Nosy Neighbor Virtual Garden Tour

Hilltop view of our edible garden!

Our berry "wall" is along the fence line. Boysenberry, Black raspberry, Meeker raspberry, Anne golden raspberry, Black Pearl Blackberry and Marionberry (to be planted for next season). We have a rhubarb bed (2 plants) and 2 dedicated strawberry beds plus an asparagus bed. In addition, we have 5 rotating veggie/herb beds - with plans for 3 more in the backyard.

Erica at Northwest Edible Life thought it would be fun to host a virtual homestead/garden tour, so we could share with others and see what others are doing too. What fun! Make sure you stop by Erica's place to see all the gardens on this tour.

We purchased our home 5 years ago and there were more than 100 rose plants (and an assortment of other plants/shrubs) in the yard, which were chemically grown; roses sprayed every 3, 5, 7 and 14 days (yes, 4 different chemicals). Well, the roses are gone (I'm a daisy, country-lovin' girl), we've been working to bring healthy (organic) life to our soil and we're slowly building an urban homestead! It's a really busy time for us right now. Thanks for taking time to stop by...

Mid-summer is a busy harvest time in the garden

Hanging our first crop of hard-neck garlic in the garage

Yay! Now to let them cure for a few weeks.

With the cooler temps in Seattle this year, we decided to plant the tomatoes in containers and place them on the south side of our house; which is our driveway. Every little bit of extra heat will help them ripen.

Brussel sprouts! Come November, we will be eating these.

Our broccoli has struggled this year - maybe I crowded these guys though.
Grew awesome cabbage right next to them...

Each summer, I manage to work by "moonlight" at least once...

Well, it was a new moon on Friday evening, so no moonlight - but Blaine and I prevailed in raising one of the strawberry beds until 11:30 pm (and we are so very thankful for flashlights and outside lighting)...

Carrots have been slow for us this year...

This little bird is residing in our garden now...
He or she is injured, is getting stronger and seems to enjoy rehab at our place.
Even the neighbor's cats are letting him be.

Artichokes!

Saturday evening harvest

Invicta gooseberries

Made the best pie ever with these!

Evergreen Huckleberry

Blaine and I both have low back problems and we decided the strawberry beds had to be raised 12 inches, so we could kneel next to the beds to weed and harvest berries!

Yes, Blaine really did measure out each planting spot!

Replanting one of our strawberry beds.

Harvesting golden beets for Sunday dinner

Yum!

Another recent harvest... So thankful!

Favorite find for the garden this summer!

Darby and Phoebe Huffman - Pottery
Some Sundays you can find Darby at the Ballard Farmer's Market

Bush beans are producing!

Spanish lavender ~ so pretty!

Kohlrabi

Spaghetti squash

Asparagus ferns with Brussel sprouts in the background...

With our cool, wet spring into summer ~ we are so thankful our pole green beans are blooming!

Sunday project completed!

Anne golden raspberry.

Yes, you will be amazed at the taste and then you'll want to plant a few canes in your own garden...

Black Pearl Blackberry

Blueberries, Alaskan cranberry and gooseberries

Front yard needs MUCH rehab still... one day it will be an edible garden area.

Sunshine Blueberry

Still waiting for them to ripen

Misty Blueberry

Harvest has begun

Midoriboshi Hydrangea

Rosemary (my favorite), summery savory and sage

We make Christmas goodies to share with all our neighbors and this spring, a neighbor shared her Dahlia's with us! Delightful and a precious gift in our garden...

Nasturtium and squash blossom

Pole green beans on trellis pole

Green bean blossoms

Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea

Close-up! Love these little blossoms

Sugar snap peas on a chicken wire trellis

Space in the right corner of the picture will be planted with a marionberry next spring.
View of both strawberry beds, raised 12 inches...

The hillside we're still taming. Planted red osier dogwoods and creeping thyme.
Much to do still - including removing the locust trees.

Once the locust trees are down and these stumps removed, we can begin work on the garden shed, greenhouse, chicken coop and orchard.

Our garden plans are ever-changing. We aren't planting a fall/winter garden, as we've decided to raise the vegetable beds up another 6 inches - so we'll green manure the beds with crimson clover, continue to work on grass removal of the garden paths (and plant more low growing clover mix from Peaceful Valley), and hopefully, make a little more progress on expanding next year's garden.

Thanks for stopping by our garden!

Gooseberry-Blackberry-Blueberry Streusel Pie (gfdf)

Our garden is bursting with fruits and vegetables right now and I am blessed with my first gooseberry harvest! I discovered gooseberry pie at Marie Callender's restaurant and have been in love with them ever since - but it's not easy to find this pie. I jumped at the chance to grow my own berries (despite a garden hotline person telling me I wouldn't be successful in doing so).

I attended a facebook Pie Party a few weeks ago and I discovered a recipe that I had to try plus I grew all three berries in our garden!

For the original version, please visit Debbie's blog here. If you have no food restrictions, try her recipe. Great job Debbie!

Here's my gluten-free, dairy-free adaptation.

Gooseberry-Blackberry-Blueberry Streusel Pie

My pie crust recipe can be found here.

For the filling:
1 cup organic cane sugar
3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups gooseberries
2 cups blackberries
1 cup blueberries
OR (combination) of 5 cups assorted fresh berries; rinsed and dried

For the topping:
6 Tablespoons golden brown sugar
6 Tablespoons raw pecan pieces
6 Tablespoons Earth Balance buttery sticks, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup gluten-free old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour

**You'll want your favorite vanilla ice cream in the freezer. Mine is Almond Dream.

Make up my pie crust recipe (or your own favorite recipe). Using about 2/3 of the dough, roll it out and place it in a glass deep dish pie plate. Flute the edges, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. *I did this following the original directions, but I have no idea why it's chilled.

*My gooseberries are fresh, but my blackberries and blueberries are from last season and were frozen. I measured out the frozen fruit and placed them in a bowl to thaw for a few hours. Once thawed, I added the gooseberries and mixed gently.

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the sugar, arrowroot and lemon juice. It makes a thick paste. Add to berries and mix gently. *The paste won't disperse fully, so don't worry about it. Let this sit while you prepare the topping.

Put all the topping ingredients into the bowl of your food processor. Whir them until combined and no flour is visible. Mine was pretty sticky.

Pour berry mixture into pie crust and distribute evenly. You really need to use your hands to drop the little bits of the topping mixture, so know they are going to get messy. Drop small bits of the topping mixture all over the berry mixture.

Place a baking sheet on the lower rack of your oven (to catch berry juice overflow). Place your pie on the top rack and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. When the crust is golden, the topping browned and the berries bubbling - it's done!

Let cool for a couple of hours before cutting. Add a scoop or two of your favorite vanilla ice cream and enjoy! We loved it.

Ready for the oven!

It looks and smells wonderful!

ENJOY!

Frustrated!

I. AM. FRUSTRATED.

My schedule is just not in a good rhythm. I know what I want to do, but I just can't seem to get there. I love spring and summer, but never feel "right" when daylight savings time arrives. While I don't want to wish this season away, I feel so much better when it's normal time. However, our government has decided that the more they control the hours of light in a day, the better. Really? Maybe it's not the silly time change, maybe it's something else entirely.

My eating pattern is off.

Numerous projects need my attention (and I want to give it), but I am easily distracted.

My energy level is low; tired often.

My upper back, neck, low back and hips are tight and painful. Which doesn't help with the distraction issue.

My thoughts are all over the place. I need to focus!

I wake up with a "plan of attack" and accomplish little.

I want to spend extended time in the garden, but it's a bit here and there instead.

HOW DO I FIX THIS? I have no idea, but I'm hoping things improve SOON.

God is still here!

Over the past year or so, God has brought a friend from high school back into my life. Her faith is strong and she shares His Truth powerfully. I am so thankful for her. Today, I discovered a message I needed to hear posted on her facebook wall... And, I knew I needed to share it with you here. Thank you JoAnna! You are a blessing.

For all the broken-hearted, God is still here.

For all those who see only darkness, God is still here.

For all those who believe He has abandoned you, God is still here.

He never left you and He never will. Reach up and reach out and you will find a peace you have never known before.

Philippians 4:7

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Don't ever let man's response to you keep you away from Him. God is still here.

God loves you in spite of yourself. He loves you on your best days and He loves you even more on your worst.

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Oh, how He loves you and me.

Addicted...

Yes, I am. We all have "issues" to deal with - we're all human and life involves pain and joy. Troubles and triumphs. For so many years, I've tried to keep it all together. But, I can't do it anymore. In the past couple of years, events occurred in our lives that caused me to come to a place where I had to face "issues" in my life or they would consume me... I've decided to face them. And thankfully I'm not going through this alone. Others are going through their own healing journeys and while our circumstances are not the same, I am strengthened and encouraged to acknowledge the areas in my own life that have held me captive.

I am addicted to APPROVAL and ACCEPTANCE and
I have a horrible FEAR of FAILURE!

And, over the years it has caused me to make decisions or commit my time to people or activities that caused others to be sacrificed. Even though I thought I was doing good and helping many, I sacrificed my own family too often. Yes, "we" were all involved in activities together, but family time and vacations didn't happen - because time and money were invested in the activities. Or there was busy preparation time. Or training or a meeting to attend to. There were things I wanted to do growing up that I wasn't able to do and I was determined that our children would always be able to do the things they wanted to ~ and they did, but it wasn't necessarily a healthy balance for the whole family. In addition, being gripped by FEAR there were activities or people that I didn't want our children to be involved with. So, there were excuses and reasons why they couldn't go somewhere or be with some people. I was too afraid something might happen to them and I couldn't protect them. I wish I would have allowed them to take more chances. But, I didn't know it then. I am grieving over things we lost together. And, I'm thankful for, and remind myself of, God's grace in the midst of it all - for I can see how He has blessed our children and family in spite of my own complicated "story" that affected us all.




There. I said it. And, it's true. Once I made the discovery, I knew it was who I am. And, I'm incredible thankful for Sarah Ferguson for sharing her journey on OWN. I don't care what your thoughts are of her (or me, actually). I've learned that my judgements of others (and their actions) are not always accurate. And people's judgements of me aren't always right on either. I find Sarah, Duchess of York, to be a real person. Yes, she's made lots of mistakes and has regrets in her life. So have I. But, she hasn't given up. She keeps trying. She's determined to discover who she is and to heal, so she can live wholly and be set free from what holds her captive. I am seeking the same for my life.

Today, I am walking this healing journey and it's extremely difficult. I want to give up almost daily. I often fall back into the same patterns and then "beat myself up" for not being stronger and overcoming.

Add to this emotional eating. I use food to deal with stress and to comfort me ~ especially sugar (cookies, ice cream, chocolate) and salty foods (chips). And, when I remove these foods - my body goes through a significant withdrawal. If I keep these foods out of my diet, I feel a lot better. But just a few bites draws me in and it's difficult to stop eating... I'm trying to learn new tools to deal with stress in my life. And, I'm trying to extend myself GRACE when I fall short.

When you're dealing with addiction to approval and acceptance and a fear of failure coupled with emotional eating ~ it creates a real mess! I've always tried to make everyone happy and I don't want to let anyone down. I can see now that it's really unhealthy to live this way. It's not humanly possible to do. I need to focus on knowing that God accepts me for who I am and I need to accept myself. I will fail in this life. I have failed. I will fail again. I am human and every fails at some point in their life. Some fail more than others. It's okay. I know that I've never intentionally tried to hurt others or intentionally failed them, but I have fallen short. I have wounded other people. I have failed. It is painful to know this, but I must continue to learn and grow and transform my life - letting go of what has held me captive and seek healing.

So... this is where I am today. Taking one day at a time. A few steps forward, a few steps back. Making progress, learning from failures, healing the "lenses" through which I see the world and people around me, continuing to process the "hows" and "whys" of who I am and how I got to this place. Some days, I feel paralyzed and nothing gets done. I have been tortured by these days. Recently, someone I love and is a blessing in my life, shared that my body is trying to heal and it can't give out energy - but needs to reserve all it can to help heal me inside. I'm trying not to struggle on those days now, but allow healing to occur. My creativity has crashed. My naturopath has given me some flower essences to support my body in the areas it needs. They are helpful and I have times that I feel "inspired" again. One day, I know it will fully return. There are things I'd like to do in my life..., but today I'm taking one day at a time and believing HEALING will come and I will overcome my addictions. God is good.

GF Coconut Cream Pie

Our oldest son's 24th birthday was approaching and he requested a Coconut Cream pie. Okay. I can do that ~ except I've never made one before. I did some research and found this recipe. I read some of the comments about how others tweaked the recipe and came up with this:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole coconut milk (1 can)
1 1/2 cups half 'n half
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9inch) pie shell, baked - recipe here

Topping:

1 cup Heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Prepare pie crust and roll out in a deep dish pie pan. Cut parchment paper and press gently into dough. Fill with rice to weight down parchment paper and keep dough from bubbling while it bakes. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

While pie crust is baking, toast coconut.

To toast coconut: spread in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Set coconut aside with vanilla extract and prepare custard filling.

Once pie crust is baked, allow to cool while you make custard.

In a medium saucepan, combine milks, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of the coconut and the vanilla extract. Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours or until firm.

Top with whipped topping. *Combine ingredients and whip until thickened. After spreading on top of pie, sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of coconut on top.

Chill and serve!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

Strawberry Cupcakes revisited

Wanting more variety of ingredients and less potato starch, I played with the strawberry cupcake recipe I recently posted. This recipe is a definite improvement and won approval by family members. Sharing with neighbors later today...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

This recipe makes 16 cupcakes. You will want to line your muffin tin with paper liners.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients:

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 organic cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum


Add in:

2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup "squished" fresh organic strawberries (about 2+ cups whole, cleaned strawberries)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract

Beat on medium speed until batter is smooth and fluffy. Evenly distribute batter between the 16 paper-lined cups. Let batter rest for a few minutes and then bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm. It's better to leave oven door closed during baking, so cupcakes don't fall. They should be tender and springy. Remove from tins and onto cooling rack immediately. When cooled, frost with recipe below:

In a mixing bowl:
1/2 cup Spectrum organic shortening
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
2+ Tablespoons "squished" strawberries
2 cups organic powdered sugar

Beat on medium high until frosting is smooth and creamy. If not spreadable, add a little more squished strawberry juice. Enjoy!

*You can frost these cupcakes and then store in an air tight container in the freezer. Take out how many you need, thaw for a short time and they're ready to serve.