Garden Update - Mid-Summer

I am happy with the progress the garden is making this year.  I will be making pesto in the next few days with all of the basil.  Otis and I picked the first tomato today.  I need to keep better track of the varieties I plant.  I hope to jar salsa directly from the garden this year. It looks promising.

I lost all of my Cucumber and Pumpkin seeds to the chipmunks.   I was lucky enough to get some seedlings.  They went in late and are just starting to sprout little cucumbers.  This is my second summer gardening and it is amazing how much I have learned through trial and error.  I am already starting to think about next year and how to make things better.

Nonno & Nonna's

I discovered the term Urban homestead a few years back.  It wasn't until this year that it registered in my brain that my grandparents live on an Urban homestead and have my whole life.  I just thought it was called being Italian.

Through the years my dad's parents have raised pigeons, rabbits and ducks.  My uncle also lived there for many years and had a hunting dog kennel on the property.  They live on a corner lot with no back yard.  They have two side yards and a large front yard almost all of it was gardens.  The house is right up the street from my grade school and high school.  In recent years as they get older they have had to transition more of it back to a lawn.  They were saying they have cut down about ten trees in the last few years.  They were just to much work and there was to much food for the two of them.  My grandfather is a skilled gardener.  He is able to graft trees so that many varieties of fruit grow on a single tree.  The gardens are also layered with fruits and vegetables.  Many trees have vines of other fruits growing up them.  It kind of looks life a jungle.  I think this is a form of permaculture.

We stopped by this week for a visit while in Niagara.  I love being able to walk through the yard and eat whatever is ready.  This visit we had cherries and white mulberries.  I had know idea the berries were mulberries.  Thanks Google.  The house itself has a two cold rooms.  One cold room is where they store everything they preserve.  The other is where the dry different foods they are curing.  The whole house is full to the brim with stuff.  It is quite amazing.

Over the years I can remember being over while they made many different types of cured meats, salami, prosciutto, sausage, capo cola, supresato to name most of them.  I am sure I missed some.  They also have a large grape press in the garage for making wine.  I loved the fresh grape juice that came streaming out the bottom of the press.  There is no match to real fresh grape juice.  They also made their own cheese.  I remember one of the last times I was there when they made cheese it was black market milk.  It is against the law to sell unpasteurized milk.  Even the rennet was a difficult thing to come by.  They had to get it at the local pharmacy.

We can never leave their house empty handed.  A soon as I walked in the door my nonna threw me a bag of their homemade sausage.  We barbecued it on Wednesday, it was delicious.  We also left with the big bunch of dried Chillies Dave is holding them below, a large bag of walnuts from their tree and several seedlings they just happened to have lying around.

Next year they will be growing my tomato seedlings for me.  I didn't have much luck with seed starting this year.  As you can see they have no problem at all.

Found

Otis and I have been going for walks after dinner. We went down a Street/Lane I had never been down before. It is a street over from us towards the express way. The lane is the entrance to the back yards of the houses on our street. The yards are huge and beautiful.

At the end of the lane is the entrance to a small piece of forest. Otis loves it he asks to go play in the forest. I discovered there is a pear tree right at the edge. I love pears right from the tree. My neighbour growing up had a pear tree. My favorite time to eat a pear is when it is so ripe you can barely hold onto it. They are so juicy, it just rolls down your chin. Mmmmm. I can't wait to pick some.

There were a few other discoveries. Wild Rhubarb and Raspberries. There were only a few raspberry bushes. The raspberries were the sweetest I have ever tasted. I couldn't pick them quick enough. Otis was just eating them up.

A few days ago I spotted raspberries at the edge of a wooded area on the way home from picking Otis up from Rose's. Otis left this morning to go to Nonna's so I drove out to pick a bunch. Above is my found fruit. They are so good. I didn't quite dress to be climbing in the bush so I only picked on basket. I might head out in a few days an pick some more.