monster beet and miracle potatoes

way back when i was busy planting everything, i did hide some potatoes in the dirt with hopes that we might get some new ones later in the summer. it was just days after i had planted the potatoes that i read one should not plant potatoes in soil that used to be grass. well, that's just what i had done, turned over the huge pieces of grass that i dug out while digging for the raised beds onto a patch...the soil under the grass seemed so good, full of fat worms...the reason for not planting was this tiny bugger/parasite that would end up eating and/or rotting the potatoes. as the seedling potatoes weren't a huge investment i decided not to worry. certain someone had been sure for days (if not weeks) that we wouldn't get a single potato...but low and behold! today we decided to take a look and maybe have for lunch...can you tell how happy i was to see these!

gloves would be advisable, but i find them a nuisance, unfortunately my hands are starting to show the wear...we only dug out 2 plants, plenty to boil for lunch.

i wish i had marked which kind of beet seeds i planted here, all of them got to be monsters like this one! there is no way to pickle these, no jar big enough...

i almost felt sad to dig it out.

on to the carrots...they've grown nicely, too.

got enough for lunch, they just need...

...a little wash, garden hose comes in handy...

...no scrubbing required!

what an amazing color! however, the picture really doesn't make justice to it, somehow reds don't turn out well in pics.

i got the recipe from elizabeth over instagram (don't you just love instagram!), it's very simple, just chick peas, onion, beets, vinegar and oil...

i decided to grate the beet by hand, not a very bright idea, the kitchen looked like someone was butchered there...

but how sweet the beet was! i ended up using red wine vinegar and one of my better olive oils in the salad. certain someone has had some issues with chick peas (how can anyone have issues with peas?) and has not gladly eaten them before. i loved this salad, thanks E!

i did not do a single thing to the carrots, the chicken i browned in rapeseed oil, the potatoes had to have some butter on them. very simple and easy lunch in 20 mins, from the garden to table...being able to eat veggies that i grew myself is curiously satisfying!

my new deck, guest post by the dog

this is paps and me sitting on the front steps few weeks ago. i like sitting with paps in the morning, it's just that usually he talks to someone else. i think it's grandma, so it's not that bad...grandma gives me pigs ears. oh, back to the steps. paps thought that a deck in the front would be nice. bossy woman said there wouldn't be so much dirt inside, i really don't know what she meant with that.

one day paps and i got to work.

bossy woman was cutting off branches off a tree and piling them. i thought i'd give her a hand chewing them smaller.

it was fun for a while, but there was a lot and they didn't taste all that great.

fortunately i had to go and bark some at this rude and arrogant squirrel. those buggers just keep coming back, lucky for them they can go high, if they weren't that fast i'd show them...

paps got the frame done in no time. i was taken under apple trees for this part. all that better, all that banging got to my ears.

paps was even faster with banging the covering boards in place.

this is where i do my guard duties from. bossy woman says she caught me sleeping on the job, but let me correct, i was just blinking here.

don't blame this on me! paps and bossy woman had coffee and cakes on the new deck and bossy woman left the tray out. it was right next to my bowl, so what was i supposed to do? i enjoyed the milk, thank you very much.

this here is one of my better poses. bossy woman keeps taking pics of me, she must have hundreds, don't know what she does with all of them.

hmm, to my defence, i had just had my dinner and you know how you get teeny-weeny tired after dinner...

...oh get off me face, will ya!

now paps and i sit on the steps of the deck. my people say i sit funny. you don't think i sit funny, do you? is there another way to sit on steps?

bossy woman said to tell you that this is for buster's mom. i'm told she likes these. they are all over place here. i think buster's mom should come with buster and i could show buster around. we could go swimming and we could dig holes all over. oh, bossy woman just told me "no more holes in the yard".

bossy woman says she's busy cleaning, painting, hauling stuff and moving. i don't think i've ever been busy, not that i know what busy is. she also said to tell you that she'll be done in a couple of weeks. i just remembered i have hauled stuff, once. the stuff was in a big plastic bag, in fact it had all my stuff in it. i had a well-chewed frisbee, a very worn leash, a rope-toy that was coming apart and my water bowl. now i have a lot more stuff, some of them squeal. i still have my rope-toy, it doesn't make any noise, but i like when paps has the other end and i try to take it from him. gotta go now, wuf.

zucchini frittata, fresh from the garden

i was so happy with the frittata i made at the cottage some time ago, i wanted to try if zucchini would make a decent filling for one. first, i have to complain a bit...gardening this summer...oh, boy, took forever for everything to get going because of all the rain and chilly weather. in my book +8C on a july morning is chilly. now that the weather is finally getting a bit warmer, everything is puffing up in record time. like my zucchini, just last week they were tiny, barely bigger than my thumb, this week they are almost bursting at their seams!

took out my late grandma's well seasoned cast iron pan and placed it in cold oven, then cranked the oven to 220C. rinsed my veggies (zucchini, kale (which grows like crazy), radishes (certain someone eats them as they are), chives, oregano)

quartered the zucchini and sliced each quarter, placed them on a hot pan with 1 tbsp canola oil (i didn't know until recently that canola oil is plain old rapeseed oil, but that that name isn't used because of what the first part of the name implies), and browned the slices for 2 mins. too long and you end up with zucchini mush, you don't want that, all the goodies, vitamins and such, will disappear. remove the slices from pan and keep aside.

next placed the roughly minced kale on the hot pan, added ½ dl water and steamed the kale just so, keeping it still bright green. again, too long and all the goodies go elsewhere. you won't believe how good the kale is, compared to the green things you get in the winter. and aren't i lucky, the deer nor rabbits have found them! yet...

took six eggs (organic) from the little grocery store toivo, and added a generous amount of minced herbs (chives, parsley, oregano) and mix well...

...took out the by-this-time very hot pan from the oven, first layered half of the zucchini on the pan, then all the kale, then sauteed red onion (red only for the fact that there was half of a big one left and i wanted to use it, 1 medium white minced is good replacement) (oh, forgot, i did sautee the onion until translucent, and it pays to drain the kale, otherwise you'll end up with soggy frittata.)

rest of the zucchini went on top...

...then poured in the egg-herbs mixture, and wiggled the pan in order to get the eggs to go everywhere. placed the pan back into the 220C oven for 25mins.

this makes a light lunch for 4, we had it warm with tomato. later in the day i had a piece straight from the fridge, equally tasty. i only added salt (maldon flakes) while eating, little salt goes a long way like that. however, i will admit that not using salt while cooking takes some getting used to.

rare night out

oh boy, summer leave is gone, days are getting shorter, it seems nothing gets done and i'm generally feeling "quite not right". i'm trying to tell myself that "it's just life, get over it".

anyways, certain someone wanted to see this band perform and i had kindly agreed to go with him. it had been a glorious day (i was told, was working indoors) and the evening looked pretty decent at 7pm when we were walking past the helsinki cathedral towards kaisaniemi puisto where the band was playing.

did i just say decent? that cloud looked menacing, but not to worry, i had my umbrella with me.

"there will be security checks at the gate". great, had to give out my umbrella. luckily i had one of those disposable raincoats in my bag, pretty hard to cover two persons with it, though. we weren't that badly soaked...yes, it rained, on one occasion pretty heavily...

no introductions needed, i presume.

those guys started playing in 1979. i think they must have been growing out their beards ever since...

certain someone says they played well and precise, not like on some gigs he's watched on youtube. i think they were loud, but it was a ROCK concert, and maybe possibly i should have known that and brought ear-plugs.

the band was closing just before 10pm, and we headed home before the crowds. this ugly, boxy building is the annex to kansallisteatteri (finnish national theatre). the orinigal theatre was finished in 1902 and i wish the 1954 annex had been true to the style of architecture of the original. maybe that's just me.

on the right helsinki central railway station, on the left apartment buildings.

walking towards the car thru kaisaniemi park the setting sun was finding its way thru clouds and trees. by the way, do NOT go there after dark, unless, of course, you're very tired of life, seek extreme excitement, or you're martial arts expert. other than that, you might loose your last penny.

"some day I will ignore my doubts". no one knows who put it there, here's better pictures.

the top of helsinki cathedral was also basking in the setting sun...

...and made a reflection on the windows of the national library of finland.

driving home, pasila tv-tower against the pink sunset.

ps. while i've been sitting, editing, writing and whatnot, the dog has been in and out the house several times. i wish i could get it on tape, he rings the door bell, quite vigorously, if i don't go to the door fast enough. indoors he bores pretty quickly, if/when i ignore him, and wants to go out...only to ring the bell 15 mins later.

felted

there are several art exhibitions in my hometown every summer, most notably always something felted, as at one time there were 3 felt "factories". they usually coincide the exhibitions for the same weeks and you get in to all of them with the same ticket.

first off, my apologies for the artisans and artists whose names i didn't get, or forgot.

first one is by tekla piispanen, joustaisinko? / should i bend?

the title is cupping (which is an old form of therapy)

anja suhonen, ansaittu lepo / a deserved rest

anja suhonen, tahdon / i do

hannu leskinen-estola, koirankarvaviitta / cloak made of dog hair

dutch felting association felt kontakt, tiles

this particular caught my eye...

hats galore

shoulder bag

one example of wish you were here -collaboration where 16 artists from around europe studied finnish culture, tradition and nature by the means of felting and photography.

felting meets photography

local visual arts club koillisen hämeen kuvataideseura värinä puts up an exhibition every summer as well. this one is a detail of a larger piece called denim babies.

eila tiirinen, kaikki mitä tarvitset / all you need

local ceramics club has made these to be used in garden, scaring away pests

more info on finnish felting here.