FauxPas

You probably could have made use of a pair of these. 🙂 Free CAD file from: https://grabcad.com/library/wiper-glasses-1

Thanks for mentioning the company name! I sometimes send gift baskets/food gifts to friends and relatives in Ottawa area and I'm always looking for something new. Good that they didn't include chocolate in your gift, "coals to Newcastle", etc. 😄

We used to grow them in Arizona, but I don't think we ever had any real fruit on them. I guess even there the weather could get too chilly for the fruit to form? We used to buy them in Hawaii now and again, but I was always keen to make SOMETHING BIG with them, maybe? I was probably an idiot and should have just done as you suggest - enjoy them as a snack directly! 🙂

Oh yes, the flowers are so beautifully complex and the fruit seems like so much work. I learned to love lilikoi products in Hawaii, but it sure seemed like a labour of love to make those lovely edible products. Pricey, too, but I understand that it takes a lot of passion fruit to make a pie or whatever.

My husband had an elderly relative who loved Turkish Delight. When we lived in Victoria, we used to go to the English Sweet Shop or similar stores to pick some up for her. It seemed fairly easy to find in Victoria. I hadn't had the stuff in years and I was only mildly impressed with the taste at best. I did look into making some for her, but never got around to it. One of my childhood disappointments, and probably a common one, was sneaking a taste of baking chocolate. 🙂 And eggplants, we grew them in our garden when I was young. The flowers were so pretty, the fruit was gorgeous and I don't know what I thought they should taste like, but I was SO disappointed. Can't remember how they were cooked, but I avoided them after that. I'm still trying to get over that aversion.

I'm not Annie, but I've been using Mumm's Sprouting Seeds in Canada and Sprout People in the US for my seeds and supplies. They have quite a lot of info on their sites also. Lots of other sites and sources, of course, but these ones have served me well. Mostly I just grow sprouts using an Easy Sprouter (or here in the US) but I also grow pea shoots. I just grow my pea shoots in water (no soil or growing medium), using a SproutMaster tray, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be available anymore at my usual sites. I didn't want to fiddle around with soil, but there are several options for growing shoots and microgreens. I'm sure @Annie_Hwill have more to add.

This makes it sound like quite a complex procedure! Hope it's not! 🙂

I'll join the others in hoping that this is a just a brief visit!

Wheeeee! I love being able to come along for the ride - and the stops! 🙂

Do you use that big press for juicing them?

Are kalettes showing up much in the US for a Thanksgiving choice for greens? The local farms here are growing them and I keep meaning to try them. They've been around for several years, but I didn't hear about them until a few years ago and then I keep forgetting to pick some up. For anyone who doesn't know, they are a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts, developed by Tozer Seeds. https://www.tozerseeds.com/product-category/brassicas/kalettes/

8 restaurants get coveted star in 1st Michelin Guide Not sure that this list is the be-all and end-all, but interesting to see which restaurants were chosen. 🙂 The famed but sometimes controversial dining guide revealed the names of eight establishments deemed worthy of one star out of a possible three. They are: AnnaLena Barbara Burdock & Co. iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House Kissa Tanto Masayoshi Published on Main St. Lawrence Here is a complete list of the Vancouver Michelin Guide selections for the Bib Gourmand, along with the 40 other restaurants it recommends: Bib Gourmand Anh and Chi Chupito Fable Kitchen Fiorino, Italian Street Food Kin Kao Song Little Bird Dim Sum + Craft Beer Lunch Lady Nightshade Oca Pastificio Phnom Penh Say Mercy! Vij's Recommended ¿CóMO? Taperia Acquafarina Arike Ask for Luigi Bacaro Bacchus Bar Gobo Bar Susu Bonjour Vietnam Bistro Botanist Café Medina Carlino Chang'An Chef's Choice Chinese Cuisine Cioppino's Delara Dynasty Seafood Elephant Fanny Bay Oyster Bar Hawksworth Restaurant Homer St. Cafe L'Abattoir Lobby Lounge & RawBar Maenam Miku Nammos Estiatorio Neptune Palace Seafood Restaurant New Mandarin Seafood Restaurant Nightingale Ophelía Osteria Savio Volpe per se Social Corner PiDGiN Riley's Fish & Steak Sushi Bar Maumi The Acorn The Mackenzie Room Torafuku Ubuntu Canteen Yuwa

Because of the sharpness of those edges?

Are you looking for suggestions in the downtown area? There are lots of choices and I wish I visited Vancouver as often as I used to, so I can only suggest places I used to go to or that I would like to try. Weather will make a difference also. Views and outdoor/rooftop patios aren't quite as appealing in the rain and there is some rain in the forecast. I hope you have some nice weather because Vancouver can be a great walking city. Granville Island Public Market is well worth a visit and it's a great place to find picnic fare or lunch or snacks. Taking a little harbour ferry to or from Granville Island can be fun. We used to like the rooftop patio at Sandbar Restaurant. It's not thrilling food, but it was usually good. I also used to like Cardero's at the marina by the Westin. It's a nice place to go after a walk along the seawall. The other side of the seawall is in the West End (another ferry dock there also) and several restaurants there also. Not sure what I would recommend though, my fave place has closed. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House is quite popular and I enjoyed it, but it's been years since I've been. Reviews still look good. I'd love to visit Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Market for their Happy Hour, though it's a little ways away from the downtown core. Fanny Bay (not the restaurant, but the actual Bay where some of their oysters come from) is just south of where we live, so we know and enjoy those oysters. Vij's Restaurant seems to get consistently good reviews and several awards. I kept meaning to go, but still haven't. I suspect the menu doesn't really do the food justice. It doesn't have the usual list of biryanis, tikkas and vindaloos. But Spicy 6 does and I think I would definitely check it out if I were hanging out along Robson Street. Speaking of Robson, lots of shopping and several other restaurant choices also! There are many other places to eat in the downtown - and also in other areas like Commercial Drive (Little Italy) or the Punjabi Market, if you are willing/able to travel a bit further. And of course, Vancouver has a sizeable Chinatown. Not sure I am being of any help here, though! It would be nice if you could hear from someone who has recently spent time dining in the city. 🙂

I wish I had taken better photos at Shamrock Farms this year. This region had an awful start to the growing season and farms like Shamrock had to replant after a disastrous Spring. They weren't even sure they wanted to risk the replant of some long season crops. But they did and they grew 59 different varieties of squash and pumpkin. Some of their varieties are higher priced this year, as a result of extra costs and losses. But they still have some beautiful choices and lots of information. One is Marina di Chiogga, they had Warty Thing, Autumn Crown, Kabocha, Queensland Blue and lots of others. Couple of pics:

What kind of potatoes do you use, @Shelby?

I remember the older Restoration Hardware stores. I thought they were a fun place to wander through. I can't believe this place has the same history. Obviously, this restaurant is selling itself as lifestyle and decor more than food. Encouraging people to take aspects of the restaurant home with them the same way that some hotel brands do - buy the Westin bed, its sheets and mattresses along with the bath toiletries. In this case, I guess you buy the lighting, the sofas, the tables and try to recreate the ambience of the restaurant itself (in all its beige-ness, ha). Not sure what to think, but here's a link that should be free to read. I didn't think the menus were necessarily all that awful.

Winter squash includes varieties that are usually harvested in the Fall (longer growing season than summer squash) and after curing (hardening the shell), will keep into the winter. Summer squash won't keep that way and needs to be eaten relatively soon after harvest. Winter squashes are keepers - can be eaten several months after harvest.

Do you get real yams in SF area? We used to see sweet potatoes wrongly labeled as yams, but I think now they are a little more careful/accurate about it. I think we used to get both at times, but now I mostly just see sweet potatoes. Which is fine with me, because I love them! But when I cook them after several stabs, the liquid from them tends to run all over and sometimes I just wrap them in foil, to keep things a bit tidier. Do yams behave the same way?

I do both. I stab them and then I smother them in foil. I want to make sure they're dead before I bake them, maybe? 😄

Check around a bit and check sales. I bought mine on sale as regular price seemed a bit high to me.

David Lebovitz just had a blog post about Rum Raisin Ice Cream. Also includes a recipe. https://davidlebovitz.substack.com/p/rum-raisin-ice-cream

We got a couple of Mashed Potato squash in our CSA box not too long ago. First time I've run across that variety. https://olivejude.com/mashed-potato-squash/ https://cookfasteatwell.com/how-to-cook-mashed-potato-squash/

Maybe I have it wrong, but aren't there health concerns with reusing many plastics beyond a certain point? Don't they start to break down before we visibly see the deterioration? I was concerned that the repeated freezing-then-heating cycles would speed up this process. These containers are supposed to be BPA free, but there are other chemicals also and not sure I would like to rely on them for an extended period of time. Short term, I wasn't too worried. I hate unnecessary waste also, so try to use my glass storage containers more often than other things. Here's an example of concerns over plastics and food storage. Lots more out there and I'm sure most folks here are familiar with the basics. Am I worrying too much? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/18/are-plastic-containers-safe-to-use-food-experts

This one really sounds quite good.