The Earth is Full of His Steadfast Love

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!...

For the word of the LORD is upright,

and all his work is done in faithfulness...

the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, 

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;

he puts the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the LORD;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing...

The counsel of the LORD stands forever...

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD...

Our soul waits for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

from Psalm 33

Savoy

No, I don't have photos to post of travels to the Savoy region of southeastern France. In fact, I've never been in France - not even passing through an international airport.

But we have been enjoying the unique flavor, texture, and uses of savoy cabbage from our garden this year. Though it does not stir-fry well (it sizzles down to nearly "nothing" when enough water has finally steamed out of the wet lump in the kettle), it does make a good wrap.

One leaf wrapped around my apple-chicken-basil salad in place of a tortilla.

Steamed savoy leaves filled with seasoned ground-bison took the place of stuffed peppers for Elsa.

A Taste of August

August Stir-Fry includes:

Snap-peas and Snow-peas

Broccoli, Rutabaga, Summer-squash, Zucchini, and Onion

Plain-old chicken is more interesting stir-fried for once with a bit of turkey bacon and pineapple, plus green peppers and thyme from the garden.

Sides were all from the garden: cabbage salad spruced up with more fresh thyme, cucumbers, and (wait... we did not grow these this year) carrot sticks.

A meal of bison roast is made colorful with our own beets, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

September Harvest I

 Tomatoes, large and small:

The cute, little Rapunzel tomatoes make great pasta-topping 

when sauteed with garlic and fresh thyme!

Large tomatoes get frozen or canned for many uses year-round.

And several batches of chunky apple-sauce have already been canned or frozen.

All these apples (and more) are from one Red Baron tree. 

The overloaded Haral Red are now ready to be picked as they have been sweetened by the first few light frosts. And we don't want them to turn to mush with the predicted frost for later this week!

August Picnics

After wishing for strength enough to do this for the past couple of years, Elsa and I finally had our Bible Study friends out for hot-dog roast. Despite the threat of rain, we had some lovely hours around the fire-pit before mosquitos and darkness drove us indoors.

The next week, decking material came for our new deck out back of the "bakery." Dad laid the pieces on the frame our carpenter-friends had built so we could try it out with our desert one evening. 

Since then, the decking, stairs, and railing have all been installed, and we have enjoyed a whole meal on "Dorothy's Deck," where her nurses can also roll her right out the back of her apartment for some fresh air in the mornings.

August Colors

Orange and gold cosmos

Rusty orange clumps of berries against blue, blue sky on a mountain ash tree at the lake

Bright red geranium blossoms glowing in the evening sunlight at the lake

Yellow begonia and blue lobelia brightening our front steps all summer

A Taste of Russia

As I look through photos from the past couple of months, I see a recurring theme.  A particular side dish at meals has been exciting time after time, and I kept forgetting I had already taken photos of it to share. So here they are!

Cucumber season reminds me of Russia - the place where I first learned to enjoy this crunchy, juicy produce. They serve it tossed with oil and vinegar. And when available -- dill weed!

And while there are still a few cucumbers left on the vines, I always wait for tomatoes add yet another lovely layer of Russian flavor.

Chunks of mild cheese are another traditional part of this recipe. You should try it!