Sorrel Soup?

For the last 4 seasons of growing I've been enchanted and annoyed at this huge green and abundant plant in my herb garden known as Sorrel. It was there when I moved in and for a while I had no idea what it was until my mother tasted it and excitedly pronounced that it was "Schevel". In Russia it turns out, this is a popular plant used to make a cold soup. So now I pick the leaves and take to my mother and let her have her fun making this soup. In the summer a good Sorrel plant will grow to be quite large and will bolt and flower. The best time to pick is in cooler weather when the leaves are younger and not as sour. Garden Sorrel is almost impossible to find in stores (just like another Russian favorite Black Radishes...more on those later) and so growing it is about the only option. The soup itself is an acquired taste and there are variations on the recipe depending on if you are in Russia, Ukraine, Poland or other parts of Eastern Europe. Below is my mother's recipe to try if one dares on a hot day.



In other news...lettuce bed is growing great. Too much rain for tomatoes (yellow leaves) and I've planted 6 different varieties. Seems like another late growing season for Portland. As of beginning of June there are no open roses which has Portlanders freaking out. My rose trellis had two roses on it last week that were open. SUN SUN where are you? I am hearing that the Portland rose gardens normally filled with freshly opened roses are bare and only buds abound. Horrible for the Rose Festival season. What is worse is that because of all the rain...cherry pickers across the NW are having a difficult time and worried that they will not have ripe cherries for peak 4th of July holiday. Even my strawberries are only flowering!!!

I cannot keep Jacob (my son) out of the garden. He has decided that he would like to remove the marigolds that were planted in the tomato beds and that dirt is very fun. If he could sit in it all day he would. Very excited about exposing him to how food grows and having him pick berries from our yard.

Revekka's simple Sorrel Soup (Scha-vel)

Ingredients:
Water
salt
bunch of fresh Sorrel leaves (you can combine with fresh spinach as well)
green onions
hard boiled eggs
fresh cucumber
sour cream

bring pot of water to a boil.
chop a bunch of fresh sorrel (you can also do 1/2 sorrel and 1/2 fresh spinach)
throw in boiling water, sprinkle a little salt into water.
boil for 5 minutes. Take off stove and let soup cool
Separately boil a few eggs till they are hard boiled (cool)
Once soup is cool (at least room temp), ladle it into a bowl,
add a Tblsp. of cold sour cream (or more if you want it more creamy)
chop 1 hard boiled egg, green onion, fresh cucumber all into the bowl and serve.
If you want the soup to be super cold them cool it in the fridge first.

SPRING PLANTING AND RHUBARB CRAZY

It has been quite a while since my last posting. I have been busy becoming a mother (15 months ago) and also taking care of my own mother. Several seasons have come and gone but now I have a new little person to share my love of nature, gardening and photography with. I noticed within just a few weeks time that the Rhubarb I planted a year ago has doubled in size. I now have enough to make several pies or jars of jam and freeze some for the winter. Rhubarb was something I never thought I would like and it was an homage to my late father that I decided to plant it in my garden. Lo and behold, after making Rhubarb jam I fell in love with the sweet/tart combo and now I am hooked (now I know why my father always wanted me to try it).

Jacob my son is now walking and exploring the back yard and garden. He is obsessed with the garden boxes and wants to pick the leaves (see below). He is aware of the world around him and pointing to birds and bugs with awe and the sheer excitement that comes from seeing such creatures for the first time.

As for spring planting, I got alot of things in the ground a couple of weeks ago but it was still too cold for cukes and tomatoes. The chives are in abundance (great with scrambled eggs). This weekend is when my favorite veggies will go into the ground and I will pray for a good sunny summer here in Portland. I am eagerly awaiting June and July for the full and awesome display of flowers. The trellis is covered with greenery and tiny buds that will soon bloom into what is still my favorite flower, the rose.

How quickly it grows!!!

Its been a while since I've written and mostly life has made it hard to sit down and truly focus on words. When it comes to my garden I am amazed at how quickly things grow. In two months there is a vast difference...from bare to lush. With a shorter summer in the Pacific Northwest, the days free of rain are so welcome. The goal for this Summer is to have a bigger veggie bounty and simply try to relax, breathe and take whatever comes my way.

Monet would be proud

Spring has arrived!! The pink hues have overshadowed the winter blues and the rain keeps bringing more blossoms. I was away in smoggy LA and although it was sunny and warm, I was happy to return to Portland and find my yard filled with a rainbow of colors. Many yellow daffodils, pink and blue hyacinths and the most beautiful pink flowering currant tree. I could not resist but take photos with my quirky lens. The result was a Monet like display of photos.

WINTER HAS COME

So old man winter has hit and hit hard. Breathtaking to see the whiteness all around. The garden is sleeping soundly until the beauty of spring.

Beautiful Fall

Was inspired to take these pictures outside my window. The wind has been blowing all the color off the trees at a fast rate. There is something about the fierce red and orange hues that gets to me. Maybe Summer's last cry knowing it is time to sleep for a while.

The most beautiful farm!!!

Visiting my friend Jessica in September in Pleasantville NY, she took me to a little slice of heaven called Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Located in Pocantico Hills New York, it is hard to fathom that this place is less than an hour from bustling NYC. This place has it all. A working farm that prides itself on organic produce grown with no chemicals or pesticides. The livestock is raised on pasture, grass fed and the farm practices rotational grazing as well as rotation of their crops. All of this helps the soil, the land and all the produce that comes from the farm. Stone Barns also has the Blue Hill Restaurant and a daily cafe where everything is served fresh from the farm and onto your plate. I found myself wandering around this beautiful landscape admiring the animals and the serenity that one feels walking through a place like this. Volunteers were tending to the garden, visitors were laughing over coffee and sandwiches. It made me appreciate the slower pace of life and the true idea of balance between land, people and food.