Sweeeming!

 Aeli has a friend next door.  She's eight, and has been living in the apartment next to us just for the month of July.  We've been loving them especially since she is so sweet and eager to play with Aeli (also, she speaks French).  The other day she was playing with Aeli while I was watering the garden.  At one point I hear, "You want to get in?  I don't know.  We have to ask your mom." 

He came over to me, grabbed my hand, and pointed to this five-gallon bucket.  "Uhh-uhh-uhh?" he said while pointing adamantly. 

 Needless to say, he had a great time.

Just a Reglur Old Summer Rain...

This was this afternoon:


Aeli was like, "Wet."
And then he said,
"Swimming?"

What We Found

So we have this huge squash vine spreading its tentacles into all corners of our oldest big garden bed.  It was a volunteer so we let it run, having no idea what type of squash it would produce.

 

And for the longest time, it wasn't producing.  Anything.

Stefin said that all the blossoms he was noticing were male flowers (and you need both kinds for for this plant to fruit).  Sensing no chance of reproduction, we harvested them, stuffed them with goat cheese, and fried them in tempura batter.  (They are delicious.)


Finally I suggested we just tear the thing out, because it really was looking like a big old bully, spreading itself out on top of all of our okra and garlic and kale.  Stefin agreed I was probably right (duuh), but we didn't do anything about it right then.


A few days later, Stefin called me over.


"Did you see the squash?!" he laughed.

An honest-to-goodness PUMPKIN (or at least a squash the size of one) just makin' itself at home in the branches of our citrus tree.

Outrageous.

Stacking Functions- Continued

Part of permaculture that is really cool is this idea of stacking functions, or getting multiple yields from one "thing" (item, activity, system).  Here's a few things I did today inspired by this principle:

-Leftover (fresh!)watermelon + lemon + simple syrup juice from last night ===> popsicles this afternoon!

-Third-graders were all about to pitch their pears into the trash can at school ====> I collected them and made my first pear frangipane tart!

-Leftover glaze (sugar, water, lemon juice, and ginger) from poaching the pears in the aforementioned recipe =====> I saved it as simple syrup, and made one test glass of a cocktail:
  -lemon ginger simple syrup
  -bourbon whiskey
  -round of lemon
  -club soda

So far, stacking functions is delicious.

Look Ma! I'm Stacking Functions!

Freshly watered ferns = Baby shower!