In the community garden where I live, I planted sunflowers.
I’ve never grown them before, but I remember my dziadzi (grandfather in Polish) used to grow them in his garden in Tempe.
this is the time of year when my hoa requires all the oranges to be picked from the trees.
apparently, we are still scared of roof rats!
so yesterday i climbed up into the orange tree and picked every last one of those buggers.
i’m sunburnt and covered in scratched, but i win.
now i have about a million oranges in my kitchen.
i plan on juicing them all-about a gallon will come with me this morning to brunch
where we will make mimosas.
the rest will probably be frozen to enjoy year round.
brussel sprouts: these grow along the inner stalk. they are fantastic roasted or steamed then fried. never boiled.
fennel sits on top of the earth. i like to roast mine and eat it with salt and pepper.
this is a type of cauliflower called romanesco. it’s florets are fractal shaped. hands down best when roasted till it has browned edges. it also has a sweet taste when fresh. and when i say fresh, i mean in season or from the garden. store cauliflower that has sat for awhile has a bitter bite to it.
today’s tasty beverage is fresh squeezed orange juice from my tree, vodka, a splash of vanilla extract, and a few mint leaves.
i almost went with sage, but i thought i would go more classic. that, and i have twice as much mint as sage, and sage is tastier friend in butter than swimming in alcohol.
this screwdriver pairs well with darning sweaters and mending torn pockets.
sometimes it is nice to live in the desert.
like right now. when it’s seventy five degrees out.
and the citrus ripens.
this is my evening (4:57pm counts as five, right?) cocktail.
gin, tonic, homemade grapefruit syrup, and slices of orange.
grapefruit and orange compliments of my front yard.
syrup compliments of travis.
I’ve been participating in an experimental garden in east Gilbert. My gardening partner and I share the same love of beets and brussel sprouts. We planted pretty much every winter seed we could get our hands on which included borage (which we really have no idea what to do with although it makes lovely purple flowers which attracts a LOT of bees), and romanesco cauliflower which looks gorgeous and tastes fantastic. I prefer mine oven roasted.