Tea time in the garden

I have really been enjoying my time in the neighborhood collective garden.  It feels so good to get my hands in the dirt!  In addition to giving me the opportunity to explore some new ideas about how to live life (more on that later), I've gotten to bring home fresh fruits and veggies, I've met some wonderful new people and have had some great new experiences. Our gardening facilitator is a lovely gal who brings her own thoughtful twist to life and gardening.  She has chosen this line of work because she truly enjoys it and she manages to incorporate new experiences besides planting, weeding and harvesting.  One of those included using fresh mint (from the garden of course!) in hot tea, during our mid-morning snack break. She brought the tablecloth and real tea cups to make it beautiful as well as fun!     

Some of the veggies we are growing are things I have never seen before, some are things I have seen but never bought or used, and some are tried and true favorites!

In this picture (from left to right), is a rhubarb vinaigrette dressing, pickled garlic scapes, fresh basil pesto and lemon raspberry muffins.  The rhubarb dressing was a result of not having enough rhubarb to actually make a pie, so salad dressing seemed like a viable alternative.  Paired with a strawberry topped salad, it was pretty tasty.  

If you're wondering what the heck a garlic scape is - you are not alone.  The scape is the top part of a garlic shoot that starts to curl in early spring.  These can be harvested and cooked in recipes or, as in this case, pickled.  I could not find "pickling spices" so I sort of made up a recipe, which, in hindsight may not have been the best idea.  They were "ok" but not terrific.  

The pesto however... I have been totally enjoying. (and it's a good thing because the basil is growing like crazy).  
I've used it on eggs, fish and chicken.  Everything but pasta - lol! 

The muffins were a result of too many (seriously - too many!) fresh raspberries. As the summer progresses here, the lettuce is dwindling but tomatoes and peppers will be producing a lot soon. 

  

Some our garden group went on a day trip to the Jean Talon Marche (Market).  We took the metro to get there and wandered through all the numerous stalls, filled to the brim with the most amazing fresh veggies and fruits. Corn is a hot item here and it had just hit the market, fresh off the trucks.  I haven't bought any yet, but I will soon. We sampled a couple of different vendors and they all tasted good to me! 

I just love all the colors and massive quantities of so many items. This particular market had tons of samples - not just the corn but lots of the fruits as well.  I don't know why it all looks so much more inviting outdoors than it does inside a grocery store.  Here are tons of pretty colored cherry tomatoes.  

Another random thing... this was the third time we came across a piano in a public place... just sitting there on the sidewalk.  Last time was in front of a library and we saw another one in the middle of downtown.  And surprisingly enough - there always seems to be someone who sits down to play!  Sorry Mom, I quit taking lessons at an early age so unfortunately I am NOT one of those that can play. 

One more picture just because it is colorful - a pepper plant!  Not sure that I've ever seen one quite like this.  

We all had a great time. We shopped, ate lunch, stopped for a coffee, then eventually headed home.  It was a fun outing - thanks to Donna for the suggestion!   This was something that had been on my list of things to explore.  


It's hard to believe that I have been in Canada for over 4 months now.  In some ways, things still feel very new yet I've established some routines and made new friends so some things feel very comfortable.  I do miss my Texas friends and family but I am truly thankful for all the opportunities this experience has given me.  Keep checking back for future updates as I continue to explore more of Montreal!