It was dreadfully windy this weekend which we both decided makes us not want to be outside. So mornings were spent outside while it was only slightly breezy and the afternoons were spent inside cooking.

Scott made another new raised bed. It’s a funky little spot in the yard where nothing ever grew very well. This year it will be home to cucumbers.

We decided that although the thought of ‘wild arugula’ sounded great, in reality, it’s totally dumb. Its completely miniature with each leaf being about an inch and a quarter in length. Good for the garden gnomes I suppose.

We picked another round of favas and used this in both our Saturday and Sunday nights dinners with our homemade pasta: (fyi ~ an excellent way to keep a toddler occupied for half an hour is to have them help shell beans, he was completely captivated)

Our chicken’s eggs made this pasta so yellow:

Saturday we had the noodles and favas as a soup and Sunday they were transformed into pasta with a side of fava bean puree. Both delicious.

I also spruced up the mantle with the latest blooms:

We’ve made a real effort to use up as much of the food we canned and froze last summer to make room for this summers harvest. Many years we just keep adding to the stash instead of completely depleting it before we add more. So we end up with jam from 2001 and frozen squash from who knows when (we aren’t so good at labeling). Yesterday Scott opened up a jar of hot cherry peppers that he canned last year. We didn’t really know what to do with them fresh because they were really hot (even for us!) so he just canned them for a rainy day. Now after mellowing out for 9 months, they are fantastic. Much like pepperoncini, but with a rounder, fuller less hot taste. We enjoyed them today with our locally made tomales. (Tomales being my latest passion).