Viilinteossa

Making the first batch of viili with the starter from Finland. Now we have a small laboratory going.

Suomi tuliaisia

Souvenirs from Finland! (And Russia.)

Midsummer salad - July 2

A midsummer salad. The dill flowers came from our garden. We did get some salad and arugula from our garden this year, but the rabbits ate most of our harvest.

Daylilies and irises in June

15 July 2009

Salmon patties with black bean and a nasturtium-tomato salad. The nasturtiums are from our garden.

Here is the vegetarian black bean patty alternative.

19 July 2009

Pavlova made by Melina with the wild raspberries, kiwi and blueberry. It was as divine as a dancer.














Matilda's cookies. She is becoming quite the baker. (Of sweets.)

20 July 2009

Home-grown viili with blueberries and wild raspberries. The kids and I picked the raspberries along the B & A Trail.

23 July 2009

Planted in April, finally our beets and carrots are ready for dinner. Picked moments before cooking, here they are on the kitchen counter.













First, I baked the beets in their skins. Then I pureed them with garlic and thyme, then added eggs and thyme, poured into a vidalia onion and baked again with pine nuts on top. This is Melina's vegatarian plate, completed with baked potates and sauteed radicchio, beet greens, carrots, green beans and pistachios in a balsamic reduction. (That stole the show...)
Here is the meat eater's version, add pork loin, slow cooked for hours and enjoy.

1 June 2009

Let's begin with an early photo of food. There are meatballs, cannellini bean salad, sweet potatoes, asparagus and tomatoes. I remember everything was delicious. I mixed tabbouleh and pine nuts into the meatballs.

The Idea

Melina has long wanted to keep a picture diary of dinners and treats consumed in our home. She has also wanted to document our garden's progress. I am with her. So in that spirit we begin our gastronomic adventure... Please, keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.