Pumpkins, Peaches & Mufflers

Luca and I have been eating peaches like there’s no tomorrow.  Seriously, between the two of us, we probably consume on average 3 peaches every day.  They’re SO good right now.

The nine pumpkins I planted a few weeks ago are doing great!  This week I took down the protective tent (aka bedsheet) that I set up to give them a little cover from the hot Italian sun.  They’re growing like weeds!  Okay, so there aren’t actually any pumpkins yet, but the leaves are really big.

In other news, my Lancia is on the way out the door.  Luca has been doing loads of research on used cars (because personally I don’t have that much interest in doing used car research) and has almost decided which one we should get.  (I say “we” because, as sometimes occurs, he will probably be financing the initial purchase and I’ll pay him back in a few months).  The muffler on the lancia fell completely off last week.  And curiously enough, the insurance also expired.  So, we’re looking into a car that costs less in insurance, uses less gas and has a muffler. The most promising choice so far is a 1998 Ford Fiesta, metallic grey with 42,000km and both summer and winter wheels!  Ding.

I’ve been preparing lots of interesting things for dinner recently.  The other night I made Sarah Moulton’s Asian Steak Lettuce Wraps from her Weeknight Meals book.  They were so good.  I went foraging for mint for the wrap sauce after work, but couldn’t find any anywhere in Verduno!  (This baffles me because in Sinio I was practically the queen of finding wild mint).  So, I used basil instead and it was still great.

We’re going to the Aosta Valley for a week in August.  We’re staying at the Agriturismo Le Bonheur. Luca’s cousins go there every year and rave about it, so we thought we’d give it a go! 

I’m a little concerned about how my pumpkins will fare in my absence.  I’ll have to see if I can find someone to water them for me.  Maybe the Zio (those are his tomatoes above) would do it…The tomato crop this year is great.  No bug infestation like last year.  However, it’s a bad year for squash. (Figures!  Last year I planted tomatoes, this year I planted members of the squash family).

As you’ll notice in the picture, I installed tall stakes next to my plants.  A lot of people train their veggies to grow upward instead of outward to save space.  Since I only cleared about 3 feet of land, I figured I better do the same!

My green thumb must have really developed this winter, because I’m also  keeping FIVE grassy plants alive by our front door!  And four of them were Luca’s grandma’s plants that were left outside to die for three years and I miraculously managed to bring back to life.  One of the girls I worked with at AlbaBarolo gave me a beautious pink-flowered plant as a going away present.  It’s so cheerful!

One of the girls I worked with at AlbaBarolo gave me a pink-flowered plant as a going away present.  It’s so cheerful!