Potato harvest is in!

 Yesterday I decided it was time for Tattie Liftin'. Meaning harvesting my container of potatoes. It's more an annual ritual than a meal, tiny new yellow potatoes.

Since I'd found some peppermint, I was able to make a mint sauce. People who eat lamb like it together. I don't eat lamb, but it's great with newly collected baby potatoes. Pat of butter and your world is complete. And the rest of the potatoes will be roasted in the toaster oven today. 

Mint sauce is just peppermint chopped fine, pinch of sugar, malt vinegar, no other vinegar need apply. 

I planted eyes from a couple of sprouting potatoes in the kitchen 

Watch this space.

Later in the evening Gary came over to get some help with houseplants and while we were at it, I gave him a snake plant leaf and we planted the sections in two small pots. He's been wanting to do this for ages. It's a plant that connects our families.

I took care of the original parent plant for his daughter's mother, one summer on my patio, years back, when I had enough shade to put out houseplants. 

I kept one leaf -- rent!-- from which grew the big snake plant now in the library. From that I'd grown another. And from that third generation came the current leaf, which will go into his little granddaughter's room. So she'll have a plant from her grandmother, via a winding path.

And here's my plan for the day, read

And

Happy day, everyone. Just be.

Misfits, stitching and spuds

 Yesterday's Misfits box was small but good. I didn't order potatoes, because I was expecting a local supply.

I ordered the Imperfect Foods multigrain bread to check it out. Turns out it was classed as imperfect because it was a little bit lopsided! Otherwise fine, as you see, breakfast toast

Beats me why the normal shape of baked goods won't be acceptable to stores, but oh well.

Speaking of breakfast, I usually have half a pita with greens and fruit, often spinach and blueberries. Here's a variation I liked, dried cranberries with a leaf of  romaine that fitted into the bread, very pleasing.

About the potato supply, Gary hauled this over last night, for me to harvest. 

I'll do this in a while and show you tomorrow. Likewise weaving which I haven't got to yet.

But stitching is moving along, just a pleasure to work small on individual sections. Here's where we are to date, planned and designed, ready to stitch

and completed, waiting to be eventually placed

and here's the next one, still in the thinking stage

I like this color combo quite a bit. 

There's a lot of Albers style color thinking here, colors changing dramatically when they're next to different others. 

If you don't know this blog but love embroidery, especially whitework, take a look. She doesn't post often but it's so worth waiting for. Fils et Aiguilles,  meaning threads and needles, that order works in French better than needles and threads,  written in French with onboard English translation

I think this designer whose directions she was following Hiroko Takeuchi, is the artist who designed that calendar I showed you each month last year.  

Happy day, everyone, Gary fixed the doorbell, turned out to be a simple fix, not buying a new one, after looking at wireless, easily installed ones. Hoping  your problems and doorbells have easy solutions.

Late summer flower, stramge harvest and World Embroidery Day

Yesterday was such a good day, quiet stitching of cordage at the library, with art and dance, then home to a clean house and the pleasure of having got around without special travel arramgements. This is so back to normal, though it would be a luxury a lot of people wish they had, I know.

And the front yard is in full late summer swing

The volunteer tomatoes with plenty flowers on the patio.

And today here's the total harvest from another potato plant. A good size, but one solitary spud. Next year I think I'll plant white potatoes again, the yellows being unpredictable.

Misfits came yesterday, in welcome rain

And brought a couple of unplanned bonuses. One was a bunch of kale, which I  didn't order, kale, no matter how young and tender, tasting metallic to me, like sucking coins. The other, however, was a package of Polish smoked salmon!

Supper was decided. Pita bread with some of the salmon and plain Icelandic yogurt, side of baby spinach. All in today's misfits box.

And today is World Embroidery Day, marked by Tatters thus

Happy day, everyone, may smoked salmon be with you! 

 

A sighting and a harvest

This afternoon just feeling a bit dull, too hot to walk, when I noticed a bit of activity on the patio.

Thinking goldfinches maybe or butterflies, both in short supply this year, I peered out, and saw, wheee a hummingbird! First this year. That instantly cheered me up, and reminded me to see if my container of potatoes was ready to lift yet.

And they were, couple of good meals there. They're the golden skinned, not Yukon, something else, which roast wonderfully with that cheese crust I like. 

These grew from a small potato with eyes I planted a few weeks ago. I'm surprised they didn't rot in the endless rainstorms.

So the day suddenly improved quite dramatically.