daffodils

I love daffodils, mostly because when they show it means spring is here. There you go, spring is has sprung. The rain has too, but at least it is warmer.

I have many favourte flowers though...jasmine (the smell, amazing) among them, oh and hydrangea, daisies...you know all the pretty ones.

What are your favourite flowers? What flowers are symbolic to you?

bungaree garden

How does our garden grow?

the juiciness of fresh tomatoesdelight of zucchini
Flower and produce firstfruits
local plant nursery (Garland Nursery in Corvallis, Oregon)
the planting is done, check it out!
what we planted in summer of 2008
licorice root, a dream of mine

Preservation:
100 Foot Challenge and Back 2 the Basics Challenge

we grow baby carrots

where do baby carrots come from? well, I think the store ones are cut up big carrots, but at our house all that we are able to grow are baby carrots!! They taste good, I just wish there were more of them.

red, green and round all over

These are what I picked today. We are now saying goodbye to all our fresh backyard fruits, and very sad to do so. These will be the last of this season, or maybe one more batch that I will pick tomorow and let ripen under cover from the frost. Oh, those green ones up there are ripe, they are Green Zebras and don't turn red. They are just as yummy though!

Now you will see my failures, as well. The midget carrots! Yes, like an inch and and inch and a half! Oh, well....I think I just need to plant them earlier next year. We'll see.
me, trying to take these pictures. J couldn't figure out why I was laying on the ground, he kept asking me: are you okay? What are you doing? O comes out and says: oh, no mom! Its okay, just get up! (I think that is what I say to him when he gets hurt :) I am not hurt, no worries...just taking pictures.

the simple pleasures: egg, toms, and buttered bread

Here is a food post on simplifying our food. this is what we had today for lunch. tomatoes with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar, bread with butter, and an egg. This could be lunch, it could be dinner, it could be breakfast...take your pick. I just know that it has amazing nutrients and only takes minutes to make. (well, longer if you make your own bread too...but it is fully worth it :)

I am adoring my tomatoes this year, super-sweet, filled with juice and never mushy. Ahhhh....so if you want a veggie side dish, just toms like this: cut them up, add olive oil, a tiny bit of vinegar, pepper and salt to taste. divine. these flavours always bring me back to my days in spain, as this is really the only salad dressing they use. oh, there are a couple more in the bowl, I am off to eat them. I can't get over the salty,sweet, tangy, peppery goodness.

what simple recipes could you eat over and over?

pizza, it's what's for dinner!

Oh yes. PIZZA~!! I love making it. I have made the dough before, but lately I've been into these two I can buy from the local Co-op. They carry Big River wheat and white and Bread Stop wheat dough. I only buy the wheat. I have tried both and I think they are the same, except Bread stop is a dollar cheaper and smaller...so take your pick.


Since it has been cooling down at night, I am not avoiding my oven like the plague we now get pizza! I made this first pizza three nights ago. Here is what I did:

I used the Bread Stop dough. used pesto for the sauce. loaded on the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. sprinkled it with a tablespoon of minced garlic. tossed on some capers. backed the thing. cut up tons of tomatoes (since they are coming out our ears right now in the garden) ...I used earlies and green zebra (so excited to use the green zebra!!). put those on after the pizza came out so that they would not be soggy, but fresh. oh, if I could just give you a slice you'd be convinced. yum.


here is pizza numero dos. glory.


again Bread Stop wheat dough. pesto for sauce. motz and parmesan cheeses. put in oven. in a bread tin chop up produce I used squash, because that is what we had that needed to be used, but the more colour you add the better. this is a throwback to when I worked at cirello's pizza here in corvallis. it is known there as a roaster. they put red onion, squash, zucchini, into a "roaster" or bread pan. so that is what I did. I then added minced garlic and olive oil. put it in with the pizza. take them both out and throw the veggies on, and then I added tomatoes (again, we have to use them up!!!). oh sweetness. this was good.

gardenia love

If I could only share the smell of this as well....that is why this is called love, the smell is so amazing. I had these in my wedding bouquet along with blue hydrangeas. beautiful.

a good egg. aka ¡celebración a la bungaree!

our first egg! seriously how exciting is that? well, I think it super-grand...is that exciting enough for you? All this time caring for these chickies is paying off...and the egg is beautiful. The boys are so happy. j was a tad confused though, as when hurried him out to see how cool what I just found was, he took the egg in his hand very gently and said: " is there something special inside?" He has been waiting for eggs, and he knows that we eat eggs, but I think I though maybe the chicken had laid him an extra special gift...maybe a chocolate egg !!:)

even yoko was interested

delightful zucchini

The wonders of the zucchini plant. As my mom always says: "zucchini plants are the cure to world hunger". As prolific as they are they should be that is for sure, but they only last for a couple of months, then fall comes. o and I picked all of these one afternoon...and from the look on his face they are super exciting! I made tons of chocolate zucchini bread ( post to follow).

first tomatoes.