Homemaking Mondays: Summer Foods and Flowers

 

Hello! 
Summer is upon us now and with it brings 

so much beauty and delicious treats.

Yesterday I picked our very first ripe strawberry 

from the greenhouse.

The chamomile and lemon balm are growing nicely.

I've started picking them for tea.

Do you have a tea garden?

This is one thing I really enjoy.

I don't have a lot of variety but each year I plant

chamomile, calendula, mint, & lemon balm.

Then there are the wonderful local tea items that can be foraged

like spruce tips, rose petals, rose hips, coltsfoot, yarrow, & horsetail.

There are more but those are the ones I usually go for.

With the lovely days I long to have meals outside.

I do love picnics, but just even taking our food out to the picnic table

is something I enjoy very much.

This year the bugs haven't been bad so it makes it even more pleasant. 

Do you have a place to eat outside in your yard...or a favourite

place to go to enjoy your summer meals?

As the garden is growing 

the calendula are erupting in blooms.

Right now the bright orange is close the bright

pink of the wild roses and it's beautiful 

to see from the kitchen window.

The chamomile brings it's cheerful little blossoms

to cheer the garden and the little bees.

With the flowers in full bloom 

I like to take my little basket out to collect

what I can find to harvest.

Right now I am enjoying adding 

roses to my grandmother's rose bowl.

They float in a little bit of water

and the beautiful scent of the roses

floats out and freshens the space about it.

This week I tried something new in the kitchen.

I've been wanting to do this for a long time 

but I've just not gotten around to doing it.

So...I made some mayo! 

Yes, it's super easy and this version is carnivore diet

compliant as I made it with melted butter instead of a plant oil.

It needed to sit for awhile before it thickened, 

but wow! It's so good!

Creamy and full of flavour 

so devilled eggs were on the menu.

I dehydrated some apples and strawberries.

At first I was going to save them for tea....but well,

the kids seemed to enjoy them so much 

it's all gone so I shall make more. 

I've been making bacon and eggs for breakfast.

I saw someone who doubled up the bacon on the pan

when cooking it in the oven and thought

I need to try that. 

I can now make so much more at the same time

and if I pour the bacon fat off partway

through the cook time it crisps up much nicer.

I'm going to be trying to cook up big batches 

that can just be stashed in the fridge for snacks

or when we go out and can't cook. 

This past weekend my children went camping all together.

It was so much fun for them and then for my husband and I it was

the first time since before we had kids we were home alone.

So it was really nice all around.

As the kids grow up and are off on their own more

it's a new time for my husband and I to re-connect 

in a new way. Another chapter in our marriage.

Thanks for dropping by!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer