Rory Lately...

Ror Eats Carrots!

Ror gets the baby carrots that I accidently 

pull out of the garden.

Man oh man, does she love these :)

Ror: I. Stalk. Carrot. From. Afar...

Ror: Carrot baby, I own you!

Ror: nom nom nom... carrot prey, you are mine.

Ror: More please? Oh, you mean that carrot is for me?

Ror: seconds, thirds, and fourths? Thanks Friendo!

Carrots... Carrots... Everywhere...

This is the large salad bowl I filled with globe carrots. 

Safe to say, I shall never ever ever grow so many 

globe carrots ever again. 

Mentally I cannot only wash a carrot and feel it's 

clean enough to consume. 

I must wash, peel, and again wash the carrots.

Working on a small scale like with

globe carrots can be very trying to anyone's patience :)

Next year, only 4 rows at most. ;)

Above:

Grated Purple Carrots! 

What the What?

They are so feisty.

As I was grating regular carrots, 

it occurred to me to make my salads more 

adventurous and exotic with grated purple carrots

It turned out wonderfully :)

Livening Up Your House Plants Even More

I found more friends to join the inside garden adventures!

The first livening up post, and outdoor friend post. 

Meet: Gnobles, Spot, Seal Eyes, and Blue Piglet!

I found these lovelies in Fort Langley. 

Aren't the just the cutest?

 3 Casts of Star Wars fighting in a 

bumble bee jungle with a giant elephant:

If you look closely there is treachery afoot here.

R2D2 and C3PO definitely are just bystanders...

Cat flying over 2 purple elephants hanging with spot? 

Yes Please!

Blue Piglet finds his home amoung the Oxalis Triangularis.

Old King Cole meditating amount the bonsai.

Gnobles rest beneath this ficus I'm training to be 

a bonsai benjamin.

Rory Does Not Like to Travel

The above picture is of stressed out Ror. She hates boats, canoes, ferries, being carried, and cars.
Here she is on her way to the ferries to see her most favourite person in the world. Oh the stress to get those coveted cuddles from grandma... :)

This Song is Stuck in My Head...

Meghan Trainor's

All about that Bass

This is such a cute song and music video :)

If you like to sing along...

Here are the lyrics...

A Colourful Harvest

This was my harvest a couple of weeks ago :)

I love the colours, and boy oh boy was it delicious!

Cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, and carrots...

Getting the carrots ready to bring inside...

Ta Da... The best cucumber ever.

Fire Flamed Carrots!

Creating these bowls of carrots is honestly

the most fun. 

Carrot close up. Work it, Work it, Model it...

My Superpower...

We're all friends here... so I feel like I can tell you a little secret...

Natural Slug Repellant

Garlic! 

Garlic repels slugs from your garden :)

I had extra reusable produce bags that I used to create garlic rings.

You can plop out the old garlic and reinfuse them with new ones

by cutting a small slot in between the plastic.

These are perfect for hanging from trees

or... putting at the base of a tree

Garlic at the edge of potted plants.

And Voila, for around the garden plot too :)

This plot also has hot chili powder and egg shells to deter slugs and ants.

Also planting mint around your garden deters slugs.

Bonus: Ants hate the garlic as well. 

I hung the garlic rings on the apple trees 

and watched as the ants squirmed away :)

A win for everyone!

Patience...

Patience is something that I've never been good at. I've learned how to be patient with my garden, but I'm still working on it with the people in my life.

I think I've learned how to hide my impatience better over the years, but internally I'm still unsettled.

I welcome any suggestions about how to be more patient.

This maybe something I struggle with for awhile :)

I try to repeat my mantras to myself to help me get through it.

I take a deep breath and repeat "no one's perfect, let it be... no one's perfect, let it be..."

Fun Fact: Lavender and Mint Essential Oils help to keep you calm :D

Rory Lately...

Rorykins loves figs!

At first we started out with a quarter piece...

Then we upgraded to half a piece...

Then... She Demanded a whole Fig to herself :)

Rory: nom nom nom... 

Rory: so delicious guys, thanks for sharing friends.

Rory: More please?

B.i.t.G: tomorrow, dear heart, but no more for today :)

Fig Season

Fig Season is Here, is Here, is Here :)

This is the first fig from this fig tree! 

Figs are ripe when the are soft

 when you squish them a little.

Fresh figs from your own garden taste earthier

and less sweet. More of a milder fig flavour.

These lovely figs are from my mom's fig trees. 

I am so lucky to have a mother who loves to garden, and to share. 

I get these beauties dropped off to me every couple of day :)

So ripe and delicious. 

Also a great addition to any smoothie.

And... These one are from the store.

All three are equally delicious ;)

Crazily Surprising Wonderful Mosquito Repellant

I was extremely extremely extremely skeptical 

of this mosquito trick until I tried it!

My friend is a mosquito magnet and after a weekend 

at the lake house with only the dryer sheets as our defence...

We came out bit free!

The first time we went to the lake house 

I had 5 mosquito bites on my face and 10 on the rest of me.

So I can with 100% confidence recommend this to you ;)

I cut 1 dryer sheet in half and put it in my shirt to protect my face.

I put the remainder of the cut sheet and a whole sheet in the pockets of my shorts.

At night, I put one at the top of the bed and one at the bottom of the bed near my feet.

If you want a chemical free way to repel mosquitoes try Bounce Outdoor Fresh :)

Berry Harvest!

Where has this summer gone?

I can't believe that we are in the middle of August already!

As the summer comes to an end, 

this may be one of my last berry harvests.

This season has been extra delightful.

As all my berry bushes mature, 

they produce more and more fruit.

I'm loving this summer so much. 

I don't want it to end!

Loving Lately...

Do you ever shop on Etsy? I absolutely adore it. Everyone is so sweet and friendly, and when you purchase anything you automatically find a kindred spirit.

I've purchased a couple of things over the years and have loved, loved, loved, each and every item. When things are handmade, they are made with love and care.

Here are a couple of things that I've purchased lately and am absolutely in love with :)

Vintage Glass Coffee Pot.
I'm usually very weary of buying anything fragile because I'm not as gentle with my belongings as I should be. However, I've been on the look out for a glass pot so I can use more tea flower blossoms. This coffee/tea pot worked out grrrrrreat!

I'm currently using it to hold my chocolate mint water. A refreshing bevie during the dog days of summer ;)

This Esty store has a wonderful owner with a lot more great vintage finds. I wish I could have bought the whole store!

Vintage Milk Glass Coffee Pot.
From this Etsy Store...

I actually don't drink coffee, but I am obsessed with Tea and infusing water with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries from my garden.
As we know, I'm obsessed with milk glass. I love it. I can't get enough of it. I want to have my house built with it. har har har... ;)

How absolutely adorable is this! When I saw it, I instantly fell in love. Come join my family my little coffee pot friend. I shall fill you with tea, and deliciously refreshing water. mmMMmm mmMMmm Yum.

Container Gardening: Gooseberries

Have you ever had a Gooseberry?

I find they taste like a cross between a grape and cranberry.

Wait until they are tender before picking. 

If  you don't wait until they are soft to the squish 

they can be quite sour...

Not going to lie, I did eat a bunch before they were ripe.

Trial and Error was how I figured out when they were ripe ;)

hee hee hee

Look how cute they are!

This was what the Gooseberry plant looks 

like when it is coming back from the winter. 

Caution:

The branches are extremely sharp! There are thorns everywhere...

Envy Apples

Envy apples are in season right now.

A coworker told me about them years ago, 

and I've been keeping an eye out for them ever since.

Have to say... They are pretty delicious.

I wouldn't bump Galas off the top of my 

favourite list just yet. 

But these are pretty good!

Keep a look out for these at your local store ;)

Healthy Roasted Garden Fresh Veggies

During this time of year the harvest of veggies are abundant.

All your hard work over the season is now paying off with boat 

loads of freshness from the garden.

If you're looking for an oil free way to roast veggies, 

try parchment paper :)

I did these beets and zucchinis at 375 for 40-45 minutes.

They were so delicious that even TheDapperGentleman, who 

hates beets, love these roasted veggies.

Beets... So Delicious...

And... they are ready for consumption ;)