Official Greenthumb

Let me just say, I am so proud of myself for transitioning from a hopeless plant killer to an intermediate greenthumb!

It all started with my Jade plant when I moved into my first place, and she's still kickin'. This is the first year Vijay and I have decided to try to grow some of our own vegetables. Garden space in the city is hard to come by, so we made the most of our deck space and have a big planter of chard, cherry tomatoes and peppers. We also have kale, and even more tomatoes in another pot. We definitely lucked out, as this has been one of the nicest summers we've had in a while. However I think we will have more tomatoes than we know what to do with...

The only problem we've had has been aphids. I made a mixture of water, cayenne, and a tiny bit of dish soap, and it seemed to work quite well.

I think next we'll try growing some herbs. Basil, mint and dill are on my list right now...

Homemade Butter

I remember making butter in grade school, passing around the jar in class. I have always meant to do it again, and it wasn't until just this past week - when whipping cream mysteriously showed up in our fridge rather than coffee cream- that I decided to try my hand at it again.

All you need is whipping cream, a mason jar, and ideally, some bread. To make my butter, I used Avalon Organic Whipping Cream made here in Vancouver.

Pour the whipping cream into your mason jar and start shaking! I used 500ml, and it ended up making just over a cup of butter. But you can use really however much you like. I suggest doing this project when you have someone to share in the workout. I unfortunately attempted this solo and felt it the next morning.

After about 8-10 minutes it starts to turn into whipping cream. Keep shaking for atleast another 5 minutes or so and it will suddenly start to separate itself into butter and buttermilk. Now you can pour off the buttermilk into a seperate jar and store it for later baking or drinking.

Pour water into the mason jar containing your butter, just to cover it. Give it a gentle shake just to clean off all of the excess buttermilk, and strain out. Move your clean butter into a small bowl, and mix it around for about a minute to remove any trapped milk.

Salt to taste if you like, and there you have your own homemade butter!