http://gingerbreadshouse7.blogspot.com/

2012-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

I had no intentions of doing as much today (Saturday) as I ended up doing!..I went to take a look at the Rutabaga turnips to see if I had any thing worth harvesting..Well, it seems as if I did :o)...So I picked those that were the largest and decided to leave some that were trying to grow onto the big ones..(here I go experimenting again :o) who knows how well they will do if left alone..Cecil found a turnip that was left from last year and it went into the pot too :o)
There weren't many green tops, but with some homemade cornbread , I'd make that dinner.

Then I decided to take a look at the "P" Garden to see how the Collards were fairing! they should have been harvested a week or two ago, but I just wasn't able to get tothem.They were begging to be harvested so I
decided to get in gear and get them up before i lost them..

I think they did pretty good growing over here witht he Pears, Peachs and other flower plants we have on this side..so i thing the "P" garden is a good spot for them water and sun wise. This gives us more land to grow food ..it's just "Almost an Acre" and we are using it wisely.. Don't think I forgot about chickens either. I'm going to see if I can find a farmer who would be willing to part with some of his "Free Range" ones. That's better than wishing in one hand and *#$***in the other. I'm glad that we do something with what we have, especially everytime I open a canning jar or go to the freezer :o)..We are Blessed...in more ways than one..you too!

UnHappy about Weave Colors :o(

2012-01-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

I'm very unhappy about how the colors of this towel is looking :o(...I think the "tabby"
color (white) takes away the "Burgundy" and the "Blue" color there is just too much white :o(... I'm going to have to try something else to make the colors show up more vivid
maybe I don't need the "tabby" I'm going to leave it alone fro the rest of the night..I'm going to try something else tomorrow maybe no tabby?
Feel free to jump in here with some advice!
I'm not seeing much of my pattern either..( I keep getting off track as to where I'm at :o(
I need a better system, but I'm learning much with this one :o) Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always Tomorrow :o)

Candied Ginger Anyone ? :o)

2012-01-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

Last night I was able to cook down the Ginger until it was in a syrupy condition and I didn't want it sticking all over my dehydrator so I wrapped a pan in tin foil and spread them out on it...and put the oven on
my lowest "warm" and let it stay on until 4:30 am this morning ..what a beautiful job the oven did :o) some of them stuck, but not where I couldn't just pull them off..and tasting it ..it was soooo good :o) nice and chewy and with that ginger bite..I'm loving it. Thanks Leigh for that simple recipe.

Yesterday you saw how much I started with and after it cooks down and dries in the oven ...it's surprising how much less or bulk there is..:o) but it's well worth it.. After taking them off the baking sheet I put them into a baggie with sugar and shook it to get sugar on the sticky parts of th ginger ..then put them into this plastic container I had on hand..They are going to be a good snack food :o) ...the syrup that was left from cooking I put in a jar I had honey in..it was too thick for pancakes, so I'll use it as my sweetener when I make a cup of hot ginger which is getting to be a regular thing around here :o).
I couldn't tell the difference in the purple ginger ( I didn't even look for it :o)...If you haven't done this ..try it ..you will be pleased :o)

Taking a break from Weaving

2012-01-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

After all the hard work getting the Loom ready for weaving, my back said it was time to take a short break ..Sometimes you have to listen to your body when the parts speak to you (and loudly). So what's a girl to do..
Make some Candied Ginger :o) I went to the Special New Market We found and got about 2 pounds of Ginger to make some Candied Ginger and also have some on hand to make Ginger Tea :o) I love that stuff with Honey..Do you know I've been having a cup every day with honey and my B/S has been terrific :o) Ladydi, I even cut down on the sody :o).
It also seems the longer you live the more you learn...I think I'll be going to a smart world and I'm being prepared now for all the new things I'm learning :o).. Did you know there was also Purple Ginger? Do a close up and see the only one I had..and have ever seen.

I got this recipe from Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/ and today was a good day for me to get it started..I did some scraping and washing ( I didn't take a chance on whose hands had crap on them right onto the ginger )...I did a bit of scraping and cutting out spots..it's a long cooking time so I put them into my old iron pot ( there is nothing that cooks better than these old standby pots) We keep them oiled and at the ready :o)
Since it takes a while I'll have to wait until the next post about how I made out.

UPDATE;
As you can see the pot on the right is the sugar , water with the Ginger has cooked down to a syrup. I'm draining the syrup off the ginger ..I'll put the Ginger in the oven on very low 175 degrees..to dry it..then I'll roll it in some sugar :o)

All Is right with the Loom (today:o)

2012-01-23T13:36:00.000-08:00

Front view of the loom , warp all tied up :o)
All is well that ends well, or should I say all my ends are well :o) (just being a smart A**
It took me all of yesterday and most of the evening ..to get it this way. Plus finishing up this morning after starting off with Laundry..Don't sometimes you hate doing laundry :o(
Even with more than enough mentionables, it has to be done. Thank goodness for the machines of today..I don't know what I would do if I had to boil water and wash outside in those iron pots..no wonder
people had B.O in those days.
Back of loom all neatly tied in..this is what it's supposed to look like , and the new method wasn't too bad , just had to double up on the sleying the reed..( Robin, that means putting the yarn ends into the slots (in the front of the loom) then tying it to the front beam ( Robin, where you see it tied :o).
This view shows the back beam ,,(yarn ends all going through the heddles onto the Back beam) Monday and all so far is well :o) and I'm feeling better and the loom looks good.:o)

UPDATE:

I just had to stop, show and thank Laura Fry

for her suggestion on getting started without

using the toilet paper or rags .. Here is the

results of paying attention..:o) I'm smiling from ear to ear ...I hate using rags and toilet paper..it takes so long to get it where you can start to weave even, and wastes so much of your beginning weave.

Deborah Chandler I'm tipping my hat :o)

2012-01-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

Just so you all know (or guessed) I've been busy as a bee with this project! First I decided to read what I call "The Weaving Bible" (especially for beginners).. I tried both methods of sleying from the back and the front and each time I messed up something awful :o(....Reading a little further in the chapter..I came upon her "Hybrid Method" well, being Stubborn as a mule ( I think I said that before)..I decided to try it ..what could I lose..( I've already lost my mind with this project, so maybe some sanity in due). So I began again to "Sley the Reed"(300 epi).Then progress to tieing the ends onto the back beam..(that was no easy feat, my unit came out of the socket, and I had to yell for Cecil to come quick..(I swear there is always something)..after that I had to move the heddles out of the way..take the Reed out and tie it up in back of the castle ...Now just explaining it sounds like it was a one two three job...not on you best day!!..I worked into the night and first thing this morning..all day and I'm not half done switching the ends from the reed to the Heddles, then from the Heddles back to the Reed...GEEZZ! but I will say this..I've had more control doing it this way than ever before...: I've disconnected the Reed and have put it into the back of the castle tied down on the sticks

This picture shows the Heddles moved out

of the way to pass the Reed through. I will now take the ends out of the Reed and put them through the Heddles from the back..I still go around to the front and recheck myself in the count and tie up the ends so I don't pull them out accidentally...Whew! it's not an easy one two three job..it's an hour one two and three for two three four days..

The last picture shows the Heddles almost half done..Break time!

I'm working over here (breaking out in a sweat is more like it :o(

2012-01-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is the big mess I got myself into :o( for those of you who know better, don't open your mouth! Just let me work through this and remember to cut the darn ends off next time..and remember how to put the sticks in to prevent this mess..serves me right for being in a hurry.. I feel sorry for me..

The little clothes line is what you do when there isn't anyone else to "hold it" :o( So If your in a mess that's not worst than this one..stop complaining and feel sorry for me! :o)
Running around both sides like a chicken! working both ends, bet I learn better next time..and that's only a third of them :o( anybody wanna buy this...it's real cheap :o) I'll even throw in a bag of potato skins :o)

UPDATE: This is what you do when things don't go right , and you can't make them

right..After fooling with it all day (even with a slight fever)..I finally decided to "give it up"..into the trash it went..at least that's only a third of it :o( Tomorrow ..(Praying to God there will be a tomorrow) I will start anew with the first third...then I will use the sticks and hope I do it right. I thought to myself, with all the trouble I'm having I could have bought a few towels, then I thought again about the Linen towels I saw that were $38. each :o( Well, I better get my butt back in gear if I want to make them for less..I'm as stubbarn as a mule, just takes me longer to get it :o)

Today is a Dreary Rainy Wednesday :o)

2012-01-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yet there is much to smile about here at our house :o) Yesterday we took First Cousin to a place we found that is a "Food Paradise" any and everything to eat under the Sun.
I don't have to order smoked tongue from a distance anymore..it's right here at home..
Just by someome overhearing Cecil speak of it , is what led them to give him directions

to the "Food Paradise" place. You all remember me telling you my Persimmon tree only delivered five persimmons this year! Well that was the first thing I saw and purchased :o) as you can also see, I've eaten two already..I thought about peeling a couple and putting them into the foodsaver bags, and just defrosting when i wanted to eat them...I'll have to do that soon, because I can't stand the temptation of gobbling them up.

Then there are the bundles of Fresh Spinach,
that I thought I'd blanch and save..uh! once I shrink some I wanted to eat some and I ate a bundle all by myself..then fixed Cecil a bundle..I could see there was no sence in doing a blanching deal ..so I cooked them all they were so fresh and delicious and the biggest leaves I've seen in a while. So I don't do well growing Spinach ,someone else did :o) and the price was so so resonable for the amount $1.09 bunch. I don't have to worry about any greens for the next two days..Spinach is part of the menu :o) First Cousin was excited too and she got three bundles ..bet she eats them up fast too...:o)

We picked up a lot of fruit , Pears, Peaches,

and I couldn't resist the Avacado's Also there were a few bottles of Aloe Vera I was just dying to try, I've heard so much about Aloe being good for the body in so many

ways..Two flavors should give me some idea if I like it or not..

The Baby Boc Choy was just too tempting to leave it all there, so I brought some home :o)....somehow, I will squeeze it in the menu.
Especailly on a day like today..I'm tired from shopping..and it's a good day to watch TV and nibble...B/S watch yourself :o)

Living and Learning

2012-01-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

I've been fretting about getting a "Weaving Bench" for some time,..first of all the "Stool" that I used was too uncomfortable (and narrow :o( for a person of my plumpness :o) I tried using a pillow but that too was of no use ..I moved , it moved :o(
I saw benches from $100-$450..and frankly that's out of my pocket for a bench, There's a lot more I could do with that type of money than sit my fat butt on.
Finally one day while reading articles on the Internet, I ran across one that a woman used her "Shower Chair" and it fit the bill.. I have a "Shower Chair" maybe I'll try it out.

Well, I tried it out and it works :o) What a Surprise..it's wide enough ..strong enough..it was adjustable and is only two inches less that the weaving benches. Hey! I could put a pillow for the two inches or use the fat on my butt :o) Do a close up and you can see the narrow stool in the background..look at the difference, look how nice and wide the shower chair is and the back rest too...Seems the longer you live the more you learn! Just think how smart we would all be if we got here knowing all the stuff it took a lifetime to learn...maybe it's to get us ready for the "new Next Life" :o)..
I'm also glad I didn't get rid of my warping
board..I use my Tri loom thingy to hang it on
and I can sit in the chair while I warp up
to get ready for the next project. Stay tuned..there's more to be happening :o) In the meantime send some prayers over to "Mama-bugs" way for her pending double knee surgery...I'm sure she will appreciate it...We all need some intercession of prayer..

Remnents of the Fall Garden

2012-01-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to say that the Boc Choy remnant's are quite pitiful! BUT,adding it to a plate of mashed potatoes and a side dish of meat and maybe a gravy..ought to satisfy any poor soul. I will clean it up and make it into a meal and be thankful one day when I want a taste of Boc choy that I have it..At least I don't have to wash jars today :o) it's about enough for one of my food saver bags :o)

These Red Cabbages should have been taken up a couple of weeks ago..but with the Holidays and so many other matters I didn't get to them , but the slugs did and had a field day with them :o( No matter, I cut those little frozen heads up and put the leaves into some cold water with salt and then I'll treat them like they were fresh green leaves, they should thaw out by then a little anyway.....I'll shrink them, bag them up and wait until I'm in the cabbage mood and cook them up. Not much of a harvest, but a Harvest! and I'm grateful (didn't feel like working with them anyway, I want to weave :o) does that sound like the fox and sour grapes :o) I still have some Rutabaga's that need to be Harvested...Later!

Remember the Sweet Potato Adventures@ $.29 lb

2012-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

This is one of the bags that was in the fridge! I noticed that it was "puffed up" and this bag had the air "vacuumed" out of it and sealed...Now, remember your school days in science when you learned about the "Perri dishes" that even in the fridge "breakdown" and virus will grow!...Well, What I think (and know) is that the gases that the potato gives off is probably what causes that bag to swell up. I opened the bag from the fridge..there was no smell ( no smell in natural gas either)..there was no mold, but they did look as if there was liquid drainage..so I put them into a strainer to rinse them with cold water Then dry them off with a paper towel before
cooking them in the deep fryer..I didn't like the amount of oil they seemed to hold,so I put them under the broiler to finish cooking. That eliminated some of the oil..not as much as I would have liked...next time I'll try just oiling them and cooking them in the oven.

After the cooking they weren't bad at all. I sprinkled a little salt over them to bring out the sweetness of the potato.
The bags in the freezer also had "puffed up",I won't worry about that..I'll just do as I always do with the ones I buy at the store..Only thing they cost me more..and these were a sale I enjoy each time I open a bag :o).
By the way here is a picture of the "New Year's Feast Leftovers"...Black Beans and Rice, Candied Sweet potatoes,Broccoli leaves and florets, corn bread and "Trotters" some of you know as "Pig feet"..

A New Twist on Brocolli leaves and the Florets

2012-01-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

Brocolli stalks

"Happy Healthy New Year " 2012

This picture of Brocolli leaves is one that i have shown before..I went to the Side garden to which greens were ready to be taken out ..and I was surprised at how much the Brocolli had grown ..the "little florets" had doubled in size...I wanted to take a picture of them , but the walk on the side hill for me is sometimes just a little too steep! ... I decided then and there to take the leaves and the "little florets" and prepare them for dinner...I figured why throw away the leaves when they were so good before when I tested tasted them...So I picked them...and took up a couple of the cabbages that weren't heading up (to me they were in just about the same family :o)...cut up all the leaves..fried up some country ham put the brocolli leaves in on top of the country ham then added the "little florets" on top , closed the lid.Turned them over after they steamed up a bit (the little florets seemed to melt up in them) .. You talk about something that tasted good ! whew, wee child it's a seventh heaven to a green lover :o) and You know I made some corn bread :o) and some Black Beans and rice..I don't have to cook today...good old leftovers ( I don't usually like leftovers, but greens, that's a different story).
If you have been throwing away the leaves ( you won't find them for sale in the store) You will have to see a farmer or grow them yourselve, but don't throw them away..they are delicious and not to be wasted...maybe some of you already know that...I'm just learning :o)

I have been a busy bee! Now I'm pooped!

2011-12-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Here I'm smiling and trying to show off the new watch and earrings that the "kids" gifted me with for Christmas (among other goodies I'm not showing, but I don't have to rush to do laundry for more than a couple of weeks :o) you girls know what I mean) Men , mind your business.
First cousin was a big help shopping with me..She even shared some of her % cards so I made out like a bandit :o) Plus I got a favorite watch repaired..boy! they don't mind charging you almost the cost of the watch :o(. but they did a good job...I can at least wear it now..

At first i was put out with Kodak, I had so much trouble with it showing "paper Jam", but this morning they made it good with a replacement..First cousin saved the day, she was patient waiting on the phone when i couldn't deal with push this and hold for that...good thing she was here ...Next day my warranty would have been done...Now I have to wait for it to decide if it's going to print color for me..took four pages before it wanted to print black and white. :o( Can you see all the junk I have :o) I need to clean up I'm losing work space :o)

2011-12-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas !

Compliments from Another Blog

2011-12-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

While visiting "Counting My Blessings" I saw this tasty dish and the blog it was from. I thought someone else would like it too, this is the link.

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/sweet-treats-crockpot-chocolate-candy/

A Hearty Breakfast for a farmer's wife!!

2011-12-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

Didn't want to start working on the rest of those sweet potatoes this morning without putting something solid in my tummy.. Cecil had to do some errands for me so he needed to be fed also...So, grits were in order this morning with cheese to stick to our ribs :o) and a large patty of Neeses sausage and eggs fried...
Now to get to working on those sweet potatoes...after breakfast and a few minutes in the "Chair Bed" .(we love those chairs). I'll give an update on the proceeding today.:o)
Update:

I've been busy all day ..with Sweet Potatoes peeling, slicing and preparing two large pans to cook them in..It's surprising how you can take a lot of food and whittle it down to look like nothing much! We all know how much work is involved in each dish and we all know the satisfaction we get seeing "look what I did :o)" I had two pans but couldn't get them both in the same spot...Guess I was cockeyed tired.

This is pan #2 , both were filled pretty good. and of course Cecil had to taste them to make sure they "were on the money" < he says that when something taste good ..or he will mark my Son in law who says "That's a Ten" :o) no matter I thought they both tasted good :o) I was going to use my new vacuum bags, but the juice was too darn good to get lost..and I wanted them to "soak" in it :o)

So I dug out my old Rubber maid containers from 1964..and put them into them and storage in the almost full freezer was easy enough, I just had to take out a loaf of bread that we will need for tomorrow's sandwich's ( that ham again, < it taste better than the first time. Each container holds what I call a "Sunday meal", more than enough for one day ..even with company, and enough for two days.

Rubbermaid Containers from 1964 loaded with Candied Sweet Potatoes :o)

There is no end to the Harvest!

2011-12-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

There is no end to the "Harvest" weather it's from your fields or someone else's :o) I've always been told "Strike while the iron is Hot" and "Make Hay while the Sun Shines". A couple of my Mothers sayings I find true. Last time (Thanksgiving) sweet potato's were on sale, ($.27 lb) and i got a few which I baked and put into the freezer..I had a couple of very large ones left and made french fries out of them..one potato was more than enough..so I put some in the food saver bags and just put them into the fridge..they were there since Thanksgiving..but opening them was like I prepared them yesterday..I tell you Penny is saving me a lot of time and money..Today Cecil found them on sale ($.29 lb,) couple of pennies more, still good enough to "Harvest" :o)...I'm so frugal it's working me to pieces, there just is no rest. Went to the garden and plucked a meal of Rutabaga leaves for dinner..We will have some of the small Sweet potato's baked and that's dinner..I made Ham sandwiches for lunch out of that beautiful ham from Thanksgiving. (that I froze in those vacuum bags) I'm loving it.Guess I don't feel right if I'm not doing something and tiring myself out. Plus I'm working at the Loom, nothing worth showing as yet..I have to get into the swing of "Pattern, tabby" :o( those that weave know a newbies plight.

Cecil went back for more of these bargain potato's ...he loves French Fries, especially Sweet potato french fries :o) Keeping him happy through his stomach :o) wish he were a rich man :o) I'd have two staircases :o) one going up and one going down :o)..I must need a nap ;o).

Now to rest a bit..then dry these up in a towel, put them into the foodsaver bags and vacuum them up. That will be after supper..which will be those fresh picked greens and baked sweet potato's ( the little small ones Cecil picked out first because he likes them sweet.. :o)
Now I have one more pan that I will do tomorrow...I may just dice and cook them before I freeze them..there isn't much room in that freezer :o( should have bought a bigger one like I thought in the first place. :o(
Update: All the fries have been vacuumed packed and put away into the fridge. I had put away some fries like this during the Thanksgiving time..and they were just as fresh the other day when I deep fried them.. So I'm going to put one bag in the freezer just to "test" it. So I can see if I need to blanch before I freeze or if the vacuuming is good enough to save and for how long. Your looking at 12 pounds of what we call Cub potato's (big ones #2-3) sliced for frying. now tomorrow I'll finish up the rest..How, I don't know yet :o). I forgot to tell you that I made sure the potato's were drained and towel dried before I put them into the bags,this way no water was left in the bags...Neat trick :o)

Today is Another Day and Another Blessing!

2011-12-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

First thing today I get a call from another old Weaver friend besides "Teacher" wanting to know if I still needed help with that loom..before I knew it ..."Dr. Fix it" was here and slapped that loom a couple of places and before I knew it the loom tention was fixed :o) and now there is no excuse for me to finish up this project and get on to the next one. Sure feels good to know there are a few people still willing to give you a hand up. I can tell I've lost some of my skills :o( it's like anything else.."If you don't use it , you lose it" I definitly need to put more time into my weaving, to bring my skills back to a decent level..and it better be before Spring..that's when planting starts up again..Harvesting hasn't stopped yet!..ugh! umma one busy lady..:o)

"Waste Not Want Not"

2011-12-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

Ham bone Ham bone where you been!..hiding in the Liquid up to my chin chin chin :o)

I didn't have to wait too long to use this Ham bone :o) today in NC it was dreary and rainy the perfect day to make a soup for dinner.. and the Ham bone was the perfect solution ...I tell you there is nothing like the feeling knowing your being so frugal :o). All I had to do was add a couple of biscuits and I would be home free :o) I could have played on the loom all day,BUT "Teacher" forbid it until she checked it out again...(I'm afraid to
"sneak" touching it, it ain't like taking candy from a baby either.

We both enjoyed the soup very much, I used a lot of harvest tomatoes from my garden, and other veggies I already had and some large Zite type macaroni. The ham bone and tomatoes gave it a good stock. As you can see there is enough for lunch or dinner tomorrow. I still cook like there are more of us to eat..We had french fried sweet potatoes for lunch, so I didn't feel like peeling more potatoes for the soup...macaroni worked well :o)

Thanksgiving Dinner X's 2 :o)

2011-12-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was too lazy to take a photo of dinner (leftover thanksgiving only with ham).
Just goes to show i cooked way too much,We had dinner from it again tonight..this time Cecil helped me out by getting the camera before i ate up my plate :o) Tonight it seemed everything tasted way better, the Cabbage/Collards were tastier tonight than last night and the dressing still tasted good with cranberry sauce, that's the last of the candied yams..and the greens..and the cranberry sauce..plenty more Ham :o) half is in the freezer (sliced) and the other half we ate part of tonight..I think that's the best darn ham I've bought in a long time and I cut the bone out just right and folded it over so it would gel itself together ..and be sliced from the whole one piece..tomorrow for lunch I think I'll have a ham sandwich with mayonnaise :o) and I'll make some other meat to finish off the dressing and mac and cheese (which I didn't eat tonight). Boy! it seemed we enjoyed dinner more tonight than last night..Maybe I worked up a sweat on the loom (it's still giving me trouble :o( the break still isn't holding like it should, and I have to position it again after two or three picks :o( I've got to do or have something done about it.. Cecil tries so hard to help , but that's not his forte, fixing these kinds of things.His appetite was also ready, today was his volunteer day at the ministry helping to serve, So he was ready for dinner after resting a bit in his "Chair bed":o)
Just in case you want it ..here's Pat and Gina Neely's recipe for the Ham (6 lbs) Glaze.I doubled it because my ham was almost twice the size..10 lbs).
1/3 cup Brown sugar
1/3 cup Honey
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayanne Pepper
mix and brush on ham..bake at 300 and baste q 20 minutes or more. Enjoy

A Thankgiving Repeat without the Turkey :o)

2011-12-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here it is Sunday all over again! Time just seems to fly sometimes and things have a way of repeating themselves before you know it...I had so much left overs from Thanksgiving..I did a "bag it for later" number ..so today I made a nice Ham and took out some of those leftovers :o) The ham was really too big for two people, but I thought of how much I liked a Ham sandwich with a slab of mayonnaise on the bread:o) (Plus it was on sale) and the new bags and the way Penny vacuums the air out to keep it from frost in the freezer etc. I couldn't resist cooking this one..I used a recipe from" Pat and Gina Neely glazed ham"It came out looking so lovely, wish I had company to see it :o) and it tasted just as good :o)

it was so big and lean it was surprising. I took my trusty Electric knife and sliced it in half..Then I had more control of how thick I wanted the slices to be. It was a piece of work but I got it done..
You should have seen our plates :o) we were greedy!

I did pretty good on that first cut..I took the half without the bone and made some pretty slices out of it, wrapped two slices one for me and one for hubby in Saran wrap and then stuck them into my vacuum bags..I had four bags of big juicy slices for sandwich's or added as meat to a meal :o). I'm so frugal :o) don't you just love it. The mac and cheese,dressing and cranberry sauce.
This morning I decided to "test" out those "Cabbage /Collard" greens..they were pretty good, I couldn't really taste much cabbage, but I did taste a familiar Collard to them.
Tomorrow I rest...

No Rest for the Weary

2011-12-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Today all I had planned to do, was sit in my "chair bed" and take it easy until I felt like playing with the loom later..yesterday we Food shopped until we dropped, and we were still tired this morning...Cecil went to the barber and I looked in the fridge to find something to eat..what did I do that for! Those carrots were growing whiskers ;o( after my bowl of oatmeal I went right into them...I like adding carrots and onions sauteed into cooking my rice, it makes such a big difference in the taste :o). Being the frugal person that I am..there was my Mother with that saying again..."Waste Not, Want Not" :o( So I got my butt into gear and started with the peeling,mincing ,bagging,and vacuuming Carrots into little bundles ...I ended up with quite a few, maybe enough for six months or more..from one bag of carrots :o

I'm happy that I have this food processor it makes short work of mincing food..

Carrots all minced up nice and neat..it didn't take the machine but a minute to do it where it would have taken me an hour or more and my Arthritic hands would have been sore by now..this gadget is a great invention. Too bad Grandma didn't have one.

I put a large serving spoonful into some Saran wrap and fold it tightly..and then into a "Penny" bag :o) and vacuum the air out..I put them into the freezer. I put five or six into a bag and left room so I could re seal the bag when I take one out..that's going to be working out pretty good.

December and still there's a harvest to Can

2011-12-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

I walked to the "Side Garden" to see how the cabbage/collards and Red cabbage was growing and was surprised that I had "Broccoli" growing so well :o) I had forgotten I just planted a six pack to see how they'd do..I've eaten broccoli many times and even make broccoli soup..but I've never grown it! The leaves looked so nice and green I had to snap a few leaves and test them out...they look a lot like collards and take about just as long to cook..too bad I didn't have any cornbread ready :o) (there is still time , I'm just lazy).

Dont' they look like Collards! I like growing the broccoli, but the heads aren't large enough yet..(they are about the size of tennis ball (not big enough yet to pick).

I don't think the canning season ever ends until January! I'm looking at greens I need to harvest and put away..I'm also waiting to make more chicken stock, but I need my jars for my greens..boy! this canning is a budget saver and you feel guilty if you don't save what you've been blessed with..with the new heater being installed the gas company is going to "sock it to me" so i try to save where I can, and thank goodness I have something to put away, and that I know how..

Update: The leaves cooked up pretty tender..and they didn't taste like the Broccoli flowers..they weren't bad at all..it was like eating any of the other greens..they weren't bitter like mustards or Broccoli Rabe...they were a little milder and maybe a little more bland< nothing a little Chow Chow wouldn't fix , or more Country ham included in the cooking. I'll do it again, that's another gift from mother nature :o)

Everyone can now relax :o)

2011-11-30T15:23:00.000-08:00

I have put my grumpy self away (for now) and a more Happy and content Ginny in in the house :o)...
I couldn't deal with the pain of continuing trying to fix the loom and wonder what the heck I did or didn't do..So I called the"Teacher, Sandra"....I think I sounded so hysterical and pitiful she decided to come over right away :o) (the truth is I prayed her butt here :o) so she just had to come..Well as soon as Sandra walked over to the loom, you knew "The Weaving Guru" was in town..Sandra started fiddling and fuddling and pulling and bending and squatting and fussing until the loom decided " I better behave myself or this woman is going to beat the hell out of me :o) She had some task, ahead of her..but a couple of hours later, the Loom acted like it had done nothing wrong to upset me Maybe the Loom gave me a fit because it thought I was going to get rid of it. :o( Plus "Teacher" fixed the brake to maintain tension. Also re-taught me to use the sticks.. ( you know we all get lazy, or forget) .
I was so exhauted by the end of it all. I couldn't do a thing, but sit in my chair bed and thank God for the help. ..just goes to show ..prayers still work..

I thought it best to leave it alone until my nerves cooled down some and tomorrow is another day. Thank goodness there's tomorrow..with a good night's sleep..I should be good as new. Get ready, I just might be on a roll :o)

A Grumpy Post

2011-11-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to be having a Happy Holiday and waiting for Christmas Cheer aditude!
Here in NC I'm saying Bah Humbug! My printer isn't working says "error paper jam" and there isn't one :o( .Trying to get help from the company is like pulling chicken teeth, if your not holding on, your listening to music, or sent somewhere where there is no return.
The loom isn't functioning correctly (Or I'm not doing something correctly) bah humbug.
I'm trying to look on the bright side..at least it's nice an warm in here with the new gas heater in the Studio ;o) maybe I should clean it up or rather put some order to it. I had to do some moving things around before it was installed. Now I have too much crap in here, I need to get rid of some of them.

This is an old picture of my first dish towels that I made on my loom..my brake pedal is not in order and that's one of the problems I'm having as to where it was attached it's a simple thing yet driving me out of my mind.
Oh well!, a better day is coming..now for some lunch..Brisket beef sandwich on Rye :o)

2011-11-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, made all the usual goodies we like..except that for the three of us I decided to just make "Hot Turkey wings"with homemade tomato sauce instead of a whole turkey that we wouldn't eat..Macaroni and cheese, candied yams, Stuffing with cranberry sauce, Collards and Cornbread. Cecil made sweet tea and yes I drank some ;o) .(Hey, it seems to me I'm eating "Thanksgiving" all the time :o) It was a good day.
Today , the day after we are eating leftovers that I didn't freeze and it worked out just fine. I also wrestled with the loom and got it all sleyed up :o)...bent my little fat butt out of shape getting down on the floor to get the treadles strung up..I'll have to re do them over Tomorrow, tonight I'm just too tired to go over them tonight..They aren't pulling up separate enough...Ugh! No Pictures today :o(

"Thanksgiving Day"

2011-11-24T05:42:00.000-08:00

'Happy Thanksgiving'

Last Day of testing Avocado and Banana's

2011-11-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Today I decided it was time to check the results of the Avocado and Banana's after Eight days (put in the fridge after day 2) in the Food saver bags after having the air Vacuumed out. The results for the 8th day were as follows:

First of all I examined the bag before opening and noticed "bubbling juices" flowing! that to me suggested "breakdown"

Second, after opening the bag, I noticed there was no sour smell. The avocado looked fine but the banana looked mushy ;o( I didn't want an upset stomach so I decided just to taste the Avocado with mayo and it was still quite solid. Except of the mushy mess of the banana I decided not to taste them..there was no smell, but it was obvious that the breakdown was the acidity of the banana..The Avocado being preserved this way to me was the winner..I don't think I would keep it any longer than a week, (in the fridge just cut in half and not little chunks) also I wouldn't put it with anything else. I'm satisfied with this test, at least when I find Avocado's Usually at Sam's Club with 5 in the pack, I know I can take my time eating them up in a week without trying to stuff them all down in one day or eat one and lose the rest.
Update: next time I'll try putting more whole Avocado's in one small bag..take out one and re-vacuum the others. That ought to work :o)

Back to the Loom again!

2011-11-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

Good thing I can remove my back beam! I made a mistake and had to fix it by removing the beam so I could wind the weft with the paper to keep the yarn straight. This step was a little complicated at first. I wondered how I was going to do it! Watching video's on the Internet is quite informative :o) Someone else had done the same thing and was explaining how she fixed it ...lucky me :o)

Here's a side view of the back beam :o) not too shabby ugh!...remember I took this off of a loom when I took a class and now I was able to put it on my own loom at home.. I'm happy that I took my time when I took it off and it was easier to put on than I thought.

Here's the front view :o) I don't remember if I had a particular pattern to make anything except a scarf because of the yarn being so soft , touchy and feel-ly :o) (is that a word? :o) anyway, I'm going to finish knotting up the front beam ..look for an easy beginners pattern, tie it up and get to weaving.. So far the Aleve is helping the back and I'm stopping and resting when I feel it necessary. I'll give an update on my progress, but don't look for it too soon :o)

Cecil makes breakfast

2011-11-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

This morning I was treated to Breakfast like the Queen I am (that sounds better than the Lady of the house :o) I don't know what I did or said that got me that treat , I'd like to do it again or say it again (and again :o). it was delicious , your looking at cheese and eggs, 2 slices of bacon,rye toast, and the famous "Pear Butter" that Cecil has been eating up like crazy..maybe he is giving me a hint that we are running out of it...it is so tasty I can see why he eats it with everything and even plain :o) Thank goodness we have a Pear tree and I put fruit in the freezer..I can easily make more..
In other news, I decided not to sell my loom, yesterday I re -dressed it with a project I started long ago and I was surprised at how content I felt working on the loom (all day and until 9pm) I was surprised at myself ,the only thing was my back hurt after a bit..but it hurts when I do the gardening too...so what do I do about that..when You can't make up your mind which way to go. "Stay Still" < that's what my Mother always said and I found it to be a good solution,(for everything). I did have a lady come to see it and remarked "I'll think about it" I thought about it too :o) and decided..for now..I'll keep it...it's a very nice looking loom and maybe once the old Heart is reamed I'll have more energy. Yesterday was a very good day for me.

Blueberries inside Puff Pastry

2011-11-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

There were two of these last night :o) one got eaten before it cooled :o)..This one will probably be consumed later in the day ...My eater has a Dr's appointment and wont be available for the task :o)..
I don't know what I should call it...Blueberry Pastry tart, or roll. Whatever, it tasted pretty good , just not sweet enough ( I don't really need the sugar). I didn't feel up to making pie shells and felt there was no need for Cecil to run to the store ..so I used what I had ..
As long as there was a dessert after dinner it didn't matter...:o)

Today I'm going to open the Avocado and Banana package to see how it tastes and then reseal it to see how much longer it will stay.I'll post an update.
By the way, this morning the "Studio Heater" had turned it's self on (that's that thermostat) and the room was nice and toasty upon entering , what a big welcomed surprise a toasty room and I'm still in my nighties :o) I opened the blinds to see the rain falling and really felt contented :o)

UPDATE: I opened the Avocado and Banana's this morning for my breakfast ..I added my mayonnaise to it ( a little too much :o( anyway, both banana and avocado were as fresh as the day I packaged them..however, next time I will not slice either of them I will package them as whole as I can..then they won't be so "mashed" up I like them chunked. I'd say the test was satisfactory..and I will do it again, especially with the Avocado's..

A Blessing in disguise!

2011-11-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I told you all that I had some business to take care of and I'd let you know about it later in another post...(The day I got up real early and when Cecil treated me to some crabs from the Farmers market)
Well, do you also remember when we had the gas leak and had such a commotion with the fire truck and gas company that caused the neighbors some excitement? That day I had my two girls visiting and I thought what a drag for this to happen when we don't get to spend much time together...well , that incident really turned out to be a blessing! We had to replace the gas logs because a valve was leaking there it was a Vented log set
we never got any heat from it , all the heat went up the chimney so I kept a marble looking board over it :o( it was totally useless to us...The guy from the gas company told us we were better off with "Ventless log set" that's when they close off the opening (flue) up the chimney and the heat goes into the room...We decided to give it a try.

Needless to say, we had it done and it throws the heat right into the room..it is so comfy for us now , we just love it and wonder why the heck we didn't know about it sooner..come to find out we weren't the only ones ignorant of the fact. It takes the morning chill off so quickly...and it's almost like having a wood burning fireplace without the mess or work..So the gas leak was really a blessing in disguise...So I say " You Go God do your stuff".:o)

We were so pleased with it, we decided to put a "Ventless Gas Heater" in my Studio..lets be honest..I usually like to wear my P.J's as long as I like..(sometimes all day when I don't plan to go out). My Studio is a converted garage and that's a separate part of the house. Although we insulated it well, it still wasn't as "toasty" warm as I would have liked...and that's what that early trip was about that morning :o) Say hello to the new "Ventless Gas Heater"in the Studio :o), as I write it's hot in here,we have to learn how to adjust the built in thermostat to my comfort level..I'm so pleased to have it..I'm told it will cut down on the gas bill quite a bit..we notice the furnace doesn't come on as much..So that will be a blessing also. I repeat myself often. "the incident was "A Blessing in Disguise" :o)

Pear Cobbler made for the weeks end gone before Sunday :o(

2011-11-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

I should know better trying to make something sweet here to last until the weekend :o(
After you smell it baking, how can your resist "tasting".. well, we "tasted" it up before Sunday rolled around ..and now it's all gone and there isn't anything made to take it's place..We even ate up the last box of ice cream with it :o)...

UPDATE: on the Avocado and Banana's..after being out for 24 hours , I didn't want to chance spoilage from a warm temperature..so I put it into the fridge..It still looks as good as the first day I put it in, there is no change in it's color at all, my camera may have darken it in the corner That's four days already!..Can You image making up other dishes and keeping them for this long..As soon as I taste one I'll be honest and give you the scoop..:o)...

2011-11-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

To all my blogging friends who like a bargain :o) I sent away for these vacuum bags because they were cheap 100/bags for $12.99 shipping was $8.87 total $21.86 i figured the others I wouldn't get as many for twice the price..so I'd give them a try.. I ordered the small size because they would be perfect for my greens and small items..Even two pork chops :o).. They came Today and I'm excited ( just to get something new from the Fed Ex truck :o)...So I tried them out on some banana's and avocados that would get too ripe to enjoy the way I like them ..( just add that dreaded mayonnaise and nibble away at them)
So here's what I did...

First I compared bag sizes the new bag is
6"X10" which is as large as my regular quart size baggie :o) good thus far for my purpose. In the background you can see the finished product of two servings of Avocado and Banana's already packed.. I don't know if I should refrigerate them or leave them out. I have left Avocado out overnight wrapped in Saran wrap and I just had to skim off the top that got brown.. For now I'm leaving them on the counter to decide which way to go..but the two servings did nicely in the Food saver machine (sucked that air right out :o) and didn't mash them. I think that was a good idea on my part :o) Isn't it nice you all have such smart and talented friend :o)

This shows me cutting up the Avocado and Banana's and wrapping them separately into serving size Saran wrap. When I take out the first serving..I'll just re-seal the bag with the second serving left in it. I have put a link of where I ordered them for you ..I have no connections with the company, I'm not making any profit from giving you this link. So there!

I wanted you to get a good close look at the finished product. As you can see, the Food saver did an excellant job vacuuming the air out..Now the test to see how long the Avocado and Banana's do ..I think leaving them out won't hurt if air can't get to them...this is a test..:o) (not only the TV can do some testing ). I'll give an update, that I know you'll be waiting for ...:o) I'll make that "Penny" earn her keep around here..:o)

http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Vacuum-Bags-s/66.htm

Did you think I was resting today?

2011-11-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

If you do a close up you will see how fully crowded this bed of Mixed Greens are. Cecil should have left a pathway in order to reach them better..but No! just like a man he doesn't want to listen :o( well he has to pick them or pull them to thin then out ..maybe that was his intentions .(he loves greens too :o) This may look like a lot, but by the time you clean, wash, and shrink (blanch) them you have next to nothing. Two pounds become one pound :o(. so you need a lot when you want to have a green fit.

You can see Cecil down in the garden picking or rather "thinning" them out and putting them into a box top..which he then gives me and I do the separating of the leaves into the red bucket for the first washing, then I put them into large pan for the second wash ..then into the strainer

..then put them into the shade ( on the Patio) We have a good system going, but it takes a long time to get done.. When they get into the house they are ready for the shrinking process...but first...turn on the oven to 350 while I fry up some "country ham" and mix up some "Jiffy" cornbread with some peppers and onions :o) That's going to be supper :o) I had to taste those greens that had me salivating all day. After supper I'll get busy and finish up the harvest of greens for the freezer.

I forgot to take the picture before I put the greens in the freezer :o( So I just opened the freezer and snapped a picture of them after I remembered :o( All together I got 7 packs each weighing one to one 1/4 lb each. which I would say 14 pounds + the three to four we had for dinner ...at least 20 pounds of greens for the total harvest ..thus far...Not bad for a days work..

What's growing in my Side Garden :o)

2011-11-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

These are my Red Cabbage growing nicely in the side garden...The are also bedded down a little with some hay :o) Maybe a close up would show them better..

This video (it goes quickly) is showing the growing of the new Cabbage /Collards hybrid greens..I've never planted or eaten them before. When we went to buy some Collard plants ( I was afraid my seedlings wouldn't do well) we couldn't find anything but Cabbage/ Collards.
The new hybrids are really looking good and tasty...but lo and behold my collards in the "P" garden have taken off like little jets :o)...(That means they are growing well :o) I'll show them another time.
Here is a couple of the ones I took a picture of in the Side Garden..I was hoping the video would work so you could get a good glimpse of them all..

2011-10-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here is one delicious Bowl of Pumpkin Soup and two ( I really ate three) of my "Angel Biscuits" both were delicious..the soup was nice and creamy..(Thanks daughter for that nice little stick blender :o). I usually make a decent biscuit when I don't fret about it , but I try to keep Mrs B's on hand to save me some work..these were so good and fluffy, I think I'd better keep that skill going :o)
Sorry about those lines my underline just kept clicking on :o(

One pretty Pumpkin Pie with only one spot I spilled some filling on :o( otherwise maybe it would look perfect, but it's all in the taste. If the taste is good I won't worry about it having a little blemish , I know someone who wouldn't give a kitty how many spots were on it..Can you guess who that is :o)
My stove is getting to the point where it has hot spots :o( as you can tell on one of the Pumpkins. Well, Cathy@home what do you think about these pies :o)

Don't think that's a lot of pie in this house :o) Usually I make Sweet Potato and don't even bother to ask for that recipe.. When I finish this post (while Cecil cleans up the kitchen) I'm going to sit down the rest of the evening and rest..and give myself a big slice of pie and hope the heck it taste as good as it looks and smells..

Now here are three more Pumpkin cubed bagged and frozen..BEFORE using Penny to seal them..and that worked..after they were frozen sitting up last night in the freezer I took them and sealed them with "Penny" and there was no juice to come out and stop the process..that's the trick using the food saver. It gives me more flexibility on using it. Now maybe it will be my good freezing friend.:o)
While I was doing all the preparations for making the pies I put on some sausage and spaghetti for dinner ..this way I could get some rest...

That's all the cooking I'm doing today..I'm tired now and need to rest. I won't even do laundry if I had to :o) I still have a couple pairs of you know what :o) (naughty).:o)
Don't be giving me that look, it happens in every household I don't care how rich you are.

This far with the Pumpkin

2011-10-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

First thing I want to make is Pumpkin Soup!
So I may as well have all my ingredients ready, so here I'm frying up my bacon and my bowl of onions, peppers,carrots and thyme are waiting :o)..
This was one of the nicest pumpkins I've seen , the meat of it was a bright color and it was ripe and ready...it looked so good Cecil wanted to taste what Raw Pumpkin tasted like...so he took a sample :o)

He really thought the taste was good :o).
You can barely make out the pan in front that I have the peeled and cubed pumpkin. I made the soup and some of my "Angel Biscuits" and that was our dinner, it was very tasty and I had enough made in that pot for two more meals of Pumpkin Soup..
Which i promptly put into my little freezer containers and they will make a nice lunch or dinner with a sandwich :o).I'm so frugal.
I love it when I can make so much out of nothing..Cecil paid $3.99 or $4.99 for it. and look how many meals I've already made

.plus I saved some out for a couple of pies tomorrow which when I make them, I'll send a post..

In the meantime I froze the rest of the cooked cubes (five pounds) and put them into the freezer, hoping that "food saver Penny" would act like she should..even frozen as I worked she thawed ( I don't work that slow).and I had to stop because of the water collection anyway..I put them into the saver bags and stood them up in the freezer...I'll try it again tomorrow and see if that works better. otherwise the "food saver" is dud! and not a deal.

I think the Seed from this Pumpkin shows a lot about how developed it was..even though it was a small pumpkin the meat was a bright color and the seeds are very large..I forgot to put money near the seeds to show how large and full they are...I'm trying to dry them in the Studio..maybe I'll toast a few also ..but I've done enough for today ...I'm still supposed to be resting ..(yeah right! )

Update: I tried baking some of the seeds and didn't pay attention and baked them too long :o( so they were not edible :o(
at least I was smart enough to save some just for planting come Spring! :o) I'm still learning ...

My Little Pumpkin

2011-10-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Here's my little Pumpkin :o) , I have great plans for it...I want to make some pumpkin soup, a pumpkin pie and put some away for more of the same treats...do you think I need more than one :o)

Sale of Looms

2011-10-24T05:31:00.000-07:00

Since my health isn't what it used to be and my knee's have started acting like they belong to someone else..I've decided to sell my "Nilus Laclerc" floor loom, the knee action is just to much for me...I've decided to put an ad on Craigslist in NC for it in Arts and Crafts..heres the link
http://greensboro.craigslist.org/art/2664980284.html Update: This loom is no longer available for sale..I do have a Triangle loom that I will put up for sale soon..

Side view and front view The loom is in perfect shape and I added some loops to make the change over for each project easier.

Ginny's Saturday's Treat :o) CRABS

2011-10-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't been out of the house in three weeks..resting ...So this morning first part take care of some business while the item was on sale...< that's for another Post :o)

After that mission on to the "Farmers Market".. where Cecil treated me to a dozen blue male crabs :o) ( those of you who know about them , "eat your heart out " :o)

I couldn't wait to get home and pull out the pot and get the seasoning ready..:o) notice I'm doing a lot of smiling :o)
I had a can of beer that was left by one of my
grands about 3 years ago.. so I put that into
the pot, added some vinegar, some water, and
a 1/4 cup (more or less) of Old Bay Seasoning
some crushed red pepper ...then added those
same seasoning over the crabs that I put into the
pot one or two at a time..those little suckers
like to crab hold of anything and not let go.

Turning the crabs isn't necessary, but I wanted to fit the whole dozen in at the same time , which still didn't work..I had three
I had to cook after the first were done...

Here is a dish fit for a Saturday Feast just for Ginny...Cecil doesn't care for them...He likes the meat , but doesn't like to "pick" tough..you can't pick..you don't eat :o) that means more for me...I haven't had them in a long time..so I ate four at once. Then I packaged them up in three's and put into the freezer for two more treats later..One I'm going to have when I finish this post... :o) They were Sweet, and delicious..

Persimmons 2011 Harvest

2011-10-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

This year the Persimmon Harvest is very low compared to the past two years! First year the harvest was 18, the second year it was 17, this year it's only 5 but these 5 are larger than the first two years (according to Cecil) to me they don;t look any larger..At least I did get a few to get through the tough Summer we had this year...and it beats nothing. I still have some pulp left from last year that I need to do something with...

Resting doesn't mean stop eating!

2011-10-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

In order to preserve some energy I've been having "Subway" sandwich's a few times here of late...not being used to "the easy way" in our house it's hard to just sit and rest regardless of how much you need too. I made "mind plans" you know the ones you get into your head just when and how you would do it so you get it done without a lot of work :o).. I had Cecil lift that big frozen ham out of the freezer and put it into one of my stock pots..filled it with water and added all my spices, vinegar,Habenero peppers, garlic cloves , onions, rosemary. Cuban oregano..and maybe a couple more spices I didn't mention...let that soak over night (while it defrosted) then in the morning I drained all the spices poked holes in it and put it back into the water.after a couple hours..salted and peppered that ham..threw all the spices over it and cooked in in the oven about three hours ..took the Aluminum cover off and let it continue cooking ..All I can say it's delicious..I didn't take a very good picture of it.. I had to debone it (almost a 3 pound bone in it :o( and then try to 'mold" it into slicing form..it will be better tomorrow.,,for sandwiches :o)

I was watching the show "Down home with the Neely's" and they made some fries that sent me reeling ...I wanted some :o) So I pre boiled a few potatoes..drained them and added my spices,Pancho and olive oil and cooked them in the oven on the top rack while the ham was cooking...I "thought" I had prepared enough for the next day leftovers..well, do I have to tell you they were good and Cecil spared no mercy partaking of them :o) ( I helped too :o).
Even trying to take it easy , I was on a roll :o).

Cecil went to the garden and picked up a couple of Boc Choy's for me and I prepared them for our veggie..I'm really enjoying Boc Choy and feel like a farmer when I harvest them for dinner...They won't last much longer ...I'm so glad I planted them...and next fall I'll plant double :o)...

Fried Green Tomato's, store bought

2011-10-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

I hope this video works, if not , I'm sorry! I wanted you to see those delicious green tomatoes bubbling in the pan :o)...I didn't have any left in my garden so I had Cecil try one of our favorite little stores..Hooray they had some...maybe he will be able to get more tomorrow..:o)

These three little tomatoes made us happy :o) and wanting more of them..

2011-10-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Cecil on his knees, two fold :o) Thanking God for this crop and picking the first fall crop of Broccoli Rabe (they were planted September 5th) :o)The greens were happy to see the rainfall and grew ..like we say "out of the box" :o) We couldn't wait to taste them..they didn't get the little blossoms on them, but who wanted to wait :o)...You see the little white pan..he picked two of them for my big red pot..and I made a pan of my "Special Corn Bread" ( with everything in it :o) and we munched until we were full as two little pigs.

This pan is not showing how many greens were picked, but it's two pans squashed down and I used that big red pot to put them into for cooking..this is my harvest for this week.. I'm beginning to think there is no end to canning :o).. I haven't stopped yet!

2011-10-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Playing "Catch up " Do any of you remember when that box bush in the middle (under the flowers) was replaced by a larger dying boxwood? and I thought it would never "catch up" ? Cecil decided at that time to trim the old bushes down and give them new life . ..Well , at the time I agreed ..but I was devastated when I saw how short he cut them down and I thought..I'll have to think of something else to replace them..Time and more time they began to grow and now they have out shined even the New replacement :o). The new grown one is the deep green on the right :o)

You can barely see the Boxwoods on the left (I didn't take a good picture :o( but if you look closely on the ground you can see them they look small here but they are as tall as the first picture, and I'm happy about how well they have grown and are still growing ...we will now make sure to keep them below the window boxes. Cecil is leaving me enough space in front of them for my Alyssum, they grew on one side and not the other :o( Spring I'll try again or do some transplanting..

Apple Butter and Canning still going on

2011-10-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Some one gave Cecil some Apples that were getting very soft and I knew we wouldn't be able to eat them up before they got softer or spoiled ..so I decided to cut them up...cook them with seasoning of sugar, cinnamon,nutmeg and a little lemon juice.. It didn't take them long to cook at all..my motto "Waste not want not".

That's where my old fashioned Chimmo ( spelled incorrectly.) came in handy without putting up the "Champion" I'm glad I didn't give this old tool away ..it has come in handy this year a few times :o)
it didn't take long to save those apples into something we would be able to eat and enjoy..we had at least three jars, during the cooking and then sampling :o) we ended up with one and a half pints of Apple butter..:o) it was smelling so good we almost tasted it all up :o)

I'm supposed to be resting, l would have hated to lose a blessing by not trying ...(best excuse I could come up with). tomorrow "laundry"..Cecil will help me, I put things in piles and that makes it easy.
Have a nice weekend..Saturday promises to be just right..for pleasures...
Today is Cecil's Birthday and we were to go out to dinner ..but like always something gets in the way...oh well! we will make up for it during the week.. Anyway I was treated to a slice of egg custard pie :o) to celebrate and it was delicious.
My daughter was in New York and went to one of our favorite places in the world "Katz" if you have never been, you've missed out :o( here are a few shots of that trip, don't forget to read his shirt :o) He is one of the two brothers that own Katz.

Then there is also "China Town" sights and foods to behold :o)
China Town..ducks and Chickens seasoned and mouth watering appearance.

Don't they look scrumptious! :o) wish I could tear off a piece and chomp down on it :o)...
Nothing like a tasty duck..

Boc Choy

2011-10-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a little happy to report that the Boc choy is growing well ( thanks Robin, glad I waited) I might have to take the rest of them all up soon...these were the poorest looking specimens..I took up today just to see how they were doing ...I'm sure the rest are much better...I'm going to just do a quick shrink on the rest of them for the freezer soon.

I was running water on these to soak the dirt out of the bottoms..
I tried to show the paper cups that I made to put the seeds in were still somehow still attached in the dirt (do a close up and maybe you can see bits of the cup) :o) you can see the roots are very strong looking..some of the leaves were yellow and that's why I took them up.
I salteed them in some butter and olive oil and they still had a good taste...and these were the worst looking ones..

Harvesting Puff Mushrooms

2011-10-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

September is the time for "Puff Mushrooms" to appear..and you must get them before bugs begin to nibble and contaminate them for eating..So Cecil was quick to secure these and I prepared them right away..brushing away dirt etc..and then peeling and slicing them up. It takes a bit of brushing and peeling before you can get them sliced up and ready to saute with some butter and a little oil ..then let them cool on a pan and

put them into the freezer on the tray for easy removal to a freezer bag and use when ever you like in eggs, soups etc. Once they are frozen it's an easy job to break them apart ( some butter sticks to them, but most I use them with require a little butter and or oil. I think I'll make some omelets first thing..
The tray sits nicely in the freezer covered with Suran wrap. Once it was frozen I just put them into a Freezer bag.

What's growing in my Fall Garden :o)

2011-09-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

First thing I'm pleased that the Parsley and the Rosemary have taken off on the patio! I didn't want to touch ground and walk around the side of the house where the big Rosemary bush is ..so I planted one in a box to be closer to get from the kitchen.

Then as I step off the Patio I'm greeted by the box garden of Broccoli Rabe :o) and I'm smiling or I should say grinning from ear to ear ..(I love fresh greens :o) and the Peppers in the box that didn't do to well with the tomatoes cramping them have started producing a pepper here and a pepper there :o)

Then I take a few more steps over to box #2 and The Arugala seems to have really taken off and I snipped a piece to taste , boy was it yummy..a good bite to it ..salad here I come...and the special Kale that Mr H. sent me is taking off , I can't wait to see how well it does and how it taste's (thanks Mr. H.) I'll bless you as I take bites :o).

Then I take a walk down to the Garden to check on my Purple Sweet Potatoes that I started from "Slips" that E.G. showed on his tutorial :o) They are really doing nicely..I'm getting to be some farmer (I should say We :o) I'm just proud I took two potatoes, and was able to make the little paper pots and once they were big enough put them into the ground..hope I have some potatoes under those leaves..the rain for the last four days has certainly helped them all..

The Boc Choy has really grown, thanks to Robin for encouraging me that they were fall growing and just wait..well, glad I waited..I'm waiting to see some white stalks before I pick any..Boc Choy is delicious..it's just a Chinese cabbage anyway ...seems I'll have enough cabbage.
If you look further to the left , you see the rutabaga and a little further you can barely see the "mixed greens" :o) If they all grow well we will have some delicious greens with corn bread :o)

Thanks again to Mr H. for the Rutabaga seeds , I made paper cups for them too and was glad it started raining as soon as I finished planting them, they were so small I wondered if I put them out too soon, so far they are healthy looking :o).. I expect them to continue growing well.. We love Rutabaga greens and root :o).

These are some Cabbage Collards that are on the Side Garden, they are something new this year ..no one I spoke to knows anything about them..I decided to try them since i had collards in cups already..So far it seems the bugs like them, hopefully it will get cold enough for the bugs to go away... nothing seems to help...I'll get Cecil to put some soapy water on them..maybe that'll do something.

The Red Cabbage seems to do very well in the Side Garden..there aren't as many nips on them as the collards..they did well in the side garden for the last three years..the Peppers on the end seemed to do better once it got cold and rain came down..but something continues to nibble at it and the peppers are so stunted they are a waste.:o(..
That's about it ..except I took a picture of the Garlic but it didn't show up :o( it's doing pretty good for the effort I put into them..

Pickled Eggs with Beets and Onions :o)

2011-09-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today is a dreary but happy day to finally get a lot of rain for the newly planted Fall Garden :o) and to also taste the pickled eggs that were done on Sept. 4th..now they are finally ready to eat and they are delicious (even the beets and onions have a good taste :o) I also think they are a beautiful color :o)
Since it's raining and I had a full day at the Doctor's yesterday with one test after another, which most of you know tires one out , I need to just get some rest so for today....My aim is to do NOTHING!...

Smoked Beef Tongue

2011-09-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

For a while there I thought I had entered into a bad dream!...Now I'd like to say
"Seek and ye shall Find" or "Happiness is in your own backyard" ( where ever that is :o)
I'm so happy to report that I have two beautiful "Smoked Beef Tongues" and the day was saved by "First Cousin" who has become pretty good at helping me in a pinch :o)

I've added all the seasoning I wanted into the bottom of the pressure cooker so I can add the inside top to sit the tongue upon.

This is what the Tongue looks like out of the wrappings :o) I'm salivating already..

This is the front of the tongue>..I did this so
you could see all angles :o)

Tongue squeezed into Pressure cooker

Tongue after being Pressure cooked One hour.

This a picture of the skin being removed

Now to have some delicious sliced smoked tongue with some garden greens and some nice whipped sweet pototoes :o)

2011-09-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

This was taken last year , September 17 is Avery's Birthday (today). She will be 2 years old...time flies.
I'm waiting for pictures of the party :o)
She favors me a lot as a kid :o) (Sandy hair, deep voice, and cute as a button :o)

Avery is not liking that big live Elmo character and found safety in Mommy's arms :o) The video showed her backing away..but blogger wouldn't let me post it. :o(

Corn from the Farmers Market :o)

2011-09-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

Turning this bushel of Multi color (yellow and white) Corn into my own canned Creamed Corn :o)

Where can I find it

2011-09-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

I don't care how old you get, there are some taste you can't satisfy with substitutes!
I've learned to make or do without lots of childhood foods or substitute them for new tastes..but here in NC.. i haven't been able to find a "Smoked Beef Tongue". What happened did people forget how to make them...I don't think the younger generation even knows about them..anyway...anybody know?

UPDATE:
I am so surprised at the negativity about "Smoked Beef Tongue" . Surely some must have heard of it ..it's a European type dish from way back. Have we become so far from the Peasant road :o). There are many dishes today that have peasant origin. People had to do what ever it took to feed a family mostly of 10 or 12 birth control wasn't heard of in any way.None of the animal was wasted, even the guts< people won't admit to eating them also...I say "get hungry enough"...Oh well! as for me "I'll eat "Smoked Beef Tongue" if I can find it...and I'll send in a Picture :o)

My Eggplants

2011-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

This year was my first in trying to grow Eggplant! The first I picked a month or so ago were small, and if I remember correctly were just a wee bigger than these! I was told to let them grow ..Now I'm wondering if I let them "grow" too long! Two are the pretty dark purple shade, but very small, the others seem to have a golden hue are they "too old", should I just compost them, or ignore the color and cook them as usual ? Okay Robin, you can jump in here :o) Today was a good day for Cecil to put the Collards down the "P" Row seems they were getting a little leggy..The Rutabaga and Kale are standing up like little soldiers after the big rain we had..(and needed badly).
UPDATE: I tried an easy recipe I found online and tried it out on two of my eggplants, the rest went into the compost ( although one was soft ,it looked pretty good inside) I have to say it was pretty tasty, had a taste similar to mushrooms and Cecil enjoyed seconds ( what else is new :o).. I'll be making that dish again..Tonight we had it with Italian sausages and spaghetti. Didn't take time to take a picture.

This was a Sunday Evening effort long waited for."PICKLED EGGS"

2011-09-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here's hoping that the video will work , if not just picture the pot boiling with a dozen eggs in it :o)

Here is my pot of spices boiling.. and the recipe:
1 cup of white vinegar, 1 Cup of Pickling spices, 5 garlic cloves sliced,
1 cup of Brown sugar and one Jalapeno pepper (seeds removed).

I'll add the spice mixture into the jar (once it cools) where I have layered the Eggs, onions, and beets ( to give the eggs a purple color :o). I won't be able to taste the "Pickled Eggs" for at least a week.. I think the longer it sits ( in the fridge) the better it gets :o)

All the Spices added to the Jar..Now the most important part "WAIT". ugh! I may have to sneak a taste. I've had this on my mind to do for quite a while, and today was the perfect day for it...I had bought extra eggs not realizing I already had a dozen tucked in the bottom tray :o).

Fish Fry

2011-09-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a good "Fish Fry" Day :o) , First cousin came over with lots of good fresh fish from the market and we had a "Double Whammy" of a fish fry..we first had fried fish for Lunch..watched on the computer where I had loads of DVD's full of family pictures and events...first time Cecil decided to stay and see them, he usually runs away...but this time he stayed and seemed to enjoy himself and would say "I didn't know you had that picture or I didn't remember this or that...we had a good family time with laughs and jokes about everything.. This is half the fish that was left from Lunch the other half is in the frying pan and we will have it for Dinner after 3 hours of gabbing. The rest goes into the freezer for another day. First cousin has my recipe so now she thinks she is as smart as me...I needed to rest so I let her have the crown for now.

What's for Breakfast :o)

2011-08-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

Tomato with Pesto and Cheese :o)

This isn't what I really wanted for breakfast, but I was too tired (or lazy) to get into fixing anything that caused me to do too much work..Cecil didn't want anything but Bran flakes this morning and that was fine with me. I put away about a quart of

tomatoes in the freezer yesterday and decided to use this one to try out the Pesto I made the other day and add some Mozzarella cheese to it and give it a broil.. it wasn't bad as far as taste..(I needed to add a little salt for my taste). I was given a recipe for a "Tomato Pie" and thought I'd concoct something quick out of it..and this dish is what I came up with :o) Not bad for a quickie. Nothing else happening special at Gingerbreadshouse today, I'm still tired and need to rest... unless something just pops up :o) UPDATE: Sorry to Daisy, and Mrs. Pickles, your comment were deleted by mistake..

Sauerkraut canned

2011-08-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I'm glad that this job is done! It will be finished once I wipe off the rest of the jars and label them..
If you notice there are five jars that look a little green, those were the ones that I did in the 1/2 gallon jars, I thought that might be an easier way to do them, they still had to be "canned", because I didn't wish to store that much in the fridge. the other jars were done in the crock..I gave them a taste before I put them in the pot and jars and Boy! that's some good tasting stuff!..I now see what all the fuss is about making Sauerkraut :o)...I thought the jar method was too confusing...but it's really not, in fact it was easier to get the "crud" off with my little gravy ladle spoon. You can see the ones from the crock look a different color, that's the one I tasted and it was good. Time will tell me which way I'll go next time...We like to put a Nathan's frank on a roll with sauerkraut and hot peppers, and I like that Pork and sauerkraut dish I just started making..Cecil likes it all. I did like Mrs Pickles "worked my ass off", so now I'm going to just sit on my face :o)

Blueberry Cobble for a stormy weekend!

2011-08-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today is a lazy kind of day waiting to see and hear from the T.V. what Irene has done to the East coast in her fury. Meanwhile, we put things away from danger as best we could for the time being..
Still have to get the laundry done, (praying we don't lose electricity, still have to cook a meal, and glad that the weather surroundings are allowing me to do so. In the midst of it I decided to make a Blueberry Cobbler, when it's cooler the proof will be in the taste :o) These were some of the berries we picked at a farm not more than five minutes away from our home :o) . I'm smiles all over and hope to do the same next year. I hope people take the precautions that are being broadcasted for their own benefits. That's my weekend. Waiting to hear from one that they are safe.UPDATE: Heard from one that they are safe..I don't care how old they get, they are still your "kids", and you never stop worrying about them.

Hallelujah, they have risen!

2011-08-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

I thought some of you would like to see these little seedlings.. do a close up to see those little seedlings good :o) Aren't they the cutest things :o)...Thanks again
Mr. H. they were some real healthy ones. :o)
now I'm wondering if I should do the Kale the same way...this way it's like I have some control of where and how they are grown in the ground...Today we picked up some cow manure (in the bags, wish it were the real stuff , best we could do for now). and Lime to get the boxes and gardens ready
for the fall plantings..

This is the BESTEST Bowl of Tomato Soup EVER! :o)

2011-08-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist showing you this "First"
bowl of Tomato Soup made "my way" that was breakfast this morning with Rye toast.I was so excited I forgot to show the toast too :o( ... Let me tell you Campbell's has nothing on me. :o) This was the best bowl of Tomato soup I've ever had. Of course I didn't measure out my spices, I just went with the "Mommy flow" :o) you know what that is, we just think about adding this or that to the pot and it isn't repeated the next time :o). I can guarantee that this won't be the last time I attempt making my own Tomato Soup my way. Remember the pint size jars I just put up..next time it will be quarts..Cecil was as excited as I was and got a second helping real quick ( I'm a slower eater). ..I may have an update later today.. I don't know what I'll get myself involved in...but this bowl of soup got me so excited I wanted to share.

2011-08-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today wasn't a total loss as far as growing Habanero Peppers...mine didn't grow at all :o( thank goodness my Latin market always has them...Cecil picked up a pound of them for me at the market and I promptly ground half of them up with my Homegrown garlic :o) ( had to add that in, at least I had something homegrown to brag about). To make my "Habanero and Garlic Paste".. I use it in my "Spaghetti Medley" and other dishes I want to taste some heat :o) That jar you see is holding a Years supply (I think).Update:
Jody's request,
Jody..first thing..wear some plastic gloves, wash your peppers,take off the stem, cut them to take out the seeds etc, peel your garlic. use equal amount of garlic to peppers grind finely in food processor , use a little olive oil until it's like a paste.. you then will only need about 1/4 tsp for 1-2 quart dishes.. using it will determine how much you will need. It gets stronger with age :o)

I managed to get my pots filled yesterday with my Rutabaga Seeds (thanks Mr H. ;o) We are so overjoyed to have so many.. I expect them to come up within 7-10 days..I just might plant more of them..but we need room for the kale, collards, and Broccoli
Rabe. We still have the Side garden and the P's garden...and soon the Eggplant will have to be taken up..Now I'm afraid to let that still grow..least something take it.. I'm still canning tomato sauce or soups ...I've added my spices to the tomatoes and cooked them to a point where I can use the sieve to take out the skins, seeds and pieces of spices now I can use the tomatoes any way I like. (After I cook it down a bit ) Then If I add some cream, it will be a delicious soup. Or I can add it to some Italian Sausages with onions and peppers on a hero :o) Or chill it and use it as a Tomato juice breakfast with toast. So many ways to use tomatoes. :o) I still have too many in the freezer..little by little I'll get it done..

2011-08-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a slow day for me..I just sat in my "chair bed" (giving the old knee a rest)
In the meantime I had Rutabaga seeds on my mind..I know it takes at least 7-10 days to get germination going..and fall would be here before I knew it...so I sat there and made some paper cups :o)...First Cousin visited today and I taught her how to make them too. :o) You would think I gave her a million dollars :o) Things like this are far from First Cousins imagination , she is so stunned at how simple it is and for what it's intended. The kraut is coming along nicely (stinking up a little , and making a gookie mess inside the bottle and crock pot. I've watched a few video's on the internet and it took me out to see a woman stomping kraut in her bare feet...Women of old did the best they could and taught their children...today we have advanced...and use food processors to cut finely, and weights in our crocks. I'm glad of that...once I put my foot in it..we'd have to throw it out :o)...Then again maybe it would be so good I'd get rich for the recipe and then I wouldn't nave to make my own kraut and then.....I think I need a nap!

Is it Fall yet? it seems Summer is not over

2011-08-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

This is the Sweet Potato Patch (purple and yellow sweet potatoes). I have to give some credit to E.G. he's the one that put the fire under my heels to get it going..They are doing pretty good thus far..Cecil doesn't like putting the hay, but I insist on it ..I think it keeps the ground from drying out much..he's getting better about it, I think he thinks the snakes love to hide in it.

I planted some Boc choy, and it's just beginning to catch on..I don't know if it will be big enough to do anything with but I'll just let it keep on growing..the Eggplant was a surprise..I didn't think much about it and it seems it finally took off and we have harvested a couple of small ones..we are going to see if the others will get any larger.

A lot of work went into this garden, the yield this season wasn't too great, I think it was just too darn hot and dry.. no rain and very hot days...it was hard for us to survive.
Let's give this Lone Cantaloupe some credit..I don't remember if it's one we planted or the Birds brought the seed (maybe from E,G.'s garden :o)..So far she is doing nicely in just a two foot space..she may have it..UPDATE: Yesterday we examined the cantaloupe and it looked like something or the wind had rolled it over. We decided to let it grow just one more day. Wrong! The something came back and took it away, so we will never know what kind of cantaloupe it was or how it tasted :o( Sometimes you need to listen to yourself ..and act then..for us later was too late. :o(

You'd have to do a close up to see the Persimmons growing on the tree..i'm always surprised in the fall when everything else is brown and leaves gone ..the Persimmons ripen. I wish I had got of them, the fruit gets eaten so quickly..I still have some pulp in the freezer to make that cake :o(.

2011-08-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cecil decided to remove the "Crappy Dirt" out of one box, and spread it around the garden and side gardens :o) he is going to add some lime and get those roots out..before we plant anything inside this box again.The Tomatoes have been removed and the Peppers were left to see if they even gave a hint of surviving ...We expect some rain, and it seems Rain cures it all ...if they don't perk up , they too will be tossed...My tomatoes didn't do as well as I expected from our efforts but at least we got something.

We are now going to call this side of the yard the P. Side ( stands for Peach, Persimmon and Pears :o) We planted Potatoes there in the Spring and didn't get back as much as we planted...This time we will add some fertilizer etc. and hopefully it will do a better job of producing..We aren't sure what we will plant there for the fall..it seems you plan spots for this or that, "The Almost an Acre" kinda fills up :o) This week I'm glad I didn't have to tend to any chickens..I'm plum worn out a bit..Ohiofarmgirl has taken to raising a little biddy for me ..it's the cutest of the group :o)

Cecil taking a well deserved "break" . After each job he says "after this I'm going to stop" it seemed "after this" didn't get there soon enough. Maybe it's those Grits,Neese's sausage, cheese and veggie omelet I made him for breakfast. (I felt guilty for being asleep while he was up and working). If it's true that getting to a man's heart is through his stomach, I'm batting a hundred :o). If he were rich I'd be shopping about now :o)

Update: Keeping Cecil happy! Add some garden grown greens, steak with gravy to yesterdsy's corn bread and Sweet Potato fluff :o)

How I took it Easy today

2011-08-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today I wakened, tired and with less energy than a wet mop! I decided I'd take it easy and just plop in my chair bed and take it easy and drink as many Zero's as I pleased.

Cecil had gone to the Ministry to give his services and I didn't have to worry about fixing breakfast for either of us.. So I sat and sat and sat! TV didn't have anything special to watch...except my garden and food shows..and they weren't doing any thing special to me..I felt like sometimes they just give you anything, maybe they get tired too.. My day perked up when the mailman came..I found an envelope from one of my special bloggers that had some beautiful seeds in it for me Thanks Mr. H. :o) and that really perked me up!

After resting a bit more I decided I might need something that I wasn't getting , maybe I needed some Corn Bread with some onions, Jalapeno peppers and corn in it..:o) That ought to perk anybody up...wish I had some Buttermilk..that would have been all I needed..for breakfast, lunch or dinner..I had some Mylar Spinach loaded with butter..that spinach has a different twist ..taste like it has a little okra in it..with just a little pat of butter it's delicious. I didn't feel like a lot of cooking , you know how it is. Once you get started and you smell some foods it makes you think of others...

I had a closet full of canned Sweet Potato's that I thought about and knew I needed to get a move on using them because before I knew it , fall would be here and I'd be looking to put up those sweet potatoes that E.G. got me all fired up to do..they are coming along nicely and I'm hoping to have a good crop..Hope they aren't a disappointment like my other potatoes..they didn't fair well at all. So I made a Sweet Potato Fluff :o) Cecil will be happy about that.

Making Basil Pesto Day

2011-08-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

It takes quite a few Basil leaves to make a good amount of Pesto! That white pan was full (8 cups) Once it's made you can nibble on it often..Today I was determined to make 2 ice Cube trays full. Cecil isn't crazy about it..and I've just started taking more of a liking to it spread on top of a tomato or spread on the bread and making a tomato sandwich with it :o).
It's pretty easy to root and grow, first time I tried to grow it , It was a failure..then I moved it into my box and it took off..(that first dirt I bought was crap, anyhow come Spring I'm going to devote more space for it.
and hopefully keep it going.I ended up with two nice trays full of that good and tasty stuff..and I've run out of tomatoes ;o( They are all in jars..a few still need to ripen on the window sill..so I still have a chance to make another sandwich without buying tomatoes from the store.:o).

That's about all I did today..I'm still tired from canning and making Pear Butter. We have had it on ice cream and it's pretty good that way too. :o)

2011-08-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

All the fuss about this cord! it makes you tired..but I've got good news to report...$1.06 saved the day for now..that's all a roll of Vinyl electrical tape cost and about 1 hr of my time to wind it on the cord...Geez, when I started I thought just a few spots, ugh! it ended up being the whole cord that was frayed and fraying all over..E.G. offered to eliminate my stress, but I'm still canning ( isn't that wonderful to have something to can :o) and couldn't do without the Champion cord as yet!

This "Champion" has been a champion for me ..all these years I've had her ..since Jan.1973 ...too bad the company can't replace the cord..it's one that doesn't have the ground ( that's the one with a prong sticking out besides the two holes). Do a close up and you will see the date on the receipt..and what I paid for it then :o)..today it's almost tripled. I did good to wrap the cord ...:o) that's being real fugal. ( Lucky for Cecil, I was ready to buy a new one :o). Once you have one, you won't be without it.

By the way..had a Dr's appointment today, and the Dr was smiling at the good results I have with my B/S ...plus a lost a couple of pounds :o). (the harvesting worked the skin off me :o)

Update: The day ended up being a good one, even though the car wouldn't start this morning :o( Two neighbors to the rescue then on to the Dr's ...We hadn't moved the car in two days ..hope that's the only reason..Cecil is going to have the battery checked to make sure..(Always something )

Champion Juicer Detachable Motor Cord Needed.

2011-08-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just in case you see this somewhere on the internet or in one of your cluttered drawers :o) let me know about it. One company (Gourmet Depot) claims to have it on backorder..(that could take more months than I want them to hold my money). The company that made my Champion claims it is now not available :o(...also anything before 1975 mine was bought 1973 :o( There are a lot of parts still available on EBAY, just not the detachable cord. I'll just do as Daisy suggested..wrap the frayed parts with electrical tape, until I can do better...

Pears and Tomato Preserving

2011-08-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Its nice to save old pickle jars, especially when they are made of glass. I was glad to have saved this one for the Dried Pears ..I tell you when they say "there is more ways to skin a cat" I tell you "There are more ways to save a Pear" than I can even think of :o)..That includes giving some to neighbors. Before I took the time to dry these this year..I tried re-hydrating and making a cobbler out of some from last year...They weren't bad at all
I could have used more liquid in my cooking them as a cobbler, I was afraid to get the cobbler "watery". Next time, I'll do better although there was none left ( Cecil saw to that :o). I've had enough this year of putting away Pears.. I ended up doing pretty good with the tomatoes too. A neighbor shared some of hers with me for my Pears :o)..and I made some Tomato sauce/soup and that's how I'm going to label them. We had some of it this morning with sausage and biscuits for breakfast;; I tell you that soup was on the money..Not at all like the soup you buy in the can, mine was way better and I know what I put in mine :o) I love having homemade Tomato soup and Chicken soup, it perks me right up. I also like to have some Tea in the afternoon..and just
think I've got a big jar of "Mullein" to relax
me..I've been on a roll over here :o)

This is my Sunday Harvest :o)

2011-08-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

Here are my jars of "Pear Butter" < that's some good tasting stuff :o) I found a nice recipe on the internet and I'm glad I did.
It has orange zest , orange juice and nutmeg in it makes it a nice flavor..I can see where next years Pears will be making more of it. Cecil had a taste and liked it right away. I didn't have to peel the pears for the Pear Butter I just put them (skin and core) into the "Champion" and she masticates it (think thats the right word. :o) I've posted the Champion before, here she is again.:o) There are two bowls under her ..the one on the left holds the "mashed waste" the one on the right holds the juice/puree of whatever your using ..see the wooden thingy at the top, that's the masher to press whatever your doing. As you work, you take the "waste" and put it back into the masher part and it will continue to take all the pulp and juice from the ingredients...for my tomatoes, I put the tomato quarters (cut enough to fit the hole) and the onions, some cuban oregano,parsley and green peppers, keep putting them back until they are just about dry

Then l you cook whatever your making and proceed with the canning. This Champion is very old, they are still selling them and It's more commercial, but for speed and just plain old workhorse I wouldn't trade it. I need a new cord and need to replenish parts.
http://www.championjuicer.com/ They cost double today, but well worth it.

Broken down for cleaning, you can see the two screens (one blank, one screened for getting just pulp and juice) see the item on the left next to the bowls, that's the one that masticates the food..on it's side you see the teeth ( do a close up) You might even see my frayed dangerous cord :o( Don't laugh, if you did the work this baby has done and was as old, you'd be frayed too :o).
I did my tomatoes so I could cook and can them in the morning.. A good nights rest is what I need now..

Pears all accounted for :o)just one bag left

2011-08-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Cecil and I worked hard and heavy whew! What a job we did.. You see the table is now empty of pears except one bag that a neighbor wasn't home.
This years Pear yield was terrific and we didn't start too soon, it seemed they started ripening all at once.. Our total yield went something like this..
29 quart bags with 1 1/2 lbs each = 53 1/2 lbs for small cobblers..
Plus 6 bags about 5 lbs each to neighbors = about 30 lbs. Total about 83 1/2 lbs WOW Those two Dwarf Pear Trees did a wonderful job this year...We are so grateful. I have some Pears in the dryer that I haven't accounted for yet. I also have ground Pears in the fridge to finish making "Pear Butter" today. I tried the old strainer for the pear butter , but it was too slow..so I pulled out the "Champion" < she worked her motor hot for me...This year I'm going to replace all the things that baby needs..she is worth her weight in gold and then some...All I needed with her was to wash the pears and stick it in her top...she chewed it up like nothing flat. I had to re-arrange things a bit to get the pears into the large freezer..you can see the Pears on the Left side and there are more behind them..I wasn't going to take them out just to take a picture..and yesterday I was too busy trying to get them in before picture taking.The new little freezer is already stuffed .. I have to do some organizing. First cousin came to help, but she was already
tired from her own labors, so I gave her an easy task this time. She was fascinated with "Champion" and "Apple (Pear, Potato) Peeler" and got pretty good operating it :o) To her it was fun, and cool. Those hands weren't used to those doings.

Another Task done before the Pears

2011-08-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

You can't tell by this picture how fine the strainer on the left is...I have had these for many many years! Just didn't find the heart to part with them..In moving to NC, I either misplaced or gave away the stand for that big one (on the left) and hadn't been able to use it and kept promising I'd buy the stand for it..now there is no need too..I have a 12 gallon pot that it sits on nicely...and I used that yesterday to do my tomato's with.. I had removed the tomato's (hot water bath,then dipped in ice water). but didn't bother taking out the seeds, just started cooking it once my onions and peppers were sauted..of course I added all the spices I have been growing..Thyme, Cuban Oregano, Parsley, green peppers,onions then salt and pepper. I let it cook for a few hours...then decided I didn't like the looks for tomato sauce (there were too many little lumps, and I wanted it smoother) So I decided to try the old strainers...(didn't feel like messing with the "Champion" , I could have used it to remove skin , seeds, and anything else not desirable..but I was too lazy to get it and Cecil was busy running with chores. (it's a heavy little sucker), besides I need to order a few new parts for it.
As you can see, I was able to get 8 pints of beautiful strained tomato sauce! In fact I got 8 and 1/2 pints..the 1/2 pint I decided to have this morning with breakfast to see if
it could be used also as Tomato Soup :o), I used milk, didn't think to use cream until it was too late :o( it was good and tasty..Now I'm wondering if I made Tomato soup :o) I've never found a tomato sauce looking as good and fine as mine :o)...You never know how and what's in their cans that you buy. Maybe sometime today , I'll start working on the Pears ...

Keifer Pears on the March

2011-08-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Just in case your wondering what I'm doing
in the next few days ( or week) I'll be sweating it out peeling and freezing and maybe making preserves...First Cousin had the desire to "help me" when it was time..
I sure hope she isn't busy..my hands could use the help...even with the peeler my hands get sore and bruised (Plavix causes stress marks). When we planted our Pear Trees we were hoping that we would have enough to make preserves...with the diabetes we have to be more careful of that ...so cobblers began to take over the Pears.. I don't know

what other recipes I can use to make good use of the Pears.. Maybe someone would like to make an exchange , in the old days we called it barter...Pears for Pecans :o) Pears for Figs, Pears for Peaches.. This is canning season and I know some of us are being overwhelmed with the Harvest.. Thank God for the harvest...especially when the table runneth over...(there are still more on the tree, the deer started raiding, so we made sure we got the most...they will continue to ripen as they sit..gives me more tome to work with them..
Harris Teeter had milk on sale today and I made some cheese with one bottle and I'll made the other in the morning...I'm a little tired, after all I'm almost :o) as old as Annie's Granny and she doesn't know when to stop working.

I made some cheese with Jalapeno peppers tonight, just to see how it would taste (I'm looking for a Jack cheese recipe)..I'll make more plain Mozzarella cheese in the morning. I even have some tomato's to put away...Yep! it's canning season and no time to vacation..

Sauerkraut and Teaching Day :o)

2011-07-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

! :

Today was a good and productive day! :o) It's still hot as all get out in NC, but when you set your mind to do something you get your buns out of bed and get that early start! Here was another day to rise and shine at 7 am..get a quick fast breakfast (two neesie sausages sandwiches, tomorrow with biscuits :o). and head out to the Farmers Market in hopes of finding some nice cabbage to make some Sauerkraut, (I grew a lot but it was not enough )
:o(...also take along a First Cousin..to learn from start to finish the steps of Kraut making :o) ( by now I'm almost an expert :o) (to her anyway). I got a nice deal with my cabbage purchase and saw some that was nicer after the purchase (isn't that always the way :o( We made it home without melting, and got started with the slicing and pressing...First Cousin was really enthused about learning to make Kraut and was a great big help. She chopped the cores out, I shredded in the processor and she emptied the cabbage into the Crock and followed instructions of adding salt,sugar,vinegar,caraway seeds and Press :o)...We had just enough cabbage to fill up the crock and we were both thrilled to be done...now waiting for the fermenting...I wanted First Cousins face to remain private...(She is younger than me :o( While working we discussed "Making Homemade Butter" and have it with our corn that we purchased last month and froze. She was excited to learn how simple it was to make butter, before I knew it, she was calling to say " I made my Butter " :o) and sounded all giggly and excited that she had done it..
Today I'm her hero :o)

Yesterday's news is old today

2011-07-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

I had a rough time trying to post the video that I took in the garden yesterday...it shows up on my Easyshare program but won't post on the blog :O( ( I don't know why) I took my camrea to Walmart and the young lady worked with it..said they gave me 4 G's when it only takes 2G's I've lost all the pictures i had , somehow they were erased!! I have what's on my computer. I also have a DVD that I can get them on a CD. It has to be hooked up. ugh! Anyway, I took camera shots today and hopefully they will post! So far the still pictures are posting...

This is the Sweet Potato Patch I feel pretty good that I started them off from S. potato slips :o), Second day they look like they are going to make it. Thanks EG :o)

These are the Eggplants that we were just trying to see if we could grow them and they look better than anything else.

Plum tomato's amid the German Johnson's and Cherokee Purples , They aren't too large, with all the trouble I had with the slugs and fat worms, I'm glad to have something from them..At least they are tasty.

Cecil's Canna Lillies are doing great. Last year he lost all the ones he had down the side of the Pear trees, we think they were frozen from the weather..there were other complaints from others about theres being frozen too :o(

I think I may have to think about getting a new camera , I think this one is on it's way out! :o(

Sweet Potato planting in July

2011-07-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to upload this mornings video for three hours :o( when I find out what I'm doing wrong I'll post it as an update:

I can hardly believe it's me getting up at 6:30 am to plant some sweet potato's. That's just what I (had to do) did this morning, after a hard evening's work of planting the Purple Sweet potato's (that EG stimulated me to grow!) I found it fascinating to let a S. potato take root in water and use the "slips" to make more S. potato's :o) I couldn't plant them all last evening so I had to wait until this morning to plant the rest they were really heavily rooted I didn't need to put the rest of them into cups..the little sun that's up at 9:30 has taken a slight toll on them already I think over night they will stand up like the rest were this morning. In the video you can see the little Egg plants doing nicely...they have fruited" and it's thrilling to see the little purple "eggs" growing and looking good. I have some regular S. potato slips that I put in the little hand made paper cups..I'll get them planted in a few days as soon as they take root :o)...Farmers have a hard life,but they eat good :o). Cecil is busy cleaning out the old squash bed that didn't do too well :o( I think he may try and plant another crop..(according to Annie's Granny they should do well).

A True Freezer Story

2011-07-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

There have been a few comments about Freezers here of late, some needing or thinking about another purchase to hold their blessed Harvests. Which brought to my mind the story of my first freezer..

..I'd like to share it with you

Part 1...My Mother sent me to Sears to buy a freezer for her (1960)...she didn't like to shop and at that age I loved nothing better :o)...So after buying her freezer, she asked if I saw one I liked ...of course the answer was YES! so she said pick one out...I asked "any limit" the answer was "No" , well I picked out the largest chest freezer Sears had (it was mama's money I was spending :o) it was as wide and long as a "casket" I don't remember what the size was, but I haven't seen one like it since :o).

Part 2...During that first summer I worked hard going to our large Farmer and Flea market called "English Town" you could find anything you needed there and you couldn't see it all in one day. There were also Bus tours to it from all over the country.. One day my mother called and asked how I was doing with the freezer, I replied with pride.."My freezer is full"...she replied...Oh! I had some extra string beans, and wondered if you could use them for your freezer...well, I changed my tune real quick and said "I have room for them" she then replied " then your freezer is not full". I never forgot that lesson :o) It seems, since then I always have room for one more something... :o)
Story Update: I left NJ in 1999 and that freezer was still going strong , in fact I left at least a half basket of tomato's in it for the new owners...it couldn't be moved because we had sealed off the basement exit when we remodeled

Harvest for Monday

2011-07-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to show for "Harvest Monday" especially since I worked on it yesterday. Nothing appears like magic, there is always work involved that is not seen.
I'm hoping to get better at this movie taking ...a few points to remember is always necessary when doing it..

I'm glad that I dried the Thyme, I think it flavors a lot of dishes for the best and hopefully I'l have enough to last until Spring and growing season again.. Next I have some Sage, Basil, and mints to dry...A little at a time gets it done. Hope the video of the Kraut making loads ..it's taking a long time to upload, hope it's good.

Blueberry Cobbler is today's Doings in NC , :o)

2011-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today is another hot day in NC.. Early this morning I plucked up the last of the cabbage from the front bed and got them all done and in the freezer..All total I got about 13 lbs and that's not counting the four 1 1/2 gallon jars..So the cabbage is finished and not too shabby what the slugs left me..
I don't plan on going out in this heat..the elderly should stay in :o) (that's me and Annie's Granny ). To make good use of the time, I decided to try the Blueberries that we picked and the kids didn't get the chance to taste...I gave myself a good laugh listening to the video ..Hope you get a laugh too :o)

Looks aren't deceiving, by golly! it's good..:o)

Onion Harvest

2011-07-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Last night while watching TV (listening is more like it) I got my onions ready to be sliced or and chopped (whichever worked best) to get them into the freezer..I liked Annie's Granny idea of doing them, just modified it for my use...I use onions and garlic with just about every thing I cook (yes, even eggs, but not my grits :o) It's a lot of work "Harvesting" but there's nothing like the convience of "walking to the freezer" instead of driving to the store. :o).
After slicing them in the food processor, I layered them on my Pizza sheet :o) and covered each layer with saran wrap..I think I got four or five nice layers..stuck it in the freezer and maybe later today I'll take them out if they are good and frozen and put them into a gallon size zip lock bag..I don't want to use Penny for them, sometimes she doesn't "squeeze" the air out like she is supposed too, I'm very disappointed in it. So I stick with the Zip locks until I can do better.

All that's left are the skins that I could use if I were to dye something in my weaving or spinning..So you see everything can be used, with the gifts we have.

Cabbage,Cabbage,Cabbage!

2011-07-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

A lot of hard work went into the harvesting of these few heads :o( I only got two jars of Kraut from them :o( although they were two nice large jars (family size meal). but I managed to get 4 meals of Cabbage leaves for stuffed cabbage..and three meals to make cabbage and potatoes..All I have to do is fry up some country ham and then add the cabbage and potato's or make mashed potato's..and that's a good country (and city)meal :o).. I am a little disappointed with the amount of cabbage heads that formed..I think we might have been better off to plant fall cabbage for my kraut...no matter. I used every bit that I cut today..and still have more growing..They have nice large leaves and some of them were chewed up pretty bad by slugs and whatever else..I remember Gloria Swanson ( an old actress) saying if the bugs don't want it you don't either..I'm glad they left me some :o)
Here I'm laying out the cabbage leaves to
roll them up..They look like one big green cigar
I'll use them to make stuffed cabbage :o)
I'm not a good film maker (yet! :o) I forget
that my camera does it ..You will also see them rolled up in film. We had the TV

on and at the time they were playing country music , it seemed to fit right in with what I was doing. :o)

T Some look like Green cigars they are the leaves rolled up for stuffed cabbage..There are about four or five meals in that bag..
Then there are 2 bags with one pound each and one with 1/2 lb cabbage . My film will go by quickly ( I don't know what I'm doing yet!). You can hear the disappointment in my voice after two nice jars...(wish I could say six nice jars :o( I'll just have to remedy that, with more cabbage heads..(not the leaves, they are too tough for kraut). It looks like I haven't made the least bit of a dent in the cabbage.

Update: I don't know why the video's aren't working :o( probably something I didn't do right or something I should and don't know what :o( .

I'm adding the video's again to see if that will work!

I did them all over again, think I was supposed to hit video (thought I did) anyhow, hope this works, you can hear how proper I sound :o)...when I was younger they said I sounded sexy! What happened :o)

Another New Day :o)

2011-07-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Good morning and a "Happy Breakfast to ya!" :o) Yesterday was "Cherokee Purple" sandwich for breakfast which was pretty good..better than flakes for me ( right Mr. H. :o) but now today...There's my "Grits" (with a pat of butter in the middle :o) a fried egg, and two "neese's sausages" < that's a brand down here in NC they make a pretty good sausage, my brother in law makes a sausage that would give them a run for the money..Needless to say, I'm as full and happy about breakfast this morning.:o)

I bought some 1/2 gallon mason jars, and I intend to make some kraut today..I found a couple of recipes to make it the jars..I'm going to try it...plus I have enough cabbage to also put into the crock.
I bought the large 64 oz jars for my Pork and Kraut dish..I found a quart isn't enough Kraut the way we suck it up :o)..It's going to be a hot day..I'll just take my time ..Five minutes outside to get the cabbage and work inside at my own pace. I'm in no rush to do it fast.

Here's Monday again!

2011-07-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

Not much to show for "Harvest Monday" , I haven't been in the garden since Saturday.

Cecil managed to pick the one zucchini and a few squash..I'll open the grill later to get them blanched and into the freezer. Can't cook anything yet, the stove is still out..I do have the grill, that I can cook on..maybe later ..waiting for the Gas company to call and or arrive is the pits , you can't do anything. :o(

At least I was able to have a worthy breakfast of "Cherokee Purple" tomato sandwich for my breakfast, and Cecil had flakes...that's not too bad ..( I'd rather have some grits and country ham :o). You don't miss the water til the well runs dry...You don't appreciate a hot shower until you can't have it hot..I had to use almost cold water to wash with last night and more of the same this morning ..Reminded me of the old days,(my younger days) when you had to wash up in a basin, in a NY tenement. at that time I could lift my leg up and put my foot in the basin to wash..If I wanted to break my neck I could probably do that Anyway, hopefully this day will give some good results..Thanks for all the comments of our safety, We appreciate it :o) Even ole grumpy granny was worried that she wouldn't have someone to yell at.. (I think Mr Granny just ignores her) :o).

Around here Something new every Day!

2011-07-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

I don't have to do anything , but it seems with every day there is something going on with us ( good, bad, and or indifferent) We left the house about 2 pm to visit family for awhile and returned about 6pm . We kind of fretted on the way that we forgot to put the A/C on :o( Well, it's a good thing we didn't ...the minute we walked in we could smell gas!!!
Checking the stove, I hadn't left it on (gas stove) Fireplace (gas) hadn't been used in years (had that blocked off to keep the A/C or Heat from escaping up the chimney). Call 911 and report the smell...
What excitement it caused in the neighborhood!...Everyone was peeking and walking up to see if one of us had croaked :o) One neighbor said he was only worried about my tomatoes :o). ( at least he was honest about it) He was only teasing , ( one year he shoveled snow from our walk without saying a word).
It's kind of hard to sit away from your house and watch all the strangers (firemen) walking all around in and out of your house, and with big scruffy boots on like it's a pathway (glad I hadn't knocked myself out cleaning this time with the kids coming, just to prove I was okay) The Firemen had a job to do, and they did it with gusto! I just had to stay the heck out of the way...Cecil tried to be "macho" but the kids sat him down next to me :o)....Well, Guess I taught them "how to manage", cause they sure "took over"... They found a couple of leaks, fireplace valve, furnace valve and I think Hot water valve..it's all in the report . they turned off the gas to make sure we would be safe...We still have A/C, and the Microwave..so until Monday..we won't have hot water to shower...we have had to heat water before...At least I woke up this morning Alive, (but tired)..The kids are back home ...I put some tomato seeds up for saving and I'm doing a load of laundry on Warm/water. That was my weekend...and there is still Harvest Monday coming. Whew! what would you all do without me! :o)

The Food Orgy continues :o)

2011-07-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

First of all today after breakfast ( grits, bacon, eggs with cheese and onions) it was off to the fish market for the Friday Fish Fry :o) Then back home again, it's time to add to the already cooked dishes with a pot of Mixed greens cooked with the famous Country Ham :o) and then of course a pan of corn bread to go with it..and a little pot of rice made my special way :o) I'm glad there was enough to get a shot of it before it was all gone... The kids enjoyed it so I think I'll be safe to make it again :o)

I just made one pan of cornbread with Jalapeno peppers and onions to go with the greens . After all what's greens without some cornbread with butter dripping between your fingers :o)...I'm such a little piggy! And last but not least is the Spareribs, potatoes and Kraut dish that I was quite proud of...the potatoes were from our garden :o) and the Kraut was some I made with store bought cabbage..hopefully next week I'll be able to make Kraut with my own cabbage from my garden :o)...Tomorrow you may not hear from me early...The last one will be here and we will have a Fish Fry..and make gluttons of ourselves..I'll try and make the Blueberry cobbler since the Pear and Apple is almost gone.. A good night's sleep and I'll be in top notch shape to cook again tomorrow ...Fish Fries and a Salad..and any leftovers they find :o) It's fun having the kids home :o)

Fried Green Tomato's

2011-07-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Do you remember me saying that when the kids saw those "Fried Green Tomato's" they would be "Flying home" :o)...see I didn't lie :o) They started arriving yesterday! I'll be tied to the stove the next few days.

The "Spahgetti Medley" is a special favorite of one..and "ItalianSausage
in a "Tomato gravy".. With "Pear and Apple Cobbler" for dessert. The green tomato's get to live another day..
Tomorrow, I will make another dish for one that's a favorite :o)..When the kids are home, we have food orgies :o) and everyones to full to move. "No Place like home".

Harvest Monday :o)

2011-07-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

This Monday I have a Harvest to show, Onions being one of them! After taking them up we felt we did it a little too soon :o( The green was still healthy looking and we felt they could have grown larger had we let them stay in ground, we couldn't put them in again. I decided to wash some of them just to see what the difference would be. They were a pretty white indeed...next year I'm going to be patient and wait a little longer before taken them up...or Copy from Annie's granny and get some Walla walla onions :o)...

The tomato Hoop Box was a disappointment! I found a few rotting tomatoes filled with large catapillar looking worms! Ugh! I knew the box was infected and if I wanted some tomato's I'd better pick them and let them ripen on the window sill. It's so disappointing to work so hard and have things spoiled ..

oh well, on a happier note I consoled my self by frying a green tomato (sorry I didn't cook two since it was so tasty :o)

I decided to let you watch them fry and salivate too :o)

The video goes by pretty quickly, I didn't hold it long enough.(replay it)

Okay EG what's next?

2011-07-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

All this is happening because of the Engineered Gardner's encouragement!

I got so excited about growing my own sweet potatoes, I just had to try it out! Then at the Farmers Market I spied some Purple potatoes that had lots of roots growing on them already and any dummy could see they needed planting right away (that's me :o). So now I need to know what will happen when and If I plant them now.
Should I put them into their own little paper pots first, and let them get roots?
Is it too late for them to grow this season ?
Shall I plant them first in paper pots then in the ground, and let them winter over if necessary?
You all have to admit they do look pretty Sturdy , Healthy and Green :o)
I think I know what I'm going to do! (isn't that just like a woman :o) but I'm open to any and all suggestions...So you experts jump in here and give your opinion and or advice.

Friday Harvest Brag :o)

2011-07-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to report that after the Rains ..the Bees came :o) and they pollinated the squash and we had a Harvest :o) Those first two large Zucchini were almost missed ( we were so used to not seeing anything we began taking it for granted we'd get nothing). Surprise. Surprise :o)

That Zucchini looked like it was hard, but the knife went through it like butter ..in fact all of it was soft.
It was just too much to eat for one meal ( Cecil can eat a lot of it, but it was more than he could handle too). So I cooked the first two and one of the smaller ones with onions and spices I use and put the rest in a freezer bag for another meal.. I am so thankful that we were able to grow our own squash and that the bees came back to pollinate and make it possible..I couldn't see myself walking around with a cue tip pollinating a flower to produce. I couldn't wait for Harvest Monday to post about it..Since I moaned and groaned about not having something :o)..I've been blessed, again :o)

Blueberrie Picking Time

2011-07-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

We finally found a U pick Blueberry farm near us...in fact less than five minutes away :o)...So we got up early and ventured out ...we picked a bucket each, that only weighed 7 pounds..I think we will be going back for more...they are nice berries and it didn't take us but 45 minutes to do it. It got too hot for me to stay longer.

The Berry lady told us to lay them out for a day and the unripe ones would ripen..Then put them into the freezer and not wash them until you were going to use them..That sounds like a good plan to me..I picked out unwanted leaves and any that didn't look good, but most were pretty good. Berry lady said we could put them into something large and just take out what I needed at the time. That sounds good too!..Everyone has their own idea's how they want to store. I'm happy to have some for Blueberries cobblers or and pies :o),can you tell I'm happy! Kathleen sent me a couple of recipes she uses for her berries and fruits..I've used it for my Pear Cobblers...and she said I could share. So here it is.

A Poor Man’s Cobbler
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 stick butter
Fruit of your choice. If you are using blue berries and you want them sweeter, you can mix a little sugar with the blueberries and let them sit while you are preparing the batter.
Place butter into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and let it melt in a pre-heated 400. F degree oven, while you are preparing the batter. Mix flour , sugar, baking powder, salt and milk together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Pour this mixture over the melted butter, DO NOT STIR . Place desired fruit on top of batter. Bake 30 –40 minutes until golden brown. While cooking the batter will rise around the fruit.
Ginny, I also mix the fruit sometimes. Sometimes I make peach/ blackberry, or peach blue berry. Either way, it gets gobbled up in no time! Hope you enjoy it!

Every Day there is "Something"

2011-07-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Monday I had nothing to offer in line for "Harvest" , and also found that the Deer had nibbled all the tomatoes in Cecil's Garden, and not only that, they "Pooped" on my yard!@ &*%%$ it was a bad day, and l was depressed about it...Cecil put a smelly shirt on one side of the Pear tree and guess what! the Deer went to the other side "*&&% I guess you know what those symbols mean I'm saying (cussing). I don't want to eat them, but they are driving me so crazy I feel like a B B gun would be nice to have.

This morning, we found after that rain storm (which we so badly needed) two of the tomatoes I had in the side garden were so heavy they had fallen to the ground..(the only two on (Mortgage Lifter I had) I brought them in and hope they will ripen on the window sill. I don't know if I'll get more from them and as far as the one "Yellow Pear Tomato" the Deer have already nibbled off of it and I don't think there will be any more blooms.:o(
Update: I found out your supposed to put the stem side up on tomatoes you want to ripen in the window :o) I've corrected it.

I don't know if you can see them, but in the "Hoop Box" I have Roma's. Cherokee Purples, and German Johnson's. It seems to me the Plums are doing the best at growing so far..I'm glad I did the box if not I wouldn't have anything going in the line of tomato.
The cabbage is doing the best it can, but something is still nibbling at them :o( I wonder if it's that white moth I see flying around every where...The Deer have nibbled off my pepper plants something awful..I don't know if I have time to plant more (on the Patio) I hope they don't start coming that close..

You can see a couple more tomato's on the other end of the box..which is encouraging..I had to open it up and tie up the tomatoes they were so heavy on the vine..next time I'll do it differently so I won't have to struggle like i did.
EG showed a good video and I liked it enough to use...and I won't have to have a top on it.. my tomatoes are trying to grow upwards out of the box.

My cabbage is trying hard to "head up" I do want to be able to make some Kraut out of it. So far I have one Red Cabbage that was left from 2010, and I just left it to grow as it would, and it must have had some strong genes it looks as good or better that the rest of the them

it's the only red cabbage I have. Wish I knew how to get seeds from it ..Bet they would be some strong cabbage to have. all in all at least I'm not losing too much..The potatoes in Cecil's Garden are doing nicely and so are the onions. I almost forgot , after the rain the Bees came pollinated and lo and behold we had a squash that was enough for our dinner :o) and it looks like we will have more..thank goodness for that. So some things are keeping us sane and encouraged to keep on. Especially when some pretty flowers come into bloom :o)

What a way to get Mullein

2011-06-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Any other time you can find Mullein growing just about anywhere you don't want it to grow! Now that I've tasted it's brewed tea, I don't want to be without it, especially in the cold months ahead.. After searching and looking for a couple of days...look where I spied it...Up a steep hill that had been mowed (do a close up to see it on the left of that pole). I got my little paper bag out and I was going to snatch me up some...well,
getting closer to the hill, my better judgement said "forget it girlie"all you need to do is slip like you did before and break a leg (or hip). Mullein will have to be gathered someplace else..Not so, Cecil insisted on doing it himself..

Well needless to say, he was up that hill like a mountain climber, stripped two Mullein's of their leaves and started back down again.
He admitted it became steeper than he thought and had to "sit" down to get down, doing a "butt slide" :o)...One thing about us old folks, we will try by any means necessary to reach a goal :o).

Mission accomplished :o) Here he comes down the sidewalk, bag of Mullein leaves in hand ..Do you notice his "Manly stride" :o) You would think he was "Superman's brother" :o)...I definitely will have to give him a special treat :o)...
I've got the Dehydrator filled to the top drying the leaves after a good soaking and washing..I had quite a bit from two plants, so I had to do a makeshift hanging place (over the washing machine :o) for these until the others are dry..Well, this turned out to quite an adventure today harvesting some Mullein leaves. Should I have waited until Monday :o)...
Update: July6th
last night I ran out of my sleep prescription and made a large cup of Mullein tea sweetened with Honey...well I slept from 10:30 until 2:40, then fell back to sleep around 4:00 and slept until 8:15..could have been better , but I was rested :o) Mullein is relaxing for sure.

They almost made it :o(

2011-06-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

My Monday Harvest is the Pits! Here are two Plum tomatoes that "almost made it" . I found them on the ground inside the Hoop house..the wind? I don't know what happened..then walking down to the garden what do I find ...Deer tracks! and and the few tomatoes in Cecil's garden nibbled off! ugh! He is going to be so disappointed when he finds out about that.
Putting up a wood or vinyl fence would take away the joy of the view and expense I don't want, we will have to think of something!

At least I have something to show that I haven't been idle! I could see that the Boc Choy needed more room to grow, I had done them the same as I did the tomatoes..(put too many seeds for the space to grow).(E.G., didn't tell me about that soon enough). So I made some little pots out of paper..(while Cecil and I chatted about the coming fall crops we will plant :o) and this is half of them now nestled in their little pots to grow and then ....Only God knows where I will plant them to be safe from the Deer.. I have at least 20 cans of tomatoes up near the Patio and they don't come this far..(thank goodness). so maybe I'll have to put the Boc Choy into large containers (it works for a lot of people on the blogs, I could name a few

:o)..When I think of all those large containers that I saw at places like Goodwill and I snubbed my nose up because they didn't have the tops :o( I could slap myself.
Inside my little Greenhouse I have some Jalapeno Pepper seeds in those little paper pots I made.. Those seeds are from some frozen peppers that looked so good and healthy when I cut the pepper..I planted 6 of them, to see if they would grow, my store bought plants didn't do to well thus far..nothing ventured nothing gained. If they make it ...I'll save seeds from them..They were really large and I think I remember them being Serrano's peppers or (something like that).
UPDATE: Last night I had a cup of tea with honey from the Mullein, and let me tell you, it is relaxing! :o)

My Mullein Plant goes to Tea :o)

2011-06-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day to strip the Mullein stalk, dry the leaves, put them into the food processor, pulse them into tea form. (how about that description :o) I forgot to take the picture before I started the task. Here's a picture of the bottom, the leaves were left purposely, they say tea from them gives nightmares :o( Just so you know what the Mullein looks like when you see them.It didn't happen all at once , it took a day and into the evening until the morning.

Here is a picture of the Mullein top where the yellow flowers were..(I didn't harvest it soon enough to pick them) they are supposed to be good for ear infections and or salve making. Later I'll try that one.

Next into the dehydrator, instead of brown paper bagging it too dry.
After it dries..into the food Processor to grind it up for tea making.

After it was ground in the food processor I found a few stubborn stalks, I just took them out..The ground leaves are very soft and feel like cotton :o)...With one stalk of Mullein dried I got quite a bit for making tea..I tsp to a cup of water is the recipe with honey to sweeten ...it's on the bitter side.. supposed to relax you..I can use that.

Here is what I ended up with! There are a few cups of tea in this container , but if I look around maybe there's another plant and two or three more quarts won't be bad to have to have, takes a little work and it's free :o)...
Update: corrected spelling "MULLEIN"

My Harvest for Monday 6.5 Yukons and Russet potatoes

2011-06-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

They may look like a pitiful lot to some, but we are happy that at least we were able to grow something in that spot and it is more than a couple of meals..In fact we had some cooked with string bean for Sunday's meal..they were to small to peel so I scrubbed them and added just the yukons to the pot that had smoked hocks < they picked up the flavor and were delicious..We still have some red potatoes in the garden, and they are looking much better so hopefully we will have a good harvest there...
We went to the Farmers Market on Saturday and bought some delicous "White Queen Corn" they were freshly picked and one bite sent us back Sunday morning ..we only went for 2 doz. but ended up with a bushel :o).

You all know that corn comes with a brown tassel at the top and a spike at the bottom,well I cut off the brown top with my sissors, turn it around and cut off the spike at the bottom (feel it to find the end) then take off the husk (leaves :o) until you get as close to the kernels leaving layers to continue to keep it protected with a few layers.
Mother Nature protects the kernels in this way, and it's a good way to keep away freezer burn..I've done this and corn was as fresh as when first picked after a year!

No joke! Then I pack them into gallon freezer bags (8 in a bag fits nicely :o) then into the freezer until wanted..you will have to strip them and take off the silks then. You can put them into bigger bags if you want and just take out enough as desired :o) That's a good hint for this Harvest Monday...I give it free as I got it..passing it on..

What I've been up too!

2011-06-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Can you believe how fast (3 days) the Boc Choy babies came up! I'm hoping for some real yummy treats from it if it keeps on growing up like this :o)

I have been trying to wait for my Oregano in the pot to grow up a bit before trying to clip some for drying..well, yesterday was a busy one clipping it and also some Orange and Chocolate mint for tea's..A cup of Steeped Tea in the afternoon seems to perk me up...and I like it with sardines mixed with mayonnaise , onions and spices < Cecil hates it, but I grew up on it and it's a comfort food for me when I'm not feeling well, like today! When he's not feeling well or I want to get him to do something, I fix him chicken and dumplings :o) that's his comfort food.

Now I'll sit at the table and grind up my spices in the mini processor and put them into labeled containers. Of course I'll add the words "Homegrown". :o) Afterwards I'll have my lunch and try out some tea :o).

2011-06-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Here is my Harvest for Monday!
(Even though I did it Sat and Sun)
The top holds the onions from the Garden, not too shabby! but kind of small, the middle holds the Garlic from the Garden, and the blue pan is holding the White garlic from the Box..I at first thought they were leeks, (and so did others), however, after harvesting them, and cleaning them up, I remembered they were from two that I bought when I ran out of prepared garlic, I don't what kind they were except they were very white and so is the harvest.
I have them drying on that "sweater rack" I got at goodwill last year. Not bad for this "Almost an Acre" farm :o)