Sunlight and reflections

This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psa 118:24

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;
for in thee do I trust:
cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Psa 143:8

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Blooms from this evening

Here are a few pictures taken after dinner tonight. It is cool out, there is a light breeze, and it felt nice and cozy coming back inside. After posting this I need to head out into the scullery to wash dishes. Have a nice evening. May your sleep be restful and you wake up refreshed tomorrow.

Looking north on sunlit pines.

Spiderwort.

Smith's Parrish

Prosperity

Old Blush

Love

Jewels of Opar

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Candied Ginger

Well, this turned out to be an all day project. But well worth it, and I am thrilled with the way this batch turned out. I sliced it thinner, it's spring ginger, instead of winter, and I cooked it longer. We'll see how tender it is, and how fibrous, hopefully it will be just right.

We both look forward to having that first piece. It has to dry overnight, but we may not wait that long. :-)

Here is the peeled ginger.

I used a potato peeler instead of a spoon like some suggest.

Then I used a sharp knife to cut into thin slices.

Here it is in water, ready for the first boil,
which can be anywhere from 15 - 30 min.
Drain, rinse, and cover with water again
bring to boil for the same amount of time.
Repeat another two times.

Then you drain, rinse, and add a lb. of sugar for every lb. of ginger.

I used about 3 cups of sugar and 1 c. of water.
Simmer until translucent and the syrup thickened.

Then line cookie sheets with waxed paper or foil, I was out of waxed. I put some sugar into a plastic container with a lid, then took a large spoon with holes in it so syrup can drain out, then put the spoonful of drained ginger into the sugar, put on the lid and shook. Lay sugared slices out on cookie sheets as shown.

I kept back some of the ginger to leave in the syrup, called Canton ginger,
so that I can use some in Thai dishes.
I also read a recipe for making homemade ginger ale
using 3-4 TBS. of the syrup to a pint glass, then add sparkling water.

Try it, I think you'll like it.

A friend in a garden forum posted this recipe a few years back.

She even sent out samples, and we've been hooked ever since.

This is the third time I've made it.

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Gray, drizzly day

Hi Folks ~ It's been gray all day and lightly drizzling off and on, so it's been an indoor day.

Yesterday we went to the veggie market and I bought about 2 lbs. of ginger, so that I could make some candied ginger. Needless to say, the ginger scent filling the air is wonderful. I've made candied ginger twice before and it's great. Good for your health too, even the little bit of sugar you get. I don't candy it all as I keep out some in a jar with the syrup for Thai dishes, and will also be using some of the syrup to make homemade ginger ale. Haven't tried that before but saw a recipe for it online this morning. It sounds easy and delicious.

I hope to do a little embroidery this afternoon, but we'll see how things go. I feel like a nap so that may be where I'm headed next.

Below are a couple pictures I took the other day of another of my favorite roses, Penelope.

Happy Spring ~ Happy Gardening

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL