A Busy Summer

Summer is very busy around here.

I decided to take a break and show you a little of what we have been doing.

Be sure to click on all the links to recipes. I've included a lot.

We took a quick trip across the Ohio River to get corn to freeze.

They grow nice corn on the farms along the river.
So far we have put up 10 large and 8 small bags of corn cut off the cob. Go here to see how to make corn cob jelly and here to see how to freeze corn. .

Our grapes are doing great this year. I can't remember exactly when we planted our vines, but they are 20 to 30 years old, at least. One of the vines died last year. I was afraid we were going to lose all four of them. We were only able to pick a handful of grapes. When my husband pruned them early this year, he left the small vines growing from the old ones. Wow! We have a bumper crop.
Go here to see where I posted about making jelly and here to make concord grape pie. 

 


So far I have made four batches of jelly and put up three quarts of juice.

I don't know what I would do without this juicer, it is a time saver, for sure. It extracts the juice by steaming the fruit. I love it!

We also have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. The vines are so large, I find it hard to see all the ripe tomatoes hidden in them. I usually peel, cut up and cook them for 20 minutes, allow to cool and then freeze them in quart freezer bags. We then use them to put in soups, chili and make creamed tomatoes. Click here for a recipe.

Our one plant of squash has outdid itself. I have made squash bread, delicious squash pies, casseroles, fried them and froze them.
Go here to see a couple of squash recipes I posted a few years ago.  I'm not really crazy about freezing squash, but I shredded a few and put 2 cup portions of them in pint freezer bags to use later in recipes. I also sliced some, froze them spread out on cookie sheets and then put them in bags. I'll get them out in the fall and winter, quickly cover them in corn meal and fry them while still frozen. 

I have also been picking blackberries and putting them in the freezer. Click here and here to see some recipes I've posted using blackberries.

To relax, we watch the birds and squirrels, visit our creek and watch the wildlife and decorate rocks (among other things).

What have you all been doing this summer?

Took a Walk

It's been raining again this week. So you're thinking, what else is new? Right?

Well, we've had new carpet put in our bedroom, so we've been moving big, heavy furniture and painting for the last three days.

So, I thought I'd take a walk in the yard to see what's been growing besides the grass while I've been inside working.

Here are these pretty yellow flowers, whose name escapes me at the moment, that grow in front of my front porch. They have just started to bloom.

And, our apple trees have little apples. . .

On the way to the garden are the grapes and blackberries. Here I have berries that have grown beside of the grape vines.



Here is the path between the blackberry plants. I was down there this morning on my hands and knees pulling weeds. You can see them piled up in the middle of the row. I hate pulling weeds!


A few weeks ago I put grass clippings around one row of the berries, hoping it would slow weed growth. It did help some, but as you can see, poison ivy is very hardy and grew back.




The bees were enjoying the flowers on the blackberry plants. If I had a dime for every bee down there I could take you all out to lunch!


I caught a butterfly enjoying herself, also.


My spirea are beautiful right now,




. . . and so are my daisies. Did you ever do He loves me, He loves me not with daisy petals when you were a child?


There is a mommy bird that chirps, chirps, chirps at me when I'm down there. She has a nest full of babies and she's telling me I'd better not dare get near them. Here she is up my old pine tree. Do you know what kind of bird this is? You might have to click on her to get a better look. She's little and has a black head. Maybe a chickadee?


When I reached the garden I found that since our second try at potatoes weren't up yet, the potato bugs decided to lay their eggs on our tomato plants. This is what they looked like before I smashed them. I hate potato bugs!


Last, but not least, I continue to look for arrowheads each time I visit the garden. I didn't find any, but I did find some pieces of flint. No doubt scraps from making arrowheads around the campfire at night.


Hope you enjoyed our little stroll through my yard.