My Cooking and My Garden: At Home

Sunday 18 November 2012

At Home

Late spring weather is almost predictable, rains, cool breeze and sunny days. When the sun shines, the warmer weather brings the butterflies to the garden, it beautiful to see, but gentle rains and winds are disturbing the delicate flowers in the garden. I thought that it would be nice to cut these flowers to celebrate spring inside the house.

Beautiful Flowers, Spring Celebration.

I found enough small vases for these gorgeous cut flowers from my garden. From roses, new season hydrangeas to geraniums. They are absolutely beautiful.

While I was enjoying the flowers, I did preserving. This time of the year oranges are perfect, I don't have the tree in the garden, but I got some from the market. In fact, I was lucky enough to find blood oranges.

For the first time, I preserved blood oranges in syrup. It worked OK, but I expected more, I thought that the deep red colour stays true, but it was not.

Blood Oranges in Syrup

Keeping vegetables fresh is a must, broccoli is at its best now and also inexpensive. Deep freezing the vegetables are the best way to keep them fresh.

Freshly blanched broccoli

For the broccoli: floret and blanch them for 2 minutes, leave them cold, pack and keep them in the freezer straight away. It applies to other vegetables such as cauliflowers, green beans, carrots, Brussels sprouts, you have to blanch them first before keeping them in the freezer. They will keep for a few months in the freezer.

Fresh Sandwiches

It is always handy to have sandwiches ready for the family, there is no hot food for lunch, I am efficient. I wrap the sandwiches up in plastic to keep fresh, and also get healthy food for snacking; carrots, or anything that I have on hand. Fresh fruits are in a bowl. Everything is there for them, and what is next?
Now the time is . . . . . Mine.

Fresh carrots for snacking, sandwiches for lunch

Indeed and truly at home. I enjoy the beautiful fresh cut flowers from my garden and busy with whatever might be, at home, inside to celebrate the season.