Howdy everyone. Hope this finds you all well and safe. It is going to be a scorcher today. Probably a good 10-12* above normal highs. It feels pretty darn good outside right at this moment. Now is the time to get things done outdoors.
My garden has been going strong, and I love it. I don't have a big garden, but I do have a lot crammed into a small area! I know not everyone can garden - but for those that can't, I hope you are getting to eat some fresh produce. I hope you are being gifted some or finding farm stands to get some. There sure is nothing like it! The taste is phenomenal.
I have been enjoying eating all the produce I grow this year. Here is a tasty meal. Zucchini, peppers, onion from garden - with some chopped chicken from freezer over rice. Cukes & toms as a side. I mentioned last week making a veg pizza. It was darn tasty too. Peppers, onions, tomatoes and even some thinly sliced squashed from the garden - threw in some rehydrated mushrooms and some olives and a tiny bit of pepperoni - golly it was good.
It is such a joy to eat the produce I have grown.
Soon gardens will be coming to an end. Don't forget that when that happens, to still use up what you can. Just because things aren't ripe or grown to full capacity - you can still use them. Think about relishes. You can make some great relish. I used to make green tomato relish - oh my goodness that stuff is heavenly. Eat it with a spoon good!!!
Now I try to can many of the green tomatoes to fry over the winter! YEP. It is easy and they are quite tasty in the middle of the winter.
If you end up with BIG zucchini or cukes (those that hide) - use them in relish. Both make great relish. Grate the zucchini to use over the winter in zucchini bread or muffins. **You can do the same with cucumbers. Make faux pineapple. Don't let things go to waste - they are still useable.
I just love this time of the year. It is busy and we work hard to put that produce back for the winter - but dang it, it is worth it.
If you don't can or freeze items (or even dehydrate), I hope you at least get to enjoy some of the freshness for a while.
If you have extra - share with family and friends.
Now is the time to forage if you live in a place where that is possible. Walnuts are falling around here. If you can beat the squirrels to them, that is a good forage item! Soon apples & pears will be ready - if you have neighbors that don't use theirs - ask if you can have them! Wild grapes are ripening. There are many items that one can get for free. Heck, even ask your family and friend if they have fruit trees that they don't use the produce from.
I have been loving eating all the fresh items, and really haven't thought much about the grocery lately. I know I should really watch the ads now - as there are some sales going on for Labor Day - it is time to start stocking up for winter.
I do not want to get into any politics (AT ALL), but things may get weird come fall - and this gal just wants to be prepared. Illness and flu usually pick up in the fall & winter months, so staying away from stores is a good thing. Thankfully I am not a person that needs to be on the go all the time - very content staying home. You just never know what could happen in life - so stay on top of your home. It is your domain, and it is about the only thing you can control.
Hoping my time will be full of planning Christmas gifts and working on them!
Hope you are all getting to enjoy some of the harvest freshness that seems to be everywhere! Nothing like it.
Stay cool and hydrated. Please don't forget the animals - they need water too!
Have a super beautiful day!
We have walnut trees but I gave up trying to do anything with them. It was a mess. I wish I knew how to do it in an easier way.
ReplyDeleteI need to take stock of my pantry and check ads also. I haven't paid too much attention to what I need for winter.
After 10 years at a community garden I didn't do it this summer. I just didn't have the time to commit to it (especially since I had to drive to it). I did put out a few pots of vegetables around my patio but they haven't done much.
We always collected the walnuts and then Glen drove over them to break the husk outer shell - then we cracked. They are very messy and it is a big job.
DeleteSorry you didn't get much from your pots. Hoping you can get some goodies from farm stands. Maybe next year you can do the community garden again.
It seems that the summer just flew by! This week with the temps in the 90's tells us it is not gone quite yet. Fresh harvest is the best! We will have a bite of summer this winter when we open a jar of green beans that we canned. That is a big mater! The smallest ones you have look like the spoon tomatoes that Riley loves to scavenge. We have a nice selection of winter squashes. If the fall planting goes as planned, we will have cabbages and turnips. It will all end though, and back to grocery we go.
ReplyDeleteYep, summer has flown by. Home canned green beans are the best! One of my favorite things. Brother always gifts me some he has canned.
DeleteGlad you have the squashes and cabbage and turnips will be a nice add in. Hey, anything we don't have to buy is a good thing!!
Love the growceries - cucumbers, tomatoes, chard, potatoes, beans. A friend & I had this discussion yesterday - our delight in gardening & harvesting what we've grown. It evolved out of necessity growing up & now it's a lifestyle choice. The garden also provides exercise, fresh air & meditation as well as being a symbol of hope. There's something very grounding about putting our feet & hands in the dirt.
ReplyDeleteBoy, did you sum that up well. Yes, I started it to supplement the groceries too - then it became fun and a habit. I truly love gardening - everything about it. Even the work, because later that work will taste so good to me and others.
DeleteI have always read that being barefoot outdoors is so very healthy - we absorb the earth energies. I go barefoot a LOT! I just love getting my hands in the garden and flowers and dirt.
I love that "it is a symbol of hope".
I agree that getting hands into the dirt is a Good Thing. Very helpful, healthful. Wish I could go barefoot here, grew up going barefoot, but here it is all rocks, both big and small, so not barefoot territory at all. :(
DeleteMaryB
Bummer Mary. I have been barefoot person since I was a kid. Just feels freeing!
DeleteHmmmmm, I used to be a great advocate for gardening barefoot, but after the loss of my toe, not so much. It's shoes on at all times now.
ReplyDeleteMy neglected garden is still giving, we have had tomatoes, zucchini, some herbs, not enough to put away, but enough not to have to buy extra. It all helps.
I have been working very hard on getting my pantry back to a level that I'm happy with. Today I purchased some gift cards to put away for Christmas because they were double rewards points, and got some great discounted vegetables. Tomorrow's job is to prepare all that for the freezer. My son turned up yesterday with two boxes of lemons that he was given, so some thought will need to be given about how to process those as well.
Take care, Louise
Well I can understand your saying that. You have a very good reason!
DeleteYes, all those goodies are wonderful. Just having fresh is a great treat.
Smart idea on the GC's. Double points doesn't hurt a bit.
I love the discounted veggie/fruit bin. You can always find some good stuff. Smart to put that back for the winter.
The lemons will be so fresh tasting in the winter. Don't forget to maybe make some cleaner with the peels!
Gosh, I'd love a box of lemons. I just put them into the freezer whole and juice them as needed.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fine tomato, Cheryl. It is unusual and due to climate change that we now enjoy ripe tomatoes before frost. Used to be that we picked the green tomatoes and ripened them indoors. Green tomatoes and scrounged apples can be used to make mincemeat along with raisins and spices.
I had fun with my visiting friend yesterday as we toured the garden and she picked the vegetables she wanted. People who do not garden find gardens magical and delightful. "Look at the size of that tomato!" I was happy to let her take it.
I froze the first broccoli of the season today. Glad they survived the bugs and cabbage moths that eluded me. Plenty of side shoots to come until heavy frost; so sweet too in cold weather.
Good plan to stay home in the fall. I also like to do it in winter, spring and summer! One trip a month is working great for me.
Thanks - I was pretty proud of the tomato. I always have some that get picked right about frost time to ripen or use. My brother makes mincemeat too.
DeleteIt makes it enjoyable when your guests find your efforts delightful. Glad she got some goodies.
Those tender side shoots will be wonderful. Those are my favorite cabbages as well.
I am not a winter person - so I stay home a lot more then. I just feel more comfortable and cozier in my home than anywhere.
That is a giant tomato! Our gardens here are fried unfortunately. My son in law just mowed theirs down preparing for a new fall garden.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's wise to prepare, very wise. I don't see it as political but good versus evil. God bless.
Hi Amelia. Yep, I am pretty proud of that tomato. I have had several over a pound a piece. Heat will sure do that to gardens. Sorry they are finished already. Here's hoping that there is a good fall crop!
DeleteYes, I think we all just need to get our homes, pantries and freezers in order - for whatever.
Glad to have you stop by.
Wowser, Cheryl. That is some tomato!!! Having a well stocked pantry, especially with homemade soups that I'd froze, sure saved us during our bought with Covid this summer. Now that we've recovered fully we're busy playing catch-up. I whole heartedly agree with you about things getting weird. I have been feeling the nudge to further stock up on the staples that are necessary for my gluten free and low histamine diet. I just put an order in today to bulk up on ghee and brown rice pasta. I found that Amazon was price goudging on the products I needed while another site was so much less and had free shipping if you spent $30. Our garden is continuing to produce carrots, sweet potatoes, chard, and tons of okra, radishes, and loads of sweet peppers still producing, and we have a fall crop of 10 broccolis growing. I am considering dropping a few lettuce seeds in our containers for lettuce during the fall and perhaps early winter months. We are blessed to live in an agricultural area with many orchards and farm markets very close to our home. It has been lovely and cool here for the last week but the heat returns tomorrow and the heat index will be above 100. I will be inside tomorrow prepping for the vegetables for freezing that were harvested today. Have a blessed week. Cookie
ReplyDeleteYour bought with sickness, just shows how we need to be prepared at all times. Catch up is a lot of work - but you got this.
DeleteGlad you were able to find a cheaper place and free shipping. That is why I like Chewy for the kitty stuff - generally can get free shipping. Makes me furious that places price gouge.
Yay on all that you still have growing. Eat some okra for me! I love fried okra. I thought about seeding some lettuce next week when it cools here.
You must be getting our hot. It is HOT! We get cooler again next week. Tis that time of year!
Have fun prepping all those yummies. So happy you have so many sources close by.
My tomato plant is just about done - I'm letting the tomatoes ripen on the vine, but I'll pick the rest tomorrow before I head back to the city, The carrots are still in the garden and can stay until the first frost.
ReplyDeleteI've certainly enjoyed the wee bit of produce we got this summer, and I suspect we'll do better next year.
Enjoy your day!
Any produce you get fresh from your efforts is sure tasty. Glad you enjoyed it. It really is fun and you get food too!
DeleteOur tomatoes are huge as well. I am loving toasted tomato sandwiches and tomato slices with our suppers. Today I froze three bags of them and I have a feeling there will be a few more this week as well.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Tomato sandwiches are sooooo good. I do them on toast too.
DeleteI have frozen a handful - just because they started getting spots and I didn't feel like processing that day. They will go into salsa real soon.
My house had scuppernong and wild grapes, walnuts, hickory nuts, wild strawberries. Tommy's house has nothing to go out and eat! Yes, we buy it all.
ReplyDeleteSome places just don't have much to glean. Too bad. Sometimes neighbors have a fruit tree or something. We buy what we must!
DeleteWow, that tomato is a whopper! We grew a new outdoor variety this year and have not had a ripe tomato off them yet. They are tall and we have had high winds which have knocked the pots over repeatedly, despite out best efforts, knocking a lot of them off. There are some just ripening up, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we actually manage to harvest some before Autumn hits.
ReplyDeleteoh shucks, I sure hope you get something to pick. Mine took forever to ripen and then boom, they hit all at once.
DeleteI sure wish you luck with them. I am always hesitant about changing types.
How wonderful! It's my dream to have a big garden that can suffice us with produce for most of the year, but due to many circumstances, I'm yet to start. We do grow a few things here and there, but I don't really consider it a "garden" still. Posts like these really inspire me to grow more.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun, great exercise, and the results are just so tasty. It doesn't have to be a large area - mine isn't big. Anything you get fresh is a blessing for sure. Homegrown is just so wonderful. You can do it! Hope you give it a try next year!
DeleteIt is a lot of work but it is SO worth it to enjoy during the fall and winter. I'm stocking up on a number of things too. I don't like to go out much in the Winter but I also have a gut feeling anything could happen.
ReplyDeleteIt is work - but yes, so worth it.
DeleteGood idea - so many things could happen. I don't worry about things - but it does pay to be prepared. Who knows what could happen?
I like staying away from stores more now too. I just noticed that Gordon’s will now deliver with a $75 order. Woo Hoo! They have the cheapest black olives around. Nothing beats a bowl of freshly picked cherry tomatoes. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteYep, I've got a plate of cherry and grape tomatoes on my counter, too! Great minds think alike! I absolutely love this time of year. I've mentioned before that I cannot plant a garden (townhouse living), but can have containers on my deck. And, if all I get is enough for daily consumption, that's better than what I can get at the grocery store. My "Early Girl" tomatoes never set buds this year, not sure why, but I got nothing from those plants. I'm waiting on green peppers, hoping for a larger size, along with red peppers that are still green. My habaneros are almost ready for harvesting. I'll dice them up and vacuum seal them for the freezer, so I have some ready-to-use in my peach habanero jam next summer (harvest time for peaches and habaneros are different, and I hate paying $3.00+ for the smallest package of habanero peppers, when I only need 2-3). Lettuces are done and my basil plant needs to grow some more for another cutting to dehydrate and refill my jar. I've got favorite farm stands I patronize for quantity purchases for canning and stocking my pantry. Still need some apples for sauce and hard squash, which will stay in a basket in the garage throughout the winter.
ReplyDeleteI've also started a notebook for recipes and instructions to have on hand, for "just-in-case ..". Yes, I've made homemade yogurt before, but only once or twice. Same with bread not using the breadmaker. So those "how to" instructions would be handy, especially if my Internet was down. This way, I won't have to go hunting in a pinch. I thought about finding a catsup recipe this morning -- I've got lots of stewed tomatoes and plain sauce on hand, how would I convert that to catsup? A strange thought for first thing in the morning, isn't it? And, for those home-cleaning products. I think we'll all be holding our breath later this year. And for those who think Covid is over, think again. The number of ER visits testing positive in Chicago has skyrocketed, per local news coverage, and with different symptoms, too. In our case, it's being attributed to the large number of people from across the country congregating in Chicago for the DNC and/or large protest groups. It's still out there people. Who knows what the winter cold and flu season will bring, especially as the Covid virus mutates. Time to go thru the medicine chest and check on those supplies, as well.