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Gapeys Grub

Paula Thomas's homestead and food adventures

Author: gapey

Paula Thomas' Western Washington homestead

Figs in Seattle

Who knew figs grew so well in zone 8 Seattle? There are many many varieties that do well both in ground and I containers. I was first introduced to fresh figs by a co-worker who has several Desert King trees in his West Seattle yard. He always brought in some of his harvest to work… Read More Figs in Seattle

October 19, 2021October 19, 2021 gapeyLeave a comment

Spicy Currant Honey Jam

This recipe is adapted from the recipe found in the Pomona’s Universal Pectin instruction sheet that comes in the box. Pomona’s is a preservative free citrus pectin that uses calcium instead of acid and sugar to create a gel, making it perfect for low sugar or honey jams. It can be found in most grocery stores… Read More Spicy Currant Honey Jam

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021 gapeyLeave a comment

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Have you ever thought about making your own vanilla extract but didn’t know where to start? Vanilla beans and extracts have become increasingly expensive in the past few years and making your own can save a little money and ensure you are getting the real thing. The recipe for a single fold extract is simple,… Read More Homemade Vanilla Extract

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021 gapeyLeave a comment

Spicy Roasted Pepitas

This recipe works best with hulless pumpkin seeds either store bought or home grown. There are many varieties of pumpkins that have hulless seeds. The ones I used came from an F1 hybrid variety called “Naked Bear Pumpkin”. This variety is said to contain more seeds and is more disease resistant than many other varieties.… Read More Spicy Roasted Pepitas

December 21, 2020December 22, 2020 gapeyLeave a comment

Artisan Sourdough Bread

I received my first sourdough starter from a friend recently and I made my very first loaf.  I was actually surprised how well it turned out and after sharing the photos on social media I had lots of requests to share my recipe. I didn’t follow any one recipe or method for my first loaf.… Read More Artisan Sourdough Bread

May 13, 2020March 2, 2021 gapeyLeave a comment

Cacao Tea Banana Bread Recipe

I was gifted a sampling of cacao tea to try out. It’s funny because I had recently seen something about cacao tea on Instagram just before and was instantly intrigued. The tea is made from the husks (shells) from cacao beans after they’ve been fermented and roasted. Cacao Tea Co’s tea is 100% natural and… Read More Cacao Tea Banana Bread Recipe

July 31, 2019May 13, 2020 gapeyLeave a comment

Must Grow Tomatoes

It’s the beginning of March and that is the time I start my tomato seeds. I love trying new varieties every year, but I always grow a few I’ve grown before because they are so good that I just have to grow them again. I will be growing 20 varieties this year and these are… Read More Must Grow Tomatoes

March 5, 2019May 13, 2020 gapey4 Comments

Limoncello Brandied Cherries

I’ve been wanting to try making brandied cherries for a long time and finally got around to it after picking up some organic Rainier cherries at Costco this year.  There are lots of variations of brandied cherries out there. Most recipes use a simple syrup of sugar and water but I decided to use honey… Read More Limoncello Brandied Cherries

January 25, 2018May 13, 2020 gapey1 Comment

Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

 I grew so many peppers this year that I’ve been trying to find all kinds of things to make with them. One of the things I did was dehydrate and grind them into a powder. I grew a couple peach peppers this year that were very productive, Sugar Rush Peach and Jays Peach Ghost Scorpion.… Read More Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

November 23, 2017May 13, 2020 gapeyLeave a comment

Flavour Bistro

For my 42nd birthday, Mark took me out for dinner at Flavour Bistro, a new restaurant in Duvall. It was previously known as Fall City Bistro which we had been to once before. They moved to Duvall last month and have a new name. They serve a lot of the same dishes they did in… Read More Flavour Bistro

July 5, 2017May 13, 2020 gapeyLeave a comment

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The first dahlia has bloomed! Many here dig up their dahlia tubers in the fall for safe keeping and split and replant in the spring. I’m a lazy gardener and don’t bother with that. Many times they don’t come back the next year because the rain rots them away. I surprisingly had good success this year and they all appear to have returned. This is one of several that came back from dahlias I planted last year from seeds I got from @mykitsaproots.
We’ve been putting this backpack sprayer @petratools sent us last year to good use. We don’t typically use herbicides or pesticides but on rare occasions and always organic. This sprayers primary use is for feeding the garden. I just sprayed some @iv_organics fertilizer tea on the figs and other stuff in the garden. It’s a great way to give your plants an immediate nutrient boost. You can find the new video on my channel. If you use code “gapey” you can get $10 off a Petra Tools sprayer. They have 1 gallon up to 21 gallons. They are an awesome addition to your garden toolset.
It’s elderflower season. I’ve been wanting to try making elderflower mead and this is the year. Our black laced elderberry is loaded with blooms this year so I harvested quite a few and left some in hopes of getting some berries. I bought a “laced up” variety a couple years ago to pollinate the one we have and this is the first year it has bloomed so we’ll see what happens. Do you grow elderberries?
Happy #figfriday! The June fig update is now up! It’s been a challenging year for a lot of fig growers in the PNW. Oour greenhouse has given the figs a nice head start but the ones in ground are far behind.
Happy #PollinatorWeek! What flower are pollinators most attracted to in your garden? The top two in our garden is Bee's Friend (phacelia tanacetifolia) and Borage. I'm not sure which they like more but if it's in bloom, you are sure to find bees on it. Borage seems to be favored more by honeybees and Bee's Friend seems to attract more bumbles. You can't go wrong with either one. Both of these flowers are annuals but self seed very easily. I have had bee's friend flower in spring/summer and reseed in fall and was surprised the fall plants survived all winter in zone 8b and started blooming in early spring. It was a big surprise to me how cold hardy they are.
The reinforcements are starting to arrive. The peppers in the greenhouse have started getting attacked and the preying mantis army is assembling. I have 3 egg sacks and today 5 have come to party.
It’s a beautiful day, for the moment. It’s been so rainy and more is on the way. There’s some minor flooding in the area from this last streak of rain. There’s rain in the forecast every day. Oh well it beats too much heat and drought. #beeyard #apiary #frontyardgarden #growflowers
Happy #fermentationfriday! The homemade wine collection is growing! Still have a few other batches to bottle up. Hoping to make an elderflower mead this year if I can get enough blooms but I kinda want to see if I can get berries this year. 🤔
Looking forward to growing these new to me dry pole beans this year. They were planted a little later than I would have liked and our crummy cold and wet weather isn’t helping. Dry beans take quite a while to grow and dry so I’m not sure they’ll do very well this year. Time will tell. These are nonna agnes, pale grey lavender and Karachaganack. Hoping it warms up soon.
My favorite columbine is always one of the last to bloom.
If you are looking for a native ground cover for a shady spot in your garden, look no further. We picked up a yellow corydalis from a local plant swap a few years ago and it has spread nicely over the years and the pollinators love it. It’s said to be for zones 5-7 but it has been growing great here in 8b for several years.
We went to a local plant swap this weekend and brought these sempervivums home to fill in some empty spots in this pot we found at a local buy nothing. It’s all filled up now.

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