Best of the allotment

 Snacks have been tasty.

Scents divine and the eye candy plenty.

Evening light just right.

There are tomatoes.

This beauty is huge. Now, two weeks after this photo it is finally turning color.. to black.

 My little paradise.

Some of what we've been eating. I've also given much to friends.

I am also bouquet happy.

Time to have a look at Courtney's garden.

June

June brought midnights like this.

And some rain too.

Polka dotted trees, what's not to love!

I finished the two pairs of wool socks I had been working on.

 

We picked up frames from Ikea so Niina could put some of her favorite Lego guys on display.

I made many tiny rag rugs from scraps of Marimekko fabrics for the fair in July.

I hosted Andrea and Erin for a few days. 

A tour of Helsinki should always start with champagne at the Ateljee Bar high up.

Lunch by the sea.

I have a bad habit of spoiling strawberries forever for my non-Scandinavian friends... Once you taste these, you will never look at a strawberry quite the same way again.

The allotment started giving yummies.

There were pink peonies..

...and pink skies.

I worked on the book.

As of today I only have four more tutorials to shoot, then the writing commences.

We checked out the new public sauna/bar/restaurant Löyly in town.

I can't wait to see how the wood turns a lovely grey eventually.

Pretty random flowers on electrical boxes.

Yes!

Mother-daughter quality time. 

G&T's and drag queens.

Dusty Blow and Lamey Crackhouse looking glamorous.

The aftermath of dragalicious glitter.

Eat your greens

So much prettiness at the allotment right now.

The anemones are blooming.

The first zinnia.

This bunch of summer flowers have gone nuts with blooms.

Pretty pink potato flowers.

Peas have such pretty flowers too.

But the best part is that the blooms mean this:

I picked my first potatoes, thinned some carrots and beets.

The beets are about the size of golf balls.

There's also salad, spinach, sage and some peas.

I have quite a bit of spinach.

The best thing I can think of doing with it is a soup. A creamy Finnish style spinach soup.

I'll show you how.

You will need:

50 grams of butter

4-5 tbl  flour

1 liter of whole milk 

150-200 grams of spinach

white pepper to taste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Now, you really need to use whole milk to get the taste. Mine is 3%, I wouldn't go lower than 2,5%. Trust me. You will end up crying in your soup as it will not have the taste it should. And don't even think of using skimmed milk!! Also butter is preferable to margarine.

This is not one of those recipes you should skimp on the calories.

My spinach leaves are quite big already so I cut off the thick middle and stalks.

Roll them up and slice and then chop. chop, chop.

Melt the butter in your pot, add the flour and whisk for a minute or so.

Then slowly add the milk while whisking, so you won't end up with clumps in your soup.

Heat to almost boiling, add spinach and let boil  on low heat for  five minutes.

Add seasoning.

Enjoy with a nice boiled egg on top.

PS. I really garden for the flowers.

Courtney's got a garden update for you too :)