The 7 things I loved about the Maritimes

Thank you to Marysol of She Eats Bears for giving us a the Versatile Blogger Award. Marysol is a fellow Ottawan who has an amazing foodblog, that features homegrown/homemade dishes and beautiful photography. One of those blogs that gives me inspiration to grow a better garden, cook more and take better pictures.

We're supposed to say 7 things about ourselves and then nominate blogs that you have recently discovered and love.

Since we just got back from the Maritimes (more posts about the trip to come)...let me list the top 7 best things about our vacation (in no particular order):

1. Deep sea fishing in PEI

2. Whale watching on the Cabot Trail


3. The amazing views on the Cabot Trail

4. Watching sailboat races in Chester, NS
5. Swimming in a waterfall in Fundy National Park


6. Attending Cheticamp's 225 anniversary performance (love Le Vent du Nord)
7. Visiting Hopewell Rocks and seeing the largest tides in the world in the Bay of Fundy.

It's such a cool location, they're even in the running for becoming one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world. Go check out the international competition!

A close 8th place is: Driving 5100 kms (about 3150 miles) with R without fighting (outside of the Montreal area).


Knitting always makes for a great distraction for the nervous passenger.


Here are some blogs that I've discovered more recently and am really enjoying:

1. Grow Chew -- a great source for gardening and life in Ottawa.
2. Simply Fresh -- another great local blogger who shows how accessible good cooking can be.
3. City Home Country Home -- just found Bonnie's blog -- can't resist a blogger whose bio says: "With one foot in the city and one in the country, I quilt, sew, bake, cook, garden, and knit". Plus, her photography is great.
4. Twist Collective Blog -- I've been getting into more knitting blogs lately and this is a great collective knitting blog, with a tonne of great knitted designs

5. Last, but not least Girl about O-Town -- whom I haven't spoken to lately, but still follow while we're both on "summer hours". A local blogger, whose blog posts are always interesting. I'm long overdue on acknowledging an award she passed along to us (thanks for this!)

Canning Fail

I decided to console myself over the overgrowth of my cucumbers by making pickles for the first time.


That's how all of this canning disaster started. I may be getting exposed to botulism as you read this.

I used my Baba's dill pickle recipe. Here are the instructions Giz sent me (relayed from her conversation with Baba):

Baba's Dill Pickles

Here's the recipe AS BABA GAVE IT - you'll need to figure out for yourself if you did it right.

For a 1 L jar

1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Boiling water
2 Bay Leaves
2-3 whole cloves
2-3 cloves of garlic (for bottom of the jar and the same for the top) If the cloves are large use only 2 each
Dill (to form a layer on the bottom and on the top

Boil water - add salt to the boiled water (taste to make sure the water is salty enough - good luck figuring out what that means)
take skins off the garlic
layer dill (I would guess 1 - 2 on the bottom and same on the top or one stem head on bottom and one on top)
Add garlic, bay leaves and cloves
fit cukes into the jar so they're tight but a good fit
top with remaining garlic and dill
pour boiled salted water over the top and make sure the seal on the jar is good.

It takes about two weeks for them to sour properly but turn the jar over to make sure you don't have air leaks in the jar. When you turn it over it's just to check for air - then keep it bottom down.

Fast forward two weeks, I came home from vacation to see this:


My pickles did a disappearing act! The dented caps may be a hint as to their whereabouts..


I think one jar may have survived:


Then...the heavens parted and I got an e-mail from Loblaws, asking me if I would like to take part in their Grown Close to Home campaign.


Ummm...let me think about that for a second....YES!!! A few days later, this arrived:


From August to September, Loblaw banner stores will feature freshly harvested Canadian produce items displayed in special bins at the front of the stores. And, select Loblaw banner stores across the country will feature John Deere tractors to highlight the produce section. Approximately 40% of the produce found in Loblaws stores during this time are sources from Canadian growers. Definitely a step in the right direction, Loblaws!





The basket also included a DVD that demonstrates how to many strawberry jam, measuring cups, vinegar, pectin...and the list goes on. Thanks Loblaws -- I will definitely be giving the canning process another try.

Blueberry Buns

It's Two for Tuesdays day. It's a fun day for me because my participation in this event is usually a "challenge myself to do something different day". Check out T4T here where you'll find the other hostess addresses as well as the weekly display of fabulous "REAL FOOD" dishes.





Coming from European parents, my memories of dishes from Poland are very vivid in my mind. Each summer when the blueberries were in season, my mother would make sure there were wild blueberries in the house to make what she used to call "Yagde Kichalach" which literally translated is Blueberry Buns.

Toronto has a bakery called Open Window Bakery that makes these wonderful buns and they call them Shritzlach. This is an adaptation of the recipe that I was lucky enough to find at The Splendid Table .

My first attempt at making these buns were kind of hit and miss. I'm sure there's a trick to keeping the buns from opening in the oven and having some (and sometimes all) of the filling ooze out. The second attempt is much better and although I don't mind some ooze, I don't feel like losing all the filling.


Dough

1 pkg active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Filling

2 cups (1 pint) fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup and it was fine)
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water for egg wash
sugar for sprinkling

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Let stand until mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Place in the bowl of an electric mixer/stand mixer. Add shortening, yeast and water, eggs and vanilla and beat until dough is smooth. Let stand while preparing filling.

Mix filling ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.



On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Add flour whenever the dough threatens to stick. Cut dough into pices 5 inches square. Place 1 Tbsp filling in center of square, then fold dough over on top and pinch to close. Pinch ends closed. Cover buns with a towel and let stand for 30 minutes.





Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush buns with egg wash and sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake until browned - about 16 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

The outcome took me back to my childhood so quickly that I'm bound and determined to make sure I perfect this recipe. I'm certainly not an expert so if anyone has some good pinching techniques I'm all ears :)