Chives

As far back as we can remember the success of a birthday party depended on the egg sandwiches and whether or not they contained little green snippets of chives. Our mother had always made them with chives; the chives in question came from the garden of a family, friend an Armenian tailor - Mr. Tackver...

These chives travelled from one end of the country and back several times. We first received them in Winnipeg, and when the family moved to Montreal they came with us. Across to Victoria and back again east to Ottawa, it never seemed to affect their vigour. When we first started growing herbs in the Kitchen Garden they grew as a border around the raised beds, always first greenery up in the spring.
Chive vinegar was made with their purple blossoms, they were added to cream cheese, used in salads and always in egg sandwiches.
Their Latin name Allium schoenoprasum reflects the family connection Alliaceae, in French they're known as Ciboulette.
Learn more about their habit from the Green Pages of the Montreal Botanical Garden* a lovely online website.

Once again the chives moved up to our cottage along with Angelica, Lovage, Ginger Mint, Apple Mint, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Thyme, Sweet Woodruff, a perennial Oregano and another member of the chive family Garlic or Chinese Chives in French Ciboulette chinoise in Latin Allium tuberosum- these bloom in late summer with a lovely white cluster of flowers

Our interest in herbs [other than chives] developed from an old family copy of Culpeper's Herbal - the inscription reads John Harrop, his book Glossop 1815. as our curiosity grew we discovered Betty Jacobs Growing & Using Herbs and Sal Gilbertie's Herb Gardening at Its Best - we were hooked. Somehow the library seemed to grow almost as fast as the garden, until there were too many books to fill our bookcase and so Argosy Books came into being.

Last summer for the first time the Rosemary bloomed. In Victoria we remembered a hedge of Rosemary but Ottawa winters are too cold - however last week our little plant that we had brought indoors set out new shoots, light levels encouraging growth

* Montreal Botanical Garden - was a favourite place for a family visit on a Sunday afternoon [hours by streetcar] as kids we found it BORING until one Sunday in the Lily Pool we discovered a mouse had fallen in and drowned, the goldfish were feasting on it - such is the interest of the young...

MAMA'S SPONGE CAKE

The kitchen was not where we first thought about cooking, our mother could turn out lovely scones, great pies and a credible Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding. My job was drying dishes...
Then one day while waiting in the dentist's office, picked up a copy of Vogue magazine and found an interesting article about Elsie Masterton who had established Blueberry Hill Inn during the 1950s and 1960s, acting as chef de cuisine. The article included a recipe for a cake and she assured the reader that by closely following the directions it would turn out perfectly. Copied it down and first time trying it found she was as good as her word, the cake worked.

MAMA'S SPONGE CAKE
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup orange juice
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Separate the eggs and set aside the whites. Beat the egg yolks until light and lemon-colored. Add sugar and beat until granular consistency disappears (about 3 minutes at medium speed in the electric mixer). Add orange juice, beating until well mixed, then continue beating for 2 minutes more. Sift together the flour and the baking powder. Add to the egg mixture and beat until thoroughly assimilated, then another 2 minutes.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold whites into the rest of the batter, carefully until no specks of white are seen. Turn batter into an angel food tin. Bake in a moderate (325° F) oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake pops back into shape when you touch it firmly with your finger.
(This cake will not rise to the top of a regular angel food pan. If you want it that large, use 6 eggs and multiply everything else by 1½)

We ordered The Blueberry Hill Cookbook and found not only MAMA'S SPONGE CAKE to be a winner, but many others including her Rare Roast of Lamb with garlic slivers under the skin - she wrote two others the Blueberry Hill Menu Cookbook and Blueberry Hill Kitchen Notebook, both worthy of novice cooks.

Think Spring

March 15 More snow, and had hoped to participate in the Westmount Antiquarian Book Fair. Instead will have to check the cottage roof for snow load.
The problem is that although it has a steel roof - it's a wide shallow roof and the snow doesn't slip off easily. The benefits are that with such deep snow we can grow things in the garden that need protection.

Sounds silly to think of gardens yet, but that is the hope that keeps gardeners going in the depth of winter as the catalogues arrive.
I remember reading that Geranium breeders lived to an great age, no wonder every year when December's shortest day arrived they had their seeds ordered and the hope of Spring blooms. So we pour over lists of Heritage seeds, make notes, draw planting patterns - this year will try the square-foot gardens.
The Kitchen Garden that we grew in Mariatown was built of railway ties, that family members had to drag around as I moved the garden the same way some folks move furniture in their living room. The 4 foot square is hopefully easier to work with, the only problem that have already thought of planting five of these 7 garden squares - 4 for vegetables, 3 for herbs.

In the meantime must return to the kitchen and think of supper, perhaps the tempting smell of ginger... a family favourite

GINGER CAKE
¾ cup butter/ shortening
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cup sugar
1 cup raisins
3 eggs
4 oz. candied ginger
½ cup milk
2 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Cream together butter & sugar, add beaten eggs, mix till light
Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with milk, fold in raisins &
ginger. Bake at 275° for 1 ¾ hours