Oh, the blasted rain this week has just been awful. I had been on top of all of the basil, but then it rained and rained and rained, and it all flowered while I wasn’t looking. I decided to just bite the bullet today and get soaked while I pinched off all the flowers, and trimmed up the plants, getting enough for the first pesto of the season. This so tastes like SUMMER to me. I served it on the last of the homemade egg noodles. I guess I better make more, because those sure didn’t last long!
It’s black raspberry season here in Marlow this week. The bushes are just over flowing. You could spend hours and hours picking them, and when you come back tomorrow, do it again. It’s not quite so much fun in the pouring rain, but Frank’s mother has a huge plant growing right next to her porch, and I had to spend a bunch of time there yesterday while her well pump was replaced. (Ugh.) I passed a lot of the time picking yummy black raspberries.
One of Frank’s very favorite treats is an old-fashioned chocolate soda with a big scoop of black raspberry ice cream on it, so I decided to make the ice cream today. The milk is from Ella Mae (have I mentioned that I love having my own cow? Fresh raw milk every day!), the eggs from our hens, and I sweetened it with maple syrup and honey, both made right here on our farm. Wow oh wow is it good! Now I just have to make some chocolate syrup before Frank gets home for the weekend, and I’ve got a lovely treat for him. Me, I took a break this afternoon and tasted some, and I think he’ll love it. I added just a tablespoon of dark Bermuda rum, to keep it from freezing too hard. It’s amazingly creamy, considering I used whole milk, not just cream.
Once again, my mouth is watering!