 2 night ago was bbq steak, boiled new mini potatoes and steamed beets. I know it looks boring, but often to me, straight up food is better than when I do something fancy to it.

Dinner last night was leftover steak, more potatoes and a beet/goat cheese salad. It's simple. Steam and cool the beets. Peel beets. Cut in to quarters. Toast some pecans. Add pecans to the beets and some dried oregano. Then, goat cheese and a mix of balsamic vinegar and olive oil! YUM! Don't add the cheese and dressing until right before eating or the cheese will take on the colour of the vinegar and the beets!

Beets before being peeled:

Beets after being peeled:

There is no reason not to eat the skin/peel, except that they don't look as good. I only peel the beets when I'm using them cold.

Here is the first raspberry! (A little blurry, it was really windy) We aren't expecting many this year, but next year we should have a great harvest. If we get a couple of pints total this summer, we'll be happy. The Shepherd and I split it. Yes, split one raspberry. It was the most delicious berry I've had. Food always tastes better when you grow it yourself.

Don't forget to fill out the SURVEY for a free break product from Silver Hills Sprouted Bakery!

Have an awesome day everyone! It's my Friday again!

Jess

Silver Hills Bread - Coupon Freebee!

2010-06-29T07:54:00.000-04:00

I am camera-less today, so no food posts, however, something just as exciting!

The kind people at Silver Hills Sprouted Bakery were kind enough to send me some coupons. I have not yet tried the breads, but will be very soon!

In the meantime, they have been nice enough to offer ALL of my readers a coupon for 1 free bread product! All you have to do is take part in this short survey and you will get a coupon!

Silver Hills Survey

Their products look really great. Check out the website, fill out the survey, get your coupon!

I was thinking about this funny lamb pound cake the other day! LOL! It was so cute and so weird.

Have a great day!

Jess

I Love Produce

2010-06-28T08:03:00.001-04:00

Another great weekend. Aren't they all? Really, how can days off from work be bad when you're outside the entire time. At one point this weekend, I just sat in between my tomato rows for probably 30 min and watched the birds and bugs go by. Peaceful and quiet.
The market was good. My mom was with me so it was really fun. She's great at the market. Likes to chat with people as much as I do, gets excited for fresh cherries from Niagara, thinks that it's fabulous our market has so much support from the community.

Here is the spread. Big changes! haha...we had peas this weekend!!! A lot of peas, I think I sold almost 70 quarts.

Another great thing happened this weekend, the first beets are ready! I should have sold some, but mom was here Friday night, I wanted to get work done as fast as I could. These will make for a tasty dinner tonight! These are just what I picked for The Shepherd and I to eat in the next few days, there are so many beets ready just like these. I love coloured beets, so pretty.

I also thinned some carrots, so the carrots you see are just baby baby thinnings that I munched while walking around the farm.

I love produce

Have a great Monday!

Jess

Mid Week Eats

2010-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

A pretty regular day.

Breakfast was a mix of Kashi Go Lean and Kashi Go Lean Crunch. I like both of these cereals. I'm trying to use up a bunch of opened boxes. I think I have about 6 open boxes of cereal right now.

Mid morning I had a banana, and an apple Larabar.

Lunch was another great salad, with the same sandwich - Black Russian bread, turkey and laughing cow cheese. Tasty.

After work I picked peas. A lot of peas. Peas take a long time to pick like beans do.

Dinner was super as well. BBQ pork tenderloin, new baby potatoes and steamed beet greens. Simple, but The Shepherd told me I scored on this meal. :)

Later on, finally watching the last 30min of the Bachelorette, I had plain yogurt, a cereal mix and strawberries. I can't get enough of fresh strawberries. Blueberries are my favourite berry, but these are hands down better than any grocery store blueberry we have right now.

Have a lovely day everyone!
Jess

Ralph

2010-06-23T08:09:00.001-04:00

Our puppies have been officially named for a few weeks. Ralph and Potsy. We had a few names we were throwing around, but in the end, this is what The Shepherd decided. Ralph decided to follow us around for awhile last night, he's so sweet. He loves The Shepherd so much.

Breakfast was good. Take a guess!

In the morning were unpictured snacks while running around the office. An apple and a PB Larabar.

Lunch was a super toasted 1/2 sandwich on Black Russian bread with Laughing Cow cheese and turkey. Also a fresh salad with radishes and peas. Peas are so sweet fresh from the garden, it's the only time I'll eat them.

No afternoon snack today. Not necessary.

It was pouring rain, so I thought I'd make something a little more exciting for dinner than we've been having lately. Even The Shepherd commented that dinner has been a bit boring compared to our winter meals. I decided on a beet green and chicken risotto. I found the original recipe here: Risotto with Chicken and Beet Greens Stalker, but changed it up a bit to this.

Beet Green and Chicken Risotto

3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
Huge bunch of baby beets/beet greens
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic scapes, chopped
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound total), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.

Cut beets into 1/4-inch pieces and slice leaves thin. In a 4-quart heavy kettle cook onion and garlic scapes in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat until stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook until opaque, about 2 minutes. Add remaining oil and saute over moderately high heat, stirring, until leaves are wilted and any liquid is evaporated.

Add rice to chicken mixture and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Stir in about 1 cup broth and cook at a bare simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/3 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy looking but still al dente, 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and stir in vinegar, grated Parmesan, black pepper, and salt to taste.

With the risotto was salad very similar to lunch time. This was a beautiful meal.

Catching up on the Bachelorette, which I still keep falling asleep through (so is it really that good?), I had some plain yogurt, mixed up cereal and strawberries.

If I'm lucky, I bought enough berries to last until this coming Saturday.

Just a few shots I took around the farm last night. It was so nice out.

Jess

Garlic Scapes

2010-06-22T08:03:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd show you garlic scapes. Scapes are the seed head that a garlic plant puts out. I think it is really rare to try and grow garlic from seed, but still, every plant produces seed.

Early summer, garlic puts out it's seed head. It is a curly shoot out of the heart of the plant.

To harvest the scape, break it off close to the heart.

Most people that grow garlic will have scapes, but taking them to the market to sell is another thing. They don't make a lot of $, so I think a lot of people don't bother. They are great as fresh garlic, in salad dressing, soup, garlic pesto...etc. You can treat them like any other garlic. Ask at your market if the vendors have any. I've not ever seen them in a grocery store.

My day off yesterday was great. Some random food shots:

By far, the best bit of food yesterday was angel food cake, strawberries and whip cream. I could eat this for dinner.

This is a good shot of the work Bethoney and I did on Saturday afternoon. I like to lay straw down between my tomatoes. Too many weeds in too big of an area. This year, I have only about 200 tomatoes, so it wasn't AS important, but it still was a good thing to do. Last year, with about 600, there was no choice.

Have a great day everyone!

Jess

Still the Weekend

2010-06-21T06:22:00.000-04:00

Monday morning and it's still the weekend, vacation days are fabulous! I often wake up earlier on a weekend or day off than I do on a work day, I can't quite figure out why. Today the birds were chirping and the sun was rising at 5am, so I crawled out of bed around 5:15. Currently it's 5:30. Crazy, yes.

It was a great weekend! My very dear friend Bethoney was here and she helped me at the market, helped me in the garden and hung out when her bf arrived. It's always so great to see her, we laugh and laugh. Like we're still little girls, being silly and making up funny jokes.

The market was great as usual. I was SO close to having peas to sell! I wanted them to be ready so badly, I was willing them all week! Next weekend.

Here are the shots.

Bethoney and I.

Garlic Scapes, are you familiar with them?

The 4 of us had a very simple, but fabulous dinner. Bbq lamb sausage, beet greens and NEW potatoes! I look forward to the first day of new potatoes almost as much as my birthday! Potatoes were made with garlic scapes and green onions from the garden, butter, s&p, cooked on the bbq.

This photo cracks me up. Any other time, I'd not post it knowing it was some silly alcohol induced action shot, but not this time...no excuse. :)

And, a belly shot - 23 weeks. I liked this dress until I saw the photos. Not sure what I think now, wondering if it is not as flattering as I thought?

Have a great Monday everyone!

Jess

I Feel Pregnant! :)

2010-06-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

I finally feel pregnant. This is nice. I think I really felt that way for the first time a couple of days ago. I definitely look it now, especially in a tight tshirt, and I feel the baby move throughout the day. I had no idea it would be this amazing. I didn't have a clue what the baby moving would feel like, and I just didn't get it before. I think I'm starting to get it. This is really great.

Breakfast was Dorset cereal, the last of the strawberries and milk. I will be buying many many more of these on Saturday.

The rest of the day was grazing. I was busy with work and appointments, so here are the shots of what I ate throughout the day.

Then, a super vanilla blended latte from a small coffee shop in town.

I was on my own for dinner, so I had a big salad and a croissant with tons of spinach, turkey and cheddar cheese, grilled. Super dinner.

Later on, a nice bowl of butterscotch ice cream was enjoyed while catching up on the Bachelorette. I love that dumb show!

Bye for now!

Jess

Garden Tour

2010-06-16T08:14:00.000-04:00

It was another regular day, which is a good thing.

Breakfast used up the last of my berries.

Mid morning I had a banana,

And half a Larabar.

Lunch was Sashimi! Hooray! I just love it.

I don't think I ate in the afternoon at work, but once home, I had a big bowl of cereal and a key Lime Larabar. No photo.

Dinner was leftover stew and bread.

These two pictures I really like. It's The Shepherd, his dad and they guy that works for them. Checking out the cut hay to see if it's dry enough to bag. They look good, working together, thinking.

Here are garden photos from last night:

Freshly cultivated beans:

Peas, almost ready.

Garlic.

A beautiful 100 feet of hilled potatoes. That was a big job.

Carrots.

Some wacky looking beets.

Garden Shot:

Garden shot:

Have a great day,

Jess

Back to the Work Week

2010-06-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

A good regular day.

Breakfast was extra tasty, and I know it was because of the strawberries. They're almost gone, and it's still 5 days until the market to buy more! OH NO!

Mid morning I had 1/2 a Cliff bar left in my desk from Friday.

And a banana.

Lunch was boring. I like this lunch, but my taste buds were craving more. A salad and a wg english muffin with Laughing Cow Cheese.

A beautiful afternoon Gala apple. I almost always eat Gala apples.

I threw a bunch of stuff in the crock pot in the morning - lamb stewing meat, canned no-sodium diced tomatoes, beef stock, carrots, mushrooms, s&p. It turned out to be a great stew!

Served with this Country Baguette that I bought on Saturday.

We had a meeting in our village, and got home around 10pm. The Shepherd hadn't had dinner, and it's hard for me to watch someone else eat. So I had some yogurt, Kashi Go Lean and strawberries.

3 more work days until a 4 day weekend and a visit from one of my bff's!!!

Jess

Simple Weekend Recap

2010-06-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

Another great weekend. Aren't they always great? Worked Friday night at home, Market on Saturday, dinner with SIL and fam on Sat night, garden on Sunday morning and shopping/dinner out with The Shepherd on Sunday night. Fantastic.

The market was fun. Pouring rain, some small thunderstorms, but that doesn't stop the people from coming. We have a very good group of shoppers at our market, like the postman, rain or shine! Here are this weeks market photos!

Strawberries are finally in season here! So happy. The Shepherd and I ate so many this weekend! Sunday morning, he requested french toast. Wonderful. I bet I haven't had french toast in a year. I bought Cool Whip after the market Saturday, because the week's first berries deserve whip cream! Delish!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Jess

Beet Greens!

2010-06-11T07:58:00.001-04:00

I didn't post yesterday as my camera battery was left charging on the kitchen counter.

Yesterday I had breakfast. It doesn't look like I took a photo, but trust me when I say it was cereal and berries. :)

In the morning, I ate a muffin - more on this later.

Also an entire Cliff bar. I don't usually do this, but I was feeling SO hungry.

Lunch was a beautiful beet green and spinach salad. Added were a few radishes and shaved carrot with Italian dressing. So fresh.

With it, the usual wg english muffin and Laughing Cow cheese. I can't get enough of this cheese.

In the afternoon I ate cherries. A lot of them. I ate about half, then remembered the photo.

I made muffins the other day, the recipe is from Sweet and Savory - Blueberry Crunch Muffins. They were super. Not what I was expecting. They were dense, chewy, moist, and I’d say, one of my few baking successes. I changed a couple of things. I used sucanant, instead of brown sugar, and apple sauce instead of oil. These are great.

So, I ate one when I got home from work.

Beet greens are here for a short time. Beets need thinning, and who wants to throw away the thinned beets? Not me! They are like a delicacy. So soft, tender, amazing! I eat them fresh, like in the lunch salad, or steam them for about 3 min, then add some butter. The Shepherd loves vinegar on them as well. They last for such a short time, because I can’t pull all the beets, so the last 2 days, and hopefully just a few more, we’ll be munching on these beauties.

As you can see, this is a mix of all the varieties of beets I grow, red, pink, yellow.

With them, bbq chicken thigh and potatoes.

Then another muffin.

Have you had, or do you eat beet greens?
Have a great weekend everyone!
Jess

Bagging Hay

2010-06-09T08:06:00.000-04:00

Good Morning!

Yesterday we started bagging hay. In order to feed the sheep through the winter, we have to store a lot of feed for them. We don't have a silo, but bagging does pretty much the same thing. The hay ferments inside the bag, keeping it from spoiling, and it's easy access with a loader tractor in the winter.

A forage harvester picks up the cut hay in the field. I didn't take a photo of this.

Then, another tractor brings the wagon full of chopped hay to the bag/bagger.

It drops the hay on to a belt that loads it in to the bagger. The bagger packs the hay as it goes in the bag, and the tractor on the front is pushed ahead slowly as the bag fills. It is also this tractor that runs the bagger. Pretty neat I think.

At the end the bag is sealed and left that way. It takes at least a month before you can reopen the bag. I'll show you photos when the bag is full after the weekend.

Breakfast was usual at my house.

In the morning I had a Kashi bar and a piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie. How can this be resisted? Pie in the morning, good idea.

I was at home, so decided on 1 egg on a wg english muffin with cheddar.

In the afternoon I ate pictureless cherries and an apple.

No dinner photo, as it was simply veggie burgers in our work clothes on the veranda.

Have a great one!

Jess

Cutting Hay

2010-06-08T06:54:00.000-04:00

Monday was a nice day. The Shepherd was cutting hay. Cutting hay is like cutting grass in the way that it has the best aroma. It isn't the same as grass, it's sweeter, and it looks so clean and fresh. Plus, I always like seeing him in the tractor. :) Silly, but true.

I had a nice breakfast.

An apple early on - with a giant bruise. Do you eat the bruise? I don't.

This big bowl of cherries got me through the morning. I've had cherries the past couple weeks, they'r'e so tasty!

Lunch was a giant salad with almonds, cranberries, red pepper, carrots, lettuce. Some cottage cheese to round it out.

I ate this Cliff bar in several sessions throughout the afternoon.

Dinner was an omelette with spinach, red pepper, mushrooms and cheddar. Add a wg english muffin with butter and it's the perfect breakfast/dinner.

Plain yogurt, Kashi Go Lean Crunch and strawberries for dessert! I'm starting to get in to plain yogurt, this is new to me. Previously I've NEEDED flavour, but I'm realizing that fruit and cereal provide the flavour.
Have a great day!

Jess

Great Weekend!

2010-06-07T07:59:00.002-04:00

Another great weekend!
The market was fabulous! Busy, warm, sunny. It doesn’t get much better.

The market photos:

This is my new truck! Not new, obviously, but new to me. It’s my new market vehicle and I LOVE IT! My first vehicle was a truck, and I’ve always liked being up high. This is fun. It’s not practical to be driving every day – gas mileage, wear on an old vehicle, but I know in a few Saturday’s we’ll become good friends.

This is my friend and I at work on Friday. We often dress the same, or very similar, without planning it. Friday was pretty close so we took some photos.

Brown Rice Carob Squares. Have you ever had these before? They are soooo good. So good. I could eat 3 of them, then go in to a sugar coma.

I had several of these sandwiches on the weekend. I know it doesn’t look like much, but a toasted croissant, spinach, warm turkey and a little mayo – heaven in a sandwich. I think I had 3 of them in a couple days.

Last night we had an awesome Indian dinner. The samosa’s are purchased from an Indian woman at our market. I just reheated them in the oven. The curry I made, a beef bhuna. Really good. I just chose a website and went for it. It was rainy yesterday, so I had time to cook. I planned on making muffins, but the sun came out so I weeded through the evening. A few more good evenings of weeding, covering potatoes and planting squash, and I THINK I’ll feel a bit caught up!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Jess

I'm a Nurse!

2010-06-04T08:08:00.001-04:00

It was a fun day at work on Thursday. I don't say that often. I've been managing a team that is putting together a new Welcome Package for our new home care clients, and it was photoshoot day. I had so few volunteers, so I volunteered to put scrubs on the pretend to be a nurse. The shots were taken yesterday, it was all just fun.

On to butter tarts. Think of a pecan pie, and make it in to small tarts. Butter tarts traditionally don't have pecans, they'reeither plain or with raisins. Now we can get them with pecans or walnuts, sometimes coconut. They're just mini pies, and are so tasty you just can't resist. These are good, but home made are incredible. Especially if you find the right bakery with the right pastry.

I was also asked about the Black Russian bread a few times. I buy it at the farmers market from a lady who lives quite close to me. Here it is!

Breakfast yesterday was usual. I don't think you need a description.

I hand an apple and half of this Cliff bar in the morning.

Lunch was super. We have a restaurant in town that does soup. Just soup, just lunch. I got a bowl of potato soup, and with it came a small salad and too much bread. $6. Pretty impressed.

I was out to dinner with The Shepherd to an Asian-y restaurant. Had some noodles/yellow curry. Super. You'll see the leftovers in lunch.

A few close up garden shots:

Radish and spinach:

Little baby carrots...they grow up so fast.

Some beets, and some beets that SERIOUSLY need weeding this weekend. I think this is a beet emergency.

Spinach heading out. Must harvest it all tonight.

Swiss Chard.

Flowering peas.

Lots to do tomorrow night, harvesting for the market!
HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!

Jess

Happy Wednesday!

2010-06-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Morning all! Hope you're having a good week!
Breakfast - Dorset cereal, blueberries, skim milk. I do love cold cereal.

A camera shy apple in the morning.

Lunch was good. I had half a turkey sandwich with spinach on the Black Russian bread. The loaf is almost gone, I may have to buy another this weekend and continue with the sandwich making.

The salad was greens from my garden, peppers, radish and carrots. I used this 3 bean salad as well. I bought it at Costco on the weekend and had a little bit left, it's super!

In the afternoon I ate this Lara bar. It was the first time I've had it, and for once, something chocolate was not that good. I didn't care for this flavour, and probably won't buy it again.

Before heading out the garden, I had some cottage cheese and half a butter tart. The Shepherd sometimes buys them, and I can't resist! I end up eating halves or quarters at a time, but always end up eating the whole thing. I've been told butter tarts are a Canadian thing, US friends, do you have them?

The Shepherd suggested we go out to dinner. He said he had about 45min of work left to do. I stayed outside for about a half hour after that, and when I came in it was after 8:30pm! I had no idea! Going out was out, so I had some of my mom's chicken noodle soup in the fridge, heated it up and had it with the last of the bean salad.

The the other half of that butter tart!

Tonight, dinner with a friend and Sex and the City! It'll be fun, plus, she doesn't know I"m pregnant! I see her every few months, and have been wanting to tell her in person - CAN'T WAIT!

Jess

Tuesday's Eats

2010-06-01T08:03:00.000-04:00

First of all, thanks so much for all of your sweet comments yesterday about my belly photo! It's so strange watching your body grow without having control, and watching the numbers on the scale climb. I think I'm on track for healthy weight gain, still, some days it's hard to accept. SO THANK YOU LADIES!

The day started off right with my usual breakfast, insert strawberries for blueberries.

Mid morning I had the other half of this Cliff bar that was left in my desk from last week. Still good.

I also had the last of my cherries. I plowed through most of them on the weekend.

Lunch was a fabulous sandwich. Black Russian bread, a bit of mayo, spinach and turkey breast. Super. I don't eat a lot of sandwiches for lunch, and am always pleasantly surprised at how good they are.

I had packed this salad and laughing cow cheese to eat with the sandwich, but didn't get to it until mid afternoon.

Then I wanted sweet after the cheese, so an apple satisfied that.

At home before working outside, I had some cottage cheese and the last windmill cookie.

Dinner was leftover lasagna and a great salad. I won't get sick of salad. I love crunchy greens, the texture, the freshness. And I've become a radish lover this season!

After dinner, craving sweet again, I went for some vanilla yogurt, Kashi Go Lean and strawberries. Fell asleep on the couch about mid way through the Bachelorette. Is anyone else watching this?

Have a great day!
Jess

Super Weekend, Market, Garden, Me!

2010-05-31T08:16:00.000-04:00

What a fabulous weekend!

It started out Friday, with a fantastic ultrasound! Baby is growing the way it should be, all parts are there. :) I know the sex...but cannot tell. The Shepherd decided he wants a surprise, and good for him! But this means, I have a secret to keep for the next 5 months, and I'm good with that. We have a good agreement, and I'm good at secrets, so until October, my lips are sealed. I can hardly wait to see his face when the Dr. says, "it's a .....!". It'll be awesome.

This is me at 20 weeks. So funny for me to see this! Crazy!

Saturday the market was fantastic. It was so sunny, warm, happy. Here are a bunch of photos.

Sunday was a full work day at home. I got all 200 tomatoes planted, and did a lot of weeding and cultivating. The soil is ready to put in the cucumber, zucchini, squash and beans. Then, planting is finished for the season. I'll try take a bunch of photos of it all this week.

I really like this picture of The Shepherd and his dad weeding the raspberries. They're best friends. Really, his dad was the best man at our wedding. It's an amazing relationship.

Some good eats this weekend!

The strawberries are from southern Ontario. Not local, but still in the province. A few weeks and they’ll be ready here as well.

Another super lamb lasagna. Can I say, I make a good lasagna?

I always love this bread. It’s made by a lady just down the road from me. So thick, dense, really tasty. I’ll buy it several times this summer.

Have a great week everyone!

Jess

Winner - Simply in Season!!

2010-05-28T08:05:00.000-04:00

Winner Announced....by random number generator.....
Number 6 - Anne Marie from New Weigh of Life!
Anne Marie, send me your mailing address and I'll get the book out to you! HOORAY!

It was a good day. Breakfast was simply Kashi Go Lean, blueberries and milk.

An apple was enjoyed in the morning.

Also, half of this Cliff bar, one of my favs!!

Since it was a short week, I skipped Sashimi Tuesday and had Sashimi Thursday instead!

I ate some frozen fruit in the afternoon. I'm liking frozen fruit, like ice cubes on a hot day, but better.

I had another bowl of cereal when I got home from work.

The Shepherd and I both had late nights working at home, so it was a quick, easy dinner. Chicken noodle soup and a wg english muffin with provolone cheese, grilled.

Some unpictured caramel frozen yogurt after dinner.

Friday morning is a BIG ultrasound for us! I'm so excited to see if I can find out the sex, and to know if this little person is ok. Fingers crosses, prayers said...

Jess

Last Day to Enter!

2010-05-27T08:05:00.001-04:00

Thanks so much for all your comments on putting my gym membership on hold. I also talked to The Shepherd about this last night, and he agrees I'm getting ample exercise at home. He said if I'm not running anymore, what is the difference between going to the gym and doing my regular work at home? Nothing. So, today I'll bravely call the Y and save myself quite a bit of $ between now and ....???

I quite enjoyed the ceral mix the other day, so again I mixed. Dorset cereal, Kashi Go Lean, blueberries and skim milk. Oh...little fuzzy.

In the morning I had an apple:

And throughout the day, this Luna bar. I like Luna bars, almost like a chocolate bar. I just read on the package today that they are for women. Why is that?

I made a monster salad for lunch. Lettuce, spinach, radish, peppers, carrots and a lauging Cow cheese. After eating some of it, I realized I forgot to add the cranberries and walnuts. So, 2 photos, without the extras, then partially eaten, with the extras!

The Shepherd had been away fishing this past weekend, so we invited his parents over last night for a fish fry! No photos, but it was awesome. Fresh pearch, pickeral and pike, battered, fried in oil, potatoes done on the bbq and more salad. So great. Cookies and ice cream for dessert.

Here are more photos of tomatoes, peppers and the vines. They've been sunning the last few days and will be outside in the ground this weekend. They've been staring at the garden for days, so I know they're looking forward to feeding off that great soil out there! Yes, I'm crazy when it comes to my plants!

This is the last day to enter my SIMPLY IN SEASON giveaway! Tomorrow morning I'll announce a winner! Good luck!

Jess

Gym Membership on Hold?

2010-05-26T08:04:00.000-04:00

I'm considering putting my gym membership on hold until I'm ready to work out again after the baby is born. I'm not going a lot right now, twice a week max, and my intensity has slowed down so much. I'm getting a lot of exercise at home and go for a couple 10 min walks each day at work. Really, home is where I get my exercise. The only problem I have with not going to the gym is I don't get heart pumping cardio in. I work steady in my garden , lots of crouching (like squats) weeding, hand cultivating rows (almost like weights) and a ton of walking around the garden/barnyard/farm. I never sit down at home until dinner is finished and the sun goes down.

I'm more tired than usual as well. Not tired, I just need breaks more often, and get winded a lot quicker...this I've just noticed in the last 2 weeks. It is taking all of my energy to keep up with my garden/market/farm/job/husband/friends/family as it is - in a GOOD way! :).

So, just curious, what are your thoughts on cardio while prego? From what I describe, am I getting enough exercise in to not start gaining 'fat weight' - I am cool with some - do you think the cardio break is worth it...? I'm a bit torn.

On to my day.

Again, feeling a little crazy, I mixed Dorset cereal, Kashi Go Lean, blueberries and milk. I love cold cereal.

Throughout the day I ate this Coconut Cream Lara bar. It's the first time I've had it. I love coconut. The first few bites were great, and as I went on, it isn't my favourite, but it's good!

An apple:

Lunch was mom's leftover chicken soup and a great salad.

I had a sample bar from a store in town. The brand is Table of Nature, the type is Niagara Apple. It was good! Lots of nuts, but I have some jaw problems so it was a little too chewy for me. Only for that reason, otherwise it was great. I've not seen these bars in their full size.

I did a lot of weeding at home after a bowl of cereal.

Dinner was bbq chicken thighs and salad, I chopped up 2 thighs and had them with the salad.

This is the dressing I've been using lately, Renees Spring Herb Italian. A great summer dressing.

I had a couple of these cookies too. My mom and I saw them on the weekend, they’re cookies my grandma always used to have. We just call them windmill cookies. They’re a Dutch cookie, and my grandparents were from Belgium, so close enough.

It's going to be hot hot hot on Wednesday! I love that too!

One more day to enter my Simply in Season giveaway!

Jess

Not a Weekend Blogger

2010-05-25T07:58:00.000-04:00

Back after a long holiday weekend! I hope it was great for everyone! I had a great 3 days. My mom was visiting, we did a lot of farm work, shopping, eating out, super weekend.

I am not a weekend blogger. I wish I could be, but especially now with shining sun, warm weather and so much to do outside, I just can't do it.

The market was great again! People are realizing we're back outside and there were a lot of people. I took a lot more food than I have in the 2 previous weeks and it was gone faster than those 2 weeks! Here are the photos. I know they look the same, but I have the same food to sell right now.

I didn't take many food photos this weekend, but mom made a fabulous chicken orzo soup and brought it along. We had it with the lemon sheep milk cheese I bought a few weeks ago and some smoked salmon and crackers. Simple and "souper".

I had about 3 or more bowls of this beautiful looking ice cream this weekend! The sauce is strawberry that I made last summer.

I hope you're all having a great week so far, glad this is a short work week! Don't forget to enter my Simply in Season Giveaway!

Jess

Dogs and Garden

2010-05-21T08:14:00.001-04:00

Another great and sunny day! The warmest yet!

I was feeling crazy this morning, so I mixed some Kashi Flakes and Granola with my Dorset cereal.

I had a yummy smoothie in the morning. THIS is smoothie weather!

Also some cottage cheese.

Lunch was a fresh salad and leftover soup. Tasty, though soup is not as comforting when it's warm out.

I had half of this Cliff bar in the afternoon.

When I was digging leek tonight, I ate some peanuts and dried pineapple. Something about trail mix in the woods that just works, it's like camping I guess.

Dinner was more salad and some pizza - fast dinner.

These are shots of some of the dogs.

Sunee running through the field.

Rigger running through the barnyard.

The Shepherd trying to manage his 'flock' of dogs.

One of the puppies. I'm pretty sure their names are Barley and Hops. :)

Cadence and copper waiting for dinner. They're standing at the foot of a pasture.

Willow enjoying life.

Some shots of the sheep frolicking in the field.

And some shots of the garden growing!

Peas...

Spinach....

Leaf Lettuce....

Don't forget to enter my Simply in Season Giveaway!!!

Have a fabulous long weekend everyone!

Jess

100th Post and GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-05-20T08:04:00.001-04:00

HAPPY 100th POST TO ME! :) Post anniversary's sure come faster than birthdays, don't they? :)

New camera is doing a great job. It's the same as my old one, so no learning curve. I think it'll be funny if I find the one I lost when I'm out in the woods tonight.

Breakfast yesterday was usual, Dorset cereal, blueberries and milk.

I had an unpictured Lara bar in the morning.

Lunch was also usual..this must be getting boring. A salad and a wg english muffin with Laughing Cow Cheese.

I had an orange in the afternoon.

At home I had unpictured snacks. Some peanuts and dried pineapple while I was out in the garden.

Dinner was great, I love this soup. Knor Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato. It's a little chunky, really tasty. And, another wg english muffin, this time grilled with cheddar and spinach.

This is a pic of a tub of salad greens I picked tonight. I think it looks happy in the green tub.

These are the tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and cucumbers that have been growing under lights in my kitchen. Today they start hanging out outside for the day to harden off. Hopefully move them permanently outside early next week, and in the ground a week later!

To celebrate my 100th post, I thought I'd do a giveaway! I'd like to giveaway a copy of one of my favourite cookbooks, Simply in Season. It started out in Canada at a small church. The local ladies gathered their recipes and created a cookbook, only to have it rise to national fame. It lays out foods by season, though really, you can make any of the recipes any time. It's colourful, has really good fresh recipes, simple recipes. Soups, stews, breads, baked goods, I love this book.

To win, all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what you favourite thing to eat in season is and why. If you'd like a second entry, link this post on your blog, and let me know you've done so. I'll pick a winner next Thurday, May 27th!

That’s a wrap. Have a great day everyone!

Jess

New Camera!

2010-05-19T07:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I bought the same camera I lost. I like it, it's not expensive, I'm used to it, and it was pretty new already. It had it's initiation yesterday by taking a few photos.

See you tomorrow for regular posts!
Enjoy the sun today!

Jess

LOST CAMERA! Uh oh...

2010-05-18T07:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had the most comments I've had yet! 15! That number seems so huge. And, as we approach the 100th post, it's nice to see I have some readers. It makes it worth it.

Yesterday evening I went out hunting for more wild leek patches. I didn't find any more. Funny, in a 20 acre maple bush I can only find 2 little patches. I wonder why they're so selective where they grow?

During my walk, I lost my camera! AH! My own fault. I had it in a non zipper pocket and I was climbing over fallen trees and doing a little bush wacking through the thickest parts! This is the second camera I've lost in 6 months! So...today I'm going camera shopping. :)

Have a great day ladies, I'll be back in a day or two, or three....

Jess

Market Take 2

2010-05-17T08:10:00.000-04:00

It was another great day at the Saturday Market! I sold everything I brought, it was a little chilly early in the morning, but compared to the rain last week, it was beautiful. People were happy, vendors were happy, spring greens were everywhere.

Here are my market pictures.

I wasn’t able to sell the lettuce. I had it in the barn fridge overnight and it froze, must have been too cold. I’ll be checking the temp this week.

The wild leeks were a hit. Did you know they are also called Ramps? I didn’t, but a customer informed me, and I looked it up when I got home. Indeed, he was right!

Have you heard of Fifth Town Cheese? They are an artisan cheese shop in Prince Edward County in Ontario, one of my favourate places in the province. They produce sheep and goats milk cheese, it’s super. I was so thrilled to see they had set up a booth at our market.

I bought a non-pasteurized variety for my brother.

And a pasteurized for myself. I haven’t sampled this yet, I plan on buying some good smoked salmon and bread to have with it sometime this week or next weekend.

Sunday we planted 250 Saskatoon berries that will be a hedge/windbreak, hopefully by next year.

We made some pizza’s on the weekend and they were so great, I had to show them. Spinach, peppers, mushroom, hot pepper, turkey and mozza!

I had a good laugh at The Shepherds pizza, he couldn’t resist and took a bite right out of the oven! LOL!

Have a great week everyone!

Jess

I Am A Forager

2010-05-14T07:56:00.000-04:00

We're all so many different things, all at the same time. I'm a wife, daughter, friend, office worker, farmer, hobby cook, shopper, cat lover etc. Today I became something else. I am a forager! It was so great, light rain, but warm, out in the woods digging enough wild leek to sell at market on Saturday. I can't wait to show you a photo of them all tomorrow!!!

Breakfast:

Dorset cereal, blueberries, milk.

I had a great smoothie in the morning that I almost forgot to photo! I love the tropical mix fruit. I add extra frozen pineapple, if I close my eyes, I can imagine some vodka in it, a tropical beach and a burning sun on my face. :)

Lunch was similar to the other night, Moroccan Chicken. This is a photo from dinner the other night, but it was the same.

I had this great Cliff bar in the aftenoon! The WHOLE thing again! I don't usually eat it all, but it's SO chocolately, I couldn't resist.

Before foraging :), I had some peanuts. Quite liking peanuts lately.

Dinner was bbq pork tenderloin, more leftover couscous, asparagus and a salad from the greenhouse. I almost forgot to photo dinner too, so this a half eaten plate!

After dinner, more yogurt, raspberries and Kashi Go Lean Crunch.

Jess

Wild Leek Soup - Blah

2010-05-13T08:08:00.000-04:00

A really nice Sunny day!

I had a yummy bowl of Dorset cereal and blueberries for breakfast.

In the morning, I had an apple,

and some cottage cheese.

Lunch was a repeat of the usual, a salad - but this time I grew it! Minus the orange pepper.

And a wg english muffin with Lauging Cow Cheese.

I had an orange and a Key Lime Lara bar in the afternoon.

At home I ate the last of the banana bread and went out to do some work - mostly dig some wild leek for a soup I had been thinking about.

The soup was ok. I won't bother posting the recipe, because I wouldn't make it again. It was good, but I can do better. I used some wild leek, asparagus, spinach, chicken stock and s&p. I threw in some thyme too.

When it was finished, I wanted it a bit thicker, so I whisked in an egg.

The sandwich with it was the good part! A grilled croissant with turkey and provolone cheese! SUPER sandwich!

Some yogurt, cereal and berries after dinner, and I crashed hard again. I'm sleeping about 9 hours a night these days!

Jess

Tuesday

2010-05-12T08:11:00.001-04:00

Thanks a lot for your supportive comments about my day job yesterday. It's not that bad. I actually have it really good. Great hours, good pay, a fabulous boss and a ton of freedom. I need to remember how good I have it instead of focusing on the bad. I felt this way last spring too - spring fever I guess!

EDIT: I want to add - I'm having a hard time commenting on other blogs this morning! I've gave my computer 2 restarts, but everything keeps erroring! If I don't comment today, it doesn't mean I haven't read your blog!

Breakfast was Dorset cereal, blueberries and skim milk.

I enjoyed an apple in the morning. I hadn't had one since Friday and it was good!

Sashimi Lunch Tuesday!

I ate a tasty apple Lara bar in the afternoon.

At home, I had some peanuts before planting potatoes. Now that is a workout! Digging a trench, filling it, good work!

Dinner was Morrocan Chicken. I really like this. Served with ww couscous. YUM!

I had some ice cream after dinner that was camera hy and I crashed hard last night - maybe at 8:30pm.

Have a great day, thanks again for your support.

Jess

Wild Leek - What a Find!

2010-05-11T08:07:00.000-04:00

I took the day off yesterday...we'll call it a mental health day. Some days, it's so sunny and nice out, and the thought of sitting in a windowless office all day makes me feel ill. I just couldn't do it.

I didn't eat the greatest the last few days, I've not felt well mentally. Though I really am A.O.K. I'm really struggling to get through each day at my day job, I really just want to work at my home jobs. The Shepherd told me I should figure out a solid business plan so hopefully I really can be a full time farmer in a year or so. I think he's a smart guy.

A few shots.

Have you ever heard of wild leek? They are super. They taste like a very garlic-y onion, and grow in the woods in the spring. I have searched for them on our farm with no luck. Yesterday I was out for a hike and stumbled accross a HUGE patch! I'm going to call the market people today to see if I'd be able to sell them. I'm not sure of our rules. I didn't grow them, but I'll forage for them, so not sure if I'm allowed.

A lot of the sheep were let out to pasture this weekend. I love this sight. It's a fresh look, they seem happy, and the dogs are happy to have sheep outside to watch over.

The raspberries are starting to form leaves! It's been strange seeing 2 foot sticks just sticking out of the ground. We knew they would live, but you still wonder...

This is a pasta dish we had the other night. Sauteed apraragus and mushrooms, an alfredo sauce from the Food Network and twisty ww noodles. A great way to continue celebrating asparagus! Sideways...again?

Regular posts will resume..or not...life is busy but really enjoyable.

Jess

This Little Piggy Went to Market

2010-05-08T18:10:00.000-04:00

After much mental debate over the small amount of produce I had ready, and the inevitable cool temperatures and rain, I decided that despite these two things, I HAD to go to the market. After a taste on Wednesday, I couldn't hold myself back.

Friday night meant picking lettuce and spinach, and picking, washing and wrapping radishes. Here they are laid out after being washed, ready to bundle.

The market was a huge success. I knew I'd sell out early and guess what! I was the ONLY one with radishes! Return customers told me they were happy to see me, and I said the same. It's nice to know people haven't forgotten and that they looked forward to buying my food. It was great chatting with my vendor neighbours and feeling the energy. It rained all morning, but a tent and rainsuit was all that was needed.

Some photos from the morning.

My little table. It'll get bigger as the season goes on.

Spinach. I sell it in 300g bag.

The same with leaf lettuce. The Shepherds mom usually has way too much rhubarb, so she picks it for me to sell as well.

I brought some daffodils to fill the table.

It rained all day. After watching some lamb births I thought I'd make the banana bread Erica posted on Itzy's Kitchen. It's not her recipe, but you'll find the link to it here at One Frugal Foodie. I did add 1/4 cup raw sugar, and substituted the coconut oil for canola oil. I didn't add nuts or fruit. I took some out to the barns, The Shepherd, his dad and their worker thought it was great! I did too! You would never know this is a much healthier version of other banana bread recipes.

My first piece. How can you not melt butter on fresh warm bread?

It was a great great day. And it isn't over yet. Happy Saturday and Happy Weekend!

Jess

Food and Farming

2010-05-07T08:10:00.000-04:00

A pretty regular day. :) With asparagus. I feel so weird because I like it so much.

Breakfast was Dorset cereal, blueberries, skim milk. I don't see how I'll ever tire of this.

Apples are good.

So are sideways peanut butter Lara bars.

Lunch was the same as it has been lately, a wg english muffin, Laughing Cow cheese and a salad. This is probably the last salad with greens that I'll have to buy until later in the summer, mine are READY!

I had a tasty orange in the afternoon.

Once home, before working, I had some sideways cottage cheese and walnuts. Good combo!

I did some greenhouse work, some garden work too. I'm trying to decide if I should sell at the market Saturday. It's going to rain all day...but I'm worried if I leave radishes one more week they'll start to crack. I don't have a lot of experience with radishes, do any of you?

I also got my seed potatoes ready for planting next week. You need to cut the potatoes a few days early, to let the fresh flesh scab up a bit. You need to keep one eye on each piece, and let them grow just a little.

On Monday, I brought some radishes for the lady that brought me the gift. Funny we switched presents on the same day. I think they’re so pretty!

Dinner was a bbq pork tenderloin, potatoes and asparagus.

After dinner I had a Special K Chocolate Crunch bar. These are good. I like them when I need sweet, but don't want a lot of food. I forgot about the vanilla chocolate lamb until after, but there isn't a lot of that lamb left. :)

Lambing is great, we have about 60 new ones right now...about 3 or 400 to go. This girl is just a few days old with her mama.

On the weekend, The Shepherd said we should probably think of names for the last 2 puppies, that he thinks he wants to keep them! YAY! I wish they could stay this small forever! Now, we'll have 8 dogs, LOL! 8 DOGS!

And here is The Shepherd, looking proud in his barn. :) Love him.

Have a great day everyone!

Jess

Chocolate Lambs

2010-05-06T08:05:00.001-04:00

I am beyond excited! I can't explain the way I feel...market season is here. On Wednesday's, we have a downtown Farmers Market and it opened today. So, at lunch I drove down, as fast as I could to meet my Saturday vendor neighbor, Nicole. She is also a vendor on Wednedays. I'd heard Ontario asparagus was ready, and with $ in my hand I bounced up to Nicole's booth. Squeals of excitement and hugs later, I waltzed out with 2lbs of beautiful, crisp, fresh asparagus.

The feeling at the market to me, is like no other. The vendors, the energy they provide combined with the shoppers is so thrilling. The conversations about produce, baked goods, meat and eggs thrill me. I love how everyone is so into their food and curious about it's origin and growth. I can't wait to be behind my tables, under my tent selling.

YIPPEEE!!!

I had a rushed breakfast, Dorset cereal, skim milk and blueberries.

I was STARVING this morning. It's rare that I eat a whole Cliff bar at once, but really enjoyed a Black Cherry Almond. I forgot to photo. This is a really good bar.

And then an apple.

Lunch was very predictable, a wg english muffin with Laughing Cow cheese and a great salad. I'm just not having time to cook lavish meals right now.

I had another apple after lunch - Hungry today!

I had some appointments after work and didn't get home until 8pm, so dinner was fast. Good 'ol Lipton chicken noodle soup with cheddar cheese...memories from my childhood.

And a great bit of asparagus. DELICIOUS! I thought I took a photo, but with the excitement of eating, I must have forgot.

After dinner some yogurt, brown rice puffs and blueberries. I also ate a few handfuls of almonds and some soda crackers, really had the munchies tonight.

I got a really sweet gift today from a lady I work with. She is my veggie/garden friend at work – the woman who recently gave me the duck eggs. She said she had figured out awhile ago that I was pregnant and had been saving this – a while chocolate lamb. It’s little gifts, unexpected gifts like this that really touch my heart.

Here is a shot of some of the tomatoes, looking good!

2 days until the weekend - YIPPEE!

Jess

Great Spring Evening

2010-05-05T08:12:00.001-04:00

A great evening!
But beginning with breakfast!

Dorset cereal, blueberries, skim milk.

Morning hosted a great mixed fruit smoothie with milk and OJ.

As well as a super ripe plum. I am pumped that in a few short months our Ontario yellow plums will be bursting at the market!

For lunch, as usual, Sashimi Tuesday.

In the afternoon I was craving chocolate, so went down to a small store and got a carob brown rice crunch square. These things are so tasty! I could eat three, then go in to a sugar coma, so I quit at one.

I ate a bunch of peanuts when I got home. I don't give peanuts enough credit, they are good!

The evening was awesome! I planted a lot of beets. Probably enough for the summer. Spinach as well, and got another 100 foot row ready to plant in later this week. I spent some time in the greenhouse as well.

Lambing has begun again! It's great, however, with trying to get land work done, The Shepherd is extremely busy! I made grilled cheese and took it out to the field for him for dinner, fed the dogs, it was gorgeous outside! The wild apple trees in the back pasture are blooming and they smell amazing, I wish I had my camera with me. It was one of those warm, peaceful fall evenings that feel alive, but calm.

I got in around 8pm and wasn't up to cooking, so had breakfast for dinner. Yogurt, some brown rice puffs, Kashi Go Lean and a bit of The Shepherds granola. It was good, satisfying and just enough food.

I need veggies tomorrow!

Have a good one ladies,
Jess

New Pilates Class

2010-05-04T08:08:00.001-04:00

A pretty good Monday.

Started out with vanilla yogurt, Kashi Flax...I can never remember the name of this cereal, and blueberries. Tasty!

In the morning, I had a mix of dragon fruit, mango and passion fruit.

Later, half of an apple Lara bar. I know I said I'm not buying Lara bars anymore. Well, Costco had a great deal, and they really ARE good...and I don't have time to be making my own right now, so I will be buying them. I like them.

My lunches have been a bit boring and repetitive, but tasty. A wg english muffin, toasted with Laughing Cow cheese, and a salad. I do enjoy this lunch.

In the afternoon I ate the other half of the Lara bar and some cottage cheese.

After my usual workout, I started a new class. Prenatal Pilates. All I can say is totally dissapointing. I wasn't expecting the same workout as my core classes, I went in with what I thought were realistic expectations, but I could have got the same workout doing a few stretches on my living room floor and walking around the house a couple of times. I will give it a few more weeks.

Has anyone done a prenatal pilates class? What did you think? Can you tell me about it if you did?

After class I had a pumpkin pie Kashi bar.

Dinner was a bit boring too, an Yves veggie burger, no bun, spinach, hot peppers and zucchini relish.

Then, I crashed on the couch...but not before a great bowl of chocolate frozen yogurt.

Jess

Grilling and Fruit!

2010-05-03T08:19:00.000-04:00

I had a great weekend in Toronto. Shopping, visiting with friends, very enjoyable. I came home late Saturday and Sunday was spent working at home. Greenhouse and garden, as well as some hilling of the raspberries. I even have a slight sunburn. No complaints.

2 weeks ago I went to Costco and scored HUGE! I've been eyeing the George Forman 360 grill in Canadian Tire, but it's $150, and I couldn't justify it. Well, Costco had it for $62!! I couldn't resist, HAD to buy it. I still have got it out of the box, and I'm wondering if you could fill me in on the great things you do with your grill? I can't wait to get this baby cooking! It may not be until the fall...I see my free time quickly slipping away.

Have you ever had a dragon fruit? A passion fruit? I love them both. I bought some this weekend in China town, just because it had been awhile. My first experience with both were while The Shepherd and I were in Thailand. Delicious.

The dragon fruit.

To eat, slice in half.

Think of the seeds like a kiwi. Take a spoon, and just slip it between the skin and fruit, slide it around, and you'll get a nice chunk out of it. Slice it up in squares.

The passion fruit.

The skin is really leathery, so you'll need a good knife to cut through it. The inside is kind of ugly and soupy. Just scoop the inside out and eat, it's SOOO good.

I put the dragon fruit and passion fruit in a container with some mango...you know what I'll be eating Monday!

A few shots of the garden on Sunday.

Peas:

Leaf lettuce:

Close up of leaf lettuce:

Spinach:

Have a great day! Regular posts to resume tomorrow!

Jess

Mid Week

2010-04-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks for all your comments yesterday. Before I get into today's post, I want to say I wouldn't just eat sushi anywhere. I will only eat it at the one place I have spoke to the chef, and trust them. If I'm out of town, I won't hit the local sushi joint, and I HIGHLY recommend that everyone check with their own sushi place and feel good about the choice before eating it. I am not saying that all pregnant women should go out and eat raw fish anytime, anywhere. ;)

I had a great breakfast, take a guess! haha...

Midmorning some cottage cheese and a banana. I don't eat many bananas.

I had a lunch appointment, so before I left I had an english muffin, toasted with Laughing Cow cheese. I love that cheese.

On the way back to work I had a pictureless plum. And once at work I had a salad.

We had friends arriving for an early dinner and The Shepherd requested burgers. I didn't have time to make homemade and wasn't feeling like frozen burgers, so I had an Yves veggie burger on an english muffin. Chili sauce, zucchini relish on the side and 2 helpings of salad.

More frozen yogurt in the evening.
Thursday is my Friday this week, then off for a weekend away solo. Love these weekends!

Also, a shout out to Pam - I can't access your new blog? Is something wrong, all of a sudden, it won't load from my blog list or any other way I try? Are you there? :)

Cheers ladies,Jess

Pregnancy and Sushi

2010-04-28T08:03:00.000-04:00

If you've been pregnant, or researched what you can/can't eat while pregnant, I'm sure you've read that you should avoid raw sushi fish. When I found this out I was devastated. It is a weekly staple in my life, I love it, crave it, almost need it. So, I started researching. I learned, that by flash freezing fish for a minimum of 24 hours, any parasites that MAY have been in the fish would be killed. I decided this wasn't enough proof to make me feel safe, so I decided to speak to my sushi chef. He told me the same thing, and that all of their fish comes frozen. Then, I decided before having it, I'd speak to my doctor, who confirmed this as well. So, for the past 3 months, I have continued to eat raw sushi weekly, and will continue to.

I may eat/drink things you question during this pregnancy, but believe me, I have done my research and feel safe in everything that enters my body. Feel free though, to send me an email anytime about what I eat, I'm happy to talk about it.

So, for lunch, a wonderful serving of salad and sashimi. :)

And breakfast early in the morning...Dorset cereal, strawberries, skim milk.

Morning snacks were an apple and cottage cheese. I find I like the 'runnier' cottage cheese better than a thicker brand. What do you prefer?

I didn't eat in the afternoon, sashimi lunch fills me up! But when I got home I had a handful of nuts or two.

Dinner was leftover lasagna and a salad that resembled this. I didn't take a photo.

More great frozen yogurt while watching American Idol. Who is your pick?

Have a great day,
Jess

Longer Than Usual

2010-04-27T08:33:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend.
Saturday breakfast was..I forget exactly, but looks like yogurt, granola and berries!

I hung out in the greenhouse for a few hours, watering and weeding. It was so warm and cozy. Then out to the garden to do some weeding. Veggies grow slow, weeds grow quickly.

Lunch was 2 Yves veggie dogs on half an english muffin with Laughing Cow Cheese. !/2 the english muffin had raspberry jam. On the side, was my FIRST SALAD FROM TEH GREENHOUSE! Simple Chinese greens and radishes so small...but I HAD to sample.

Our lawn in 100,000 square feet and I fertilized it on Saturday as well. I'm prepping this post Monday afternoon, and my upper body and ass are still so sore!

I also transplanted some tomatoes for my brother and my brother in law.

After having lamb the other night, I realized we haven't been eating much of it lately, so I decided on a lamb lasagna. DELISH! Layers of fresh ww noodles, ground lamb, sooo many mushrooms in the sauce, and a THICK layer of cottage cheese, ricotta and spinach. SO much cheese in this baby, almost too good to be true.

Sunday was a little quieter than Saturday.
Breakfast looks like a Kashi cereal, yogurt and strawberries.

I had some leftover lasagna for lunch.

I can't remember which blogger, but someone reminded me how good potato/leek soup is the other day, and I still had some leek from last fall in the freezer, so decided to make a batch. Simply potatoes simmer in vegetable stock, with the skin on, leek sauteed in some olive oil, then all pureed with the immersion blender. Some pepper and voila, delicious soup!

With it we had provolone and prosciutto grilled cheese.

Now...on to Monday.

Breakfast was super. Vanilla yogurt, Kashi ...I forget what it's called, crunchy flax and something...and blueberries.

Cottage cheese and a plum got me through the morning.

Lunch was leftover soup and a huge salad. Not from the greenhouse, nothing else to pick yet.

In the afternoon an orange.

Dinner was salmon baked with dill and lemon, steamed broccoli and potatoes. Simple and good.

The last few days I've been indulging in the most fantastic frozen yogurt I've had yet. Here it is.

If I hadn't bought it and didn't know it was yogurt, I'd swear it was real ice cream.

I'm sure there was more food than this in the last few days, but it mustn't have been photo'd, and that's ok with me. No evidence.

Jess

HAPPY FRIDAY!

2010-04-24T06:50:00.000-04:00

It was a Happy Friday.
At breakfast, I discovered the worlds largest raisin. I think it's really a few mushed raisins, with some cereal, but it was huge!

I bought some new frozen fruit the other day, a mix of peaches, pineapple, honeydew, strawberries and grapes. It made this pretty pink smoothie with a bit of milk and water.

No bugs in today's salad, and that's good, because this salad was 10 times better than yesterday's.

In the afternoon I ate too much. It got a bit uncomfortable. I had this handful of nuts, then about 3 more. I love them, and when there is a bag at my desk, I can't say no. Way too many today...it hurt a little.

A bbq dinner was on the menu. Lamb chops, potatoes and broccoli. It was so simple and so good.

Lamb chops cooked to perfections. Thanks Shepherd!

Today was another exciting day. When we moved into this farm years ago, it was pretty plain, no landscaping, not many trees, no flowers. We have worked long and hard to 'cozy' up the place. A few years ago we planted 10 maple trees out in front of the house, and today we planted lilac bushes in between them. They're small right now (less $), and we're told they may not flower for 3 years, but when they grow and do flower, as the trees show leaves each spring, it should be a parade of colour!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND LADIES! ENJOY WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING!

Jess

Some Food, Some Farm

2010-04-23T08:03:00.000-04:00

It was a good average day. Sunny, happy, but work has been SO long this week. Next Friday I have the day off, so it'll make for a short week and I'm really looking forward to it.

Breakfast was Dorset cereal, blueberries and skim milk.

Black plumbs have been looking really good lately, and this one was no exception!

Not long before lunch I also had some cottage cheese. Still loving it.

Lunch was not too exciting, but REALLY good...until...2/3 of the way through my salad, there was a bug/beetle guy standing on top of a carrot staring at me! AH! I'm not scared of bugs at all, but in my salad, no thanks. I don't know if he came from my house, or jumped in at work...but either way, the rest of the salad went in the garbage, I couldn't stomach it.

The Shepherd and I went out for Indian and it was great. My belly is still full.

A couple years ago we planted a lot of daffodil bulbs in our ditch. Our ditch is steep, and mostly we let it grow wild because it's really difficult to cut with the lawn mower. In the spring, it is bursting with colour, I just love coming over the hill on my way home to see this.

These are a few photos of raspberry planting.

This may just look like a bunch of sticks stuck in rows, but soon enough, they'll be green as can be. The fall bearing berries should have fruit this fall. In the fall, we'll also till between the rows and sew grass. It's going to look SO great!

The Shepherd and his dad making decisions.

The Shepherd. Always working so hard for us. :)

And my good buddy Rigger. Hanging out, wanting to play in the garden, not allowed. He just doesn't understand you can't walk on seedlings or play fetch with raspberry canes.

Have a great day everyone!

Jess

Wednesday's Eats

2010-04-22T08:05:00.000-04:00

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments on yesterday's post. I really enjoyed reading them and the enthusiasm made my day. Thanks girls.

The week is dragggggging along. Good thing for tasty eats. I wasn't as good at photos as usual....I think my mind was elsewhere!

Breakfast was good, Dorset cereal, blueberries, skim milk.

In the morning I had some cottage cheese and an apple. There was also a fruit spread in the kitchen leftover from a meeting, so I had a couple servings of honeydew and pineapple. YUM! 2 fruits I love, but rarely eat.

Lunch was a crappy wrap from Sobeys, no photo...it didn't even deserve one.

In the afternoon I didn't eat. The icky wrap filled me up, but when I got home, I ate a pictureless handful of peanuts.

Home was fun after work. I did a lot of weeding in the greenhouse and transplanted about 200 cloves of garlic. I didn't even know they were out there...I forgot about them last fall and The Shepherd saw them, dug them up and saved them before tilling the raspberry rows. YAY!

Dinner was good. 2 bbq Yves veggie dogs, 1/2 an Ezekiel english muffing with Laughing Cow cheese. Like I've said before, I'm a condiment on the side kinda girl, so I had hot peppers, chili sauce and zucchini relish to decorate. I also had a great side salad of baby romaine, shredded carrots and balsamic vinegar. Great dinner.

The Shepherd and I both fell asleep on the couch by 8:30pm and crawled up to bed around 9:30. Had a great sleep.

Hope you all have a fabulous day!

Jess

Big News!

2010-04-21T08:07:00.000-04:00

I have been aching to write this post for months. Months are all I've been blogging for anyway, but it's been a long wait. When I started blogging, I really wasn't sure if this post would ever be reality.

About a week or two after I began blogging, The Shepherd and I got some wonderful news. Since you've all become a part of my life, I'm ready to share this part of my life with you.

I'm pregnant!

We are so thrilled. I'm shaking typing this from the anticipation of waiting to type this. I'm about 15 weeks and am due mid-October. I've had a pretty easy ride physically these past few months, no morning sickness, just a lack of motivation, hence, my struggles with the gym last month. I'm still struggling a little to get there now, but that is due to weather and things growing in my garden rather than lack of energy.

This also could explain the massive cravings for chocolate a month ago. :)

This means big changes for my garden this season, and it's the reason I only showed a picture of one shelf of tomatoes rather than 8 - because there is only 1!

My summer plans are bittersweet. Mostly sweet. I love the farmers market. It's my happy place. I'm still going to sell my goods, but only until the end of July. I don't know that I'll have the energy, drive or desire through August/September. I do it mostly on my own as well, the work and the loading up, the selling, et. Also, will I be able to crawl on my hands and knees weeding? Is it really safe to lift that tub of carrots? You want me to dig how many potatoes? These things will all be growing, but only enough for The Shepherd and I.

I'm also not selling CSA shares this season, which I find very difficult. I have a strong belief in the CSA movement and adore being part of it. However, at the end of summer, I want to go on long walks, shop, hang out with my friends and family and put my feet up.

I don't know that food descriptions even matter to me today, so I'll leave you with some photos from the last 2 days and a thank you. Thank you for being around to read my blog and giving me a new group to share this news/my food/and my life with. Thanks for all of the supportive, funny, etc. comments you leave me. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say in the coming days/weeks/months.

Jess

I love Tomatoes

2010-04-20T08:07:00.000-04:00

So disspointed! I left my camera cord on the kitchen table! We planted 675 raspberry canes last night! It was a really great evening, got a little cool around 7:30-8pm, but by 8, they were all in. Pictures to come another day.

So, today I'll tell you how much I love tomatoes. I love tomatoes. A lot. I grow about 100 heirloom varieties. Everything from a red slicing tomato to a striped green banana looking tomato. A purple cherry is one of the best, but nothing beats the giant pink Brandywine, the Queen of the tomato patch. She rules the garden. There are so many colours, shapes, sizes, I can't get enough. Watching them ripen in August, gently squeezing to remind myself which variety is ready at which time. Love them. It might be a little strange.

This is me, dashing through the tomato patch the day after planting last June.

Can't wait to do it again this year!

Have a great day everyone!

Jess

Lamb Pound Cake?

2010-04-19T07:57:00.000-04:00

Busy weekend away. We had a great time.

I'll just show you a few shots today. A friend of a friend gave us this pound cake. It's a lamb? Is it? It's the weirdest looking lamb, and honestly, the dryest cake I've ever had. It's the thought that counts, but we had a lot of good giggles last night about this cake.

This is one of my shelves of tomatoes. Looks SO exciting! 1.5 months and these beauties will be outside soaking up the sun and hopefully the rain! Spring is here and summer is on it's way.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Jess