Don’t you just know it is going to be a great day when you arrive to a spread of wonderful homemade food – where ever you are? I do! Especially when I don’t expect it, and I definitely did not expect the loving touch that welcomed us this day from Patti Milligan of Lola Canola Honey! She was the co-leader to the Edible Garden Tours this year hosted by Claudie Bolli of Wild Green Garden Consulting. This is Claudia’s first year of taking it over from Ron Berezan, Edmonton’s own Urban Farmer, now living in British Columbia.

This is a not to be missed tour if you are interested in edible gardening at all. I only attended the morning and this is still an epic post. I burned my hand very badly on the coffee and by noon just had to go and take care of it. All ice packs had melted.  I will not be commenting on the tour that follows, but leave the information to your imagination through the photo essay. If you have questions, please ask and I will do my best to answer, or shoot over and ask Claudia on her site.

We visited five gardens in the morning and my group saw four in the afternoon. I heard a maybe missed the best part of the day, but I cannot imagine anything better than the morning I spent, burned hand and all. One of the gardents you will see is my friend, Kevin Kossowan’s garden, and if you have questions about his space, pop on over to his site to ask those.

The muffins were incredible. Thank you to Patty for sharing her recipes! Thank you to Claudia for the wonderfully planned day and thank you to my driver Christina for the company and friendship!

Registration

House One

Garden Two

Garden Three

House Four

House Five

Lunch

I thought I could make it for the afternoon, but I was in agony at lunch. Agony. However, I will be first in line next year. This was a phenomenal experience! Phenomenal!

Nodding Onions are perennial plants with elongated pinkish colored bulbs, often growing in clusters with nodding bunches of pink flowers that bloom from May to July. They are indigenous to Western Canada and not only delicious but stunning!

Allium cernuum, also known as sweet onion or barbecuing onion, reproduces from seed or bulb division. The bulbs, young leaves and flowers are all edible, either raw or cooked, and have a mild onion flavor, with the leaves tasting similar to chives. In a side by side taste test, the nodding “chives” are more toothsome, dense, deeper and more complex in flavour than its chive counterpart. They are wonderful in salads, particularly their blossoms, but they do stand up to bolder flavours well as a compliment to a main. I was very fortunate to receive this cluster from Kevin Kossowan early this Spring. He brought them back with him after foraging a couple of clusters on Vancouver Island a few years ago. Kevin is an exceptionally generous soul, and I am very thankful for that, as I also purchased seeds for them from Bedrock Seeds and learned that they can easily take up to two years to germinate. My regular readers know that patience is not a virtue I have conquered.

I was tickled pink about three weeks ago when the blossoms started to form and I got to see them nod! As they bow to their gorgeous blossom wrapped in an ethereal translucent pink gauzy film there is a graceful stillness in that part of the garden. There is the whisper of a promise. I can visualize them in the temperate rain forests hundreds of years ago when the Interior Salish and neighboring indigenous peoples whose territories covered Southern British Columbia foraged these as an important traditional cultural food. The stature of the onion echoes the spirit of the people who depended upon it so many years ago. They were usually harvested before flowering, the leaves braided and the bulbs cooked in earthen ovens. MMMMmmmm.

I was curious to see what the cluster was inside of the nodding bundle.

And look! A gorgeous allium bouquet upon each stem! Now that is a celebration!

Each tender delicate bud bursts with the brightness of a fresh spring onion: light, lively and lovely. A much more powerful personality than the chive flower. Juicy. Just the sass one might expect from a sprightly floret.

Sadly, the loss of their natural habitat has been threatened caused by housing and industrial development as well as from the impact of environmental pollution and invasive species. As the plants are lost, so is the historical knowledge and practice of gathering the plants practiced for generations by First Nations people. I am not a First Nations person, but I am a seven generation Canadian, and so I have a very close affinity to those that came before and am definitely interested in the preservation of our shared cultures.

Traditional gathering sites have been lost to large housing subdivisions, big box store shopping centers, and even university campuses, although not without strong protests by First Nations and environmental groups. Protecting the Nodding Onion is important not only for the continued existence of the plant itself but also for the continued existence of the historical knowledge and practices associated with the gathering of this wild food. (Slow Food International)

Working to preserve the biodiversity of our food is a basic tenet of Slow Food International. The Ark of Taste was developed in 1996 through the Foundation of Biodiversity within the organization and travels the world collecting small-scale quality productions threatened by industrial agriculture, environmental degradation and homogenization. It searches out, catalogues and describes forgotten flavors from all around the planet: products at risk of extinction but surviving, that could be rediscovered and returned to the market. The nodding onion is one of our own nominated by the Slow Food Canada National Ark Commission and accepted by the International Ark Commission. The Saskatoon Berry and Miner’s Lettuce have also been accepted to the Canadian Ark of Taste; we hope to raise awareness of the threats our important wild foods face and to help people to understand the importance of protecting wild, natural spaces and the edible biodiversity found across Canada. These foods are extremely important to the health and traditional cultural practices of the First Nations peoples and without them we lose a vital part of our Canadian heritage and history. (Slow Food International)

The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity:

• Protects the environment
• Defends food biodiversity
• Promotes sustainable agriculture
• Supports small-scale food producers and values their traditional knowledge
• Runs projects around the world in support of Terra Madre communities: the Ark of Taste, the Presidia, the Earth Markets and the Thousand Gardens in Africa

Defending food biodiversity is worth working toward. The colours, tastes, and textures of the past cannot be lost. It is a miracle that such beauty exists. Preserving it is a no-brainer.

Instead of flowers in pots, I have been growing greens for the past few years. They are so much more practical and beautiful, too! I have an abundance of kinds throughout my small city garden and there are only two of us. With much sadness, I add: we are not rabbits. Last year I learned to cut back. After preparing the soil with the right amount of black dirt and compost, carefully picking and planting the seeds, then watching them reach for the sun every day, I would be sick to see even one tendril go to waste.

Today I saw that a big bouquet of radishes cost only 78 cents at the grocery store. Mine are priceless. I grew them. I peeked and peered and preened and pawed at them. Then I ate them with the respect and utmost joy they fully deserve.

So many chive flowers. So many chives. I vow to celebrate this gift in my garden by using every single one purposefully – or, giving them away! I was delighted to preserve Chive Vinaigrette this year. I have now made 2 jars with 150 flowers, and look what is still left! They are not yet in full bloom. They are gorgeous in salads and as a garnish. The chives go into everything the requires onions; I just snip off a bundle and snip-snip-snip them into my soups and salads and biscuits and sandwiches and potatoes. I have even made a chive focaccia inspired by a friend’s creative use of her chives and it was stellar. Vanja’s parent’s make a chive salad: chives with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. It is incredibly tasty. The point is that I am compelled to use these chives. Wasting them would make me heartsick.

I will not have a problem with my carrots. I didn’t have room to plant to many, and they have a long shelf life. My carrots will be fully used as will most of my plantings this year. I will make sure of it.

Eating what I grow sure changes my menu! It maybe doesn’t satisfy every silly craving or every want, but it is delicious and gorgeous and gratifying. How do we teach this to our children when they look at a huge bundle of radishes for 78 cents or a homemade sandwich made with loving hands from home and toss them in the garbage because that is the “cool” thing to do?

This is why school gardens are so important. It isn’t just a “good idea” or a passing fancy. It is critical to the survival of our future generation. Today’s children are two, three, or more generations away from the farm. If they do not develop a relationship with our farmers and their food, we are all in very serious trouble.

And it even tastes better than it looks!

These little beauties are a pleasure to grow: four weeks from seeding and look at what is gracing my plate? When they are ready to be plucked, they bounce up out of the soil and wave at you! Seriously. The root is almost completely visible when they are ready.

Yes: French Breakfast Radishes do make a gorgeous centre piece, particularly first thing in the morning after shaking the earth free from them and bringing them into the house for an early morning treat. When I was a little girl, my mother used to rave about radishes, salt and butter on bread. “Oh, Valerie! There is nothing as delicious.” My immature palate thought she was crazy. I definitely could not relate. However, she is absolutely right. Her grandmother Hecht (Great Grandma Annie: I was terrified of her) used to pluck and scrub the radishes, slather homemade butter (I actually have the churn) on a thinly sliced, but hearty piece of homemade white and then overlap paper thin slices of radishes on top of the butter. “The butter with the bread and the crispy radishes was delicious, but the salt brought it all together: just a sprinkle.” I remember mom dipping raw radishes into a skiff of salt, too, with a sandwich.

This summer, every morning, usually around 6 am, I am out scouring my little garden. I pluck the invasive weeds, water the thirsty flowers, and talk to my tomatoes. Just before coming in, I check out the radishes. Which ones are jumping up and waving at me? Those are the ones I bring into the house and plunk into a glass of water to soak until I make my open faced breakfast sandwich. I usually don’t cut the bread into rounds, but I do plate them and take them back into the garden, with extra radishes on the side, to taste and savour and crunch and munch. The subtle heat, crispy texture and juicy bite with some really good butter on some really good bread (or toast) is simply divine. I am definitely my mother’s daughter.

This post is more for me than you, unless you are in the area and want to compare how your garden is growing to mine. I did all of this documentation last year, and didn’t post it, and really miss not having the information at my fingertips as I look back to compare the season. I will be doing this about once a month with little thrilled moments of my harvests in between.  just got a great idea for what to do with the multitude of chive flowers I have from Food In Jars which I will be doing later this week. I am thrilled about that! There is nothing like growing one’s own food! (…and flowers!)

Phew! That was intense. It is way more fun to garden than to write about it…. but, photo-journaling is an important part of tracking the progress of my little piece or paradise! Did you catch a glimpse of any little faeries? I am convinced they are living in my garden.

City Market is opening officially downtown on 104th Street tomorrow: It’s Summer in the City!

The garden was off to such a slow start due to the almost year long winter we all endured; however, I am stunned at how eager the my tenderlings are to burst into fullness! The minute the sun warms the Earth, little green bobbins are rearing their heads as if there was a game of underground Dominos taking place.

I have planted some tomatoes, but will be purchasing others from Inspired Market Gardens, tomorrow. My little seeded plants did not grow strong. Some didn’t survive, but I did try. And I will again.

I can see how much water celery and celeriac need: daily watering. Wet, wet soil. Apparently, according to Kevin, they are actually marsh plants. Now, that makes sense. We transplanted the honey berries from the front to the back this year, and they are thriving. I am so happy about that. I haven’t harvested them yet as they were too hard to get at before, so I am eager to see what I will do with them. They are not so flavourful, but I love the elongated oval shape and they are apparently very nutritious.

I love my kitchen garden. It is literally two steps out my back door. How I wish our summers were longer, but at least I thoroughly enjoy the time we have! Do you see what is hiding in the middle of my chives?

Nodding Onion! I am so thrilled! Thank you, Kevin! The first time I tasted it was at Kevin’s house last year, and it is really delicious. Well, a different depth of flavour, or kind of allium flavour: can’t have enough of those. I did plant seeds, too, but apparently they can take two to three years to germinate, so I am very thankful for my little protected clump!

See the little row of French Breakfast Radishes standing at attention? Yum, yum, soon!

I am also crazy over tomatoes. I can never have enough or grow enough. When I get too many, I oven roast them with olive oil, garlic and maldon salt, then freeze them: double yum! I still have not enough experience growing the varieties I have to say which are my favourites, yet, but should be able to by the end of this summer.

I love the fern leaf dill, above, and have planted the regular dill there, too. I still need to plant chervil and a couple of other herbs. If you look closely below, you will see the leeks (in between the bigger bedding leeks) that I seeded. I hope they thrive.

It was a currant bush when I bought it (supposedly) and has currant leaves, but this is the first year it has flowered and I haven’t been home during the summer for years, so I am curious as it doesn’t look like my currant bush flowers. Anyone know?

Last year Wendy gave me a little starter in the fall and I am thrilled to see the beautiful rhubarb I will have. It won’t be enough, of course, but I am still thrilled. Thank you, Wendy.

I also love herbs and leaves in salads and cannot get enough variety. Usually I plant these two or three times throughout the summer (but that was so long ago, as this is my first summer home in years)! I am happy we are travelling in the fall this year so that I can really enjoy the garden. I should add my parents are also happy as they are very tired of watering it for us!

I planted Swiss Chard in clusters throughout the garden as my parents love it: the rainbow chard, so it will look pur-dy, too!

Oh, how I adore black currants. I love sassis sorbet and the stringent fragrant leaves has me in a tizzy whenever I walk by my bushes.

I have a hard time cultivating these. They tend to get worms or big brown spots all over the leaves. I am working at it. Advice is welcome! These fruity jewels are a gift and I cherish them. My grandmother grew all three: black, red and white. I have not seen any white currant plants since I was a child in her garden.

This was a big lesson: lavender will come back if you don’t cut it down to nothing! I got this lovely clump from Kevin, but I have never left it in the garden long enough after the snow melted to see if the needles would grow on the stems!

Love the flowers in the front. I got most of them helping other people do their spring cleaning in their yards. I took their “throw-aways” as my reward… and look at this now! The evergreen arctic primrose is prolific and usually blooms in March and again in September. Most people come up close as it is almost blooming like this when the snow has barely melted. They cannot believe it is real. Two of the peonies are over 100 years old. They are from my grandmother’s garden. I cherish them. I have a lot of basil planted behind the primrose… and mint.

The winter was hard on my raspberries this year, but they are finally rebelling and rearing their heads.

Please come and get this compost! We ordered three yards and barely used one. If you have a truck, I will (almost) pay you to take it away! I said almost… but you are welcome to have it free! Great stuff.

I have planted beets and will be planting zucchini in the front bed, as well Can you see the beets?

I have never liked yellow flowers, but they are pretty….

I can’t wait to go to the market tomorrow to buy what I need to finish the garden goodies.

And let’s not forget my indoor Meyer Lemon tree! Look! Exciting, eh?

So, here’s to another gardening season. I just cannot wait!

At dinner last Saturday, I learned that Kevin has a similar philosphy to mine from his wife, Pam: “Asking can reap great rewards.” That is exactly what I did. When I came back from our summer trip to Europe, I spent my first morning coffee vicariously with Kevin as I caught up on all I had missed while away on his site: Kevin Kossowan. I was blown away. I had met Kevin through inviting him to my Taste Tripping Party and had noticed that he had revamped his site from an almost exclusive focus on wine to a much broader focus and at this time of year it was gardening. Did I say I was blown away?

I wrote and asked when I could visit him for a tour of his garden. Asking can reap great rewards. Not only did I get an invitation to tour his garden, we received a most gracious invitation for a tour and tasting of this garden vegetables. “No.” is rarely a word I use at any time, and the words, “We would love to!” were pushed through the send button seconds after reading the message in case he changed his mind. Vanja and I arrived, raspberry ice-cream in tow, last Saturday at 6.

We parked my little car in front of his front yard garden. This was the first year he had removed much of his lawn and planted it with food. His plan is to have the front primarily a fruit producing garden.

Before we rang the doorbell, we were greeted by Pam and their darling daughter E. She was shy for about 2 minutes, then showed me the play dough strawberry shortcake that she and her little sister were busy making in the kitchen. YUM! Do we get to eat this for supper? “No!” E. peered at me curiously. “It’s too salty!” Oh, I think this is going to be a very fun evening!

Kevin had just spent the day pressing apples for his apple wine project coming up, and we immediately headed out to the garage to see what he had accomplished. I had to capture a shot of our group on the small parcel of lawn Kevin has left in his yard. We happened to be sharing our time with Kristeva and her pouch. Kevin and she met through their on-line writings and had become mutual admirers of one another. Kristeve’s blog is Howling Duck Ranch. Kevin’s comment to me: “If you think I am a hard core foodie, meet Kristeva. I am nothing compared to her. She is hard core! She lived alone on a ranch and completely provided everything for herself.” That is what she has written about on her site and it is well worth more than a peek! She had come from her home in British Columbia to spend the weekend with his family (as well as search out a new home in Grand Prairie). When Kevin had invited us, he had said he was a “sharing kind of guy”. I was truly thrilled to be a part of this distance cyber-relationship becoming a reality.

The garborator on the kitchen counter had actually initiated this outdoor visit. Kevin had purchased a new garborator to juice his apples. I love the way he thinks. He created a very rudimentary process to do this, and it worked like a charm. He has videoed the entire process, and it should be on his site, soon. Meanwhile, take a look at his beginnings of this process.

I am not so sure why one vat is a different colour. I didn’t notice it when I was there. It the wheel barrow is the remains of the apple pressing. That you will have to see when Kevin posts it. All I can say is, later in the evening, we had the pleasure of tasting this wine. I am not a wine drinker, but it was really delicious!

Little E. was a very articulate partner in Kevin’s garden tour. She is showing us the crates the apples were in and has perched her little toy on the top of the crate so that Kristeva’s pooch can’t find it. And, the tour begins!

Hopefully, in the comments section, Kevin will identify these tomatoes and tell everyone where he gets his seeds. He started all of his tomatoes from seed and I loved the rustic manner in which he had them all held together in their upright position. It was definitely a work of folk art.

The wild “nodding onion” is chive-like and Kevin has written about it on his site. He brought some back from the islands in British Columbia and gave it a go. It is flourishing in its patch and it probably the most delicious onion type of onion green I have ever tasted, as well. The stalk is bolder in flavour than a chive or green onion, and complex. I found texture dense, but not nearly as dense as a leek. I would love some of this in my garden and I adore that this is a wild plant that he has foraged and transplanted into his own garden.

My photograph does not do justice to the strapping and sculpturing of the tomato fence.

“And, look! We had a sunflower!” E. darted across the garden and under the flower. I remember a neighbour across the street growing these when I was a child. He brought a ripe seeded flower over to us in the fall and it was an unforgettable experience. We scraped the seeds from the flower and baked them in the oven with salt and ate them. I had never had any sunflower seeds that came close to my memory of the taste of these until about a hundred years later when I was in Northern Serbia with Vanja. These little gals definitely know where their food is coming from and what it looks like while it is growing.

While I was inspecting the sunflower, daddy was yanking up a leek. I am inspired. I love leeks and have never grown any. Mainly because their seeds have not been “handy”. Leeks will be in my garden next year. It is the end of August, and look at that gorgeous leek. We all buried our noses into its roots and took in the earthy and appealing pungency of the fibres just revealed to the air. There is nothing like that kind of experience. It is why I garden.

Time for some beets. Kevin had plans for a beet and goat cheese salad. Beets and goat cheese is a pairing made in heaven. I cannot get enough of them together and there are so many ways to create dishes around these two ingredients. Daddy Kevin is definitely conferring with E. as they pull out some beets for the evening meal.

Meanwhile, L. is frolicking on the grass outside of herself with joy due to her four-legged weekend house guest. He is not in the photo, but she is running after him, none-the-less.

To the left is a root vegetable I have never heard of called Takinogawa Long Burdock. To the right, is celeriac. I have never grown it, so mistook it for giant parsley. Vanja’s mother grows this and uses the leaves as we do parsley, but they are definitely more dense and are best when cooked.

And there were lonely little ripe apples in the onion patch: perfect snacks for the girls while out playing. Kevin mixed his seeds when he was planting and the resulting beet hedge was gorgeous.

I was enthusiastic about seeing the Takinogawa Long Burdock root when Kevin offered. It wasn’t really ready yet; it was about as big as a young carrot, but without the point. And how could I not taste it? I found the raw flavour to be very mild and the texture was actually juicy enough at this stage to be eaten raw shredded or chopped into salads. Kevin found it tasted somewhat like peas. I got that faintly. It was almost more like a lo-boc or Japanese radish to me, but without the little bit of heat (as this had none) and with more density. I will be curious to see it at maturity and didn’t think to taste the leaf. I am certain it would be very flavourful and great for wrapping and cooking.

The potatoes were also seeded all mixed up which made for an attractive leafy border to the walk from the front to the back of the house. There are also potatoes planted in the front lawn – well, what used to be the front lawn – this year. Kevin dug up a few varieties and added them to our dinner bowl filled with beets, the leek, mustard flowers, and some nodding onion.

Either I was too distracted, or Kevin was just on a mission, but when I turned around, he had a gorgeous leafy head of what looked like lettuce in his hand but was souring with the bitterness of the leaf. “Ooooh! We can’t use this. It is just far too bitter for my taste.” And, it was truly bitter. It would need some thought to put that into a combination where it could be palatable. Maybe shaved on top of a pizza? It did not go into our dinner bowl.

“What are these?” I asked about the sturdy thin wisps of grass-like plant that was holding its own against the breeze and remaining erect without any support. “Mustard.” Immediately I went for the flower. I know they are to be the most flavourful part of any herb or plant and these did not disappoint. I want to grow mustard, too! Now this is the perfect addition to the Alberta plate. We cannot garnish with violette flowers like they do in France, (not with the flavourful ones they grow there) but mustard is grown here and is the perfect garnish. The small flower did pack a punch of mustardy flavour, but just the right punch. It wasn’t hot like a horseradish. It was, well, “mustardy”. I found my mouth watering and craving a savoury compliment as I tasted it. See how it grows, below?

I can see uses for these flowers in a myriad of kitchen dishes.

Another wild herb that Kevin has seeded is this wild thyme, below. He got the seeds of this at Bedrock and Bank Seed in Old Strathcona. This is a much more substantial thyme than the traditional English thyme I grow. The leaves are about 10 times the size, but still very small. I will be attempting this, too, next summer. I am not yet a successful seedling planter and transplanter, but it is on the list, and I am not afraid! (…only of failure!) 

Then there was the lavender. Ah, the lavender. It proliferates in this garden. He has found that this varietal of  “Lavender Lady” has really done well for him. I was delighted to find some still blooming at this time of the year. I first learned of his lavender when I read his post about how he dries his herbs. Who doesn’t love lavender? I have never been able to get it to come back for a second year, yet have remained undaunted for most of my life as it goes in anew each spring: more than one kind and more than one of each. I hope that I can be as successful with the “Lavender Lady” in the spring.

And I was gifted with a bag of the dried lavender which I cherish.

At which point I had to go into the garage and peek at the bags I had seen on video, again, passing by a smiling dill stretching to the sun on the way.

I am glad I came back as I was then able to see the garlic tied on the wall. This is great garlic. A smaller version of Sundog Organic’s (City Market downtown) garlic which is the best in the world. I think Kevin will have something equal to them next year if he uses some of this as his seed. I tasted it later in the evening and it is a stellar product.

I did examine every corner of the back yard, but there was a lot happening and it was time to get into the house. I had seen a host of squash blossoms in the front yard, and we will all just have to keep posted to see what else comes out of Kevin’s garden this summer. On to the tasting!

I had offered to bring bread for the meal, but Kevin had said he had a sponge working in a bowl in the kitchen and this loaf was on the stove top when we returned: a beautiful artisan loaf. Kevin didn’t end up serving it, and how can I complain? The meal was vast. But, I would have loved to sink my teeth into this. I must confess.

Our vegetable bowl is on the counter and the kitchen is gorgeous. The entire house is. It is a character home in an older area that they have breathed new life into by maintaining all of the original charm of the place. Again, Kevin and Pam have done it all. Much with the help of Pam’s dad. I found the large clock on the wall to be a very symbolic representation of how this family spends their time. They have made some very conscious choices about how they spend their time working for money and working to save money in such a way that it provides the quality of life they find gratifying. Both Pam and Kevin work together in a family business and choose to work less hours and make less money to spend more time on the projects he writes about… and travelling. They are both well travelled and this is very apparent in their garden, in their home, and on their table later during the meal.

Curiosity, intensity, wisdom, openness, innocence: her eyes hold it all. The happy yellow reminded me of my mother. Our kitchen at home was painted this colour when I was a child and this area is so warm and bright and inviting.

But before I sat, I had to admire the artwork that was flanking the walls. Kevin’s maternal grandfather had done this portrait in one of his classes many years ago of one of his students. It was headed for a garage sale or the trash bin when Kevin rescued it. I would love to hand it, too! What a family treasure!

The opposite wall holds a tryptic done by a friend who painted a photograph they took while on a vacation in Tuscany. Moving.

I did offer to help and actually accomplished brushing some baby carrots for the “hunters mash”: carrots and turnip. The carrots were given to Kevin on one of his farm tour visits and the turnip he picked up at Sundog Organic earlier in the day at City Market downtown. He has just started another project when he is visiting a host of local farms an doing a “blog-u-mentary” on each one. His first one to Nature’s Green Acres is already up!

But, for the next part of the evening, I sat sipping the most incredible sparkling water with a couple of tablespoons of Evan’s Sour Cherry Syrup stirred into it watching Kevin prepare the meal. What a refreshing treat!

He and Pam had did some work at Greens Eggs and Ham’ Farm and brought home sour cherries that were made into syrup: incredible!

I could not get over the colour.

We didn’t sit without a wine, either. We are at Kevin Kossowan’s house, after all. For those of you that do not know, he was a prolific wine blogger for ages. As we are not wine aficionados, I am happy he has changed that from the primary focus of his site.

Between the stove and the fridge is the perfect little pot and utensil rack keeping the most used items handy. Below it is a shelf with salts and sauces and oils…

…and butter and garlic. The perfect working kitchen. It was a pleasure to watch the cooking process and Kevin made the experience look completely effortless. I have to learn how to do that!

The hunter’s mash was starting to boil. The leeks are simmering. Fall was and is definitely in the air.

Pam has been bathing the girls and it was time for bed. I got a hug, too! E. was looking at my T-shirt and told me that “these” (all the “e’s”) were her favourite letter. How old is she again? Three. How this family spends their time is not only evident in their garden!

L.’s favourite house guest has found a comfy corner to curl up in and she is also full of hugs and giggles before bed. Pam disappears for an hour or more as she completes the bedtime rituals with the girls and we start the meal without her.

How gratifying to dig potatoes and be eating them an hour later. The variety is appealing; even the compost bowl is a work of art. I know I am easily excited, but there is something primal and gratifying about being able to provide this very basic need to one’s family within the boundary’s of the home property.

What an about turn we have made as city dwellers when eating garden-to-table is such a rare occurrence.

Kevin’s uncle had hunted Canada Goose and had sausage prepared by a local butcher. Lucky Kevin, and lucky us! I did ask Kevin to tell me who prepared it for him, but I asked so many questions; hopefully, he will fill this information in for us in the comments section of this post. How Canadian is this for our starter: Canada Goose in Evan’s Cherry syrup with Hunter’s Mash and mustard? EH?

I am not a meat eater, thought I do enjoy meat, I cannot digest it. This was sublime with the spash of Evan’s sour cherry syrup! I’m not sure if the tasting was more gratifying, or watching Kevin’s reaction when he tasted the pairing for the first time! We will no be eating “Hunter’s Mash” at our house. Vanja is not a lover of cooked vegetables, but really enjoyed this earthy mix. The brightness of the fresh little baby carrots coupled with the tender young turnip for Sundog’s Organic Farms was steller and I could not think of a better name for it! Charmed, enamoured, under a spell… I was enchanted. I really was. Kevin paired this dish with his homemade Saskatoom wine. It really is a very special creation. Need I go on? Do you get the idea? If you are not Canadian, this is as Canadian as it gets.

At which point, Kevin waved his finger at me and pointed to the earthenware pot bubbling on his stove top. I arose to peer into it. Oh, my: sous vide Berkshire Boar pork belly from Irving’s Farm Fresh. Kevin and some buddies get three big piggies every fall from Alan and butcher and wrap them on their own. They keep as much of the skin on each of the portions as possible and make their own lard for pastry and another for cooking. This pork belly was slow cooked in pig fat until succulent and tender past understanding with flavour that I have never before experienced in a piece of pork and I have had my fair share of flavourful bites of pork throughout my life. This one topped the list.

It was plated with the variety of potatoes and the leeks. We never got into the specifics of comparing the potato tastes and textures. It would have been too contrived under the circumstances. They were the pillows of goodness capturing the bold and bright fatty drippings from the porkbelly. The leeks contributed the mellow aromatic connection that orchestrated such excitement on this modest plate. Vanja was moaning. We all were. S potato tasting was the furthest thing from our minds at this moment.

We were savouring and slurping and licking and lapping every drop of goodness from our plates. It was paired with Kevin’s home made apple wine made with red sparkle apples. YUM!

The little pooch was probably a little over the edge cholesterol-wise during the night, as this happy little package of pork fat was his bedtime snack.

Crème Brûlée made with Greens Eggs and Ham’s duck eggs and Avalon Cream from Planet Organic was our dessert. I was pleased to see the easy handling of this torch. I have a fancy schmancy kitchen one that is absolutely useless. Is there an occasion coming up when I could put one of these on my wish list? How about the Fall Equinox? … or Thanksgiving? A blow torch might be the perfect gift for Hallowe’en, Vanja!

The sugar coating crackled into lush thick creamy vanilla goodness. “Please sir, may I have some more?” That would have been my theme song for the evening. Tastes of each different wine with the brûlée was such fun.

More? More? Yes, indeed! Now, the cheese tray featuring Smoky Valley Goat Cheeses from the City Centre Market with the Inniskillin Ice Wine. How did he know this is my absolute favourite after dinner treat?

Kevin has written about the Valencay in the pyramid shape above. He has also written about their feta and their Mountain Tomme, not served her tonight. Above, and below in the cylinder is their St. Maure. Watch for a post on that from him. It was our favourite that evening. But, they were all incredible. Finally, we have a producer of artisan goat cheeses at a local city market! The wedge is their Farmer’s Cheese and the curved wedge was a gouda from another producer: also delicious, but with herbs and flavourings. I always buy at least one package of the Smoky Valley young chevre in the plastic container every week. It is incredible.

Each of these selections had a strong enough personality to stand on their own, but as a group, brought such a depth and substance to the table through the spectrum of flavours and textures on the tray that it was hard to stop tasting and testing. None strong or pungent, and that would not have been a bad thing. They just are not.

Pam had reappeared during the main course and was both were recounting travel experiences they had in the past. One particular trip, Kevin and Pam revisited a vineyard in Alsace. The same gal was there for the tasting and was blown away when Kevin and Pam told her what an impact she had upon them the year before. She had guided them through a tasting and had told them about her favourite wines and some aspects of her personal life which they recounted to her on this second visit. I am sure sure was deeply touched.

To finish the meal: Canada Goose pepperoni, also compliments of Kevin’s uncle. Who’d ‘o thought?

During that tasting in Alsace, Kevin asked if he could purchass a ‘crachoir’, or wine spitting vessel, as a memory because he really liked the one at this particular tasting. The answer was, sadly, that the crachoir were not for sale; however, she would see what she could do. After scrounging around in the back of the tasting area, she reappeared with what Kevin is spitting into this evening. “I don’t like to get drunk; I don’t like the feeling of a hangover, but I do love to taste and enjoy my wines!”

Like Kevin in Alsace, I learned that  “Asking can reap great rewards.” I knew this, but at times, the reward is greater than expected creating a memory so vivid and unforgettable. This was definitely one of those evenings.

Kevin’s Crème Brûlée Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 500 mL Avalon cream (Planet Organic)
• 1/2 organic Madagascar vanilla Bbean
• 95g sugar
• 118g duck yolk from Greens Eggs & Ham

Instructions:

1. Bring cream to simmer with scraped vanilla bean contents and half the sugar
2. Whisk the yolk with the remaining half of the sugar
3. Temper the hot cream into the yolk mixture
4. Pour into ramekins and bake in a bain marie  at 325°F until just set [about 45 minutes]
5. Kevin thumps the oven handle with his fist to see how much jiggle they have, and just as they start to lose the center jiggle, pulls them out of the oven
6. Cool, then chill
7. Sprinkle sugar on top, roll ramekin around to spread, and dump off excess; torch and serve

We didn’t plant anything last year because we found out sometime the year prior that my parents had been spending about two hours a day at our house tending our garden while we were away the previous summer. I missed the fall harvest (though our yard is exceptionally small) so much, that we did plant this year as my daughter had volunteered to tend the garden. I know I expected a lot. Anyone that gardens knows that you need to be out there every day, plucking and pinching, spraying an watering, and just overseeing all of the little tenders to ensure all get enough room to grow and flourish in a healthy environment. Ragan was enthused. She and her fiancé did an incredible job! However, as we had so much rain, we came home to a jungle! Above is a front bed of peonies (at the back) and Arctic evergreen primrose (at the front) with sweet basil and snapdragons in the middle.

Above is the same bed upon our return. The rose bushes to the right went crazy! The Incrediball Hydrangea (2010) is to the far left, just in front of the Clamatis.

Above left, is a shot of our hedge and weeping caragana. Why did the hedge grow like this? Vanja had already trimmed it, but we left it to trim again upon our return home. Above right, is the front view of the same bed with, again the Arctic primrose edging the bed. Love them. They are the first flowers on the block in the spring and the last in the fall. Prolific.

Below, right, is the before of the Incrediball and above, left, is the after… Lots of growth. No incrediballs! Our Royalty Crab has really been a delight (above, right). The Parkland Apple (below, left) is Vanja’s baby. He loves this tree and is out counting his babies every morning. It used to be a highly acclaimed local apple in the 80′s. There are so many more that produce better fruit now, apparently. This fruit is a nice eating apple: white fleshed, and not too tart, but a softer texture and it doesn’t have that bright appley fall flavour. What should I make with these? I will definitely have extras. Anyone interested?

The After shots are below. The difference in the hedge heights before our return was shocking (same plants, same size, planted at the same time) and moreso, now!

Our raspberries before we left (above) and after we came home (below)… this picture doesn’t speak the reality, here!

Before (above) and After (below).

Before (above) and After (below).

Above, right, is our out-of-control rosebush by the gate to the back yard. And, due to the rain, we came home not to one, but to two fairy rings!!!! However, the grass was mowed and trimmed and impeccable in every other way! Bravo, Jason! We bow to you! (XOXO)

Before (above) and After (below) sidewalk to the back garden.

Before, above and below.

More before of the back yard.

Before (above) and After (below).

Before (above) and After (below).

The Saskatoons are so gorgeous.

Currants (above, left) and Saskatoons (above, right).

Wendy! That little rhubarb started has grown so much this month I could not believe it! Where is the mint? Under the tomatoes (above, right)!

Lettuce beds are under tomatoes.

My Bay Leaf tree (above, left) is flourishing, but I can barely find the sidewalk between the out-of-control tomatoes and roses! Above, after from one direction, and below from the other.

My herb bed: Before (above) and After (below).

Before, above, and below.

The same beds as pictured previously: After, above and below.

Tomatoes drooping to the ground!

After: above and below.

I planted zucchini for the first time for the flowers. I knew they would be big plants…. but did not expect them to be SOO big! After: above and below.

The May 29th snow destroyed the blanket of cherry blossoms on our Evans Cherry Tree… but, we came home to a few happy bobbles.

The Purple Monkshood is in full bloom and so gorgeous.

As a child, I would peel back the hood and admire the two little love birds underneath it and then eat the honey-like nectar (in the “birds”).

After, below. Second planting of Oakleaf lettuce, left and the small bay leaf, right.

After: above and below.

Several hours of pruning and staking later (and I do mean several hours of it)….

Look at the tomatoes that were hiding!

Bless your heart, my dear daughter. You worked to hard and these tomatoes had a mind and will of their own. But, we have wrangled with them and won. We cannot wait to share our produce with you! Look at the fruits of your labours! XOXOXO

This salad would rival any I have eaten at the top restaurants around the world. I think it might even be better than any I have eaten. The inspiration comes from my maternal grandmother, Maude. The dressing recipe is one that is a very traditional recipe for young lettuce salads in the Central Alberta prairie area. I have found (by asking) that many rural families are as eager to mix their Spring greens with this dressing as our family is. Each of us feels it belongs to our family, yet it appears to belong to our place: the Alberta Prairies.

My only addition today: garlic. The creamy sweet and sour vinegar dressing is the perfect foil for the tender and often bitter little green leaves that rear their heads first in the garden. The cream used to come from that skimmed off of the cows milk in the morning. Oh, the new vegetables in the Spring: creamed peas, creamed carrots, creamed peas and carrots. Oh my. And the salad was very lightly dressed with this same cream, the perfect combination of sugar and salt with the tang of white vinegar. This was (and is) such a treat with thinly slivered onions. This salad must have thinly slivered onions in it. You cannot see any in the above pic, but I used red ones.

This year I planted my lettuces in tubs a week or a few apart from each other so I would always have fresh greens. Look at this beautiful variety. Lush!

And, my addition to this traditional salad was the herbs. That is hardly a stretch. I added everything I could find that I was growing, except the mint: dill, oregano, basil, tarragon, marjoram, chives, chervil, and flat leafed parsley.

Oh, how I celebrate my kitchen garden. I move through it every morning seeking weeks and new little tender heads to greet and smile at. I spray “Tomato Set” on the stamen of each new (and still golden) tomato flower. I smell the earth and the herbs. And I work to incorporate as much as I can every day somehow. I love picking the fresh and perfect greens to nourish our body and spirit each day.

I carefully cut them back and they continue to grow. Below you will see how half has grown so much and the other half is just beginning to appear. These were seeded at the same time, but the germination time is clearly very different.

What is your traditional dressing for a Spring lettuce salad? MMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm. I would really love to hear yours!

A little wonder and escape from the real world to my favourite Edmonton Garden Fantasy is an emotional oasis in the Spring rain.

The weather does influence my psyche and I have had enough Spring rain! The May long weekend in central Alberta is a traditional time to plant gardens and bedding plants. Historically, there will be no more freezing temperatures, but there are exceptions. This year is definitely one of them. Two weeks ago there was a snow storm. A record breaker, and the first May storm in years. The next week it was record breaking heat. And this weekend: cold and rainy. What is a gardener to do? Every Spring the urge to plant and dig deep into the rich black Alberta soil rises within me, and there is no holding me back. Rain or shine!

Look at that sweet welcome! And he won’t stain your grass!

Wellington grounds are an oasis in this city and every time I go I feel I was out of the country for the afternoon. Not out IN the country” out OF the country. This garden centre has a truly European feel.

Big over-sized neoclassic urns and fountains are everywhere.

Giant (and small) garden sculptures beckon.

The greenhouses are charming and found through a maze of paths and walkways. You move in and out from on to another through a series or outdoor pathways and rooms.

The collection of outdoor art, furniture and features is astonishing and I am filled with inspiration just visiting.

I love mirrors in the garden to reflect the flowers… Oh, the sculpture peering into that one is gorgeous. Hello! (See my wet hair?)

The massive urns with the wires attached to shape plants are gorgeous. And today, I came for a rosemary tree. Here are the herbs! Last year, Kathy C. gave me a rosemary tree. It is the best gift I have received. I have never been able to winter rosemary for my garden, but this is a different variety, and grows in the house (outside in the summer). It died while we were in London (whoops!!!), so I needed (yes, NEEDED) a new one. But, they were all gone, so it is on order.

We did, however, meet Marie. She is the herbal expert in that area and a gold mine of information and service. I also ordered a Meyer Lemon Tree. I have been wanting one for ages, and Nancy H. gets more than three dozen lemons off of her indoor tree every year. They had a gorgeous fig tree that I was coveting that yields about the same amount of figs as the lemon, and we came home with a gorgeous Bay Leaf Tree. It was about fifty dollars which is incredibly reasonable for any tree this size of this nature anywhere in this area. They had two topiary Bay Leaf Trees Friday for one hundred dollars each, so run down if you want to grow your own herbs and produce inside year round!

Is this not a gorgeous tree? I was SO excited! I love the leaves fresh in so many soups and stews and savoury dishes that I make.

The air was sweet and fresh and fragrant and COLD! Everything was so beautiful – even int he rain. Or maybe, especially in the rain. I have never seen this garden centre so empty, so this worked for us!

Go no where else if you want a serious fountain. They are expensive, but they are so full of character and whimsy that you will never regret the money spent for the pleasure you have living with it. I am not saying this because I have one. I just know. Vanja finds these kinds of things tacky. I find them charming and revitalizing. And, he compromises a huge amount for me, so I enjoy my fountains on holidays and here.

I am crazy about garden sculpture. Oversized sculpture. I love finding little unexpected eyes picking up at me under a leaf, too (if it is in sculptural form!), but an over sized piece  in a garden makes a statement.

There are little vignettes set up to inspire your own garden corners. I love the French garden (right, below).

The annuals and perennials are here. By now, Vanja is inside and I am still peering through the rows of wonder. My fingers are frozen, but I cannot stop. I am exhilarated.

Below, left is Wooley Thyme that is just beginning to bloom a blue bed of flowers. This is the ultimate ground  cover.

I am positive that this is a duplicate of a fountain in one of the side gardens at Versailles!

Lots of information for you at the end of every row explaining all about each plant in the row.

Good morning!

The rain arcs the delicate stems by weight as the crystal droplets cling and sparkle a glistening prism through the greyness.

Spring rains and puddles and gardens and fresh air and colour and growth and life and new beginnings of another summer to come…

The flowers are shrivelled and also shivering in the cold!

You want a Venise di Milo?

Immediately I thought of St. Francis of Assisi. I have been to his small town in Italy and really wanted to bring home this piece to feel that memory every day.

Time to go. Inside of the main building is a gift shop that I could have spent an hour in all by myself. Really beautiful objects d’art. And some practical items, too. Not too many, though! Mainly, just gorgeous stuff everywhere you look.

Time to leave. It is lunch time. And after lunch: Holes.

If you like to garden and are living in Edmonton, Wellington’s is a must for you this season.