TDBTB

OK what does TBTB mean?  It means "to damn busy to blog."  I've been working flat out at the office ever since we got back from OBX. The office moved, we started a container garden project, had to train new staff, the annual audit prep had to get done, and then just all the usual things the CEO/CFO of an organization has to keep their hands on--including partnering with other agencies to initiate projects like weekend food backpacks for low income children and a mobile clinic for low income families.  And then there is home, Mr.P. and Baby Girl.

Summer is when I am in the flower beds and container gardens as much as possible.  Its been so hot that any work needs to get done in the early AM.  This means up and out on the weekend. No play time for you!!!
Even though we have an acre of land, the deer are so numerous and insistent that I gave up the big vegetable garden years ago. Anything grown where deer can get at it is grown in a barrel of wire. I have feet and feet of container flower beds and then what I call "the farm."

This is on the balcony of the house and if the deer can get up there good luck to them.  I also have pots of herbs on the back stone patio and today was basil harvesting day.  I have two large sweet basils and the best plan is to severely prune back the plants when harvesting.  Here is the pile I got this AM when the oils are best.

I take this pile and rip the leaves from the stems and pinch off the stem of the leaf.  I've found your finger nail is the only really good way to do this.  This pile ended up with a large bowl of leaves.

Here it is about half full with the compost bowl in the back.  The leaves are then sent through a food processor with olive oil and made into basil paste and frozen.  The paste can be defrosted and used pretty much like fresh basil.  I use it all winter long in a favorite of ours--onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, capers,salt, feta, and olive oil.  And, of course you can use it in sauces and any dish calling for basil. Making and freezing the paste is much better than drying the basil and makes it much more usable. I freeze the basil in ice cube trays then pop them out into a freezer container or zip lock bag.

I like to use the small Cuisinart. It seems to be more effective to make several small processings than one large.  

  Another harvest has been the cucumbers from "the farm" which is made up of 10 tomato plants (4 from last year), 4 green pepper plants (last year I got 5 gallon zip lock bags of peppers frozen), four squash (two crook neck squash and two zuchinni) and two cucumber plants.  Got four nice cukes and decided to make them up with sour cream and red onion.  I sliced the cukes in the AM and got them in salt water in the frig for the day. Then to make this up I mixed one envelope Hidden Valley ranch dip  with a pint of low fat sour cream.  Meanwhile the cukes should be draining. Chop up the red onions. When the sour cream mixture has "steeped" a while and the cukes are well drained, mix and then eat it up. Mum, mum.
    Speaking of food, last night I made guacamole and a black bean salad with chucks of mango on the side. Yumo.

So, hope to get back in the groove here at the pond and do more circling but if you see only "TDBTB" you'll at least know I'm thinking of you.