Jultember in a single word...

to be perfectly honest... i briefly considered doing a post-a-day during Jultember. however, as i have been genuinely struggling to find the will to get out of bed some days, said effort was doomed to failure before it even started. so, i took the occasional photo of the random nonsense i got up to over the course of a month that began in one season and ended in another.

this year's balcony garden project has been a literal oasis. beyond being lovely to look at, living like we do in an apartment in the middle of the city, it is especially nice to occasionally harvest something just moments before it ends up on the dinner table.

the inclusion of more flowers in this year's garden meant that there were even more colorful creatures stopping by for a visit. i was (pleasantly) shocked to see a ruby-throated hummingbird zipping around one afternoon (the visit was too brief to get a photo). one almost forgets that there is (non-squirrel) wildlife in the city, and we will definitely be planting even more welcoming flowers in next Summer's garden.

i did have to rescue a visiting cicada from potential death-by-adorable-cat. i formed a human shield between the two, until the cicada eventually climbed back through the netting and  flew away... then i spent the rest of the day threatening to climb a tree to strangle a cicada (perhaps it was the same one) whose noisy antics was driving me up a wall.

the animator was most amused.

him: if you hate that noise so much, why didn't you just let the cat kill it?
me: that would be cruel. they're annoying, but they're cute.

i found myself in need of a quick pick-me-up one random afternoon, so i made some candles. this was my first time using wooden wicks. i am hooked!

the light is stronger than with the cotton wicks, but the candle burns so slowly that it feels like it will last forever. i burned this one for close to twelve hours, and the jar was still near-full. i approve.

i have been neglecting my knitting projects, partly because it was too hot to be bothered, but mostly because i just stopped caring. this top was intended to be part of my Summer wardrobe. maybe next year.

that is some of my own hand-dyed yarn. i will talk more about the genius/lunacy involved in getting this effect on a cotton-based yarn if/when i finish the top.

 

i did manage to (finally) complete another pair of socks (more about that some other day) for the animator, which i started back in April. i also finished spinning the charcoal-grey yarn that i talked about in that same post. there is enough of this to make a whole garment, so now i just have to find a pattern that is worthy of this special yarn.

it is hard to maintain consistency across such a large spin, but i am satisfied with the end result. this is begging to be turned into a comfy cardigan.

i added some new yarns to my stash. i got a sweater's quantity of each color. they knit up into such a beautiful fabric. the fiber is a cotton-acrylic blend that will make for some comfy allergy-free sweaters for me.

i usually avoid wearing browns, but this warm gold was created to be worn next to my skin. this just screams AUTUMN!!!

we consumed a ridiculous amount of iced tea earlier in the month. there was a stretch of a couple-few weeks were the temperature in the middle of the city was hovering around 40°C (104°F), with the "feels like" temperature a few degrees above that. it was... brutal.

this was a particularly hot, dry Summer, so it was a great relief when the rain finally came about halfway through the month. which brings me to the point of this pointless thing...

if i had to summarize this past Jultember in a single word, it would be "tomato".

we got a large box of veggies from his parents' garden, including about twenty-five pounds of tomatoes... because his father is that lunatic. i roasted half of them (like i did last Summer), and the rest were turned into many tomato salads. [random aside: that plate with the chip is older than both of us.]

that particular salad was served along with a heaping plate of Greek-style lemon chicken and potatoes (made by the animator). said dish was flavored with fresh oregano and thyme from our little garden. the leftovers were equally amazing the next day.

we sent a photo of the salad to his dad, who was impressed by my neat arrangement of the slices... then he immediately began amassing another box of tomatoes. you know, in case we were in danger of running out of the stuff.

meanwhile, every now and then, one of us would step out onto the balcony, and return with a handful of freshly-harvested tomatoes. there is presently a large container of fresh tomatoes occupying half a shelf in the fridge, along with three containers of garlic-roasted tomatoes, all waiting to be used up. it is at the point where we are putting tomatoes into just about everything we consume.

the veggie haul from his parents' backyard also included several heads of celery. i chopped a few stalks at a time, and stored them in the freezer for the coming soup season.

we transplanted a couple of the smaller celery plants to the balcony garden project...

and i placed the bottom of one of the chopped up heads of celery into a pot of soil, where it promptly started to grow new leaves.

then, without warning, Jultember was through... and with it went Summer.

now we are racing toward the part of the year that i love most of all. i ventured halfway across town this past weekend to get my first taste of this year's harvest of concord grapes. i actually bought three containers of the stuff, but the first one disappeared within minutes of getting them home.

but the best bit came when the animator was checking the weather forecast earlier today.

him: apparently there is a typhoon forming somewhere in Asia that is going to bring an early Fall to Canada.
me: that must be one powerful typhoon.
him: it's the butterfly effect.
me: yeh, but with like every butterfly on the planet flapping extra hard. 
him: the last three words of this article should make you smile. you ready for this?
me: go ahead.
him: "definitely sweater weather."

yep. still smiling.

Jultember: Mother Nature's candid camera...

[random aside: i am drinking ginger ale out of a wine glass, because i am fancy like that.]

with my favorite animator out of town, i have been forced to spend more time on the balcony than i am used to, as he handles most of the day-to-day care of the outdoor plants. why is that, you ask? because vertigo, i respond. pretty much.

i was harvesting some tomatoes this morning, when i noticed that the lemon balm had gotten a bit out of control again, so i decided to do another round of thinning it out so it does not overcrowd the peppers. problem was, that container is at the far corner of the balcony, meaning that i had to take more than one large step out of the door to reach it.

so, there i was, in full-blown panic mode, when i noticed some guy out on his balcony about half a block away, and he was leaning on the railing with what i presumed to be his phone in hand, looking in my direction. so now there would be an audience for when the panic peaks and i manage to injure myself in the resulting dis-orientation overload... and it would probably end up on You Tube.

his presence there only served to increase the panic i was already experiencing, so i hurriedly collected the lemon balm and double-checked that i had closed the anti-squirrel cages around the tomato plants before taking the few steps that would bring me back to the safety of the doors. naturally, he was still watching.

i wanted to wave hello at this point with a tomato in one hand and a bouquet of lemon balm in the other, but that would be a violation of my introverted curmudgeon code. so i just sat down in the doorway and took stock of my morning's harvest while waiting for that feeling like i was on three roller-coasters at once to go away.

vertigo is one of those things that you have to experience to be able to fully understand it. even then, it does not make sense. no exaggeration... i used to have to get rescued from not-tall trees all the time back when i was a very young lunatic. similarly, i used to sit on the park swing and rock back and forth a bit, but my feet never left the ground. even now there is a firm understanding in place in our home that should there ever be an emergency that requires us to exit via the fire escape, he will have to clobber me over the head till i black out, then drag/carry/shove me to safety, because there is no universe in which i am ever setting foot out on that contraption.

why then am i living four-and-a-half floors above ground level, you ask? because i like the view, i respond. seriously, we are at canopy-level with the big  trees, and it is breathtaking most days. there is an almost-forgotten world of activity in a treetop, and it is right there at eye-level. you could be standing there, sipping a hot beverage, and a hawk would go flying by so close that you feel like you could almost reach out and touch its wings... though i do not recommend giving that a try. and, while i genuinely wish the squirrels would stop invading my space, there is so much humor and even the occasional touch of awe to be found in their antics up in the treetops.

have you ever observed a squirrel as it prepares for a rainstorm? i have. they chomp through the end portion of small branches, then drag the tuft of leaves back to their nest-hole where they lay one tuft on top of another until they have a thick enough layer to keep out the rain... kinda like layering palm leaves atop a small hut. problem is, squirrels are just possibly the most inefficient builders in existence, and they usually end up dropping the vast majority of the leafy branches, which go sailing to the ground. it is like watching Mother Nature's candid camera when they are in storm-prep mode. if you ever walk or drive down a tree-lined street and see the leafy-ends of lots of branches strewn about on the ground, just know that there is a squirrel somewhere up above your head trying desperately to storm-proof.

i should add a bit of a post-script regarding my tomatoes yesterday. i think i may have started something. i was describing the process to my mom as i was making it, so she decided to make it with her tomatoes. then i showed the photos to my favorite animator (who is still at his parent's place), so he gave it a go today with some of the tomatoes from their garden. it was a hit all around.

guess where this little guy is gonna end up...!

Jultember: drizzle like you mean it...

i put a serious dent in the big bowl of tomatoes from the balcony garden project. i was going to take the lazy route by dunking them in hot water to loosen the skins before peeling and chopping them to be frozen for later use. however, i decided to try a different approach at making use of too many tomatoes.

several (i did not count) tomatoes were cut in half and arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet scattered with sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano. the tomatoes were sliced horizontally for maximum toasted-surface enjoyment.

i also tossed  in a handful of unpeeled garlic cloves. the garlic will not add much to the flavor in this form, but i have a lot of garlic on hand, and i can always find a use for roasted garlic... so why not?

next came a sprinkling of salt, sugar, and black pepper, followed by a few drops of balsamic vinegar applied to each tomato piece. then came some rosemary and even more oregano, thyme, and garlic (peeled and rough chopped this time around). finally, the whole thing was coated with a generous drizzle of olive oil.

this is no place for a miserly splash. drizzle like you mean it! it will not go to waste. the resulting tomato-garlic-herb-infused oil can be put to good use in so many delectable ways.

then into a 375°F oven for approximately forty minutes.

the tomatoes were fork-tender—and my tummy was rumbling—so i removed a couple pieces... strictly for quality-control purposes. at this point, it still looks like slices of raw tomato that have been dressed with some sort of vinaigrette, but i assure you that is not how it tastes.

the tomatoes have not been cooked nearly as long as for a typical pasta-type sauce, so it lacks the almost ketchup-like sweetness you find in those jars. it maintains all of the fresh-from-the-garden flavor, only enhanced with the almost-smoky flavor of toasted garlic and herbs. even the few drops of balsamic i splashed onto each piece of tomato seems to have undergone a tasty toasty transformation in the oven. so good!

then there was that texture.

although the knife feels like it is slicing through room temperature butter, the tomato still holds its shape when cut. see? no mush.

however, there was still a bit more water in the tomatoes at this point than i wanted, so i returned the tray—minus the two tasting pieces—to the oven for another fifteen minutes, then i turned off the heat and left it sitting in there with the door closed for another twenty minutes or so.

just give me a crusty baguette and a bottle of wine, and go talk amongst yourselves... all both of you.

those bits of garlic are toasty and the fresh herbs are doing that lovely, smokey thing that makes me smile.

i want to bottle this stuff. it is sooooo good.

my initial plan was to freeze most of it and leave a few pieces in the fridge for eating in the next day or two. i am still home alone, and i did not really envision a scenario in which i would eat so many tomatoes before the week is through.

but now... i am not sure.

i can easily see drizzling some of that flavorful oil over a bit of pasta, then topping it with a couple-few pieces of roasted tomatoes to be smashed and mixed in with the pasta as you eat. add a bit of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese, and that would be my idea of a truly tasty meal.

or maybe in a bowl of ramen... or maybe atop a juicy burger. no ketchup necessary with this one.

luckily there are more tomatoes waiting to be picked, because i get the distinct feeling i will be making this again before the week is through.

Jultember: a quiet Saturday evening...

i dropped a lemon-zinger tea bag into a quart-sized jar of water and filled a bowl with chunks of cantaloupe before settling on my favorite sofa, so you know another wild Saturday night is about to ensue. hopefully the neighbors will not call the cops again like they did last time it got this rowdy around here.

Summer is winding down rapidly around these parts, and you can already see splashes of orange, red, and gold among the treetops. most telling of all is the return to sleeping curled up under the blanket and the ever-present cup of hot tea during the waking part of the day.

i really love this time of year.

there was a bit of a lull at the end of the Summer, and we had planned to use some of that time to tackle a few projects around our place. there are still a couple rooms to be re-painted since we moved... more than two years ago. we also had plans to reupholster both of the sofas, which we feel slightly-less incompetent at attempting following the recent disaster-free revamp of the dining room chairs. there was also talk of renting a sander and refinishing the living room and dining room floors.

the Universe, however, does not take plans into consideration when deciding which things should be thrown askew. so he is off at his parent's place for a while, and i am holding down our little fort. so it is a quiet Saturday evening for one... instead of the usual slightly-less quiet Saturday evening for two.

perhaps it is for the best i was alone, because i was watering the plants as the sun was setting, when i spotted something in the corner of one of the troughs.

clearly the plan of leaving the cherry tomatoes uncovered to distract the squirrel away from the two larger tomato plants is not having the desired effect.

i sent him the photos, and he was highly amused. if he was home, this would have been seen as a definite escalation of the ongoing hostility between him and the squirrel. however, as it is my problem for the while, he finds the whole thing hilarious.

as for that squirrel... (s)he is about to find out that i am the mean one around here.

Jultember: puzzles for sadists...

every once in a while, i turn one of my photos into a jigsaw puzzle, and i did so last night with a cicada shot i took yesterday. he decided he would do my puzzle. a few minutes later, i get what is possibly the single best comment ever.

him: your puzzles are for sadists.
me: i know. that's the best part of the thing.

i have a folder somewhere on the puter where i keep dumping images with the intent of giving them the same treatment... one of these days. i took a cursory glance at some of the ones i have set aside for said purpose thus far, and i had to laugh. 'twould seem that i do tend to specialize in puzzles for sadists.

and how do i respond to this realization, you ask? naturally, i made another one. this time, it is a bowl of cherry tomato halves. you are most welcome, sadists.

those cherry tomato halves is step two in the construction of what may just be the world's best tomato salad. allow me to take you back to step one.

this has become the go-to dish around here when the little yellow bucket starts overflowing with tiny tomatoes.

1) i transferred a few handfuls of them into a bowl, which i topped off with some locally-sourced basil, oregano, and thyme.

yes... it is quite nice to have a garden, even such a tiny one.

2) next comes the tedious part, that bit from the first photo. all those tomatoes were sliced in half, then placed cut-side up, with a sprinkling of salt added after each layer. if you squint a bit, you might some little white flecks on the cut surfaces of the tomatoes in the first photo. those are bits of kosher salt.

3) it is absolutely critical to allow that salt to sit undisturbed on those cut surfaces for a few minutes (or more). as the salt dissolves, it adds a depth of basic flavor that cannot be recreated by dousing the tomatoes in dressing. i use this time to strip the herbs from their stems and toss them on top (in no particular order).

thyme...

oregano...

basil (which i ripped into smaller pieces)...

4) then i drizzled on some balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, and added a sprinkle of fresh-ground black pepper. (i did not bother taking a photo at this point because it looked the same as the step before).

5) now comes the good bit. top this off with a healthy crumble of feta cheese.

one quick toss later, and i had a dish that even a tomato non-lover would get excited about. we served it up with some wings hot off the grill, but you can easily make a light meal of this salad alone.

i was so excited after the first bite, that i celebrated by opening a bottle of beer that was part of my summer sampler.

this is Coup de Grisou. it is a Belgium-style spicy buckwheat ale that is brewed right here in Montreal.

i already have future plans for this beer. mostly, i want to try using it in a lobster bisque, which would be an adventure unto itself, because clearly i like to make my life complicated. that's the best part of the thing.

Jultember: zero cicadas were harmed...

i am always threatening to punch a cicada in the face, as that noise they make drives me up a wall.  

you: what kind of lunatic threatens to punch an insect?
me: i do.

today i got my chance.

(s)he was climbing on the anti-squirrel barrier around one of the tomato plants. [that is a quarter-inch mesh grid, so you can tell that this is one big bug.]

i was moving in to try to get a better shot—with my camera, not my fists—when (s)he flew off. so i can truthfully state that zero cicadas were harmed in the making of this post.

and, speaking of tomatoes...

this was harvested from the balcony garden project over the course of about twenty-four hours.

want to know a little secret? i am not that big a fan of tomatoes.

i like growing them, but i am not usually bursting with joy when the time comes to actually eat them. those little guys will likely end up in tomorrow's dinner, and i am considering peeling and chopping the bigger ones so i can freeze them for later use.

sad part is... there are even more of the things waiting to be picked, which leaves me thinking that maybe i should just get a couple deck chairs and do what sane people do on their balconies come next Summer.

Jultember: zucchini lovechild tomato...

if you have been here before, you would probably already know that there is nothing resembling "normal adult conversation" allowed in our household. absurdity is our native tongue.

so, there we were having a mini taste-test of tomatoes... as you do on a random Tuesday afternoon. the red bits are from a 'bush early girl' from our balcony garden project, and the other ones are a 'green zebra' we purchased during last Friday's consolation-visit to Marché Jean-Talon. [random aside: yes... that is knitting in the background. i am attempting to speed-knit something that i intend to wear this coming weekend.]

i grew green zebra tomatoes one Summer many moons ago, but it was a new-to-him variety, so he was curious to give it a go. [i did not think to take a photo before cutting it up.]

i find that the best way to appreciate the full range of flavor in a tomato is to add a few sprinkles of either sea or kosher salt.

then we tasted.

the bush early girl was one that fell before it was fully matured, so it ripened off the plant.. and it shows in the total absence of flavor. it tastes like one of those bland supermarket tomatoes at this point. that plant is currently covered in tomatoes that are almost ready to go, so we will have to revisit that variety in a day or two.

then there was the green zebra.

him: that is different.
me: i know. i like it!
him: doesn't even taste like a tomato. 
me: it's kinda squashy.
him: yeh... like a tomato had sex with a zucchini.

pretty much.

he is still perplexed by this new thing, as it does not fit his expectation of what tomatoes should taste like. as for me, i am already a fan of the zucchini lovechild tomato... as that is what it will be referred to around here from now on.

it is tasty on its own, but i really like it in a salad of mixed tomatoes where the contrast really shows. should you happen to come across one of these odd-looking tomatoes, i strongly recommend giving it a try.