Pie Confessions...

This weekend was full of a lot of firsts.

First Abraham Darby rose in the garden...

first of the kale ready to harvest...

first beginnings of a blueberry...

first time sticking my face this close to 12,000 bees...

first major hula hooping success...

first time shooting a video with my friend Janis Nicolay on 'how to make the best pie ever'...

not the first time I ate half a pie right out of the pan after everyone left.

They're Back...

Hello lovely.

I've missed you these many months.

But now, rhubarb season is in full swing, and you're back in my life.

Last night, there was next to no food in the kitchen.

Just some chicken and havarti cheese.

So sandwiches...how dull.

NOT when you add Rhubarb Jam to the mix!

I've eaten three of these in 24 hours.

It's small bread. Very small bread. 

Also back in my life..

Meyer lemons.

So I got a big jar preserved for the year.

I LOVE this stuff.

The recipe is in the book - if you haven't made this yet, hurry before they disappear.

Come Have Lunch with Me...

I'm so nervous.

I'm having my first book signing along with a luncheon at Barbara Jo's in Vancouver.

I hope some of you will come, because it will help my nerves and make me smile.

It includes a book, lunch and just a bunch of fun!

visit here to book in:

http://www.bookstocooks.com/page193.htm

Jam & Pie Classes...

Summer came to the town this weekend.

Along with popsicles, bubbles, radishes and a lot of rhubarb.

Which got me to thinking...

It could be fun to offer jam & pie making classes.

So many of you keep asking 

So, here we go...

Rhubarb with Rosemary, Blueberry or Raspberry Jam Class

Selecting, prepping, cooking the jam, sterilizing jars, and processing your jam for storage.

Step by step through the whole process.

All ingredients are certified organic, everything you need is supplied, 

and you will go home with six jars of jam.

Also, a little recipe card to take home with instructions.

Location:  Missing Goat Farm, South Surrey

Price 95.00

Allow up to three hours for this class.

then...

Rhubarb, Blueberry or Raspberry Pie Class

Preparing your own crust from scratch, mixing the filling, and baking it up.

Step by step through the whole process of making a pie.

Organic flour, fruit, eggs and sugar are used, everything you need is supplied and

you will go home with your very own pie for dinner that night.

Location: Missing Goat Farm, South Surrey

Price 85.00

Allow up to 3 hours for this class and 

then go home with this...

Photo by my lovely friend Janis Nicolay

I mean come on!  Yum.

Send me an email or leave me a note if you'd like to book and I will send you the final details.

heathercameron@shaw.ca

Grab some friends and come have fun.

I'm gathering names now, then will be setting up classes according to the fruits and their seasons.

Classes will be small - only three or four per class.

I'll even make you pick your own fresh organic blueberries for those classes!

The Bees...

The Bees arrived Saturday.

 Ferrous honey bees.

a.k.a. - wild bees.

I don't know much about ferrous bees ...yet.

But will share as I learn.

first thing I noticed...very groovy dwelling!

Bee skyscrapers.

It's like a bit of the city in the blueberry patch.

Second thing I noticed..

 

...they are smaller and look a bit different from a regular honey bee.

The timing is great.

Things are just exploding around here.

Of course, the arrival of the bees does not stop me from loving the bumble.

They come every year and always beehive.

Just Dandy...

While most people this time of year are working hard to kill the dandelion...

..we have learnt to welcome them.

And with our bees set to arrive this Saturday, we offer them all of this to enjoy.

blueberries and dandelions

Life is pretty dandy.

Farm Girl Failures...

I was all excited to present you with a recipe for a yummy 'made from scratch' jelly roll,

but it wasn't any good.

Hard to believe - it looks delicious.

I will keep working on this...

My Dad was in town last week.

Perfect timing with the art studio being done.

My Dad is an amazing artist and teaches 6 months of the year down in Bucerias, Mexico.

Perfect chance for a lesson..or so I thought.

Eventually he took over my painting as I got frustrated.

I would have painted over it, but he made it look so pretty I couldn't wreck it.

He did that on purpose.

I will keep working on this too...

Hey, who wants to meet me in Bucerias in the fall for painting lessons and cocktails!

visit here to see what my dad does.

Feeling deflated, I grabbed my camera and decided to do what I seem to do best these days.

Capture life on the farm.

The blueberries are spectacular

I mean seriously spectacular.

And the strawberries are on the way!

OK, back to my painting...

Poppytalk Cookbook Giveaway...

Head over to Poppytalk this weekend and leave a comment!

Jan is giving away a copy of our Missing Goat Cook Book, as well as offering a very cute printable lemon curd label that she designed.  

Now you can make the lemon curd, add a pretty label and give it to a friend...or a mom!

Mother's Day is just around the corner..

Another great chance to win a copy of the book!

Good Luck Everyone.

You have till Sunday night to enter.

click here to visit Poppytalk.

Tomorrow (Saturday the 20th)  we will be at Lepp Market in Abbotsford helping them celebrate three years in business.  Face painting, bouncy castle, bbq,

jam tasting, cook books and lots of fun for everyone.

Hope to see some of you there.

11-4pm

Making Hazelnut Butter...

Making nut butters is one of the easiest things ever.

I showed almond butter in the cook book.

Today, it's hazelnut.

Spread as many as you like on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 oven for about 7-8 minutes.

I used about 2 cups

I rubbed the hazelnuts after they were toasted in a tea towel to remove a bit of the skin.

They can be bitter.  

Throw them in the food processor and whiz.

This is after about 30 seconds.

After about two minutes, they will start to get creamy.

I had to stop the machine and scrape the sides down twice in the 5 minutes it took to make this.

If you use raw nuts - which you can, it may take about 15 minutes or more, and a lot of scraping down.

The slight toasting of the nuts really speeds this up.

After maybe 5 minutes...

Smooth.

And a lot runnier than almond butter.

But it got the finger lickin' good approval..

And made the perfect after school snack.

I'm putting it in my smoothie tomorrow morning too.

The Spring Sheets Winner Is...

Random draw #39

Pollydove from Utah

Yeah!!

I can't give you all sheets, but I can share a very pretty shot I took yesterday.

I know, the sheets would have been better.