...time warp again.

Dear Food Diary,


Here's (some of) our garden a month ago.  It looks pretty different now.  The tomato plants are taller and more tomato-covered; the peas have produced pea pods and died.  There are actual sprouts on the brussels sprouts.  The cauliflower is long eaten, while the broccoli continues to send up new shoots after we removed the head.


Anyway, here's what it was like in a simpler time:

Brussels sprouts:

Dill and bunching onions:

This was stolen/eaten by a squirrel:

We've eaten a bunch of that already, Food Diary.  Sorry I didn't tell you about it before.  We made a sesame/soy broccoli side dish... you wouldn't have liked it.  We made some pickles with mini cucumbers, dill, and onions.  Uh, we had roasted beets tonight.  We've had raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and a couple strawberries we managed to wrestle away from the chipmunks that moved into the old rabbit/woodchuck apartment under the shed.


Anyway, none of that is the kind of stuff you'd care about.  Sorry I don't have any more pictures of cake.

It's So Intense

The day after our 3rd of July feast, I spent most of the morning in the garden tending our beans, beets, blueberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, hops, melons, onions, pears, peas, peppers, radishes, raspberries, squash, strawberries, etc.  Plus I had to mow.  That kind of work requires a sustainful, nourishing breakfast.

While I was mowing, I noticed something move in a patch of grass I'd just passed over.  This guy was there, looking put out at the loss of his tall-grass habitat.

Sarah and I were so impressed by the nubbly fellow's survival skills (i.e. ducking and looking pissed) that we brewed up a beer in his honor that night: Hoppy Toad.

It's full of (Cascade & Centennial) hops, honey, (biscuit) malt, oats, and survival instinct.  Here it is in secondary fermentation, with whole Cascade hops and Citra pellets:

We just bottled it yesterday -- so it should be drinkable shortly.  When it is I'll share it with you, Food Diary.  And if I can find the toad again, I'll share some with him.

Your pal,
Matt