Another atempt at Green Beans

Harvest is done for the summer from my garden. Such a disappointing year. Grasshoppers feasted on the final crops after we finally got rain. We didn't have many bugs this summer during the heat and drought. Which was nice, but couldn't sit out and enjoy the outside anyway. Summer just sucked.
So, after the ground got saturated, I am trying for a fall harvest of green beans, zucchini and cucumbers. So far I am pleased with the growth. Now hoping the temps hold and they can produce something for us.

Sa far, the beans are spotty coming up. But more rain has helped the beans sprout now. Finally catching up on the mowing and weed control. The weeds were just waiting to bolt up out of the ground with natures watering. I have missed being able to hide out at the farm this summer and work. Got lazy hanging out in the house. Gotta get back into shape.

Spring of 2012

This years 2nd yellow rose in my flower bed. It's smaller than the first one. But love the bright color of it once again.

This years lilies, camera did not bring out the orange of this one.

This one is my yellow lily. They both flowered earlier than usual, with our mild temp. My peonies even bloomed and are gone way before Memorial Day. Loving the colors of my flowers that have bloomed early. I should have mums blooming in a couple weeks. Hoping for color all summer long and into the fall.

Garden is planted, adding later crops in a few weeks. Garden is planned for all summer long harvesting with the space between first planting and later plantings.

Also in the works, is restoring/painting a golf cart and a Farmall - H. Been busy most days with working a little on all the projects, along with getting trees trimmed along roadway at farm, painted a wagon we made last winter, helping Steve get the soybeans in, cleaning up after heavy flash flooding rains, and mowing, which started the second week of March, and has had to be mowed at track, farm and home once a week. Then there is watching Kiley everyday too. She's such a big helper to me now.

We also have started tractor pulling, so we have our fun days too. It's good to be outside working again. Sure lifted my spirits, after a nice warm winter without being able to really do anything til the weather was for sure going to stay warm. Farmers took advantage to plant early, but some had to re-plant, as we had low land flooding from heavy rains which made the creeks go out of their banks into the planted fields. We held off planting til last Tuesday, normal planting time. Wishes for some snow next winter. Sure missed it.

Tour of my garden

Tomatoes are growing and I found some have little tomatoes on them. I will be a watch pot for them to turn red. I planted 4 types of tomatoes this year. Better boy, cherry, Rutger, and Beefsteak.
I planted the cherry tomatoes at the ends of the panels, so they will be easily accessible. I plan to use those for experimential making sun dried tomatoes.

Cantaloupe are loaded with blooms, looks like I will have an abundance of those, and plan to freeze some then for fruit salad in the winter.




Corn came up pretty good. I have several spaces in the rows which didn't grow any, but instead of planting more, I am going to plant flowers and herbs in those spots among the corn.

Green beans are looking to be blooming in the next few weeks. I should have beans by 4th of July I figure. We will eat as many of them fresh as we can, then I will can some for winter use.
I bought a green bean frencher late last summer, and plan to use it to make french style green beans for green bean casseroles. Family loves that dish, and it's a must dish at holidays.


I am so looking forward to my rainbow peppers. New to my garden this year, I will chop and freeze those for use in dishes. I think freezing some whole to make stuffed peppers with this winter also. Of course I will make some with the fresh ones too.


First radishes I planted, we have eaten them all. I have more planted, but they are very tiny yet. Lettuce has been such a treat as wilted lettuce. Still have some growing, but not for long. I need to plant another row of it later on.




My sunflowers and other flowers are growing big. Can't wait til they start blooming.
Steve bought me a glider bench last year for Mother's day. It's now in my rock patio at the house, but I sit on the porch at my patio table. I plan to take the bench to the farm and place it in my garden, and spend time sitting and swinging in it in the evenings when we are at farm.







All the rest of the stuff I planted are doing great. Getting greener by the day, drinking up the rain we got over the weekend. Chances today for some more rain, and it will be a very welcome watering for the grass and the plants.
Of course, the critters are a bothersome add to my garden this year. Seems they like the roots of some of my plants. I sprayed Liquid Fence all around the garden but yesterday when Steve and I drove up to the garden area, 3 of those little critters headed back across the roadway to the trees when they saw/heard us. I didn't call them nice names, lol, and when I walked around the garden, I saw where they had been digging. I even had 3 hickory trees growing in the garden from their hiding the nuts. They won't be finding those nuts hidden any longer in my garden.
Visiting and working in the garden is so peaceful. I just love the time I spend at the farm.

2011 Garden adventures continue

This picture here is of a neighbors farm. It is a no till field from last year, covered in goldenrod. Fields all around us are full of this weed. It's pretty yellow flowers are nice to look at, but the farmers aren't happy with them being so invasive this year. Luckily for us, we worked out ground last fall, so we don't have the abundance of them on our ground.

This here is my latest play toy Steve bought for me to use in my garden. A customer of his lost her husband last winter and asked Steve if he'd be interested in buying it to get rid of it, as she said she would not need it. I've spent a few hours on it working my garden, and it sure was easier than the walk behind tillers we have to keep in straight line. lol Of course the best tiller we have is our cub cadet he bought me last year, only it takes a lot of man/woman muscle to hold it on my slight hill side garden. But it tills the finest soil and so it too gets used.

This is my tomato patch this year. 31 tomatoes of 4 varieties are planted and growing. No wilted ones and this is day 3 in the ground with temps in the high 80's. So looks like I will have a bumper crop of tomatoes again this year. I plan to make more sauces than anything with them as I still have some juice left. But last year was mainly juice made.

Feel the Fall

I complained last week of the heat and humidity. Temps were in the 90's, days were swelteringly hot. I hope that is a word, swelteringly, sounds just like the days felt here in my area. The whole summer has been record setting hot here. So I haven't really enjoyed it all that much. Usually our summer consists of very warm, but not so miserable that it's life threatening for weeks at a time. This year was like 7 weeks straight of heat warnings, day and night. Then we had some relief, only for it to come at us again for weeks. Then again last week. Friday morning early, we saw some rain, was damp out, but the temps were tolerable.

Then Saturday, we really felt the relief, as highs only climbed to the mid 70's. The sun was shining bright, so it felt warm, but with the breeze blowing, we enjoyed working outside in it, putting up summer tools and equipment, mowing at pulling track, and then heading to farm to mow there also. I got some grass seed sowed while there, and gazed sadly at my garden, what used to be my garden. It's almost gone. I only have some carrots to dig, and tear down the fencing we put up for tomatoes to grow on, then pull out the last of the tomatoes and green beans. Zucchini has died out. Green peppers are still producing too. But nothing else is left to enjoy.

My hollyhocks are bloomed, some of them. Some won't bloom before frost gets them, for they were planted too late. But they are growing proudly all alone in the space I planted them.

While driving home, I took an interest in watching the tree lines along other farms and creeks, there is definiately fall in the air now, as the trees are starting to turn, grasses are dying, farmers crops are being harvested, and the fields are bare where the early crop is already out.

We slept with the windows open last night, and awoke to a cool house this morning. Steve said it is time for the warm sheets now, (flannel) and I told him not right yet. He suggested I cut the sheets in half and sew them together, and I would have cool sheets while he had the warm sheets. You know, he just might have an idea there, as going thru the change had made my body temperature higher than it used to be. I am thinking of looking into doing just that for the both of us. Doesn't matter if they don't match, the sheets are covered with the comforter when bed is made and that is the first thing I do everyday upon rising. I personally think people lazy who can't make a bed. How hard is it really.

So the windows are closed for now. I turned on 2 burners on the stove to take chill of the house. And I lit my candles in all the rooms. The house smells so nice and spicy, flowery and rain scented. Candles are different in every room, so it's all mingling together. It really is smelling of fall.

Well, off here, heading outside to enjoy some of the crisp cool air and watch some of the leaves turn as I piddle around out there.

This batch down, more to go

Last post showed some of the tomatoes I am thankful my garden produced this year. More in garden ripening fast. These produced 50 pints of juice for future use this winter. Next batch I am hoping, with weather permitting, I will be able to cook down into ketchup and ready to use sauces.
Steve told me he can get me a propane stove if I want it. It can be put on porch for summertime canning. I am thinking that may be the way to go right now. Inside cooking keeps the AC working overtime, it's been working full time just battling the hot summer we have had this year.
We are so looking forward for fall coming. I actually look forward to putting on a jacket and jeans to work outside.

Changing with Age?

30 years ago, if someone would have suggested I try my hand at making pineapple using zucchini, I would of run screaming EEWWWW.

This year, a cyber friend posted a recipe for zucchini pineapple.

Needless to say, I use lots of pineapple during the holiday season, and this year I have an abundance of zucchini producing in my garden.

So I put the recipe to a test today, and made my family our very own homemade zucchini pineapple. Oh the taste is soooo good. I like pineapple, but the canned fruit has some core in it, and I don't care for the crushed store bought pineapple for that reason.

Well this pineapple is well worth the risk of making, it tastes just like pineapple without that core crunch. I don't think I will purchase pineapple again after tasting this. I am starting to be much more daring in my age, than I was years ago. And I am proud to say I am glad I took this challenge to myself to try the recipe. I am not at all disappointed. The real test will be baking with it to see if family even notices there was no can in the trash, only a jar in sink.

Busy but great day at the farm

Spring clean up at farm started today. Grass was tall, got it mowed, trimmed low hanging branches from trees along drive, cut fallen trees into firewood pieces, hauled debri to wash out area hoping to stop the errosion process, and admired the view along with the wind and warmth, and peace and quiet. Checked thw W-6 for mice nest around radiator and under hood of motor, so far looks like they didn't set up house in it for winter.

Friend of ours had mice nest in his big tractor's breather, so it wouldn't run when he tried to start it to use in the field, so Steve went over and looked it over and found them, removed them and tractor is running great.

Leslie helped mow today, she got sunburnt. So now I have a whiney 26 year old, Melanie and Kiley brought us up lunch, Melanie told Leslie she got sunburnt too, but Leslie said she wasn't as red as Les is. M and K were only with us for couple hours tho. Leslie stayed with me til we had to go take Steve his truck to SD's Kane farm so he could come home late, then Les took me back to farm and went on home. I finished up, loaded the mowers, left the wagon up there for the night, took stock for mental list of what else needs done over the next few weeks, and headed home for shower and nice glass of tea, and comfy chair.

Kiley is spending the night, as kids went to movie and dinner. She had herself a very cleansing fit for us, cried it all out I guess, then played in playpen in my room while I read, then she sung for a minute, and fell asleep. During her fit time, she wanted nothing to do with any of us, but yet she wanted us to hold her, then she didn't want down, she'd crawl around and bury her face in blanket on floor and cry, we'd hold her, she'd cry, we'd try to give her a bottle, she'd cry, she just had to get it out of her system, then she was a happy baby and went to sleep on her own. Go figure, PMS in early stage?

I will head to farm in morning for another day working there, kids will pick up Kiley who will stay with Leslie at home, Steve will go to Kane farm and work ground for his friend SD. I just love staying busy when the weather is so beautiful. Didn't get any garden planted, or worked. Steve did bring disk to farm from pull track in our town. So it's ready to be used to break up the soil so I can till it fine with tiller. Looking forward to gardening so much.

Garden Update

Today I went up to farm and collected tomatoes and green beans out of my garden. I am surprised that I still have green beans coming on strong. My tomatoes are starting to die off. I will just have to keep them picked as they ripen, for there are no new blooms on them. So I now have some canning to do.
Soon I will need to get up there and start pulling the sunflowers and corn stalks out which have ended for the year. They sure were pretty while they lasted. I think often of Steve's parents, and wonder how their lives were years ago when they started farming this ground. They bought the farm in 58', the year Steve was born. He never knew another home but the one we created together, he was so lucky. I remember moving around as a child, I hated moving. So the memories we have will forever be etched in our hearts. The piece which Steve inherited was the last field we had worked physically side by side with his Dad in before his Stroke in 05'. So this piece of property means the world to both Steve and I. I still remember him and I cutting wild sugar cane tops out, before Steve combined the beans. He and I kidded around while working at it. Was a great memory made which no one can take from us. Material things can be taken away, but the memories made will live forever etched in our hearts.

A Good Day

Today, Steve and I went up to the farm. I worked in my garden first, picked green beans and tomatoes. Wow, I hadn't been to collect tomaotes in over a week, so today I got a lot of them, considering I only have 5 plants. So I made tomato juice when I got home, ended up with 14 pints. So that should help out on grocery bill this winter, not having to buy so much for making chili and soup.
After I got my gardening done, I cut down some of the weeds which just keep growing. lol Some of them are taller than I am, which doesn't take too much, but I can't get to them. They will just have to die out in the winter. Then I hopped on the W-6 and took myself for a ride around, while Steve was shredding. The corn looks real good this year. We sure are happy about that. The weather has cooperated, could have used more warmer weather, but we sure can't complain with it being our first year solo farming. I often talk with my father and mother in law, God rest their souls, they are gone, but in my heart they still are with us. They had never put a garden in this part of their farm, so this year was the first one. I am happy to say, it grew real well.
After my little ride around on the W-6, Steve was done with the road banks and told me to hop on with him while he headed back to the water ways of the field to shred back there. So up I went, sat on the fender, rode around til my bony butt couldn't sit there any longer. lol I finally told him to let me off and I would walk back to garden, he said he was almost done, but I told him I couldn't sit on the hard fender any longer. I told him I was going to make myself a soft pad to put on that fender for my next ride. He laughed and said his butt didn't hurt. Well, NO he had the nice comfy seat. So I enjoyed the walk back to garden area. I washed the W-6 while I waited for him to get done. I only had 2 gallons of water with me, but the birds had roosted above it while parked under a willow tree, and I was able to at least get the bird dung off it. I also got the big table loaded onto the trailer to take home for using to lay all the small parts of the C on to paint them.
We have to have water run, and electric hooked up to our part of our place. So still very primitive back there for us. But I don't mind carrying TP and used walmart bags and squatting. Heck, I grew up with an outhouse for toilet and bathed in wash tubs when I was younger. But that was many moons ago.
I have a whole list of things to do this week. A very busy one which I welcome to pass the time. Til next time, God Bless.