Bountiful Baskets

Have you ever heard of Bountiful Baskets? If you have and you know all about it then you  have my permission to ignore me…well, wait, not entirely…but go check out the Crafting Tutorials or something.

 

But if, like me, you are new to the idea of a food co-op then you may just want to check this out.

Here’s how it goes. You go to the Bountiful Baskets website and scope it out, click around and read the rules.

Next you follow the directions for signing up for the baskets at your location.

Then, on Monday evening at about 8 o’clock–times may vary in your area–you log in to the site…

and order a basket and whatever else you want that they are offering that week–and pay right there online.

The basic basket is $15 and is 50% fruit and 50% vegetables—totally random stuff, differing from week to week.  This week’s also included celery, lettuce and broccoli–but they were already put away–so no picture.

The items you can order separately could be tortillas, 9 grain bread or chewy granola–to name a few.

Then the following Saturday you show up at the prearranged site—with your own empty box or basket and pick up your loot. It’s very cool and kind of exciting to see what will be in the basket each week.

I do, however, have a word or two of warning.

Do not, under any circumstances, push the “ORDER” button more than once–not even if it says the server is down and come back later. Don’t think that you’ll just push the “ORDER” button, oh, say FOUR times because it doesn’t seem to be moving fast enough, or because you want to make sure that it is really, truly working.

Just don’t do it, or you–my friend–could end up with a bigger busload of  fruit and vegetables than even Farmer MacGreggor would know what to do with. And then, you’ll have to figure out how to eat it all…fast.

Don’t bother asking me how I know this…

that would be humiliating.

But if anybody needs a fruit salad–
I’m your girl.

My Little Garden

No, no…I didn’t win the chicken boxes. But don’t worry…I only cried for an hour.  Maybe they found out that right this minute I only have this pretend chicken in my garden, who is perfectly content to sit under the rose bush among the grass clippings…without an incredibly cool nesting cubicle thingy. But I will have chickens someday.

Ok…I’m over it.

Is your garden like ours–all spent and spindley and nearly begging to be pulled up?

The strawberry sentry squirrel is still guarding away…

even though there’s only one brave strawberry left to scare the birds away from.

And good old laughing Buddah-man is still raising the roof…

whether or not the ridiculous tomatoes EVER turn red…before Christmas that is.

Spinny-wing rooster is a perfect match for…

the over achieving super hot peppers…that I’m afraid to pick….so they just keep growing…and growing. I guess what I’m really saying here is that I’m about ready for the garden gnomes to shut it all down for the season. Till it under, trim it back or dig it up so that it feels right and proper to move on…

to our beloved crab apples!

Then it will truly be Autumn.

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Watermelon Granita

Oooohh–if you didn’t love us before today, it’s gonna happen now. Here is our lovely first attempt at Italian Ice, and what better flavor to start with than watermelon.

Dang.

The official name for this sweet thing is Watermelon Granita, and I must say–it’s positively the perfect thing for those hot August days, while gliding on a porch swing, or floating in the hammock…

either way.

Positively blissful I tell you.

You may even decide to throw a garden party…just because you can.

And so you should.

Watermelon Granita

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups water
6 cups cubed watermelon

Directions:

Bring sugar and water to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Set it aside while you work on the melon. This part is fun. Cut the middle out of a watermelon unless that will make someone really mad. In that case–just cut out enough chunks to measure about 6 cups. Now, drop about 1/3 of the pieces in the blender at a time and pulse on low. We don’t want to grind up any seeds.

Pour it into a strainer and press out the juice. Discard all the pulp and seeds. Once you’ve finished you should have about 3 cups of beautiful, sparkling watermelon juice. Now, transfer it into an 8-in. square dish and stir in the hot sugar syrup. Let it cool to about room temperature then set it in the freezer for about an hour. Take it out and stir it into pieces with a fork. Now re-freeze for about 2-3 hours longer or until completely frozen, stirring every 30 minutes or so with a fork or metal spatula. Stir again just before spooning into dessert dishes. It should make about 8 luscious servings.

Make this…you’ll thank me.

I swear.

Summer Garden Salad

Ok, ok…I admit it. None of this actually came from my real live garden…yet.

Oh, but it will. Soon…very soon.

And when it does–

oh…my-my.

Summer Garden Salad

Ingredients:

Roma tomatoes–cut in chunks

Cucumbers–seeded and cut in chunks

Snap Peas

Ranch Dressing

Italian Dressing

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

There are no amounts listed because it’s all relative. Normally, if I’m making this just for me–I’ll cut up one cucumber, 2 tomatoes, add a handful of Snap pea pods and toss. Mix equal amounts of Ranch and Italian dressing together and drizzle lightly over vegetables. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.

This is one salad that stores and travels much better than wilty old lettuce. In fact, it will just make you glad to be alive.

Oh, and Michele M. and Patty Ann–this recipe was for your suggestion to use veggies and snap peas. Hope you like it.

Dirty Dogs…

This is not a post about dogs.

See the good birdy. See her eat the seeds that we scatter for her. See her sit there pretty and let me take her picture.

Good, good birdy.

See the naughty birdy. See the fake picture of the naughty birdy. She won’t sit still for me to take a picture.

Oh, no–she’s too busy…

EATING MY STRAWBERRIES!! Apparently this birdy doesn’t know with whom she plays.

I have friends you know…