These last few weeks have been hot, sunny, and filled with summer goodness. From picking strawberries at the local (pesticide free!) farm, endless jugs of ice tea, outdoor movie nights in the backyard with our youth group, peach harvest from our tree, picnics at the park (so great seeing you guys again Joel & Sarah!), and bonfires with friends- we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last weeks of August. The sun will last for weeks longer, but the mornings and evenings will slowly start to cool down until the air is crisp with Autumn and the pumpkins are large and ripe on the vine. I must admit, I think fall is my favorite season- I love trips to the pumpkin patch, leaves turning golden, cozy sweaters, and yummy things baking in the oven. When Spring rolls around and the long winter is dragging on you might hear me say that Summer is my favorite season, but really I think they all have their delights and because I’m a restless soul that craves change, I love living in a place with seasons. Happy September everyone!

Beans & zucchini from our garden, pie pumpkins from the field behind our house

We have a lovely little stash of tomatoes and basil in the fridge which are so yummy- especially when eaten together! There is no comparing a home grown, garden fresh tomato bursting with flavor and deep red in color to a store bought, mealy and pale one. Remember that pesto I made a couple weeks ago? I froze most of it in small portions, to pull out and use as is, or in a simple pesto cream sauce, using a small amount of simple white sauce as the base and then mixing in the pesto until heated through. I poured this over curly pasta and added some sauteed cherry tomatoes that were loaded with sweet flavor. Some green beans from our garden sauteed in olive oil and a shake of freshly ground sea salt and pepper made a perfect side dish. Deliziosa! Another tomato and basil dish we’ve been devouring around here is a simple capresse salad- layering sliced mozzarella, basil leaves, thickly sliced tomato, topped with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly ground salt and pepper. Oh YUM! What have you been enjoying from the garden or farm stand lately?

A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six
dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm. ~Bill Vaughan

Every child begins the world again…. ~Henry David Thoreau

The Fouche Boys

Jude and I have had fun with our little garden, and he thinks it’s tons of fun to use a watering can. Especially when he can stay in his jammies!:) Our garden is a humble little mix of a few scraggly vegetables that made it against the rocky soiled odds, and next year we will be getting a deep layer of top soil to raise up the bed and give our plants more room to spread their roots before hitting the rock laden soil below. But this year, well, this year we learned that we have to plant the tomatoes on the opposite side if we want them to produce before Christmas, and that seeds need about twice the amount of water I like to give them to actually come up! All very useful info we’ll tuck away for next year!

We had delicious green beans though, a few tiny radishes, and some great lettuce. Andrew’s potato is doing well and some flowers are starting to bloom. We got about a cupful of our own yummy basil and then a bunch from two other friends who actually know how to garden and made the most amazing pesto… super easy, I’ll post the recipe below in case you have an abundance of basil or know someone who does and wants to share! I froze mine in about 1/2 cupfuls, and plan to mix them with an Alfredo type sauce in the winter months.

Garden Pesto

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup plus a few spoonfuls olive oil
1 Tbs very soft butter (or you can use all olive oil if you like!)
1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in a food processor (my handy magic bullet does the trick quite nicely) and process until desired smoothness, adding less or more olive oil as needed. Serve over pasta, baked potato, combined with a cream sauce, or spread on sliced bread. Freeze portions to have handy for cooler months if desired. I prepare 2 or more batches at a time so I have plenty.

Anyone else have gardening adventures theywould like to share?

Update on Andrew and the team in China- everyone is doing well, working hard through the heat and humidity, and loving on the kids at the orphanage with all their hearts. They have tried some unusual foods including donkey and scorpian! They have only a couple days left and I am so excited to see pictures and hear what else happened during their outreach!

Jude is always saying new words and phrases or asking questions that are quite amusing… the other week we were driving home later than usual and he saw a sliver of the moon glowing high in the sky. ‘Oh how did the moon get broke, Mama?’ he asked, since he usually saw it as a full round moon in books and in his 2 year old mind decided it must be broken!

Last week when we brought home a bunch of cucumbers to make freezer pickles out of he was excited to climb up on his stool and help me wash them. I tied on my blue floral apron and when he saw me he said, ‘You look pretty Mom!’ Make a mama melt why don’t ya! He’s also taken to calling me ‘little mama’ lately, putting his hand under my chin and saying ‘oh little mama’ in a cute little voice. Too funny! What a blessing and a privilege to be a mum.

Andrew and his team will be in the air today, on the way to Seattle, then Beijing, and finally to Langfang, an hour outside of Beijing where the Philip Hayden Foundation Orphanage is located. These are the kids that captured Andrew and I’s hearts back in November. All special needs children with huge smiles and loving hearts, being cared for so well at PHF but wanting a forever family of their own. We just found out that Gregg, one of the older boys, is going to be adopted soon by a family here in Spokane! I can’t wait to hear from Andrew about all the kids that we worked with in November and how they are doing now. The team will be there through August 15th- keep them in your prayers!

Here’s Gregg and his contagious smile…