Close Your Eyes and...

...imagine you are sitting in your warm house by the fire (if you have a fire place or stove, of course). It's wet and cold outside.  You know the stores are swarming with holiday shoppers in a hurry.  Those shops are crowded, the lines are long and parking spaces are tough to come by.  Not to worry.  You're snug at home, doing some of your Christmas shopping online with the Amazon gift cards you earned through swag bucks.

You can't help it, but you feel a little sorry for all those holiday shoppers.  Some of them are your family and friends.  Now imagine them home, snug and warm, doing their holiday shopping on line.  They'll be smiling, too, and so glad you told them about swag bucks back in those warm, summer months.

Now, open your eyes.  Oh, wait.  I guess they've been open all along if you've been reading this.  Carry on.

This past week, I hit $200 in Amazon gift cards earned through searching swag bucks.  The quickest way to earn is by sharing swag bucks with others.  When you tell your friends about swag bucks, you (not me) will earn the swag bucks they earn, making your bucks grow even faster.  I'll just be happy for you, imagining you snug in your warm house come November.

For all the basics you need to know about swag bucks (including how others can sign up with you), go here.

If you're ready to sign up yourself, go here and start earning swag bucks today:-).

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Let Me Be Direct

Make these (or buy some)...

 

so that you can make this.

I made my double batch.  It's time you made yours.  You can hug me later (since that is what folks might do to you after they've tasted this).

In addition to getting those pesto tortes in the freezer (they are perfect for taking to get-togethers- just thaw and pick up some crackers on the way), we've been tackling our rest-of-summer-to-do-list.

Jamey's been attacking all manner of tree and bush with the chain saw we have on loan from my father.  Don't feel sorry for the trees and bushes.  They've been needing to be attacked for years.

Our corn crop is less than stellar (thanks to the dry spell), so we bought 4 dozen ears at our favorite local produce stand and froze it.  We're hoping to go back for more.

We ran out, so I made another batch of pie crusts and cooked up the last two frozen chickens in our freezer to make room for all we have left to freeze.

Our tomatoes are coming, but I won't have enough to make sauce yet (I like to make huge batches versus small ones), so I've been chopping up the tomatoes and putting them in the freezer.  The recipe I use lets you keep the skins on- it's a HUGE time saver and you can't even tell the skins are in there.  I'll show you what I'm talking about next week when I make a batch.

The 8 meat birds have been moved out of the chicken tractor and in with the laying hens and roosters.  They are fairing very well.  They'll be harvested in a couple weeks (hence the need for freezer space).

Our peaches have been picked.  I love saying that- OUR peaches.  This is the first year our four peach trees produced.  We picked 52 peaches.  Of course I counted.  They are ripening on the counter.  We've already eaten one and it was fabulous.

Speaking of peaches, our four bushel of peaches will be ready for pick up next week.  I'm sharing this order with my brother and sister who will be coming to help put up canned peaches, jam and peach salsa (just wait for this recipe- you're going to want to make lots).  It's going to be a sort of peach factory here next week.  Oh, my.  I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

Fall crops of lettuce, spinach and broccoli are being planted.  Jamey hacked down the Swiss chard because the bugs had gotten to it in the heat.  I cleared the debris and am hoping it will come back- without the lace look- so I can freeze some more.

Jamey installed much needed shelves in laundry room and he's working on putting real legs on this old table top (so he can have his saw horses back).  I can't wait to use this as my sewing/work table. I'm itching to piece a new quilt top this fall.  Never mind that Miriam's quilt (you can get a few peeks here) hasn't been quilted yet.  She won't be big enough for a real bed (and real-sized quilt) until next winter anyway.

Well.  I guess I just made up for no words yesterday.  Don't forget about that pesto torte.  I'm telling you.  It's worth the effort.

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July in Pictures

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Cool Treats

This past weekend, we invited our Sunday School class over for homemade ice cream.  Since we're still on the new-side many of them had never been to our house and we thought a get together was a good way to have people see where we live.  As well as a good excuse to make homemade ice cream.

We made three batches of our favorite vanilla ice cream recipe.  Toward the end of one batch we mixed in crushed Oreo cookies.  At the end of another batch, some of our crushed strawberries.  The third we left plain vanilla.  I mixed the batches the day before and stored them in the fridge in three two-quart glass jars.

 

Ice cream mixture ready to be turned and our ice cream maker (and turner's feet).

The morning of the get together, Jamey turned the ice cream.  And turned.  And turned.  And turned some more.  We transferred the finished 3 gallons of ice cream to large containers and let them chill in the freezer for about 6 hours before serving.  This is, by far, the best method to sharing homemade ice cream that we've tried.  While it's fun to have your guests turn the ice cream with you, freshly turned ice cream is often very soft and on a hot day like we had (and have been having), that soft ice cream quickly transforms into ice cream soup.  Doing it ahead of time ensures that the ice cream has had a chance to set up nice and firm and you get to decide when to eat it instead of letting the ice cream dictate your plans.  Sorry I don't have more pictures.  We were all pretty busy eating and visiting.  And trying not to get hit with balls the kids were playing with.  It was a  good time.

 Strawberry ice cream ready for the freezer to set up.

One of the perks of hosting a get together like this is the leftovers.  The night after, for dinner, we had waffles with homemade ice cream- a very special and infrequent treat at our house.

If you're in the mood for a cool treat, don't forget to check out these recipes for blueberry, strawberry and peach frozen yogurt and chocolate velvet ice cream- more of our favorites.  We seem to have a lot of favorites when it comes to ice cream and frozen yogurt.  Hm.





Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream (from Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt by Mable and Gar Hoffman)
While we love this recipe, we aren't as smitten with some of the other recipes we've tried in this book. Just so you know.

1 1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks
5 ounces evaporated milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Stir in milk.  Stir over medium heat.  Simmer 1 minute over low heat; set aside.  In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks.  Stir about 1 cup milk mixture into egg yolks.  Stirring constantly, pour egg-yolk mixture into remaining milk mixture.  Cook and stir over low heat for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened (ours never really thickens and it always turns out okay).  Add evaporated milk, whipping cream and vanilla.  Cool to room temperature.  Pour into ice cream canister (or refrigerate until ready to use).  Freeze in ice cream maker per manufacturer's instructions. Pin It

Let the Real Summer Begin

Well, it's certainly been hot enough to feel like summer.  We've been out of school for almost two months.  We've seen the asparagus, peas, strawberries and green beans come and go.  We're eating corn and tomatoes, local cantaloupe and watermelon.  The reason summer is officially starting for us now?

Because Jamey is home.  This past weekend started his "off" block of rotations.  He has five weeks at home.  With us.  This is one (and possibly the only) benefit to having no job and living off student loans.  Well, other than him getting an education, of course.

 My Sadie girl

We spent his first day off with family, across state lines at our favorite escape.  The weather was warm, but lovely.  The thunderstorms that showed themselves on the forecast came no where near us.

 

 Can you tell I wear flip flops all summer?

We swam, visited, went for walks, did a little rock climbing and ate good food.  The kids spent the whole day in the water.

 My Miriam girl

Miriam met sand for the first time on the man-made beach and did great.  Sam learned to swim.  It was a great day.

 

Lunch and dinner: fresh fruit, macaroni salad, chips, PB & J for the kids, hummus, tabouli, and flat bread for the grown-ups and the most amazing peanut butter cookies (not pictured, recipe to follow soon)

Jamey and I have a list to tackle while he's home.  We need to fit in our projects amidst a couple planned family vacations.  I am thrilled to have some help as we are watching tomatoes ripen and as we await the call to pick up our peaches and nectarines.  These five weeks are going to go fast.  When they're over much of our food for the year will be put up and we'll be starting school.  I'm just hoping the rest of the summer takes it's good old timing in passing.

There is a lot yet to do. Pin It

They're Here!

Remember a few short months ago when our side yard looked like this?

A bunch of worthless lawn, it was.  Then, before we knew it, it looked like this.

 

Now, it's teeming with green, yellow and brown life.

 

 

This past week, my brother has started cutting and selling his sunflowers at the end of our driveway.  Aren't they gorgeous?

 

 

A bunch of 5 sunflowers costs $5.  They have been grown by the sun, soil, and rain only (no sprays) and they are pollen-free, so they won't drop yellow pollen dust all over your tablecloth.  If you're local and you're not sure where we live, give me a call.











I hear sunflowers calling your name.  You can hear them, too, can't you?

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The Lull Might be Over

July can be a slow month toward the beginning.  During this lull, I make my pesto, then sit around and twiddle my thumbs a bit as I wait for tomatoes, red raspberries, bell peppers and corn.  Before I know it, the lull has come and gone and I'm trying to get myself psyched for the chaos that often ensues come August.

The tomatoes that are coming are finding there way into sandwiches and dinners, but there aren't enough to can.  Yet. The corn, too, comes slowly (Jamey puts in several plantings).  We have been eating corn on the cob with dinner, but the other day, there was enough to freeze a small batch.  Click here for instructions on how to freeze corn.  With those instructions comes our recipe for corn fritters (a huge hit with the kids as well as us).

Have you seen this contraption before?  It's a handy corn cutting tool from Pampered Chef. I enjoy going to their parties to visit with friends, but I often struggle with the shopping part.  First of all, I can't afford to be spending money on gadgets.  And, I'm not big on gadgets anyway.  BUT.  At the last party I went to, I came across this tool and thought it might be worth it.  It is.  It does an excellent job of cutting very close to the cob, so no juice is lost.  The shield is effective in keeping juice and corn pieces from flying all over your kitchen.  End of commercial.






The other process that's been going on around here has been the curing, braiding and hanging of onions.  Last year, our onion crop was small.  The year before that was awesome (see last picture below).  This year falls in between (about 110 onions).  Jamey pulls the onions on a warm, dry day and spreads them out in the garden (on straw).  They cure there for a couple days or until it looks like rain.  Once the rain threatened, we moved them into a shed (spread out on our trailer) to cure for up to a week until the stems are mostly dried.

Then, I braid them in the same way I braid garlic.  They are messier braids because they won't be hanging in my kitchen.  I put about 10 onions in each braid.  If you braid many more than that, the braid can get too heavy.

Once the braids are finished, we hang them in the barn where they stay until threat of frost.  Then, we move them inside to a cool place (that won't freeze) and use them throughout the winter.

Our onion harvest two years ago.

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Welcome, Tomatoes!

I look forward to this time of year like you would not believe.   I love tomatoes.  And, after a few disappointments in the garden this year, I have really been looking forward to a stellar tomato crop.  My fingers are crossed.  The tomatoes are just starting to come and while some of them are lovely, some of them look like this:

It appears to be Blossom End Rot.  Thankfully, it's not contagious.  From what I've read, it occurs when the calcium levels in the soil are too low and/or watering is too inconsistent.  I don't know about our calcium levels.  Inconsistent watering?  Yep.  That sounds like our poor tomatoes' plight.  Between drought conditions and our attempts to douse them to keep them alive, I'm sure their water levels have not been consistent.  They've been anything but.

Our hope is that since it's begun to rain regularly again that things will even out a bit. Here's to hoping that we won't lose many more and to not having rotten bottoms ourselves.

Assuming we get that stellar crop (eventually), I have a whole list of things I want to do with my tomatoes.   Last summer I wrote this series of posts on what you can do with your tomatoes- there are eight recommendations in all.  I'm going to be taking my own advice and work my way through that list.

Last night I made Tomato Pie.  It's recommendation #7.  I had really missed it.

Also, pop over here to make this easy and delicious recipe.  Everyone loved it at our house.

What are your favorite ways to eat or preserve tomatoes?  I don't want to be missing anything.

I've waited a long time for these beauties, rotten bottoms and all. Pin It

Girlfriends

Once, a long time ago, I had a girlfriend who I did everything with.  We either saw each other or talked to each other on the phone every day (at least once).  We knew everything about each other, completed each others' sentences and thoughts.  We had tons of fun- no matter what we did.  Boyfriends came and went, but that girlfriend was a constant- for years.

That was then.

At this point in my life, 'girlfriend' takes on a whole new meaning.  I love my relationships with my girlfriends now even though those relationships look very differently.  Now, Jamey is my constant and while my girlfriends don't 'come and go', actual face time or phone time with them does.  I love it how despite our busy lives, I have friends who I can see or talk to (weeks after the last time) and pick up right where we left off.  There's no underlying, 'Why haven't they called?' or 'Is she upset with me?' because we are grown ups and we understand that the lack of daily (or even weekly) contact doesn't mean something is amiss.  It just means we are living our busy lives, often putting family and homes first, saving those face and phone times for special occasions.  At least that is how I see it.

I love it how {as far as I know} my friends are okay with my sporadic contact.  Getting together daily or weekly runs me ragged.  I need space to give to my kids, the chores, our garden, meal preparations.  Play dates or evenings out for tea are days and evenings to look forward to and cherish.

The support and friendships of these women in my life are felt even when I haven't seen them in awhile.  I know they are there if I need them and I hope they know the same about me.  We might not be out shopping or eating ice cream late at night on our bellies while watching a movie together, but we are pillars of strength for each other- scattered across town and country.  We are ready for each others' call or visit, look forward to reconnecting.  We let our minds wander to those dear friends regularly, so thankful for their presence in our lives.

While the term girlfriend has taken on new meaning, it still holds all the joy and love it once did.  We've just grown up a bit, made room for other things in each others lives and we are okay with that.

Very okay. Pin It

While We Were Away

This past weekend, we spent three {great} days with family.  The purpose of our trip was twofold: to pick blueberries and to meet the newest addition to our family- my brother and sister-in-law's baby James (who is darling and perfect).  James did not disappoint.  The blueberries did. 

Instead of coming home with 40 quarts like last year, we came home with 9.  The dry spell last month left many berries very small.  Recent rains have helped some, but many berries just weren't ready yet.  Our timing was in line with when we had great success last year, but this year it was off.  I'm trying not to panic when it comes to fruit this year.  Our strawberries were lacking, now the blueberries.  I'm holding out for a great red raspberry crop, peaches and nectarines from a local orchard and apples come fall. 

We came home to a bit of a mess.  There was a storm over the weekend which was strong enough to bring down two large branches from our huge black maple tree.  One must have crashed onto the roof of the chicken coop (what a shocker that must have been for them) and then rolled off onto the ground between the coop and Jamey's shop.

The other fell squarely on top of the kids' play set, snapping it in two.

Not only were there high winds, there, evidently, was hail.  Our garden looks mighty disheveled this morning because of it.  The bell pepper leaves are tattered and everything looks a bit beaten.  It appears things will be okay, although the tomatoes are looking a bit strange.  I'm hoping it's not the blight that lots of folks have been dealing with around here the past couple years which we have been (so far) escaping.

I intended to take more pictures of the garden, but got distracted because there was a rooster and two hens in there having a hay day.  This is what they do.

It is not allowed.

Our meat birds seemed to weather the storm okay.  Did I tell you we got meat birds?  Last year, we bought heritage meat birds, but this year, it was a last minute (maybe last second) decision to get some, so we bought some local, already 7 weeks old.  In couple weeks, they'll be ready to be harvested.  They are in the chicken tractor (along with a gimpy laying hen) because if placed in the chicken yard, they'd get chased out of the fence by the territorial laying hens.  And, while chasing chickens is fun the first few times, it's really not how I prefer to spend the bulk of my days.




So, on the down side, there is a lot of clean up to do around here on top of all the laundry, the corn that's going to get picked tonight, the onions that need braiding and hanging (more on that soon), etc. 

 

On the bright side, no limbs fell on the house or damaged any of our out buildings.  The red raspberries are loaded and starting to ripen their second harvest. 

The garden appears to be okay (but only time will tell) and some of our flowers started blooming.  Black eyed susans...

and the sunflowers are coming!

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