Peaches, Tomatoes, Cucumbers

A few weeks ago I had ordered some Baby Golds from the Amish bulk food store.  They came in last Monday, ended up with two bushel.  We really like the Baby Golds, but they are so much harder to can.  I ended up just peeling them like an apple and cutting them off the pit.

 Out of the two bushel I only had two bad peaches, last year they were over ripe and lost quite a few of them. Did one bushel on Tuesday and the other one on Wednesday, ended up with 38 quarts and a dish left over to eat.

Also canned a few quarts of tomatoes last week along with a few pickles.  Have some more cucumbers in the refrigerator that I need to decide what to make with them.  I have enough sweet, dill and relish.  Looking through my canning books for something new.

This weekend my husband helped me clear out some of the garden, with all of the rain the weeds got away from me.  We dug the rest of the potatoes and got just a little over 1/2 bushel out of our six rows, not a good year for them.  Did talk to the Amish lady that has the bulk food store and she is pretty sure that we can get potatoes from them.  We have made the decision to put in some raised beds before next spring.  We have not had any rain for a couple of weeks now, the garden soil was so hard.

I have five pounds of blue berries to freeze this afternoon and the bread dough is rising.  Enjoying a much cooler day here, fall is coming.  Tomorrow want to start decorating the house for fall!

Our grandsons spent the night Friday and went home after their Aunt Tammy took them out for lunch on Saturday.  My husband and I spent Saturday with my dad, then after supper we went to the Waupaca County Fair.  It has been about ten years since we have been to this fair.  My purpose for going was to see the animals and get a caramel apple.  They did not have any caramel apples, couldn't believe it!  Next on my list was a flurry from the 4-H food stand, no flurries either.  Did enjoy all of the animals wanted to take home a jersey calf along with the baby pigs and chickens.  Someday we will have our place in the country again.  We ended the evening by going to the Dairy Bar, they make the best home made icecream, we both got a maple nut cone, sooooo good!  It was a fun evening!  When our kids were small we spent a lot of time at this fair, my husband worked for a surge dealer and had to help milk the 4-H cows.  A lot of good memories!

A Special Blessing

Our God is so good!  We are thanking Him for giving us a special blessing this week.  My dad had his x-ray on Monday to see how much the tumor had grown this past month.  Yesterday he went back to the doctor to see what the results where.  The tumor has not changed at all since last month.  They will do another scan next month and if it stays the same or shrinks they will go back to checking every three months.  We praise the Lord for the answer to prayer.  Thank you for praying!  

Thoughts

Yesterday, when I was coming back from the Chiropractor and seeing my dad I was listening to VCY America radio station and the program Crosstalk America was on.  She was telling about a new praise song for children put out by Brentwood Music called "Crazy Praise" one of the songs is "The Throw-Up Song".  I am thinking you have to be kidding,  (they were not for the song on the program).  The words are "I think I'm gonna throw up, my hands to the Lord".  "I think I'm gonna hurl, my sins out the door".  After the song is done the children make vomiting noises.  I went to You Tube to see for my self what the song was like. 

I wonder how can a song that talks about throwing up be honoring our Lord and be something that the children should be taught as a praise and worship song.  Where is the worship in this song? 

This Week

It has been a busy week here.  I have been making spaghetti sauce, more dill pickles (tried a new recipe) pulling the onions, digging a few more potatoes, chiropractic visits, and getting a little sewing done for Christmas.

 I won the giveaway over at Simply Homemaking, Gina was giving away the book Marital Bliss.  It sounded so good, I enjoy reading Godly books on marriage.  Check out her blog I am sure you will enjoy it. 

We have enjoyed some cooler weather earlier this week, temps are back up today.  Enjoy the canning so much more when the temperatures are cooler and not so humid, but it doesn't always work out that way.  It may be hot at times but we will certainly enjoy the foods this winter. 

The fermented mixed vegetables that I tried to make did not turn out.  They had mold on top and never really showed any signs of fermenting.  This is the second time I have tried to do this and it just doesn't seem to work for me, I am not sure what is happening.


Here is the recipe that I used for dill pickles this week.

Dill Pickles


8 pounds 4 - 6 inch cucumbers, cut lenghtwise
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canning salt 
1 quart apple cider vinegar
1 quart water
3 tablespoons mixed pickling spices
Dill (1 head per jar)

• Wash the cucumbers and cut
• Combine the sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a large sauce pan
• Tie spices in a bag and add to the vinegar mixture; simmer for 15 min.
• Pack cucumbers into hot jars: put one head dill in each jar
• Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/4 inch headspace
• Put on lids
• Process pints and quarts 15 minutes in hot water bath
• Yield: about 7 pints or 3 quarts

Crayon Roll Ups

Here are some pictures of the crayon roll ups that I made for Vacation Bible School at church.  They were a lot of fun to make.  This is the tutorial that I followed http://www.skiptomylou.org/2007/04/25/on-a-roll/ .   Mine were a little longer, they held twenty crayons. 

Busy In The Kitchen

I have been busy this past week putting up things from the garden.  Have been freezing zucchini, summer squash, green beans, and peppers.

I like to have some peppers to put in soups, omelets, and pizza in the winter.

Still getting some cucumbers for eating fresh and making pickles out of.  So far I have 25 quarts of dill and my gallon of sweet pickles are done.

Also made some freezer pickles, like to add mayo to when we eat them.  Almost like fresh ones, nice change in the winter from the dills and sweet pickles.

Ready to add the sugar and vinegar.

Also trying to ferment some vegetables, cabbage, zucchini, summer squash, and carrots,  this is my first time of doing this.  Only made a small batch for the first time.  I know fermented vegetables are good for you, but just a little nervous about knowing if they are alright.  Keep thinking that I am going to poison my family.

 

Have some tomatoes ripening in the garage and pulled most of my carrots, they are starting to rot.  Picked more tomatoes today so tomorrow I will be busy canning.  Plan on making some spaghetti sauce with them.

We have been having hot and humid weather this week, ready for fall :)  Grandsons are staying with us tonight, they are requesting malts with supper.  Sounds like a good idea!  

 

Digging Potatoes

We have been having a break from the rain which has been wonderful.  Things are starting to dry out a little around here finally.  My DH mowed the lawn yesterday after work and he reported that there were no wet spots this time.

I went out to dig some potatoes for supper the other day only to find that they were starting to rot in the ground, so we dug up two rows, only got a small pail of red potatoes from seven hills that I had planted.  The rest of the two rows were bakers, they had all rotted.  How disappointing to turn over big clumps of potatoes only to see they were rotten.   My DH then dug a few hills in the main part of the garden in the lowest area, they were either rotten or no potatoes at all.  We have just a little over a row that seem to look like they may do alright, the plants are still mostly green yet.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Gardening in clay soil has certainly been challenging this year.  We will work on getting more compost and things added to the garden before next year.  I just need to learn more about gardening in clay, it is a big change going from very sandy soil to this (still prefer the clay over sand).

On a brighter side our grandsons spent the night and will be going home later today.  We always enjoy it when they come.  Although I think they're trying to eat us out of house and home.  After supper last night of chicken and dumplings they had chocolate cake, the oldest one said that would last until popcorn and malts later.  Time to feed them again, they are waiting for their breakfast.  Grandma duties are calling and I love it!!
 
Have a wonderful day!

Canning, Freezing, & More Rain

We are getting another rain shower this morning.  If I look on the bright side it gives me some time to sew, as I can't work in the garden it's to wet and the mosquitoes are terrible right now.  This past week I have been doing some canning and freezing.  Freezing: green and yellow beans, yellow summer squash, zucchini, peppers, canning: dill pickles, sweet pickles, pickled beets.  I don't get a lot at a time from the garden but it is starting to add up in the freezer and the canning shelves. It will be a blessing this winter.

Right now I have a gallon jar of sweet pickles that are on day 8 in their process.  We love these pickles so usually put up at least two gallons of them.  I like the fact that after they are done you just store them in the gallon jar in the basement or somewhere cool, no processing them.  They have a lot of sugar in them 8 to 10 cups.

The rain has stopped and the sun was peaking out for a bit YEH!!!!!!

  "ONLY " A PENNY?

 Adapted from an email story

My friend was delighted when a wealthy business friend invited her and her husband to dinner at an elegant restaurant one evening.  Nearing the restaurant, her friend suddenly stopped and picked up a grubby penny from the sidewalk. He held it up and smiled, then slipped it into his pocket, as if he had found great treasure. How absurd!
    What did this man want with a dirty old penny:
    Throughout the evening, the thought nagged her. Casually, she mentioned that her brother had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found was of value.  Again, her friend smiled, drew the coin from his pocket and handed it to her.
     "Look," he said.  "Read what it says."
     "United States of America."
     "No, not that.  Read further."
     "One cent?"
     "No, turn it over."
     "In God we trust?"
     "Yes! If I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin.  That inscription is embossed on every United States coin, yet we seldom notice it.  When God drops a message right in front of me, reminding me to trust in Him, who am I to pass it by?  I cherish that coin as a reminder from God."

" The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust....." Psalm 18:2a

What a great reminder that the Lord is in control of our lives even when hard times come.  I think that I will look at a penny in a new way after reading this. 

Have a wonderful day!