Another Cucumber Salad Recipe

SPICY ENGLISH CUCUMBERS, makes 3 cups

2 English cucumbers, washed (I used Japanese cuc's from the shared garden)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 T dry mustard (or to taste)
1 t prepared horseradish (or to taste - I like more)
1 T chopped fresh dill

Cut cuc’s crosswise into 1/8" thick slices (sometimes I dice them), then toss with kosher salt in a bowl and let stand 15 minutes. Rinse and drain cucumbers and dry. Whisk remaining ingredients together, stir in cuc’s, and let stand at least 5 minutes.

Note: This gets spicier the longer it sits in the fridge

Truckee Farmer's Market

Tuesday morning Jen, the kids and David and I headed over to the once a week Farmer's Market in Truckee. Wonderful breads - bought a delicious loaf of multigrain with flax seed bread. Also whole wheat individual pizza crusts with the sauce. We are trying those in the next few days.

There were market baskets from Africa for sale that the proceeds benefited the farmer's market. I love the round ones but found it bit uncomfortable against my leg when carrying it. I sure do like the look of them.

I opted for this one which is is flat against me leg when carrying it.

It's not only great for use at farmer's markets but also to put the vegetables I pick at our shared garden. I am very happy with this market bag.

I made up a few different types of cucumber salads yesterday using the Japanese cuc's from the garden. This one is Cucumber Salad with Spicy Wasabi Dressing.

1-1/2 teaspoons dry wasabi (or to taste)

2 cucumbers

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar (I use Splenda)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon black or toasted white sesame seeds

Mix the wasabi with 1/2 teaspoon warm water in the bottom of a mixing bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Peel the cucumbers, cut each one in half lengthwise, and use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the seeds. Cut the cucumbers width-wise into 1/4-inch crescents.

Add the vinegar and sugar to the wasabi and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the sesame oil, salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the cucumbers, scallions and sesame seeds to the dressing and mix well.

Note: I like more dressing then the recipe calls for so I usually make double and sometimes add in a bit more cucumber.

Fresh Fruits and Veggies

We received our last shipment of fresh fruit from Harry and David of our Christmas gift from Kathy and Bob. This has been an amazing gift that keeps on giving!

We received Royal Riviera pears this time. I had never had these before. They suggested you cut them in half and scoop out the fruit with a spoon as you would eat a melon. Delicious! A wonderful taste and texture and the juices are plentiful. These were such a treat!

We also received red sweet cherries which were huge, It is hard to tell in this picture how big they really were. Again ripe and tasty. Some of the very best. Thank you so much Kathy and Bob!

Green pepper in the shared garden.

Carrots.

Tomatoes.

Watermelon.

Spaghetti squash. I actually picked the first spaghetti squash this afternoon, though I am letting it ripen just a touch more on my kitchen counter. I am excited to see how they turned out. Spaghetti squash is one of my favorite meals served with marinara sauce and a touch of grated Vella dry Jack or Reggiano Parmegiana. Things do grow well here in the Valley and what seems to be fast to me. This is such a fun experience!

Garden Happenings - Time For Lilies

The lilies are all in bloom in our garden. Above is a light pink Calla Lilly.

The newest lily addition to our garden is this hot pink Asiatic Lily. The flowers are so large and colorful. I love it.

A deep pink Calla lily.

Hot pink Canna Lily.

Yellow day lily.

Soft peach day lily.

Love this color day lily. Magenta???

Yellow with orange canna lily. Not the best specimen but you get the idea.

Ok, this isn't a lily, however there is what must be a white blooming weed that had grown in the center of our red carpet roses. This plant is a good five feet high. It gives the illusion of baby's breath in with the roses. That reminds me, after 7 or so years, we lost our soft pink baby's breath this year. I haven;t been able to find any to replace it with as of yet. All I am finding is the traditional white.

Fun in the Sun - Jacob

Jacob loves to swing, so he and I went to swing while Justin was swimming in the big pool.

I swear the higher you push him the more he loves it!

Lots og laughing was going opn. Jacob's laugh is infectious.

Jacob went into the wading pool for the very first time on Tuesday. he loved it though he wasn't crazy about having his head put under the water too much. Here he is getting slathered with sunscreen. he is wearing the cutest teddy bear bathing suit that was his cousin Steven's before. Too cute! (Yes, I do have a new do.)

Checking things out.

Oh this is lots of fun Mommy!

I can even walk in the water too!

And get splashed.

Splashing can be fun!

Daddy helping me float for the first time. Wow! You would have thought!

I had enough for one day, thank you. I hope we can come again soon!

Fun in the Sun - Justin

Tuesday we spent time at the pool next to Jen and John's house which is for the people who live in their community. There is a very nice park and club house as well.

Justin had a blast swimming and playing with friends he knew from school and new kids that he met as well.

These wacky things are a blast for the kids to play with.

He and friend new and old spent a lot of time diving for things as well. Big fun!

Father's Day Celebration at Jen and John's

Monday we took a day trip out to Virginia City in Nevada to celebrate Father's Day together. We had a late lunch at The Delta Saloon which was very good. I went off healthy eating and enjoyed fish and chips. Some of the best I have ever had - light batter, not greasy and thick pieces of fish. The chips were excellent too. I covered everything in malt vinegar of course.

Justin is so grown up! Love his new hair cut.

Justin checking out the original suicide table at The Delta Saloon. I guess a lot of people committed suicide at this table including the owners!

Jen and Jus goofing off - I love it!

We went into the old bank vault that is actually inside a saloon.

Jus checking out a silver note in the case. He couldn't get over how much bigger they are compared to our bills today.

The MacKay House...so beautiful.

Old mine tailing's from the 1870's.

There is a place you can learn to pan for gold and everyone gets a little gold to take home. I imagine young kids would enjoy this. We didn't partake. It was a hoot though, the two guys down there looked like miners from the 1870's!

Some of the museums and shops.

The Comstock Lode.

And the world famous Bucket of Blood Saloon.