Glass Cloches

  For all the years I daydreamed my way through the pages of the Lee Valley catalogue I had never quite realized the usefulness of glass cloches. Using the hotbed technique, green manure is burred under the soil of a growing plant shortly before the glass dome is dropped. As the cold of winter sets in the decomposition compensates and your summer veggies will last well into winter.

 

 The ones above can be purchased from The Company Shed

"Bless their hearts, to these, and hopefully many more guardians of our food culture to come, the idea of the one-stop, one cartload supermarket supply is both abhorrent and absurd."

Sunshine, and plenty of it!

It's amazing what a little summer can do for your garden. Everything is growing like mad right now. My favourites so far, from an aesthetic perspective, are the kohlrabi leaves:

So beautiful.

My other most favourite are the little flowers on the bush beans. White beans are a product of white flowers and the purple beans are produced from purple flowers, like these:
We are going to be up to our hips in beans in a few weeks. I can't wait!

July Already?

Things are finally starting to grow up here on the mountain. Thank goodness we have finally received some sun.

Oyster Mushrooms

On Tuesday morning, my father and I went for a hike through Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver when only a short while into our fun my eyes caught a glimpse of something white and shiny by a rock wall not far from the path. After a rather glee filled gasp, I slipped through the underbrush, across a rather big log, through a stream and crouched down to the most beautiful patch of oyster mushrooms I've seen in a really long time. 

Oyster mushrooms grow in cool damp climates so this rather dreary spring has been the perfect for them. Growing on dead alder trees year after year, one patch can be harvested many times so be sure to leave some for the slugs, other mushroomers as well as yourself if you hope to see them again next year. As the mushrooms age they become increasingly gray through exposure to the sun so the younger white oysters are the ones to harvest as they keep the best flavor.

Having embarked on our morning not expecting to come across such a find, my father and I were entirely unprepared; no knife, rucksack, Tupperware or anything. Thankfully though my dad had been chatting with friendly dog walker (explaining what his strange daughter was doing in the brush) and the man pitched in his  extra biodegradable doggy bags to the cause. The rain had stopped at this point and after begrudgingly looking at three bags of mushrooms I realized that I could MacGiver a satchel out of my windbreaker (Thank you drawstring waistbands!). After not more than 5 minutes after stopping we were once again on our way.

                                                                                                 
Preparing wild mushrooms is about the same as for any of the store bought variety. First, trim away the tips (if you pulled them off the log) along with any tips that slugs have nibbled at. 

Second, rinse batches in a big bowl of cool water, draining and refilling after each set, to get rid of any pine needles or dirt. 

Lastly, drain off excess water and place on clean tea towels to air dry for about 15 minutes. 

Once dry they are ready to cook with right away or you can put them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. My favorite recipes for the mushrooms involve pasta sauces but given the size of some of the larger ones, marinading them before BBQ'ing could lead to very tasty mushroom burgers. 
 

 

For more information on mushrooming in the lower mainland you may find the Vancouver Mycological Society a great resource.  

String Gardens

(all photos courtesy of String Gardens)

I stumbled upon String Gardens a few months ago, and have since been entranced by their creations. I've had a hard time finding out much about the company, but hopefully that information will come. I'd love to know more about Diego Franssens, who appears to be behind the project. Until then, I'll continue to marvel at the simple beauty of these beautiful flowers.

Terrarium

 

Phlox by Litill

 

  Katie Goldman Macdonald (Botany Factory) - Photograph by Drew Kelly for the NY Times

I've always been interested in blowing glass, but until now it seemed like merly some far away dream that would only reach fruition when I was in my 70's. After seeing these terrariums from Litill and Botany Factory I've realized that I should get moving on this a little sooner than previously planned. Perhaps this summer will be more exciting after all.


-Sarah

Summer might just finally be here...

Hi there! I'm Tammy. Sarah and I used to work together and we've kept in sort of touch through Flickr and our love of things to be created. I'm a knitter, spinner, and more recently I've become a gardener and quilter/sewer.

This year's garden has been a lot of work but it would seem that it's going to pay off, big time. Raised beds and a 5 foot fence to keep the dogs out are definitely the way to go for successful food enjoyment. Last night we finally got to enjoy the first taste of our labours. Easter egg radishes and mixed salad greens.

They were so tasty. Good thing we liked them. I have a feeling we'll be eating a lot of them over the next couple of weeks. LOL.