TicTac

Some recent dishes from dinners - corn/cherry/fresh mozz steamed/grilled Asian marinated chokes locally foraged shrooms Tunato sashimi truth be told I peeled some heirloom tomatoes and not wanting to waste I shaved the skins further…tasted awesome - great texture when some salt pulls a bit of water out first

Someone has a knife fetish Oh, and from a legality perspective, one can carry a pocket knife (in Canada, at least) as long as the blade is not wider than your hand and its clipped on your pocket (visible, not a concealed weapon).

Knife in your handbag? My kinda gal!

Just bought a couple of the Kiwi's (the ones @btbyrd posted above). Love me a good knife!

Will have to check that out then, thank you. Every once in a while a family member will send out a group text and venture to Ikea taking food orders. My usual go-to's are their fish roe paste in a tube, various flavoured pickled herring (I prefer the Dill and Mustard ones) and lingonberry jam. Cloudberry is now on the next list!

Never tried one, but they sound divine! What would you compare them to?

Thank you @liamsaunt for taking the shots of the fish counter - love seeing local fish mongers/butchers. You can see the glisten from the fish's flesh, that's how fresh it looks! You might be right with the state regulations, I have a feeling it is a $ topic in the end. Too bad, as cutting out the middle man would make the fisherman a lot more money and probably save you a chunk too!

Do you ever head down to the boats themselves to buy straight from the fisherman? We did that while staying in Aruba and it was an absolute riot...

Her inner Queen!?

That is when I tend to water. Typically evenings. I have seen the electric toothbrush suggested as well; those whom have utilized that approach also often suggest the tapping method and thus far it seems to be working for me. *knocks on wood* I recall reading somewhere about pruning only whether they are determinate or indeterminate and given the fact that, I have no fucking clue......I rolled the dice and picked some to cage up and let go aux natural; and some I am pruning (I know the cherries and grapes prefer to be pruned and go long and lanky). On another bright note, I have noticed a lot of monarch's lately and am transplanting some milkweed soon!

I have been trying the hand vibration pollination technique this year for my 'maters.... Basically while watering (or just prior), give the plant a little shake/vibrate, near the flowers, to imitate the vibration of a bee. Out of the 15 plants I put in (all from seed) only one has yet to produce any fruit - all flower. Far better than my 2021 batting average. Some of the plants that are ripening slower (I have a large red cherry varietal) I am pruning all suckers and lower leaves to drive more energy to fruit maturation. Seems to be helping.

Do you strain the pickle in the Soave, or just let the chunky veg bits float around, like a garnish? 😁

You may want to consider a cream cheese bagel in lieu of Sushi, then! Or just some rice and cream cheese (if that's your thing!) 😛

Thanks for the virtual vacation! Everything looks fresh and delicious.... ...minus the cream cheese in the sushi - apologies, but some lines must not be crossed!

The other days pickage the Armenian cucumber variety was awesome. Too bad it’s such a poor producer this year. this little guy was happy to see me

Can you send me a cutting of your tomato sauce plant!? All mine do is produce tomatoes!

Summer dinner - much from the garden steamed new potatoes queso fresco stuffed zucchini flowers w/ cherry tomato salsa grilled chicken w green onion/mustard paste

Wild. We have a great fishmonger nearby that gets a good mix of farmed and wild. The squid last night from said fishmonger was also excellent (did a new for me pairing - asian style sauce; ginger, sweet soy, black vinegar, lime, dark soy, maple syrup, fresh chives, cilantro and baby cilantro seeds all crushed and mixed together. Worked quite well.

Curious what it ran you through Amazon... We had some super fresh Char and Spigola last night, I love doing the char med-rare when it's that fresh - just cook on a med-low grill for about 10-12 minutes, no flipping - divine. Sorrel sauce as icing on the cake. I think for 2 whole sides I paid $35 CDN.

Love langoustines - and nature. Seems like a great trip. Thanks for taking us along, @KennethT!

Those melons (water, that is) are amazing! I tried melons this year in a raised pot, first time ever regardless of growing vessel - not sure if it will work, one little round melon growing, but slowly. Do not think these fabric pots offer sufficient water. Our Zucch harvest has been very good this year, lots of fruit - flowers, etc. Tomatoes are starting to come in as well, picked many cherries (about 3-4 types) and today, the first slicers (Black Krums).

@Smithy - My pleasure. Lots of interesting options you can do with grilled scapes. The grilling tones down the raw garlic flavour (as with any cooking of the scapes) and brings out a natural sweetness which is really nice. I have used this paste as a pizza base, a pasta sauce, a sandwich spread, dressings, etc etc. I find with the mortar you get a creamier end result than with the blender - also given the crushing vs. slicing motion, the cells are treated different and turn into a totally unique beast. You may even want to try a small amount in your mortar to see the difference. It is significant. Lastly, re: pickles - if you do them from a raw state they will retain a lot of the raw sharp garlic notes - if you blanch or treat them first, they will not only absorb the flavours better but also not be as harsh.

@Kim ShookThose blackberries are amazing. Re: Scapes - I would suggest grilling them and then use a mortar and pestle to turn into a paste (forget the food processor, diff end result), often with other options (varying between parm, chili, citrus, roasted veg, etc) and olive oil.

You know why they call them HASSLEback potatoes!? Because they are just one massive PITA! No gadget will make me waste further time with them. If I want thick potato chips, I will just use the bloody mandolin (not my blood, I use no cut gloves on that beast!) and cut the entire damn disc off!

I tried eating one, it was pleasant enough with a mild curry flavour and underlying sweet tones. I bet they would be a nice salad garnish. Will save seeds and experiment with them later Sorry to hear that. What was the purported logic behind that genius decision? These ones work well and as they are made from 100% BPA free recycled water bottles. Very thick (I have used a few types) and great drainage. In my eyes, far superior to other alternatives and supporting this type of initiative moves the proverbial needle that much further to try and support our worsening ecosystems.