Weekend Coffee Share

Posted byMariaPosted inBalcony Garden, Container gardening, Dalarna, Intentional Living, Sustainable options, Sweden, TeachingTags:, , ,
I’m having hot coffee today, what can I get you?

Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share! Can I offer you some coffee? Or tea? There is ice tea in the fridge if you’d like some, but I’m definitely going for some hot, black coffee today. 

Fall is on its way here. We’ve had a high of 10-15C/50-55F this week. Tomorrow it’s suppose to be 21C/70F and partly sunny, giving us perhaps the last day of summer? Earlier this week we’ve had some rainy and very windy days, and some days with a tiny little bit of sun. I like fall weather, except the very windy days. There is a long downhill slope on the bike trail I take on my way home from work, on Thursday afternoon the wind was blowing so hard in my face that I had to work really hard going down that big hill. I think that was the windiest day. (Naturally the wind was blowing in the opposite direction when I was going to work in the morning.)

The garden are showing signs of fall as well. The cold nights are stunting new growth, and many leaves are starting to yellow. 

Today’s harvest
I’m thinking it’s time to make some green tomato/ginger marmalade, it’s SO good with some cheese on salty crackers.
More green tomatoes.

I picked the red tomatoes in the first photo today, but I have maybe 6kg/13lbs of green tomatoes left. I’m thinking of picking all the green tomatoes today, and make green tomato/ginger marmalade. I made it for the first time last year, and it was SO good. 

Last years green tomato/ginger marmalade

Speaking of my garden, I’ve planted some cold weather crops for a winter garden; celery, cauliflowers, and parsnip. It’s an experiment, we’ll see. I might plant some more cold weather crops, like broccoli perhaps. I am definitely going to plant some garlic this fall as well. 

Living in an apartment I don’t have enough space at my balcony to be self-sufficient on vegetables, or legumes. I grew some beans this year, they were delicious, and they are all long gone. Last year about this time I ordered a few big bags of different types of dried beans, and lentils from an organic wholesale site. I decided to do the same this year, minus the lentils since I still have some left. I received them yesterday; 5kg/11lbs black beans, 5kg/11lbs kidney beans, and 5kg/11lbs garbanzo beans. I also ordered a 1lbs bag of an organic sprouting seed mix, that I love having on my sandwiches, in my salads, and as topping on soups. It feels good to be stocked up on the basics. Next month I’m hoping to score some locally grown turnip and carrots, they are being harvested in September and are usually very inexpensive to purchase in bulk during harvest time. Hopefully I will be able to grow all my own beans, and veggies myself in the future. For now this works great.

What have you been up to this week? There is a big Covid outbreak in town. One class at my daughters school is closed. When I picked her up on Thursday she had a sore throat and a stuffed nose. I ordered a Covid test for her, she’s going to take the test on Monday morning at a nearby medical center. (Tests are actually done in a tent outside the medical center, to avoid spreading the virus.) Adults do self tests at home if they have symptoms, but children aren’t allowed to do that. My son started to feel ill today, he is also going to get tested. I hope they just have a cold. (I feel great.) There’s so much to do at work now with the startup of a new group and a new semester. I am leading my team from home the best I can when I cannot be at work physically, but it is difficult. Especially in the beginning of a new semester I think it’s extremely important to lead by example, which is hard to do from home. My colleagues do know that they can call me anytime for support, and input when I’m at home, and they do. I also know that they are doing a great job, but still..

Have a refill on your beverage and tell me about your weekend plans! Thank you so much for the lovely company, and an extra thanks to Natalie for hosting the Weekend Coffee Share! Have a fabulous weekend! 

Love,

Maria 

Published by Maria

It’s all about experiences, and the healing power of nature. Life is about choosing happiness. My gypsy soul have taken me to many different countries, and definitely taught me to be more humble. I enjoy growing my own food, and spending time outdoors. I now reside in the region where I was born: Dalarna, Sweden. I am a mom, a kindergarten teacher, a minimalist and a gardener. Love, Maria

45 thoughts on “Weekend Coffee Share”

  1. Wow, Maria, I hope that your son and daughter are covid-free! So scary. I have felt kind of yucky for a couple of days now but am feeling better today. Your garden haul is amazing, with so many yummy tomatoes. And all of the beans you ordered, 11 pounds of this and that. Beans are so good! Have a great weekend! ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. Maria, I hope your son and daughter don’t have covid-19 and are feeling better. Take care of yourself, too. You’ve done really well with your balcony garden. The tomatoes look beautiful. Great idea to stock up on the basics for fall season and plan some crops for the winter season. Thank you for your #weekendcoffeeshare.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. I hope that you get good news from those tests…here in Los Angeles we are in the midst of the Delta variant – even with a 70%+ vaccination rate…the good news is that, once vaccinated, the virus is little more than a flu-like irritant – still, very unsettling to know it is all around us…thank you for sharing and again, good luck to you

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Beautiful Tomatoes! We’re getting slammed with delta here in Kentucky, too. Our local hospital is now turning patients away because they’re full. And yet, there are a large number of d*** fools who still refuse to wear masks or to get vaccinated. Personally, I think they should be denied admission if they can’t do what they need to do. In the end, they’re just reducing the population.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I feel bad for the people who are doing all of the right things but inadvertently being infected by the unvaccinated…however, as I said, the vaccines are literally 100% certain to save your life, so there’s that!

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  5. Oof, I hope your kids don’t have COVID! I feel so awful for parents of young kids right now. Scary, scary times.

    Your tomatoes look amazing! I’m impressed at your balcony garden. Taking care of all those containers can be a lot of work. I hope your fall/winter garden grows well. I *love* parsnips and used to grow them in Portland. I’m not sure they’ll grow here in the desert, but I may try.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you Janet. I’m feeding the kiddos some good food, and make sure they rest. That’s kind of all one can do right now.

      It’s been a lot of fun to have. little garden this year. I am used to having a much bigger garden, so time wise this is a piece of cake 🙂 I really love gardening. In California I grew all my food for a while. I hope to get back to that. Gardening in the desert is a challenge, but not impossible 🙂 I miss having an abundance of figs and pomegranates. Do you have a garden today?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. We moved last October, so this is my first year gardening in a new yard and a new region. The back yard had almost nothing in it, so we’re just getting started. We have a few roses, perennials, and annuals, several citrus trees, and a couple of raised beds for veggies. The June heat killed most of my tomatoes, but a new batch is coming along. The success story is the basil. So. Much. Basil. I spent a couple hours making pesto yesterday and still have tons left.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. That is so exciting! It sounds like you have plenty of room for a garden. How wonderful to have your own citrus trees. And basil, one simply can not have too much basil 🙂 Sounds lovely!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  6. Hope your kids stay healthy and covid-free. At least their diet supports a healthy body, so they can fight the bugs.
    I’d say your balcony garden was a huge success, esp. tomatoes! I do like green tomato relish and will probably make some in the next month when the farm offers them. Nice to crack open a jar of summer in January. 🙂
    The heat wave that plagued us all week finally broke last night and today was quite cool in comparison. I was able to do some garden work both morning and afternoon without getting totally fatigued. A lovely change!
    Hope your coming week goes smoothly. I’ll keep your kiddos in my thoughts. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Eliza for those kind words. I doubt we’ll have any tomatoes left in January, but one can dream. I was actually looking at what type of greenhouse I would need to grow all year round here. I’m not there yet, but I do believe it’s possible. I am happy you got to garden a little. We had a warm day today, I took a short walk and then spent the rest of the day at the balcony cleaning out the warm weather crops (except some peppers,) and planting more cold weather crops. We’ll see, the winter garden is a big experiment. I have no idea if it will be consistently warm enough. It’s fun to try though. Have a great week ahead, and thank you for your thoughts ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Thank you for the coffee this weekend. I hope your children are doing better and it’s a good idea to get them tested. Your gardening is just so wonderful and what a great idea to try and grow some fall/winter vegetables. I’ve never heard of green tomato relish, it sounds yummy!! I may see if I can find some to try. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend as it’s almost over! ❤️ (I can’t remember if I’m mentioned I’m taking a blogging break but am keeping up when I can visiting others blog posts!) Thanks again for this lovely post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Diana for having coffee with me. You’ve become a dear friend. Some times we need a little break, but I am very happy you came for a visit. I love seeing your horse photos and videos. One day I’ll have some to share with you 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Aww, thanks as I feel the same way sweet friend. My dear sweet friend in Sweden, across the pond! I’m envisioning that homestead you’ll get eventually and yes, sharing photos with our ponies someday! I’m so happy you enjoy them as much as I do from afar!! Have a wonderful week ahead! ❤️🐴❤️

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  9. I’m so sorry to hear about the Covid outbreak, and I hope your kids’ tests will be negative. This situation sucks so much. 😦
    Amazing how much you’ve been able to do with vegetables on your balcony! Really well done. In my greenhouse, things are not going well because there is a secret bug that infests my tomatoes as soon as they mature. I’ll see what happens. 😵

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Susanne. We’ll get the test results tomorrow. I’m hoping for the best. MY daughter woke up with a fever this morning, not too high, but still.
      I hope you figure out what type of bug that is eating your tomatoes, and that it won’t come back next year.

      Like

      Reply

  10. The waiting part after a COVID test is the worst part. I went through that too with my kid earlier this month. Thankfully it was not COVID, just a common cold.
    Also, I love your tomato harvest. I’ve been playing with tomatoes all month. I forgot how these are already side dishes themselves. Quick cold meals have helped me get through this hot summer.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes, waiting is not fun. We’ll get the results tomorrow. I’m hoping for a common cold, or flu.
      Cold meals straight from the garden is the best for hot summer days. Thanks for having coffee with me today.

      Like

      Reply

  11. Your tomatoes look great. I hope both of your children do not have COVID and you don’t get it either. Here they are monitoring the kids in school vary closely and they have to quarantine if there are any cases. So stressful for parents now.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Deborah. It’s the same in schools here. I think quarantine is good, we all just have to do our part and get rid of this nasty virus. It is stressful, I’m kind of on both sides, being a parent and a teacher. Having to deal with other parents are sometimes challenging, especially when you send there kid home with symptoms for the hundredth time.. LOL. Thank you for having coffee with me!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. Really sorry to hear about he uncertainty you have around Covid and hopefully you get confirmation soon. It’s both terrible and amazing how long this has been going on for across the world. My eldest son had a brief scare and PCR test, which confirmed negative which was a relief. I’m loving your organisation with your pulses and definitely need to try and take a leaf out your book. Do you plan to grow broccoli from seed now?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you. We’ll get the results tomorrow. My daughter woke up with a fever today, she didn’t have that before. Hoping is just a flu or something, and that it doesn’t get worse.
      The gardening experiment is just that, an experiment, and yes I’m, hoping to see if I get anything. I only grow from seeds. Today it’s 22C outside, and at my balcony surely around 30C. As long as the night temperatures doesn’t get below freezing outside the balcony should stay warm enough, it’s completely screened in with glass panels (that I closed a couple weeks ago,) not insulated, but it does get very warm during the day. It’s facing South-West. We’ll see what happens 🙂 Thanks for the company!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Oh Maria
    Your wicked Joe coffee made in a press pot has me really almost tasting that deliciousness
    And the garden chat here was fun and never heard of green tomato marmalade but it sounds really good

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: