Herbs on the Go

Before we left for our 3 week vacation to the Maritimes

I checked my herb garden.

(stay tuned for some down East posts)

The basil was at it's peak - I had to do something!

After viewing https://www.mairlynsmith.com/index.php/2011/06/27/freezing-a-bumper-herb-crop/ Mairlyn Smith's tutorial on how to preserve this bounty

in Olive Oil I was determined to "save" these beauties.

BTW - I love her fb tutorials. She's hilarious and I must get a copy of

her latest book - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/557973/peace-love-and-fibre-by-mairlyn-smith/9780147530929

It was easy to do and now I can look forward to throwing them into future sauces and such.

I used my silicone tart liners.

They did the trick.

Frozen and ready to use!

Oh, but the mint, the parsley, the chives, the sage, and the rosemary ...

What if we get a frost while gone?

I literally grabbed handsful of each, wrapped them in wet paper towels,

and threw them into my camper fridge - hoping they won't be 

confiscated at the border when we travel into the USA.

I confessed to the border patrol (he was so nice) that I have fresh herbs on board

and he said no problem! Yay!

While visiting Bar Harbor, Maine and then on to the Canadian Maritimes,

I rarely had a chance to use my fresh herbs because we were SO ENJOYING

all the fresh sea food.

To make a long story short - I did not do very much cooking on this trip!

When I unpacked the camper fridge yesterday, I was ready to see my poor herbs

dead and gone and needing to be composted.

To my surprise - they were still "fresh as a daisy"!!!

Here they are after 19 days ...

I had packed them in bunches, and put them all into one soft plastic bread bag.

Voila - still fresh and fragrant. Who knew they would last this long?

Mint, dill, chives, sage, parsley and rosemary

Upon inspection of said herb bed on our return, the parsley had exploded!

As I really hate to see this go to waste, I searched the internet for a good

parsley oil recipe.

It seemed easy enough to do so I tackled the challenge.

Two ingredients:

4 Cups lightly packed parsley

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

(I usually like to use Olive Oil

but the Canola Oil will stay more 

liquid when refrigerated - as was

suggested).

My Vitamix blender struggled a bit

when blending this (too many tough stems?) but it eventually

turned out pretty good when sieved 

through cheese cloth.

We drizzled some on ripe Ontario tomatoes for our dinner tonight

and it was so delicious.

I will have to do another batch or two this week before the frost comes our way.

Also, perhaps, a huge tabouli salad?

Can you spot the bright green drizzle?

Well - it seems Fall truly has arrived on this old farm.

I simply love this time of year!

Do you?

Till next time .... enjoying this season (with a long "to do" list).

The August that Was

Summer Holidays have quietly come to an end.

We tried desperately to slow it down but were seemingly unsuccessful.

It was a good month, however ...

Sunsets from the Kitchener condo roof top

Lake Huron Sunsets

A bit of camping in our wee Escape 19 - our Happy Place

Did a bit of biking on the G to G,
near Goderich, Ontario
and
Milverton, Ontario

These railroad trails are perfect 
for biking/hiking,
They are well maintained,
level,
and so scenic!

So thankful for the foresighted
folks who have made this possible.

Eek - where are the filters when we need them?
Letting the hair go natural - second cut

Woodstock's 50th Anniversary reminded us that there was a
50th Wedding Anniversary to celebrate too.
The Farmer's sister and our dear brother-in-law to be exact.
We surprised them with a "Woodstock" style dinner out 
followed by some dessert here at the farm.

lots of tie-dye - everyone was such a great sport albeit camera shy!

It was such a fun evening!










This couple, Glennis and Mark, are amazing!
We love and respect them in so many ways.
They have contributed SO MUCH to our family and to the community they live in!
I couldn't ask for better in-laws!!

They will be continuing the celebration by taking their two sons and daughter-in-law
on a trip to Africa later this month!

picture taken by BIL Murray Leis - thanks so much!
Photo Bombed by the chauffeur/farmer

The Cake

This was so much fun creating!
Thank goodness for Youtube tutorials ...














Old fashioned farming still exists in our part of the country
and makes for some great photo opps...

Love to play with "Waterlogue" on these ...

Zucchini Relish made

The annual peach custard tart.
I always love an excuse to make this during
this bountiful harvest season!

When life hands you some much needed rain. (pic by mommy)

August flower child (pic by daddy)

End of Summer Bonfire - wish we had done more!

Instagram and text pictures from
the long weekender vacationers.




How did she get so grown up looking?

And this little cottager!!

Be still my heart ... ❤️ ♥️ 💜 


Thanks to Mommy and Daddy for sharing these great pictures.











The August that was turned out to be a good month in this summer of 2019.
So hard to believe that it is over .

Cheers to September - lots to look forward to during this new month
- a special little grand girlie starts school!!!???
- a get-away trip to Canada's East Coast and Bar Harbour USA
to mention a few.
September here we come!

Till next time ........ enjoying these last days of summer