It’s the beginning of June, which means that it’s Celia’s In My Kitchen time again. I have a few items that I’ve collected from my holiday in Hawaii whilst playing with my grandchildren, plus one unexpected purchase that’s my new toy. So, ready? Here we go!
Stones: My little pile of treasured stones and objects is growing. It now has a few pieces of coral that I collected on the beach in Hawaii.
Bowls: I’ve been searching for small, shallow wooden bowls to hold course salt and pepper for a long time. Like several years of looking. I found them at a street fair in Waikiki Market. I bought several to use on the table, too.
Cake: Here’s the last piece of my son’s birthday cake. It’s low in sugar and fat, using reduced-sugar jam between the layers and a dollop of low-fat cream on top. It is after a birthday!
Ginger: Does anyone know how to root and grow ginger? Can I do it from this chunk?
Gaazooks-a-Microwave: And last but not least, my new lovely microwave-grill-convection oven. We went to the mall for a new watch battery, and ended up buying a new microwave oven. I also bought the watch battery. I’ve always wanted one of these, my mother-in-law has one, and now I do, too. I’m having great fun with it. Grilled cheese on sourdough this afternoon for a snack. It’s faster than the oven grill, and I love it. It makes Mr Misky’s oatmeal in the morning without a whimper also. And not only that – I get a free baking dish with it and a 200-page cookery book by mailing in a copy of my invoice with the redemption coupon. Woohoo! Oh, and it tells the time, which is handy when my watch battery goes dead again next year.
Come join the fun of June’s In My Kitchen, posting a link-back from your blog post to Fig Jam and Lime Cordial’s “In My Kitchen”.
I love your wee collection of beach combing loot! And those wooden bowls are a real find! How lovely to finally get the oven you have always wanted.. take care misky! c
There’s one stone in that collection that I picked up 33 years ago on my honeymoon. Each one has a special memory attached to it. I’m a bit of a sentimental slob.
Misky, I hate to tell you this but … its not the beginning of June, anymore:)
Your wooden bowls look delightful – I like to buy something little from every holiday, just to remind me ….
I like to buy something also, but often I can’t find anything useful to bring back. I managed it this time!
Ooh, what treasures you have this month! I have a bowl of beach shells and coral that I have collected too – great minds…
Mandy
I also have similar wooden bowls in the cupboard, think I should bring them out again, thanks for the reminder.
I love those little bowls. They are so handy for so many different things!
Thanks for visiting, and looking forward to seeing you again soon.
Misky, I love those little bowls too, and isn’t it just wonderful when you finally – FINALLY – get your hands on something you’ve been looking for for ages? We’ve just bought a new microwave too – ours died last week. No grill on ours though! Thanks for sharing your wonderful kitchen with us!
I was quite simply over-flowing with glee when I found those bowls. I think my enthusiasm embarrassed the family.
Those bowls look like they’d feel good in the palm of your hands. I love this monthly glimpse into your kitchen.
I love wooden objects, and these bowls are slightly warm to the touch. Well maybe that’s because they sit in the south-facing windowsill. LOL!
I used to collect stones and shells, as my parents always had land at the coast, so we travelled to the seaside on a weekly basis. Not sure about the ginger, there are some tips here http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Food-Health-and-Nutrition/2UE-turmeric-and-ginger-tips/6050 Happy cooking!
I might have trouble growing it, Lizzy, because that article says you need warm and moist growing conditions. That’s not England by any stretch of the imagination. The recipe for fish curry on that page looks good though!! Yum!
Misk, I love your little pile of treasured stone. A lovely reminder of happy times.
Yes, the ginger will grow from that piece, if it has little bud or node on it even better. Can be suspended over a glass of water to root or planted into a pot of soil. I usually keep my ginger in a jar of dry sherry, keeps it for a long time, but if I forget and leave it in the vegetable drawer that it has either shrivelled up or has produced a shoot.
Hi Carmen, and welcome! I love interesting little stones; they’re gorgeous. Some in that pile are pretty enough to be strung as beads. Many thanks for the tip on growing ginger. I love the idea of keeping it in sherry, but can you still grate it after it’s sat in liquid?
Misk, the ginger stays quite firm and can be still be grated. I peel it first and cut it into large pieces.
I’m going to try this! Thanks, Carmen.
I have some of those bowls!
I love them- in fact, I bought several dozen when we were in Hawaii and I brought them home with the leis I had dried and some bark from a rainbow tree and then I made potpourri and filled the little bowls with it!
It made a great gift to give to the ladies in my Bible study.
I love your stones- I collect them too- sentimental is the word!
I wish I’d bought more of those bowls, but since my eldest son lives in Hawaii, there’s a chance that I can pursuade him to send a me more.
Ah yes, sentimental — good word for it.
I was thinking about you the other day, and hoping that you were doing well, feeling better. I hope so.
I also spent years looking for small wooden bowls! Read up on ginger on my blog for how to plant it. Enjoy your oven! Since we got ours I’ve not used our big one
Now that we’ve found our bowls, what shall we look for??!!
I’ll look up ginger on your blog, and thanks, Tandy! Do you have any microwave-specific recipes on your blog?
no I don’t, but I have a whole recipe book I’ve never used!
LOL! Maybe I need to start a new section on learning microwave cookery!
a great idea!
I’m not very proficient with the microwave, and there must be others who are equally “Dooh!” about it, too.
I will dig out the recipe book!
Great collection of beach items, your bowls and oven. I would follow some of the comments you have for growing ginger plant. Just make sure you have good fertilized soil where you grow it. Its a very healthy ingredients for cooking…Good luck…
Welcome and thanks for stopping by for a reading and comment. I find that ginger is always helpful when my head is stuffed with a cold. Opens everything right up!
This seems interesting for growing ginger:
http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-ginger.html
Good website explaining how to grow ginger
http://pinterest.com/jeanettesutton
Thank you for both of those links. I couldn’t find the ginger ref on your pinterest board though.
What a delightful collection of wooden bowls and shells.
I usually grow ginger in a terracotta pot under an outside tap where everyone washes their hands in the garden……..the plants come from me leaving the ginger in the fruit bowl too long, they start to sprout fat eyes a bit ike potatoes.
I think the nicest ginger is in autumn when you first dig them up and they are so juicy and a beautiful translucent pink colour before they develop their harder skin.
Hello, and a warm welcome! I just spent some enjoyable time reading through your “Wildwood” blog.
I’ve had mine potted up for about 2-weeks but nothing yet is happening. I’m resisting the urge to dig it up and check for root structure. My neighbour told me that I should just give it up and buy ginger at the supermarket. She has no sense of adventure. 
Hello Misky,
Your ginger plant should start to sprout a pair of bright green leaves, resist the temptation to peek, wait until they appear.
I managed to get my address somehow linked to wildwood…….not me I’m afraid!
Do you know how to un-link (if there’s such a word) us?
Elaine.
Hi Elaine, Try posting a reply to the comment, and while you’re typing in the Comment form box, look below. You should see 3 fields: your email address, your name, and the URL associated with your ‘clickable’ name link. Change that URL address (the 3rd field at the bottom). You’ll have to actually come to my blog to do it rather than in the fancy little comment box notification do-hah at the top right of the page. Did that sort it out for you?
Hello Misky,
Thank-you for your help
You’re entirely welcome.
Your URL is missing something (like dot com or wordpress dot com). As it is, it doesn’t work.
I make wooden bowls. It’s so good that people like them. I use wooden plates to serve food and they have a great feel, much nicer than ceramic. In the kitchen they may get dirty though. There is information on refinishing wooden bowls on my web site at http://www.turnedwoodenbowls.com
Hi, Terry, and welcome! You have a very interesting site. I rather fancy that 13.5cm ash bowl. Very pretty.
Thanks! That’s the one with the bark inclusion ‘smile’ if I remember right. I like that too.
This looks really fun, and you’re a beautiful photographer!
It is fun! Hope you’ll join it. Celia has just posted the July issue of In My Kitchen. Her link is at http://figjamandlimecordial.com/2012/07/01/in-my-kitchen-july-2012/ Hope to see you there!