July 21, 2012 Saturday, My Twins’ Birthday (Abby and Marcia)

July 21, 2012 Saturday, My Twins’ Birthday (Abby and Marcia)
‘Twas another very fine day, perhaps a bit too warm for much exertion. I got steamy while digging in my eggplant border. I am not good for much more than a half hour. I am preparing a spot for a lavender plant that Nancy gave me. The crab grass has such a lock on every un-dug section, that planting something is not straightforward. Another year I will put the eggplant below the granite wall, if I grow it and use this hot area for heat loving herbs. I already have rosemary, tarragon and sage doing well. Even mint is surviving thanks to an occasional bucket of milky rinsings. It has established itself inside of a great big phlox that keeps it cool.
DD Abby has been away in Blue Hill for six months caring for an elderly lady with Alzheimer’s. Grace passed away this morning about 6am. So Abby will soon be back up here near the farm.
July 22, 2012 Sunday
Another hot day. Things are beginning to get very dry. I carried water to my peppers. The tomatoes looked like they could hold out another day. The mosquitoes are still bad but not as bad as last week.
This morning in the barn I spotted one hen with her eye gleaming out from a crevice in the hay. I had to move six bales to get at her nest and it only held six eggs so there must be a couple more nests hidden among the bales. Hens can be so aggravating. Mitra reported today that a little hen whom she thought had been eaten by the fox emerged with 13 tiny chicks. She called them pencil toppers. I supposed that is what I too must expect. It sure is amazing how a dozen eggs can turn into a dozen chicks merely by having a hen sit on them for 21 days.
Today I am 84.
July 23, 2012 Monday
Very hot again today. I did a little gardening and a lot of watering. The kitchen was unbearably hot. I could scarcely think.
The power went out for a couple of hours beginning just as I was about to open the door and let Fern in for milking. The machine was already running. I postponed everything until 11 o’clock. Fern was totally relaxed about the delay.
I had a notion that DD Abby would leave Blue Hill sooner than she earlier stated and I was right. She is on her way here now. I expect her any minute.
July 24, 2012 Tuesday
The day started off hot and sticky but has gradually cooled.
I made two more loaves of bread.
Abby set up additional fans that she managed to locate. Later we went to the lake to have a good look at Marcia’s camp. She has a beautiful garden there with much in bloom including late lilies, ligularia, campanula, bee balm and on and on. I waded in the lake while Abby checked on the (damp) cellar and arranged things she had brought.
We also treated ourselves to a bit of shopping at a local antique/used junk store. Abby bought a little folding table and small rug. I bought a lovely wool bedspread and two teapots. For the latter, no case could be made that I need them. But I could tell they wanted to come home with me. They were about $5 each. One says Satsuma on the bottom, Japanese of course, with a fine peacock decoration. The other is a small Staffordshire.
I spoke to Don Houghton who just finished bush hogging for me. Tomorrow morning he is going to start on cleaning out the deep bedding in the beefer pen.
July 25, 2012 Wednesday
The weather today was very fine.
Don Houghton mucked out last winter’s deep bedding from the beefer pen. Now there is a fine new pile of manure at the edge of the North Field.
DD Abby went shopping and brought home lots of fruits and vegetables from Rumford, also an antique chicken feed dispenser, much needed for my free range birds. It is just like a modern one but 3 times as heavy. My chickens range great distances but there are now so many young ones that some extra feeding is needed.
Shireen also brought fruits and vegetables. Some were from Sam’s Club courtesy of her grandmother Marie. Some were dazzling local tomatoes, two of which she grew herself along with a bunch of her own Swiss chard.
She also brought me a birthday present of an oil pastel she had done. It is a 20” x 14” view of my house, all framed.
July 26, 2012 Thursday
Damp and overcast today with some drizzle.
Fern pushed down the veg garden fence to reach a patch of comfrey and then climbed into the garden. I found her enjoying the grass around some young apple trees. She knew she was naughty and raced all around throwing her feet in the air. But then when Abby opened the gate for her she exited politely. We propped the fence with boards which won’t last long.
So far as I can tell I have no apples this year.
I made a dinner that Abby really liked. I boned a (mature cow) chuck roast and made chicken fried steak. That may not be the correct name; maybe it is Swiss steak. I dredged the pieces in well-seasoned flour and gently browned them on both sides in olive oil and beef fat in a cast iron skillet. I covered them with well flavored chicken stock and wine and simmered them in a slow oven for 3 hours. We served the steak with mashed potatoes and the resulting gravy. It is really hard to match the flavor of good beef cooked this way and mashed potatoes are the perfect accompaniment. I also served the Swiss chard that Shireen grew and it too was delicious.
July 27, 2012 Friday
Very hot again today, partly because I was in the kitchen. I made bread and blueberry squares. I ground the wheat last night for the bread and soaked it overnight. It turned out exceptionally well, as did the squares.
DD Abby and I joined DS Martin and DIL Amy at the lake for a dinner of fresh caught haddock from the fish market in Biddeford. I brought my blueberry squares. Our message to Shireen somehow did not reach her so she did not join us. Such a shame.
Blueberry Bars The crust: 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 cups all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled 1/4 tsp salt zest of 1 lemon 8 oz cold, unsalted butter (2 sticks) 1 egg, beaten
The berrymixture: 1/2 cup sugar 4 tsp non-gmo cornstarch Juice of 1 lemon 4 cups fresh blueberries
Special Equipment - a well-greased 9- x 13-inch pan
Making the crust - Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together the sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and lemon zest. Then using your fingers or a pastry-cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (To save time, you can pour the ingredients into a food processor, as I did, and pulse the butter into the mixture).Stir in the beaten egg.
Forming the bottom crust - Turn half the crumbly mix into the greased pan, and pat it down with your fingers to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
The berries – In another bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Then stir in the lemon juice. Add the blueberries, and gently move them about with a rubber spatula until all are coated with the sugar solution.
Finishing the bars - Spread the berry mixture on the bottom crust. Then sprinkle with the remaining crust. Bake on the lower-middle rack of the preheated 375F oven for 45 minutes, or until the top crust just begins to color. (only took 30 minutes in my oven) Don’t let the top crust brown all over, as this will indicate the bottom crust has burned.
Allow the pan to cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack
From: A garden for the house (blog)