Friday, July 22, 2016

Blackberry Liquer Recipe

 I like this recipe because it is fairly easy to make and you can add other things to it.  It is easy to change as the ingredients do not need to ferment or be bottled.  Can be made without the herbs, too.


Start by making the simple syrup first.
SIMPLE SYRUP
Combine 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 tsp lemon concentrate, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla in a small saucepan  and heat over med heat, stirring constantly until sugar and honey is dissolved.
Add: 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, 3 sprigs fresh lavender, 3 sprigs fresh thyme.  Stir.
Cool.

BLACKBERRY INFUSION
5 cups fresh blackberries (can use frozen berries that have been thawed)
1 cup water
Put in a heavy large pot and heat while stirring.  Cook till blackberries are tender.

Strain the juice through Gramma Hutch's colander or chinois,  into another container.

Then add the seeds and pulp back into the pan with another cup of water.  Cook again.  Lots more juice will come out.
Strain this juice into the container with the first batch.  Add the simple syrup to it.  Cool.
Then add: 1 cup vodka, 1/2 cup gin (or any combination that you like).
Pour into a glass jar that can be sealed with a ring and wire closure.

Store in fridge.
Drink as is or add to lemonade or sparkling water.

Dispose of the seeds by making sure all the juice is drained out first, then tapping the sieve upside down on several layers of newspaper, wrap the seeds up and put into garbage.  Do not put them into your compost or think you will feed them to the birds -unless you want a thousand more blackberry vines growing in your yard.

Coneflowers - Echinacea

Coneflowers – Echinacea



Echinacea is a hardy transient perennial that flowers in August.  Should be grown as annuals as in some areas they have difficulty coming back the next year.  This may be from rotting in our mild wet winters here on the West Coast or from damage done by slugs. 

These plants are quite tolerant of drought like conditions and thrive in dry summers.  The flowers draw bees and butterflies and the stalks are sturdy and rarely require staking to stay upright.
 
Plant them in full sun and in well drained soil. Make sure to put proper spacing between plants for air circulation to prevent powdery mildew.


It seems they grow well on their own but seem to suffer if crowded by other plants.  



Monday, July 18, 2016

Blackberry Lemonade w/ Herbs

We have so many blackberries growing around the outside of our yard.  Today, I made Blackberry Lemonade w/ Herbs.  It was healthy and delicious.  I started with this basic recipe and added the juice from 6 cups of cooked, strained blackberries to it.

LEMONADE WITH HERBS
Start by making a basic simple syrup:
Add 1/4 cup honey or sugar to 1 cup of water.  Stir until dissolved.  Add juice from 2 fresh lemons. Added some of grated lemon peel in too.  Add 2 tbsp concentrated lemon juice concentrate.
Bring to a slow boil.  Add a few springs of fresh rosemary, thyme, and lavender.  Cool.

Once cool, strain out herbs.  Add 4 to 6 cups of cold water or sparkling water for some fizz.  Add ice. Try it with mint leaves.  Try it with added berries such as blackberries, blueberries, mange, orange, etc.

Try adding the syrup to cold steeped tea.


Saturday, July 16, 2016

Plum Chutney

Lots of fresh plums growing on our island now so I have decided to make some plum chutney.  Use this spicy plum chutney on samosas, kebabs, spring rolls or with cheese and crackers.  Or put it on pork tenderloin, pork chops or chicken before roasting.

Plum Chutney

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
5 gloves garlic, peeled, diced
Cook the above ingredients in pan till onion is soft, then add:
8 Large purple plums, cut in half, remove stone and cut into 1/2 " pieces
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1/2 cup white wine
1 orange, add the orange zest and then add the juice from the orange, too.
Pinch salt, pinch black pepper
Pinch Hungarian paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp curry spice
3 tbsp chopped in half raisins
Bring to boil and start to reduce liquid.  Stir so as not to burn over medium heat.
When it starts to thicken add 2 cups of brown sugar.  Cook till thicker.  Can puree if you want a smoother sauce.  Check seasoning.
Sterilize 4 small jars.  Put a metal spoon into the jar to take away the heat so that the jar will not break as you spoon the chutney into it.  Makes 4 small jars.  Keep in fridge or freeze.





Growing Figs on Gabriola Island

Growing Figs
Fig trees are semi-tropical in origin.  They thrive in areas where winter temperatures do not drop below -10 degrees C.

DESERT KING FIG TREE
Today we planted a Desert King Fig Tree.  The Desert Fig comes from a fig tree found in 1930,near Madera, California.  This is a fast growing tree.  In spring we will need to pinch back the terminal buds to prevent it from rising up to rapidly. This fig tree produces Brebas  of average size, "melting in the mouth and very sugared".  At complete maturity the skin color changes from light green to pale yellow. It is earlier than most breba varieties by about two weeks.  Desert King is one of the most productive breba producers.  This tree also produces a main crop, piriform and flattened with a dark strawberry pulp.  This tree was highly recommended for its exceptional early crop with numerous brebas and the excellent resistance to cold.  This variety prefers only light occasional pruning.

GENERAL FIG TREE INFORMATION
Figs are self-pollinating, so you need only one plant to produce fruit.  If you have room plant several.  Mature fig trees can grow to be 15 to 30 feet tall.  Choose early, mid and late types to extend your harvest time from summer into fall.  Some types of fig trees produce bonus fruit early in the season, called a “breba” crop, as well as the main crop. 

Figs can vary in size, shape, time of harvest, texture, and flavor.  They can be violet, yellow, purple, black, green or brown.

Plant where you have the most sun and shelter.  During the first year, as plants become established water regularly and mulch.  Once established, figs can be very drought tolerant.  Fertilize with a food such as Espoma-Citrus-tone 5-2-6 in late winter and early spring.  You can add used coffee grounds and chopped banana peelings to the soil in the spring and compost all year long for overall health.  Full sun is the key for an abundant harvest and the sweetest fruit.  When fruit is developing it is important to water regularly.

When the fruit starts to swell apply a high potash liquid fertilizer feed such as tomato fertilizer weekly.
Check daily, and pick just as they ripen.  It’s time to pick the figs once they are fully colored, slightly soft and the stalks start to bend.  A ripe fig will hang or droop from the branch and will be soft when you squeeze it.  Look for drops of nectar appearing at the base of the fruit, but don’t pick to early.  The figs won’t ripen further.  Eat soon after picking as figs don’t keep well.  Dried figs are equally nutritious; if you have a bumper crop then dry some of the fruit in a hot press or drying cupboard.  If you turn them daily they will be preserved in 6 to 8 days.

Clean up the fallen fruit and leaves in autumn to discourage pests and disease.  In September, remove any fruit larger than small pea size.  The remaining tiny embryo fruit towards the ends of the shoots will over-winter and, providing they have protection from icy blasts, will ripen the following year.

All pruning should take place when while the tree is dormant in say February or March.  Avoid heavy pruning.  Start your fig tree winter care by pruning your tree.  Prune away any branches that are weak, diseased or crossing other branches.  Fig sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves when pruning trees.  Place a thick layer of mulch on the ground over the roots.  The fig tree will regrow from its roots if winter-killed.

Few insects and diseases affect figs.  Birds are the most annoying pests.  To deter birds from eating the fruit, hang reflective tape. Some people grow figs tall and let the birds get the tall, hard to reach figs.  The only way to prevent loss of the crop is to cover the plants with netting.  Remove the netting after fruiting.


If your figs grow vigorously but develop few fruit, do not fertilize for six months. 


Saturday, March 12, 2016

Hyacinth in Our Garden on Gabriola Island

In our garden the muscari bloom.  Small patches of deep violet blue.  I love the clusters of flowers, like grapes, hence the common name, grape hyacinth.  Described as an early blooming bulbous perennial with over 40 species of plants in the genus Muscari.  They are easy to grow in well drained soil and will naturalize so be careful only to plant them in an area that you want them.  An added bonus is the fragrance they have. 


Friday, March 11, 2016

Spring


While other parts of the country are still firmly entrenched in winter, we are seeing signs of spring on Gabriola.

I love this time of the year with the sun’s warm energy.  I sit in our garden absorbing the warm rays of sun.  I find myself in nature, watching our plants and flowers grow.  Every day I see new things.  Today the camellias are blooming.  This is a way of opening my-self to new inspiration.  My expression of this lately has been through photography, painting and writing. 

I get so much joy from seeing the flowers appear again.  The colors and shapes of them are amazing.  Each flower is lifting their head up to the sun just like me.  The area on the edge of the lawn where I planted all kinds of bulbs is turning out beautiful.  It is an early pop of color to spring.  Jake loves to lay beside the Buddha here. 



I sit back in the Adirondack chair and soak up the sunshine for a few minutes, too.  I find myself outside every day holding onto the beauty of this time of the year that gives me the inspiration to believe in life.  Fueled by the heat and light from the sun I can now go inside and paint.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Continuous Rain

Rain forecast for everyday for the next two weeks.  So what else is new.  We've had a wet winter and I am ready for spring.

Perhaps I can still get back out into the garden in between the showers and downpours.  Spring means rain one minute, sun the next.

Oh, what is this shining?  I close my eyes and feel the warmth on my face.  I turn my head up towards the sun and smile.  Sunshine!  Jake loves it, too.


Spring on Gabriola Island

Rumors of spring are abounding.  In the meantime I continue my daily tour of our garden to see what is new.  Although it's a cool day today, I am out in our yard looking to see what is starting to bloom and grow.  There are new leaves on the hydrangeas, there are tiny buds of new leaves forming on the minature maple trees and there are huge fat buds on the camellias.  All waiting for the next couple of days of bright sunlight to pop them open. 


There are the first blossoms of the hellebore, the first tulips, crocuses, grape hyacinths and daffodils.


Oh, I now realize that I am hearing the songbirds again.  Once I hear them again I realize that I have missed them so very much this winter.  Spring is definitely in the air.



There are also snowdrops and small clumps of daffodils growing wild in the ditches now.



Saturday, January 30, 2016

Spot Prawns - Gabriola Island

There are seven commercial species of shrimp found in Canada's west coast waters.  All cold water shrimp are fast growing, short lived and have a high reproductivity capacity.  The spotted prawn is the largest and the only shrimp caught in netted traps, the rest of the shrimp are caught with beam trawlers.  The wild BC spot prawn is a real treasure in our West Coast waters.

Spot prawns start their life off as males and then transform into females halfway through their lives.  They usually live for about four years.  Females carry between 2,000 to 4,000 eggs for about 5 months.  They hatch in March and April.

Spot prawning off of Gabriola Island can produce some delicious prawns.  A fisherman never discloses his exact location, but just take a look around for the buoys out on the water and talk to the other fisherman and you will get your clues for where you should set your traps.

Secure the traps by 400+ feet of rope to a buoy.  First bait the prawn traps with tuna cat food to attract the prawns. Then drop the traps over the side of your boat into 300 to 400 feet of water. Leave traps on the ocean floor for 3 to 4 hours while the prawns enter the trap and then pull out using a trap puller.  As the traps are pulled the line is coiled into a plastic tub.  Quickly sort out the traps contents, throwing back the small ones and the females with eggs. 


B.C. Spot Prawns are bottom dwellers and have white spots on their reddish -orange colored bodies.  They are sweet and delicately flavoured.  These delicious fresh prawns are not fed any growth hormones or antibiotics and are not farmed!  They are fresh, wild and caught from the cold ocean water.
 

Spot prawns release an enzyme when they die that will turn their flesh soft.   Okay, so we decapitate them while they are still alive and twitching by gripping either side of their neck joint and twisting.  Wash them amd de-vein them under running water, then use scissors to cut down thru their backs.  Cook them right away in the shell.  They are easier to peel if they have been frozen first.  Freeze in ziplock bags.


Keep it simple when cooking these prawns  Cook in fry pan with some olive oil, butter, fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper.  Toss over heat for a few minutes.  Meat is sweet, tender and is not fishy.  They are delicious lobster like morsels!

In B.C. there are some 250 commercial fishing licences in the spot prawn industry.  It seems really weird that the spot prawn industry from BC waters is currently centred on export and that the majority of the prawns caught in BC waters end up in Japan. At the same time, the imported, unsustainably harvested and less tasty prawns from Asia are readily available on the Canadian market. It seems counter-intuitive to ship out our good fresh prawns and replace them with substandard ones from shrimp farms from Asia.

Propogating Jade Plants

Jade plants are extremely easy to propogate.  Jade plants can be propogated from stem or leaf cuttings any time of the year. 


Propogating Stem Pieces of Jade Plant:
When your parent jade plant gets leggy it is time to trim it and propogate the pieces you cut off.  A jade plant cutting will root from the leaf joints all along the stem.  When you are trimming back your jade plant save these cuttings to root.   Save the pieces that are at least a couple of inches long so there is enough stem to form roots on.   Allow the cuttings to dry and cure for a couple of days to prevent them from rotting. 
Dip the cuttings into rooting hormone to get them to root faster.  Jade plants will root best in a light sandy soil such as a mix of sand, peat and perlite.  You can use a commercial succulent soil mix, too.  Use small size pots.  Make a hole in the soil for the cutting.  Place jade into hole and lightly pack the soil around the base so the cutting stands in place.  Drizzle a few spoonfulls of water aroung the base of it and then only water the jade cutting sparingly until it has roots.  Once you start to see new growth on the top of the cutting, that's a sign that it has started to grow roots.  Once roots have formed (3 to 4 weeks), water it like you would normally.

The jade plant will grow new shoots from the spots where you have pinched off leaves or stems to propogate.

Propogating from Leaf:
Pinch of snip of the leaf from the jade plant.  Lay the jade leaf onto the top of potting mixture.  Water gently.  Water sparingly.

Spring Blooms January 30, 2016

Heavenly harbingers of spring ... the hellebores "niger", commonly known as the "Christmas Rose" is forming it's blossoms in our yard now.  Beautiful!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Cabin Fever and Island Time

Living on an island creates a peculiar psychology that can affect you mentally and emotionally.  "Island fever" or "cabin fever" is well known , but another interesting effect on you is "Island Time" which can screw with you, too.  Over time you become wired differently in a way that you never were before. You can actually loose track  and loose touch with civilized reality before you realize it.  There is a profound shift in your perception and mental state.

The water surrounding the island that you loved when you first arrived can become your prison if you let it and over time you can feel a desperate need to "get off the island".  You just need to go to the mainland to escape for a day and you will be glad to return to your island.

The pace of life on Gabriola is as you make it.  There are many social opportunities and there is an awesome sense of community on this island.  This results in happier people and a ton of island pride and loyalty.

Gulf Island life is great but it is not a tropical paradise and it is not for everyone.  It is an excellent place to soothe a worn soul and to nourish ones spirit.  Nature and the ocean will soothe you if you let it.


Garlic

It is recommended to plant garlic 2-3 weeks before the ground freezes.  So today I am planting the rest of our local garlic that I had saved for seed cloves. November 15, 2015.

Fall planted garlic sometimes shows green shoots before winter.  It is not uncommon for garlic to sprout prematurely a little before winter.  The tops will die back off with the winter and grow again in the spring.  Garlic is extremely hardy in our climate on Gabriola and can handle this cycle.

To help protect the young sprouts I have decided to cover them with 5-6" of composted organic matter.  A combination of leaves, straw and grass clippings works good for this.  In the spring the shoots will continue to grow right up through this blanket of organic material.

November 20, 2015  I have added a layer of rug underlay over my raised garlic bed as we have been have so much rain and colder weather.  The garlic had started to sprout but I was afraid it would drown and rot in all the moisture.

Garlic is suppose to "easily withstand the winter temperatures in BC Coastal areas".  You supposedly don't need to worry about frost as garlic tolerates the cold.

In the early spring spray the garlic foliage with diluted liquid fish emulsion.

Garlic does not like lots of water.  Mulching is a way of maintaining moisture.  Not enough moisture and the garlic will not develop a full size bulb.  Over-watering results in burst skins, mold, and poor keeping qualities.  Stop watering a few weeks prior to harvesting.

Hard-neck garlic produces a central stalk that goes straight up and then usually makes one or two loops.  If you want the plants energy to go into producing a large bulb, cut the scape off after it has made 2 loops.