Just got home

en français sous la ligne ___
Before I write the post about the two weeks in the Gorges du Verdon, I want to show you what we came home to: no shopping for dinner!

The two smaller zucchini were just over and just under 2 kg.; the largest was well over 2kg. and the kitchen scale couldn't register the weight. We NEVER allow our zucchini to grow that much, but in the two weeks we were away, this is what happened. There were as many cherry tomatoes rotting on the ground as in the bowl. Two very large tomatoes fell into my hands as I was picking the cherry tomatoes. They were so hidden in the foliage that they are still white; I'll let them get some light to color them before we eat them. I picked the small beet for salad. 

I peeled and gutted the zucchini and cut them into cubes that are now in the freezer: 4.5 kg. I saved some for the tomato sauce. I made a tomato sauce with the cherry tomatoes and grated a bit of the beet for the sauce, per Emma's instructions. The rest of the beet we had as beet leaf salad, a few cherry tomatoes, and the rest of the beet sliced thin. Dinner was spaghetti with tomato/zucchini sauce and salad. Oh, I picked a few plums for dessert. 

Today, I've got to prune some of the shrubs and other plants in the yard; one can hardly clear a passage into the yard. The trampoline cover is waterproof, which means that all the rain last week collected on top and we had to empty that. I don't know how many liters of rainwater wasted; it was like emptying a large kiddie pool on the lawn that was still soggy from the downpours. It seems the Paris region got hit with more than a month's rain in a single storm and there have been several storms.

Later today or tomorrow, I'll write about the vacation.

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On est rentré pour trouver le potager en plein production. Les trois courgettes pesaient entre 6,5 et 7 kg. ensemble! Je les ai débité en dés pour les mettre directement au congelateur, tout en gardant un peu pour une sauce tomate, faites avec les tomates cerises. Je laisserai murir les grosses tomates (blanches dans la photo, sur les courgettes) ; elles n'ont pas eu assez de lumière. Nous avons diné de spaghetti à la sauce tomate/courgette avec une salade de feuilles de betterave, tomates, et betterave en tranches fines. J'ai récolté quelques prunes pour le déssert.

Il va falloir tailler partout dans le jardin ; les accès en sont impossibles et il va falloir continuer à vider la piscine qui s'est créée sur la bâche de la trampoline ! Il a énormément plu la semaine dernière, parait-il.

Ca nous faisait plaisir de vous voir tous vendredi (vous savez qui vous êtes). Je tâcherai de vous faire ces résumés en français plus souvent.

Ahhh, a Heatwave!

France is having a heatwave. It happens at least once a summer. I'd say it's a bit late this year, which is not a bad thing because the days have gotten considerably shorter since the summer solstice. That means that we can open our windows a little earlier in the evening when the temperature outside starts cooling to where it's a cooler than in the house. Today, it's supposed to be about 41°C (over 105°F) today and down to 32°C (almost 90°F) tonight. Last time I checked it was 30° C in the house, but that was earlier and it feels warmer now. I'm sure Jon and Tobi remember going to the movies during a similar heatwave when they were here a couple of years ago. We haven't gone to the movies, but we did go to an air-conditioned restaurant last night.
The TV and radio stations are full of heatwave warnings and recommendations. France was so traumatized by the death toll during the 2003 heatwave, that they go overboard. During the Olympics, news led with that; now the lead story and the next two or three are all heatwave connected. Nothing else is happening in the world. This should be old news by tomorrow -- at least old news in the Paris region.

On this very big pumpkin vine, only one flower has produced a pumpkin. The tomato vines have recovered a bit, so we've got a few ripening tomatoes and new flowers for later in the season. We've already eaten two cucumbers and I think there will be one ready for tomorrow. We can forget the carrots, beets, parsley, zucchini, and radishes.

We got to babysit Sacha on Wednesday. Four months old, blond, very happy, good appetite and good company (meaning he doesn't complain much, is easily calmed down when he does complain, eats, and sleeps with great predictability and all night).

The sun finally breaks a wet, sluggish May

Time for a short note. Sacha is growing -- Gwen and Louis bring him over to see us and for nice long naps in the back yard. Yes, the rain has finally let up! We even have sunshine and it's warm! We can enjoy the yard. It's starting to feel like May, at last. The roses are gorgeous this year and there are lots of them. It looks like I pruned them back the right way, for once, and if only I could remember how I did it, I'd be able to do it again! My romaine lettuce is getting eaten away by some insects that I can't find, or maybe it's snails or slugs. Looks like the critters like parsley, too. And basil and zucchini plants. One of the zucchini was eaten down to nothing, but there's now a new leaf peaking up, so it didn't die. I'm really not doing a great job with my square-foot gardening. I keep forgetting to plant the plots I've harvested from. But I do like the raised beds -- so much nicer for my back.
The rhubarb didn't die, either. I let it flower this year, which is not supposed to be a good thing, but the flower stalk came up so fast, I just didn't react in time. By the time I cut it, it was too late, so I took in what rhubarb I had (made some jam with mint leaves in it and then used that on an apple pie -- very good combo!). I thought that was it and that the plant was dead. It was more than a month ago. Now, I see new leaves coming up, so all is not lost. The artichoke, however, did not survive the winter freeze. In other years, it survived winter and sprouted new flowers. Since there was never enough to make a meal of, I just let it bloom and it was pretty. Maybe I'll plant another. The raspberries are late, this year. We're going to have lots of fruit, but I think it'll take another two weeks before they are ripe. The plum tree that surprised us last year is full of fruit again, but lots have been dropping already, not ripe, so it may have reverted back to its old ways. I would love to have some fruit from it again, though.
I went back to Cake & Bake last week. They were having a little sale for those willing to brave the rain and come out. I bought myself some new pie tins and alphabet & number cookie cutters for the kids. I couldn't resist getting a cupcake (or muffin) stand for a wedding gift for friends I've made via the blogs. They seem to have a constant flow of visitors and I remember one of them mentioning muffins so everyone could enjoy the conversation in the living room rather than a meal at the table (or something like that).
Oh, yes, France elected a new president and we're getting ready for the legislative elections in 2 weeks. We are hoping to get down to the south of France to see family, and we now are planning to get up to Holland to see friends who will be over from the States to visit their family. And at the end of June, we go over to England for more family. So, after a very homebound May, June will be full of comings and goings.