Apple Festival 2013

Our second day on Saltspring Island was spent enjoying the annual Apple Festival. We've gone for 5 years now and fall never really seems to truly start for me until we've attended the Apple Festival. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed sharing this particular festival with April. This year she seemed to understand more and enjoy more herself.

The weather was less than stellar but from time to time the rain took a break and we were able to shed some layers. April marveled at the different sizes and colors of all the apples on display at the community hall. "Oh look. Dis one is a baby" and "Whoa! Dis is a really big one." could be heard frequently as we walked through the display. She didn't quite understand though that the apples on display were not for her eating pleasure.

We visited as many farms as we could before we were due at the ferry terminal. We stopped by Apple Luscious, Bees N' Teas, Saltspring Bread Company, Saltspring Island Brewery, Harbour House and Saltspring Island Cheeseworks. April adored the visit to the cheeseworks (and so did I). The goats are sweet and the chickens are hilarious. The people are kind and the cheese is outstanding. We left with a yummy lunch of cheese and olives and headed for the ferry.

It was a wet and wonderful day. Giving thanks to the farmers, the animals, the bees, the trees and all the bounty of nature we enjoyed that year. Fall can officially begin!

Saltspring and Storms

We took a weekend getaway to Saltspring Island, just in time for the first fall storm it seems. It was raining when we left but we were determined to enjoy ourselves regardless of the weather. After all, we were raised on the west coast, we are no strangers to rain and wind. So as long as our many rain layers held up, we were out taking in all we could.

We had hoped the rain would let up enough for us to visit the Saturday market. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived the wind had picked up so most vendors were on their way home. Jon managed to snag some baked goodies before they were packed away. We figured our best bet was to get out of the rain for a bit and get some lunch. Normally we always enjoy the Treehouse Cafe. They have good food for good prices and they have gluten-free options for April. However, when it is windy and rainy the Treehouse Cafe is a cold and wet place to have a meal. We were lucky to snag a table next to the heater but we were still shivering by the time our food arrived. Sometimes you just need to laugh it off and carry on.

We made our way to the farm we were staying at. April was more than happy to simply jump in puddles all afternoon. I, on the other hand, wanted to wander in their amazing garden. It is honestly so beautiful and exactly what I would love to have on my own property some day. Even with the rain, the herb beds smelled amazing. Their greens, carrots and leeks all looked so healthy and ready for the plate. Jon and I both stood by their beds and marveled at their amazing cold cover system. Convenient, effective and aesthetically pleasing; it really was impressive.

The farm also had sheep, chickens and goats. The sheep were definitely shy (as most sheep are) and we not at all impressed with the enthusiastic toddler I brought to the pasture. The chickens were sad, drenched messes but were very happy to socialize. April stood and chattered away to them, just as she does with our own chickens. To my disappointment, the goats (very pretty goats at that) were not as tolerant of the rain as we were and refused to leave their shed. When it comes to animal visits, the rain can prove very disappointing.

We finished our day with a local ingredient meal on the farm and some jazz preformed live by local musicians. Briefly, in the middle of our meal, the sun came out and a rainbow appeared. Sitting there, eating local mussels, watching my daughter dance to dinner jazz and pausing to admire the rainbow, was the perfect way to end the day.

We Had Cake

It just celebrated another birthday. I admit that in the month of craziness, I often forget my birthday. This year I found myself giving in to that child-like excitement. Not for presents or cake but for a special evening with my family.

My mom made me my favorite meal and made me a cake. April was so excited about the cake. She was thrilled to bits when we let her put the candles on then blow them out. Her excitement was contagious. It was the first time in a while that I felt truly joyous looking at a cake full of candles. I'm just glad we don't do a candle for each year anymore.

It felt so natural to be around my family. No balloons or loud music. We just reflected on that special day so many years ago. The day that my mother and father became parents for the first time, the day I first laid eyes on them, the day their hearts grew. We reflected on the past year and chattered away about all the things to come in my next year. Now that I am a mother myself, I have a new appreciation for birthdays. April's never passes without me remembering her birth day and now mine doesn't pass without me saying thanks for my mother on my birth day.

Still Harvesting

Usually around this time of year I start to feel like visiting my garden less and less. Perhaps I'm exhausted from perpetual weeding or perhaps I long to hunker down and knit or perhaps I start to forget that I still have many things growing out there. Whatever the reason, neglect tends to set in as the days grow shorter. After a week long break from the garden, I walked out there and came back with a large basket of veggies.

That basket was full of zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes (of all kinds), delicata squash, chilies and pumpkins. There are still many tomatoes still ripening, not a single fairy squash is ready, pumpkins still on the vine, butternut, cabbage, kale, carrots, zucchini, chilies and grapes. I'm still holding out hope that I might get a few edible stalks of brussel sprouts. They have been in since April so it's been a tough year for them. The grapes are slowly ripening but sadly recent rains have caused many to split. Those that do make it off the vine seem to go directly into April's mouth.

All the pears were harvested and shared as well as the blackberries (though none of us could really keep up with them). All our apples were harvested and juiced. We have frozen 40L of organic juice for the winter. It wasn't a great year for our apples. We had a bad problem with blight, many were unusable so they were trashed. Thankfully my parents shared their apple harvest to complete our juicing order.

It looks as though I will not have a winter garden this year. I simply was not prepared and planned my space poorly for winter planting. I will plant some radishes and green onions and I hope that my kale will over winter as it did last year. I will also be planting several rows of garlic. We were so pleased with our garlic harvest this year that I think we will try to duplicate it's success next year. Thankfully we have a freezer (or two) full of garden goodies and a pantry of canned treats to get us through the winter.

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama

Poor Garden

My garden has been the victim of neglect lately. The weeds are rapidly taking over and many goodies are being missed. I'm unsure exactly the reason for the garden being overlooked but I feel like I reach this point every gardening season, I simply forget that it happens.

Tomatoes are coming ready. We've been having rainy days here on the west coast so there has been some rot on my plants but I've done my best to rescue them. One of my plants fell down so I picked all the green tomatoes to save them from the bugs. I'm still undecided if I will make green tomato chutney or simply let the ripen on my windowsill. The sun sugar tomatoes are doing the best so far. Little yellow globes of sweet delight. All these years of gardening and they are still my very favorite tomato. I'm very disappointed by my Roma tomatoes. I was hoping for some big, beautiful sauce tomatoes but it looks like they will be small and few.

I'm very pleased with my squash crop this year. We have butternut, fairy squash, pumpkin and delicata this year. They all seem to be doing well. The pie pumpkins should be ready very soon and I can not wait for all the pumpkin spice muffins, pumpkin pie, curry pumpkin soup, pumpkin fudge, oh the possibilities. The rats have gotten to a few of my delicata squash but I still think there will be enough for us to enjoy. The rain is getting to these plants as well but I think they will make it long enough to produce some good squash.

Fall fruit is also coming ready. We've been picking basket after basket of pears. It has been a bumper crop of pears this year. It's too bad my family doesn't seem to like them. I'm still planning on make a few batches of spiced pear fruit leather in the dehydrator but most of the pears are being given away. The apple tree did not do as well. The bugs really got to it this year and stunted much of the fruit. We will still try to harvest as much as possible since the juice we got last year has been a huge hit in this household. We use it for popsicles, hot cider and of course the good old juice cup. It appears as though we should get a good amount of grapes from the vine this year. Jon has been reading about grapevines and has been taking extra care of it. It seems to be paying off. The grapes are growing in bunches and are starting to turn red. April loves frozen grapes so hopefully this crop will be gobbled up quickly.

I need to get my butt in gear if I want to plant fall crops. My beets, greens, carrots and turnips should all be in by now. If I can't get the garden ready and seeded by this weekend I think we will take a pass at the fall garden this year. That would be disappointing since last year we had quite a few successes but this mama can only do so much. Let's hope there is a break in the rain and my garden gets the attention it deserves.

Our Haven

This year we continued the tradition of heading to our favorite getaway on Gabriola Island. It now goes by The Haven but to me it truly is Haven by the Sea (it's former name). We didn't get the best weather but this year we ended up with a large, comfortable room with a complete kitchen, patio and lovely view of their small garden plot. It didn't really seem like any less of a vacation to be reading books and cooking pancakes in our nice room.

We were lucky that the rain held out for a trip to the market. Every time we go we love visiting a local tie dye artist. I have never come across someone who does such beautiful dye work and the folks at Tied Up and Dyed. Of course we had to pick up a few tie dye items for April to wear this fall. Although the tie dye was all we came home with, the market itself was a wonderful experience. The smells of local herbal products and soaps, the beautiful colors of the apples, beets and corn, the happy sounds of friends coming together, it was the perfect community gathering place.

Even though it was raining, it was still warm. It was so warm it was uncomfortable to wear any kind of rain gear so we walked around and let the rain soak us. April was determined to spend some time in the pool at The Heaven so even in the rain, she and her dad were splashing away. She has become such a little fish. The wearable water ring we got for her has given her a lot of confidence to put her face in the water and kick her feet to get around. We could barely get her out of the pool, even though she was shivering away.

April's other very favorite experience from our trip was the visit to the Paradise Island Alpaca Farm. I found myself getting very excited to visit these fuzzy ladies. Alpacas are just so cute and soft. Though I must say they are not exactly cuddly. Still April enjoyed letting them snack away from her cup. However, the alpacas were nothing compared to the miniature horses. These horses came to the farm from abusive homes and they seem overjoyed by all the food and attention they receive here. April could have fed them all day long, she couldn't get enough of these sweet boys. Unfortunately, the farm had to remind her that they had many other visitors to see and she could not spend the day shoving hay through the fence.

The disappointment of leaving the miniature horses was soon remedied by a trip to the beach. Jon and I kicked back and wiggled our toes in the sand while April built castles, collected treasures, chased sand pipers and splashed about. It wasn't long though before the rain showed up. April, being the beach bum she is, wasn't ready to head indoors so we walked along the beach in the rain. We found jellyfish and crabs washed up on shore, we splashed in tide pools and finally made our way across the rocks back to the room.

It's always bittersweet leaving Gabriola. It is never anything less than enjoyable and we feel so relaxed by the slow pace of the island. It also feels like summer is over when we board the boat to come home, it feels a little cooler and a little darker when we say goodbye to our Haven. But we will be there again, next summer.