Little & Big

a week on Plum Island: third day (hunting for treasures)

                                                    digging for buried treasure

                                                                    a discovery

                                                                 crab-claw hand!

                                                       little brother's treasure

a week on Plum Island: what we collected

a week on Plum Island: third day (Sandy Point)

note: it was 65 degrees and sprinkling but children had to swim anyway because (for goodness sakes!) it's summer!

a week on Plum Island: fourth day (sandcastles at Sandy Point)

what we're doing with cucumbers

It's that time of year: everyone has cucumbers to give away.

This was cucumber project number one: a quick pickle. "Toby's Pickled Cucumbers".

Recipe from: Preserving by Oded Schwartz.

It's an easy quick pickle.  And it's light and tasty.

Of course I can't take any credit here, outside of finding the recipe, and leaving the book on the kitchen counter, open to that page.  Boys did the rest.

3 pounds cucumbers (about 3 large cucumbers), sliced 1/2-inch thick
6 tablespoons pickling salt
1 1/2 pounds onions, sliced into thin rings
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into smallish pieces
12 garlic cloves, sliced
3 teaspoons black peppercorns

3-4 bay leaves & 1-3 dried red chilies

9 cups water
4-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
12 tablespoons sugar
fresh dill (16 small sprigs or 8 large sprigs)

Prepare canning equipment (wash, sterilize, etc.). Put sliced cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with half the salt. Mix well and let stand for about 20 minutes. Rinse the cucumbers under cold water and drain well. Mix the onion rings, and carrots in a bowl, pour boiling water to cover then drain well. Arrange a layer of cucumber in the bottoms of the hot, sterilized jars. Add some garlic, dill, and peppercorns. Cover with a layer of the remaining vegetables. Repeat until vegetables are used up and the jars are almost full, but loosely packed. Place the water, vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, dried red chilies and remaining salt in a noncorrosive saucepan and bring to a boil for a few minutes. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jars, leaving 1/4-inch headroom. Poke the vegetables with a wooden skewer to make sure there are no air pockets. Then seal the jars. Cool and refrigerate. The pickle will be ready to eat in 2 days and should keep in the fridge for a couple of months.

life with a cat

                                    (I was mopping the kitchen)

how do I love having good kitty Edgar around.  let me count the ways.  (even with claw holes in the screens.)

gifts from the garden: flowers

We joined a CSA.  They had a share open and we jumped in for the duration of the season.  I can't tell you how thrilled I am.  I'm going to port my camera there this week to take pics -- the farm is just gorgeous.  And it's close to our house. 

They had you-pick flowers.  And we picked.  This bouquet was one of 4.  Can't get enough of it.

"Brown Spots on the Wall" by Hu Flung Pu

Yellow Snow by I.P. Freeley

Cellophane Bikini by Seymour Hare

20 Miles to the Outhouse by Willie Maikit, illustrated by Betty Wont

::

Ever heard of these?  Best books never written. There is a whole passel of them out there in the world, and in our house we LOVE them.  Over breakfast we made up our own.

::

Sharks in the Water by Tip Dover-Boat

Telling the Truth by Hugh Diditt

Turn Down the Music by DJ Stoppitt

Get Me A Drink by Hally Peño

Rocket to the Moon by Yay-hee Maydette

Chip Off the Old Block by Gene Poule

and my favorite

One Terrible Fog by Hugh Pooded

::

Laughing yet?   Got some of your own?  Let us hear it.

mufflemelon stew

the recipe ingredients:  mashed apricots with pits, rhododendron leaves, jewel weed, bits of unripe apple, mint, unspecified weeds, pond water, and a touch of grass. 

the restaurant:  "Frankfurter's Vegetarian Restaurant"

inspired by: the vigorous weeding I was doing in the yard.  the piles I left behind were ransacked by the chefs and turned into masterpieces.  this was their finest.

camping

                                my ferry ride to New York state

                                their ferry ride (photo by Per Eisenmen)

                                                                  (photo by P.E.)

                                                                    (photo by P.E.)

                                                              (photo by P.E.)

                                                              (photo by P.E.)

                                                                          (photo by P.E.)

                            all children whittling!    (photo by P.E.)

                                for hours, apparently   (photo by P.E.)

                                        the whittled creations

(Following photos all by Per Eisenmen)

Lovely, right?  This was last weekend.  Buck Pond State Park.  With dear friends. 

It was a 3 day, 2 night camping trip that I had been resistant to.  "I don't like to camp," I claimed.  "I have too much to do here at home.  We don't have the right sized tent.  I won't sleep on the ground."  Etc etc etc.  I finally gave in: "I'll go for one night."  So I sent them off on Friday and met them their on Saturday. 

(Which is why the vast majority of the photos are by Per.  Plus my battery died!)

But who was Little Miss Ecstatic Camper?  Who couldn't get enough of camp food and canoeing and being in the woods?  Cooking over the camp stove?  Barefoot in the sand with a wet pack of kids? Sleeping squeezed into a tent, all four of us?   Moi.  Loved it. I didn't want to go home.  (Nor did the kids.)

So I'll leave you with a pic of Sunday morning (taken with my iPhone).  Can you smell the bacon?

HUGE thanks to the Eisenmens for organizing.  And for being relentless that I come along!