Prince Edward County – Cynthia Reyes

A Good Home, Cooking, Ontario Root Vegetables, Recipes, Vegetarian dish

Idiot-Proof

February 8, 2015December 12, 2015 Cynthia Reyes

“John”, I asked, “Can you send me one of your simplest recipes?”

“Yes, of course,” John replied. “As long as you’re fine with vegetarian. That’s what I cook.”

“I’ll cook anything, as long as it’s idiot-proof.”

I’d forgotten John’s famous attention to detail, evident in the grand home he’s restoring in Prince Edward County.

Painstakingly captured in photos….

Like this recipe he sent me:

JOHN’S RELIABLE ROOT RECIPE

“First, Locate and gather a selection of your favourite Root Vegetables . . .

Then Select a Nice Covered Baking Dish . . .

Take the Lid Off . . .

And see What Fits into the Dish . . .

Then Empty the Dish, Rinse it with Water to remove any Dirt . . .

Begin with the Onions, which are essential . . .

Peel, and Cut . . .

Dice . . .

And into the Dish they go . . .

Three Diced Ontario Onions . . .

(From Prince Edward County) . . .

Next the Ontario Sweet Potatoes . . .

Cut the Ends off . . .

Peel . . .

Dice . . .

Add & Mix by Hand . . .

Two Ontario Parsnips are Next . . .

Lop the Ends off & Peel . . .

Cut into Rings . . .

Add & Mix into the Dish . . .

Next up are Three Ontario Carrots . . .

Ends Off . . .

Peel . . .

Cut into Rings . . .

Add to the Dish . .

Mix by Hand . . .

Two Wonderful Ontario Yellow Beets . . .

Lop the Ends off . . .

Quite Pretty . . .

Even the Ends Look Good . . .

Peel Carefully . . .

Cut into ¼’s and Slice . . .

Add Slices to the Dish . . .

Mix Again by Hand . . .

Next up, Two Ontario Potatoes . . .

Peel . . .

Cut into ¼’s and Slice . . .

Add to the Dish . . .

Note that the Level of the Root Vegetables . . .

Is Level with the Rim of the Pretty Dish . . .

Mix by hand One More time . . .

Add 2 Cups of Cold Water . . .

Pouring both into the Dish of Course . . .

Then add 1/3 Cup of Sesame Seed Oil . . .

Pouring it all over the top of the Vegetables . . .

Now for the Seasoning . . .

From my Salt Hen, 1 teaspoon of Salt . . .

And from my Pepper Mill, 1 teaspoon of Pepper . ..

Now Place the Lid on the Pretty Dish . . .

Turn the Oven on Bake & set the Temperature @ 350 Degrees . . .

Then Place the Covered Baking dish Into the Oven . . .

Close the Oven Door . . .

And Set the Timer for 90 Minutes . . .

Then Start the Timer . . .

Set another timer for 45 minutes . . .

And Start It Too . . .

At the 45 Minute Mark Remove the Dish with Oven Mitts . . .

Look Inside and Things should Look like this . . .

Make sure there is still some water in the dish!!

Then Place the Covered Dish Back into the Oven . . .

Then 40 or so later come back into the Kitchen . . .

Notice the Primary Timer is Nearly Done . . .

When it Sounds Off . . .

Remove the Dish and Place it on a Heat Friendly Surface . . .

Take the Cover Off and it should look like this . . .

The Vegetables should be cooked and just a bit soft . . .

I test them with a sharp knife . . .

Then Place the Lid On . . .

Wait for the Dish to Cool Down . . .

And Place it into Refrigerator . . .

Then in 24 Hours it’s Ready to Eat . . .

It is Sooooooooooooo Good . . .”

Thank you, John! This idiot will report back.

Photos and recipe by John Garside.

Postscript from John: “Heat it up before eating! I forgot that!”

A Good Home, Birdfeeders, Birdhouses, Birds, Life in canada, Lifestyle, Renovating, Restoration, Restoring old houses

Men Who Build Stuff

May 18, 2014May 18, 2014 Cynthia Reyes

I promised to follow up with two different men who both work on houses.

One – John – has been working on a BIG house, restoring it by himself.

The other – Jean – creates tiny houses – for birds. When last we heard from Jean, he was working on his Xtreme Birdhouse. While I was impatiently waiting for the photos of the finished product, Jean sent me these other ones, made from the corks of wine bottles and said:

“I can assure you that I was totally sober when I worked on those…. lol…..”

Jean Long's Wine cork Birdhouse — Jean Long’s Wine cork Birdhouse

I promised to believe him. Which doesn’t mean YOU have to.

Jean Long's Creation — Jean Long’s Creation

As for his Xtreme Birdhouse, it’s complete, and it’s even larger than it looks in these photos:

Which may explain why Jean calls it “The Bird Cathedral”. Congrats, Jean, on one heck of a birdhouse! Here’s another view:

Jean Long's Bird Cathedral — Jean Long’s Bird Cathedral

So let’s go over now to Prince Edward County and check in with John, our intrepid house-restorer, and his wife Ann. When last we heard, they were about to move into the beautiful old house. Here are some photos, starting with Ann sitting on the step waiting for the truck:

John says: “The Move went as smooth as SILK!! No surprises, no grief, and very good weather!”

The couple had spent the days prior cleaning the house, and now it was time to roll out the rugs and put things in their places:

Within a day or two, the dining room, living room, master bedroom and third floor den were partially set up.

John’s office, meanwhile, looks like it’s always been there….

Of course, there’s a lot of work left to do. They’re also keeping an eye on the garden, to determine how much work it will require. But one thing you and I know about John: he has a plan for getting it all done perfectly, and on time.

Ann and John, congratulations.

Top 4 photos by Jean Long, remainder by John Garside.

A Good Home, Architecture, Canada, Couples, Courage, Following your dreams, Home, Homes, House cleaning, Interior Design, Kitchens, Libraries, Life in canada, Restoration, Restoring old houses

Drum Roll, Please! John’s House Pt. 6

May 2, 2014May 2, 2014 Cynthia Reyes

Ladies and gentlemen!

— Drum roll, please —

The Library is now complete!

The ceiling is done….

And the walls are painted.

Even the floor has been swept.

And with that, all of the repairing, re-plastering and repainting of the rooms has been done. Year One of John Garside’s incredible 3-year mission to restore his large old house, coach house and grounds in Prince Edward County, Ontario, is almost over. And this means that he and his wife Ann can finally move in.

(Gee whiz – I feel like stopping everything right now and having a celebratory drink myself – and it’s not even my house!)

But before we get too excited, I have to tell you there’s still a bit more to do.

Like putting in the baseboards (skirting) around the newly installed floors on the third floor.

And removing all the scaffolding and tools from inside the house.

And paint cans from the kitchen.

And then the big clean-up.

All that before Move-In Day on May 7.

But even during the push to finish it all, John’s feeling delighted with what he’s accomplished – by himself.

“For example, the quote I got to repair the plaster ceilings and crown moldings was $5,000 a room. Instead of going down that path I invested in $50.00 worth of materials (per room) and did it myself. The results are truly amazing! Even the local contractors are impressed!”

He still arrives at the house a little after 7 each morning and works steadily till 4 p.m., stopping only for a light lunch.

“All is on schedule and all deadlines will be met! Ann will be arriving on Sunday (May 4) to help with the final cleanup of the house just before the movers arrive on Wednesday. Great happiness!”

When I told you that John was doing all this work by himself, I wasn’t joking. His wife Ann, a partner in an accounting firm, has been in Toronto, more than two hours away. This is the busiest time of her work-year – tax season – and Ann’s been working flat-out at her job. She hasn’t been to the house since mid- February, when she made “a flash-visit”.

So how does this work for them? How does Ann know she’ll like what John has done?

“Lots of pictures are sent each day to provide Ann with the state of affairs at 27 Centre Street,” John explains.

“Does she trust you THAT much?” I ask John cheekily.

And he replies: “That is why I send the pictures each and every day . . . Feedback is always good!”

On reflection, I’m really liking the sound of this arrangement: Husband does all the hard and dirty work, while wife stays away from all the chaos and white dust, returning when the work is done.

Hmm… Ann, you’re a girl after my own heart.

Way to go, Ann!

Ooops! I really meant: “Way to go, John!”.

Photos by John Garside

A Good Home, Architecture, Canadiana, Canadians, Country Living, Couples, Courage, elderly Parents, Flowers, Following your dreams, Garden, Home, Home Decor, Inspiration, Interior Design, Life in canada, Lifestyle, Photographs, Prince Edward County, Renovating, Restoration, Restoring old houses, Spring Bulbs

Almost There – John’s House Pt. 5

April 24, 2014April 24, 2014 Cynthia Reyes

Ever get the impression that this blog is my way of living vicariously through others? That I write stories about people who do things I wish I could do — or used to be able to do?

If so, you’d be partly right.

But what John Garside is doing – almost entirely by himself – blows my mind. And now, as he nears his self-imposed deadline for moving Ann and himself into their house in Prince Edward County, I find myself holding my breath every time a new email comes from John.

Will this be the email where John finally confesses that he needs a break from all this work, and that – promise or no promise – the idea of moving in this spring is ridiculously un-do-able?

But it never is. Not when he has to repair major cracks in the coach house foundation (below). Not when he undertakes the delicate restoration of original ceiling medallions. Not even when he is clearing out the basement.

A lot of the work has been onerous. As for the basement, John says it “was very crowded — 100 years of clutter — and cut up with old wooden partitions etc. This was totally removed by me. 6,300 lbs. of stuff!!”

Right now, John’s working on finishing up the library.

The more John restores the house, the closer he feels to it, and the more he learns about its past. He’s made a few intriguing discoveries. Like the original signatures of the first owner and his young son, written in concrete.

“William W. Bedell,” explains John, “was the father. Willet V. Bedell was his only son. The boy would have been only 7 or 8 years old when he did it.”

Sadly, Willet died as a young man. It was during the First World War, “on a Troop Ship in 1917 en route to France”.

The second family to own the house were the Wards, though John doesn’t yet know who exactly “Envers” was. There’s still a lot to learn about the home’s history.