My Photo Got Published – Again :)

I have sent the Geese-on-Roof photo to our newspaper and it was published in Local News section. This is my 6^th or so time that my submission was published. It is fun to see your picture in newspaper, even if it is just a local one!

Unusual Wake-up Call

This morning Marjo alerted me to our new, one-time-only alarm clock: Pair of Canada Geese standing on adjacent roof tops, calling. They stayed there for about 10 – 15 minutes and then took off. Few minutes later they were back on another neighbor’s roof but this time they stayed together. What a sight! I have never seen Canada Geese on regular roof. I have seen them nesting on a flat roof but not on a fairly steep one. Morning to remember J.

The view from living room. What a sight to wake up to!

Few minutes later…

Now, that's a shot!!!

Raw Salmon, Avocado and Cucumber Salad

This is another version of Hawaiian Poke but without seaweed. I have omitted the Furikake and coriander but added mayonnaise into the dressing. The dressing I used is wasabi-mayonnaise sauce that I use very often with my grilled or pan-fried salmon. Since you will be using raw salmon the freshness of the salmon is paramount.

 Ingredients

1 salmon filet portion, 140 gram (5 oz.), skinless and boneless
1 avocado
English cucumber, 6”, seeded but not peeled
1 green onion

Dressing

1 Tbs. Soy Kikkoman sauce
Lime juice from 1/2 lime
1 Tbs. Maple syrup
1 tsp. wasabi paste
2 Tbs. Mayonnaise

Directions
Cut salmon, avocado, green onion and cucumber into 3/8” uniform size pieces. Blanch green onions in hot water for 5 minutes to remove the harshness of raw onion then cool and pat dry.
Prepare dressing by mixing all ingredients together till well combined and mix everything together.
Serve on cucumber slices or crackers.

Garden Update – Seedlings

It is hard for me to believe that I have only 29 posts so far this year! Last year in the same time period I had 118, in March alone I blogged 45 times! I think it was way too much… J.

Anyway, last Fall we have decided that we will cut down drastically on flower containers that took so much time to take care of. Also, visually it was a bit crowded. Last year I started so many flowers from seed that it filled our sunroom once transplanted from plug trays. This Spring I have planted only Nasturtium, Lobelia and Red Millet, that’s it. Happy to report all the seedlings are doing great.

When it comes to vegetables I had some unexpected failures (no germination). I planted 2 kinds of peppers, 2 kinds of Asian eggplants, cucumbers (1 variety) and 5 kinds of tomatoes. Peppers and eggplants didn’t germinate at all and 1 tomato variety (Sweet Baby Girl, hybrid F1) didn’t germinate as well. Mind you, I have seeded only 2 cells with 1 seed per cell. However, cucumbers have done well despite the fact that last year they didn’t (same seed packet). New this year are Saint Marzano Italian paste tomatoes that I bought from Thomson Morgan. The seeds are imported from Italy and come 500 seeds to a packet. Five Hundred seeds!!! Nuts! I need only a dozen or so…Anyway, I had 100% germination success with these seeds and they grow so fast! Another new for me this year are 2 heritage tomato varieties whose seeds I have collected from tomatoes we have bought from a roadside stand. We were absolutely blown away by the incredible tomato taste of these timeless varieties. I have no idea what they are, just that one is yellow in color and the other one has green and yellow stripes and is sort of flat in shape. Name is not important, the taste is. Still, I would like to know if they are determinate or indeterminate. Either way is fine with me but since I grow them for a paste determinate will work much better for me.

Four weeks till outdoor planting! By then tomatoes will have small fruits and cucumbers will be one foot high J 

Lobelia. The seeds are size of a dust particle!

Nasturtium. I love to munch on flowers and leaves and to collect seeds for "capers".

On left are tomato seedlings from 10 days ago.

And this is what they look like today. What a difference 10 days makes! Stacked pots in front center are Red Millet seedlings.