Gardening & Preserving Weeks 4 & 5

That big one is still our very first fruit. When is she going to change color?!

So the full heat and humidity of summer has finally caught up with us in Toronto.  It's been pretty brutal and supposed to get worse over the next few days.  It very exciting especially since we only have a measly A/C unit in our bedroom to say the rest of the house is a hot box is an understatement.

But you didn't come here to read about the heat you came to check in on my little urban garden which I must say is doing quite well.

Strawberry Gelato

Look at that bucket of berries.

Insanity, right?

Well we had two of those buckets filled to the brim last week.  All picked by the Boy and I in about an hour.  It was literally back breakin' or should I say back achin' work.  Strawberry picking is one of those things that should maybe be reserved for kids.  The unfortunate thing is that we love them.  And there is nothing, I mean nothing like the taste of a warm sun-ripened berry.  It has to be one of my favorite tastes of summer.

Rhubarb Sorbet

Summer is finally here in Southern Ontario, it's hot and steamy and our house is officially turning into a hot box.  I'm not sure what happened to spring, maybe it's because I was travelling for much of May and when I was home it was raining, make it just cool and damp and not very springy.  I missed our tulips blooming and who knows what else?  One of my favorite signs of late spring/early summer is rhubarb.  Since before I went away and as soon as I was back I have been keeping my eyes open for this lovely stalk to no avail.  I couldn't have missed it too could I?

There's no way.  It can't happen.  I need to make some jam and maybe a cake and I think I want to tackle sorbet this year too (these are all things I said to myself each time I thought about the prospect of missing rhubarb).

While we visited the Jean Talon Market in Montreal a few weeks ago, I saw the most gorgeous stalks of rhubarb.  So gorgeous that I contemplated buying some and lugging them on the train back to Toronto.  The Boy quickly nixed that idea and I took comfort in the fact that if they had it Montreal, surely I'd be able to find some in Toronto, right?

Merry Christmas Week to you and a Giveaway!

Well it is officially Christmas week and what better way to kick it off than with a gift for my readers?  Tetley tea has recently come out with a line of herbal teas called Colour Therapy using specific blends of teas and colours to help enhance or change your mood or well-being.   With the stress that the holidays can bring I figure what better gift to give than teas that can help Soothe (light green; ginger mint with lemongrass), Calm (turquoise chamomile and spearmint) and Cleanse (yellow; lemon balm, honey, nettle and elderflower) in the aftermath of the holiday craziness.

I was sent a sample of the Soothe tea.  It's light green canister is packed full of refreshing ginger and mint aromas with the slightest hint of lemon balm.  The tea itself is lovely and actually is quite effective in it's promise to soothe.  Last week was crazy stressful for me, I was applying for a grant for a short film I am producing, trying to finish Christmas shopping, planning for our annual Christmas party, all while trying to keep the house in order and care for our dogs.   I'd be up super early and not get to bed until super late, so when my container of soothe tea came I decided what better way to put it to the test than trying it when I really needed some soothing.

Guest Blog on Domestic Divas: Toasted Cinnamon Ice Cream

It's been awhile but the wonderful Domestic Diva and are getting back into our semi-monthly guest posts.  She just shared my amazingly delicious Toasted Cinnamon Ice Cream over on her blog.  I highly recommend you check it out.

She'll be contributing a Meatless Monday post nest week, which I can't wait for as she is the one who got me into the whole Meatless Monday thing.

Enjoy!