Indoor plants.

As the gardening season slowly comes to an end, I think about all the greens in my windows. Every year I shift them around, give them shower in my bathtub and make room for few plants that will come in, from the balcony. 

My pineapple:

And my lemon tree started from a seed.

In my Garden.

Summer was so busy that I had a hard time finding time to blog but today is first day of school so hopefully I will get the much needed time and inspiration to write more often. My balcony garden is mostly basil now, I have few tomato plants, red pepper, sweet potato, crazy looking corn, few flowers and salad mix that is coming up again. This summer was really good, I had lots of beans, peas and tomatoes from the community garden. On my balcony I had few cucumbers, much less than last year, and lots of herbs and basil.

Jams.

Last week I went with my kids for a walk and we picked some mulberries. Last year I froze them and this year I made jams. 

In my Garden.

Cucumbers are growing nice, now that it's warm and I don't have to cover them.

Oregano

I have basil everywhere, I think I doubled the amount of plants this year. Last year I didn't have enough pesto to last us all winter so this year I made sure there is plenty of basil. 

Tomato.

More basil, lettuce, and beans in the small containers.

Strawberry

More oregano, basil and some flowers.

On the wall I have 18 containers, 9 flowers and 9 basil

On the window I have pansies, lettuce, chive and more basil. 

Dandelions.

Last week I went dandelion picking. I do this every year, usually with my husband, so it can be done faster. It took us about an hour to fill this basket, we found a hill full of flowers and they were so nice and big.

So first I wash them and lay them on my table to dry.

Then in the evening I started to remove the green parts, it takes some time and my fingers were all brown but this way the syrup is not bitter.

Next step is to cover it with water and boil, remove from the heat, cover it and steep over night in cool place, I just put it on my balcony.

The next day I strain it thru cheese cloth and return the liquid to the pot.

This is the leftover pulp.

To make this into a syrup you need to add lemon juice, honey and lots of sugar and simmer for few hours, but I like this to be more healthy so I don't add any sugar just the lemon and honey, and just cook it for half an hour. Then I put it in jars and bottles and store it in the fridge.

I use it in my home made ice tea all year round, this will last us until next Spring. 

Kale seasoning.

This is my go to seasoning, I use it on everything and the best part of it is that I know exactly whats in it and can make it at home. It comes from this book all about kale. The Book of Kale by Sharon Hanna.

You will need:

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup white or natural sesame seeds
1/3 cup flaked dry kale
1/4 cup sea or kosher salt
1 tbsp flaked seaweed ( optional)
dried orange or lemon zest ( optional)

I don't use the seaweed, the dry kale I make in my oven, just wash the leaves and dry on baking sheet then break them with your hands and store it in a jar, all other ingredients I buy zero waste in bulk store. This time I tripled the recipe.   

1. In a small cast iron pan ( dry, no oil) toast pumpkin seeds over medium - low heat for few minutes.

2. In a bowl get your sesame seeds ready

3.Add the sesame seeds to the pan and mix it well, toast for few more minutes, don't let it burn.

4. In the food processor combine:

- dry kale, 

- salt,

- toasted seeds,

- and dry lemon zest ( I got this in a bulk store in the spice aisle)

5. Process and store it in a jar.