A Gift of Fresh Eggs

I found this carton of homegrown fresh eggs on my car seat earlier today. What a lovely gift!

A Gift of Fresh Eggs

I was wrapping up a local beekeeping club meeting when I opened my car door to find this lovely carton full of homegrown fresh eggs on my seat. It was a gift from my nephew, a recent addition to our local beekeeping family who also started keeping chickens earlier this spring.

Take a closer look. None of those eggs are exactly alike, each one just a tad different shade than the next one.

We used to keep chickens when we grew up in Brasil. My job was to help settle in the baby chicks before they were released into the larger chicken pen. I have often thought about adding a few only my hillside, grass-less garden would be a bit of a management challenge.

Having friends who share, however, is a blessing. I don't care what anyone says, homegrown fresh eggs do taste better than store bought ones. Looking forward to cooking something special with them.

Thanks, Nathan, I am one happy Aunt!

Charlotte

Rolla Farmer's Market Finds - Peach Time!

Rolla Farmer's Market finds include purple potatoes, tarragon, basil, tomatoes and peaches.

Rolla Farmer's Market Finds - Peach Time!

Mid-July in Missouri is a time of bounty and farms, and Rolla's Farmer's Market, offer a wonderful variety of locally-grown foods. On a warm Saturday morning, it was easy to scoop up tomatoes and basil, one of my favorite food combinations.

I have basil at various stages growing at home but the smell of the freshly-cut basil was too hard to resist!

At the same table, a rare find, a little bouquet of fresh tarragon and fingerling purple potatoes, some red inside, others white. Growing up in Lima, Peru, where potato varieties are more prolific than North American apples, it was nice to have a potato choice.

And last, but not least, ready to eat peaches, picked that morning. I had planned to make a cobbler but one of the peaches didn't make it home. The rest have been rapidly disappearing from the bowl on the counter so may have to get more peaches next week.

Charlotte

Doggie Cones

Warm weather is a special time for my two neighbors, Hershey and Hope.

Hershey is a chocolate labrador; Hope is a golden retriever. Both dogs live with Alison and Ryan, two Missouri S&T students who spend most of their days either in classes or books. Unless they are taking their dogs for a walk in the neighborhood, when I usually see them.

Or they see me.

Hershey in particular will make a mad dash for my house, sometimes beating me to the garage as soon as he sees my car turn the corner down my drive.

One weekend when I was babysitting the dogs, I took them to a local ice cream place for doggie cones. One year later, they still remember that trip, barking at my car door to let me know they are ready to take another ride.

Since we can't always do that, I started making homemade doggie cones for them. So easy! Using pre-made sugar cones, I fill them with light vanilla ice cream through the whole cone and put them in a freezer bag in the freezer. Initially I was freezing them separately but it's easy enough to pop them in a freezer bag all at once.

When I have barking visitors, out come the cones for a quick treat.

I make extra.

People need ice cream treats, too!

 Hope inhales his ice cream cone but Hershey takes his time. Sweet, don't you think?

Charlotte

Gift Zucchini

In almost every office I have worked, colleagues have shared homegrown produce.

It usually starts early summer. A plastic bag appears in the coffee room, making the table look more like something in a kitchen, full of extra produce waiting to be adopted. It's usually peas or green beans, followed by tomatoes and green peppers.

Last year, a bag of zucchini spent almost 3 days on the table without any takers. When I asked why no one was taking them, a colleague said she didn't know what they were. Zucchinis look a lot like cucumbers but have a thicker shape. As I was getting ready to leave for the day, one zucchini was left on the serving plate. You bet I took it home!

Charlotte