Confessions of a Grandma

I have lived in this house for twenty years now.   In all that time, I never once saw a rabbit in the yard.  Well now there is one who has been hanging out under the deck.  I can't imagine why.  My herb garden is there, but there are no rabbit teeth marks on anything--or at least not yet.  I shall keep my eye on that situation. This is not my picture, but it is cute.  Is this the Chinese calendar year of the rabbit?  Maybe out little visitor will bring me some good luck. Hmm...those herbs... I should actually harvest some thyme, Greek oregano, and mint for drying.  I have more chives than I could possibly use.  I am not going to start putting them in my breakfast cereal.  I refuse! The Herb Gardener  is a great place to look for all things herby, by the way.  I will wander over there now as a matter of fact.

Some where...and I have completely forgotten where exactly...creeping decrepitude is set on getting me...some where I was reading about the phrase "cat-lady crazy." Now I loved my cat to pieces, but I am in no danger of becoming a cat lady--crazy or otherwise.  I was, am, and shall remain a one cat kind of person.  Sure, it's possible that I'll get to a point where I don't remember this rule I've made for myself and I'll be tempted by a cute little kitten face, but I think it most unlikely that I would adopt cats willy-nilly.  That's just not in my make-up. I mean, the cat part is not in my make-up.  I am afraid the crazy part just might be a part of my DNA. Actually, I can see myself becoming a bit of a crazy herb lady. [Oh, wait!  I do remember.  It was Chris Bohjalian's column in a Sunday Burlington Free Press.   See.  A little crazy, but not completely senile just yet!  I take my little victories where I can these days.] Sinc...

Cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, fresh picked herbs, blueberries, sweet corn, beets, summer squash, little heads of cabbage--these are the things I can pick from my own garden or find at the local Farmers' Markets.  This is when food tastes so good--one of my favorite things about summer.  As a kid, summer eating was about hot dogs, watermelon, and ice cream.  I haven't had ice cream this summer.  I still go for an occasional hot dog grilled til the skin pops and covered with pickle relish--true junk food.  Watermelon...I'm getting a craving...may have to make a trip to the store. After considerable experimentation, I have decided that drying herbs in the microwave works best for me.  Also, I tried freezing vegetarian dishes so that on those days when I just am not up for slicing, dicing, chopping, etc., I'd have something on hand.  I find that I prefer to make something with the idea that I will have it in the fridge and have four or five meals of i...

I happened upon this tip at the library yesterday. It is from Cooking with Herbs: 100 Seasonal Recipes and Seasonal Mixtures to Spice Up Any Meal by Tina James. It is for herbs that have a high water content, like basil or parsley. Wash the herbs and allow to thoroughly dry. Place several stems in a single layer in an unopened paper bag and tape this to the side of a frost-free freezer. In a week, the herbs are dried because the defrosting function removes the moisture from the herbs as well as from the fridge. The cold temperature also is said to preserve more flavor. Who knew?

For those who wanted more information about drying herbs, here is a helpful article . Also, last year I stuffed parsley into ice cube trays and then filled with water. When frozen, I popped the cubes out and stored them in a freezer bag. I could then toss a cube or two into soups and sauces through the fall. I usually fill ice cube trays with basil pesto and store those cubes in freezer bags as well. That way you can use a little and not have to hassle with chipping a chunk out of a larger container.

A woman from Milton, Vermont took this picture over the weekend and it was published in the Burlington Free Press. It's amazing that someone would actually have a camera at the ready for an opportunity like this. A sudden and completely uncharacteristic burst of energy hit me this morning. By ten a.m., I had my two cups of coffee, finished the crossword and sudoku puzzles, washed up the breakfast mugs and coffee pot, taken a walk and pruned two lilac bushes. It is supposed to get up into the 90's again today--it's been about seven years since we've had a nice hot summer like this here--so I won't feel the least bit guilty about sitting with my book and a pitcher of lemonade this afternoon. I've been experimenting with drying herbs from my garden. I put some mint and some Greek oregano in the microwave. It dried them out fine. Time will tell if the flavor lasts through this process, but the kitchen smells nice.