effika

Cantaloupe, blueberry, and basil-infused simple syrup mini-popsicles! I used the basil from my garden. Recipe inspiration here, though I also added salt.

The 2 ounce molds are exactly the right size for a post-run popsicle, too.

Had a nice time wandering downtown with friends, drinking my tiny 4oz beers at the various breweries and enjoying the muggy (but breezy & cloudy weather). We even found a melon & berries beer that was like drinking a bowl of fruit! We also stopped for ice cream, as you do when it's summer.

My cold-brew earl grey tea is chilling in the fridge.

Now I'm freezing my first batch of popsicles using a real mold: cantaloupe & blueberry with basil-infused simple syrup. I have no idea how they'll turn out, but the leftover pulp is pretty tasty.

Tomorrow & Monday I need to go back to doing chores, but it was nice to spend a Saturday without worrying about it.

And a nice big dill bloom to put in the jar!

Just doing a fridge pickle with these since it's only one pint's worth, using the Ball dill recipe spices (adjusted a little for my taste). Once my dill stops blooming I'll do my grandma's bread & butter recipe. (And I'll post that recipe for sure; it's incredibly tasty!)

"Ready for harvest any time after the 4" mark and hitting 7-8", Spacemaster 80 is a good all-purpose variety for slicing & pickling alike..."

I was going to wait another day or two on this one, but it grew about .75" while I was at work today and half-snapped its branch! I've re-routed the other two cucumbers currently growing for more support as they get heavier. I'm glad this variety loves the heat; we're getting 100F temperatures this week and other than some wilty big leaves (new ones are coming in smaller & happier) my plant is pretty happy. Thanks for the cucumber breeding work, Dr. Munger!

Adding a sprig of dill from one of my almost-blooming Dukat Dill plants makes me feel very accomplished today.