Raspberry Bush

This raspberry bush is a favorite around our place. It has gotten a little bit away from me with no weeds being pulled the past couple years, and the dry summer last year possibly hurt it’s growth a bit. I made sure to put TLC on my to do list, and got around to doing that today. We don’t have a lot of fresh eating plants, but the raspberries we get every year are something I enjoy so it felt good to give my plant some breathing room.

Garden Shed

It’s been pretty weather outside lately. I decorated my garden shed and did a few other things in the yard this past week. The garden shed decorations were holed away in one of our barns, and I finally got around to putting them out. My collecting habits are paying off {my husband may call it hoarding}.

{Georgie the cat showed up a few months ago and adopted us}

My Studio Helper

Zaidey loves doing art with me. I’ve been really into painting earrings lately, and she surprised me being such a big help with applying gesso! I’m so happy to share my hobby with her. Each of my earrings are a miniature painting. Right now I’m selling them for $15 a pair which is very inexpensive considering how unique each one is. But it’s worth it to move more merchandise now so that I can work out all the bugs in my system.

Starting seeds

Started several packets of seeds this year, and it always makes me happy to have a little bit of spring at the end of winter.

Monday, November 5th, 2012

Yesterday we took the kids to our first family movie! Wreck It Ralph was very cute - we highly recommend it. Trinity is 2 and a half and Lincoln is 4, and they both did great. Right before the credits rolled Trin did get squeamish, but overall she did fabulous.

Since I last wrote we enjoyed a family trip to the zoo {pictures to come} and of course trick or treating. I started work on my yearly hand drawn Christmas card {can't believe it's already here} and I printed off lots of pictures to share with the family over the holidays.

Our house is certainly shaping up these days. Our three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and upstairs landing are all dry walled, painted, and fixtures are going up. I got a couple of stencils in the mail today and I plan to do a few accent walls that I will blog about soon.

Tuesday, October 15, 2012

Today, I decided to go out into the garden and see if there were any carrots or potatoes leftover from the summer and surprisingly I found several still hiding in the soil.

The kids and I didn’t do a whole lot today. This past weekend we had a family get together with Adam's side and we carved pumpkins and had a great meal made by my MIL.

Right now the kids are on fall vacation and it lasts two weeks. It's been a nice break from preschool and MOPs. I think we may go to the zoo and maybe do a few other local activities.

Borrowing irises

Today, we visited my grandma's house, and unfortunately my grandpa had to be taken to St. Vincent in Indianapolis for heart problems.  So far it seems that he is stable, but tomorrow will be telling when they are able to assess how much damage has been done to his heart.  Praying for the best and hoping they can help him get well.

While I waited to hear about my grandpa, I decided to dig up some old irises that my grandma had planted years ago in a now grown-up area of their yard.  I am amazed that the plants were still coming up. The little beauties were popped up here and there, poking their broad leaves through a prison cell of weeds.  I felt bad for them, as silly as that sounds, and I dug up every single iris that I could find, promising them a new home full of sunshine and {mostly} weed free.

Grandma was so kind to let me have her irises, and I know at one time they were lovely in her yard.  She can’t get out and garden like she used to, and grandpa's hobby of planting trees has overtaken their property. 

I have been working on our yard a lot lately, trying to get some perennials in the ground before the cold weather sets in and winterizing the plants I already have established.

Last week I worked very hard on a raised flower bed and a small garden under my bird feeders in particular.  I bought a large bag (3 cubic feet) of peat moss for ten bucks at Lowe's which I thought was a bargain since a bag of miracle grow at 2 cubic feet is around fifteen dollars.  I also bought several bags of regular peat which is much denser and dark to mix in with the peat moss.  I found five bags of starter soil by the peat for like 90 cents a bag on clearance, so you know I picked that up as well!  Always check that clearance aisle.

I have still been canning and processing like a mad woman, but I admit I am about burned out.  I got another bag of tomatoes and peppers from my uncle's garden today, and usually they are not so bad to can into sauce or salsa, but I am about at the end of my rope. One item in particular that has done me in are apples.  They have got to be my least favorite thing to cut and puree, and all of my family and neighbors have tons of them.  Once they find out you are canning apples, they cannot wait to pawn some of theirs off on you.  Apples always have worms and bruises to cut out, not to mention the fickle cores.  And then the peels, THE PEELS are murder to get off.  Next year I’ll probably just buy applesauce from the store.

On a side note, my husband Adam is back for another round at the doctors.  This week was a CT scan of his throat, a visit with an allergist, and in a couple of days off to a natural healer.  We are still struggling for answers, but taking it one day at a time because what else can you do?  Every night I pray he will come out of this sickness and get better.

And as for my book, I am about to send it off to a couple friends for their opinions/edits.  I cannot wait to share more with you, including the entire manuscript, and I hope you enjoyed the little bit I shared a few posts back.  Writing is a joy and gives me freedom to drift away.

Susie homemaker? Not exactly

So, as the dishwasher happily hums in the background I am propping my feet up after a long day of - MORE CANNING. I did not exactly plan on canning and preparing food all day, but that is how it worked out.

Altogether, I canned 7 quarts and 3 pints of salsa, canned 2 quarts of chili tomato sauce, froze 4 quarts of tomato juice (that I drained from my salsa tomatoes), froze 8 quarts of snapped/blanched green beans, and I froze 3 quarts of chili (cooked with beef and chili beans). I wasn’t going to freeze chili but a quart of sauce I had made earlier emptied into my hot water bath I was using to process my canning jars. Oops! I boiled off the excess water which took forever, but I saved the leftover tomato juice and used it to make some chili freezer meals.

Processing pumpkins!

This year, I wanted to try something new that has interested me for a long time - canning pumpkin!  Now, from what I have read, you technically cannot safely can pumpkin pulp.  But, I did find a recipe for pumpkin butter (dropped in jelly jars and refridgerated) and also pumpkin bread (which you can freeze).  I am all about easy, and I was a little nervous about the work it would take to process a whole pumpkin, but it turned out to be a cinch. 

Note: This post will have instructions for processing the pumpkin, the next couple will have recipes for the bread and butter.

Processing the Pumpkin

First, you need a young pumpkin, between 3-5 pounds.  It needs to still have its yellow-orange color and should not have the mature dark orange appearance.

Bake the whole pumpkin in the oven at least 90 minutes at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.  I think I left mine in around 2 hours just to be safe, but 90 minutes should be fine as long as the pumpkin has a soft feel and has a deflated appearance.  Take the pumpkin out of the oven and allow it to cool.  I left mine in the refridgerator overnight (still on the aluminum foil - it will leak so put a plate under it or something to catch the liquid). 

Pop off the stalk and cut the pumpkin in half over a sink or something to catch the liquid because there will be alot. 

For each pumpkin half: Cut the small round portion where the stalk was and discard.  Use a spoon and scrape out the seeds and most of the stringy innards.  Use a sharp knife and skin the outside.  The skin is tough, so this takes some time!  The whole pumpkin, although soft, should still 'stick' together, making it easier to process the entire half of meat. 

Cube the cleaned pumpkin meat.  Put cubes into a food processor.  Puree until there are no lumps you can see and the consistency is smooth.  Now you are ready to add it to a pot for pumpkin butter or to batter for pumpkin bread!

Canning day

It is that time of year! The gardens have peaked, and now the refrigerator is bursting with food waiting to be processed.

As for me, I like to keep canning as simple as possible. Our family also freezes any food we are able to help cut down on the processing time jars take, and to utilize the deep freezer in our garage. But in each case food preparation should be your utmost concern for safety and preserved taste.

Today, I am tackling a batch of salsa. I love cooking from scratch, but when I do salsa I love the seasoning packs of Mrs. Wages you buy from the store. It may seem like cheating, but it's all natural and pre-measured so if you are missing a spice in your cupboard you are covered. I still enjoy seasoning to taste and adding more ingredients than just tomatoes, the packet just helps take some of the stresses away of figuring everything out.

A few things to remember if you are going to undertake a batch of salsa:

-Drain the tomatoes and double the number the recipe calls for. This will make your salsa thick and chunky.

-My favorite add-in flavor enhancers are paprika, salt, and a bit of olive oil.

-Use a food processor to finely blend bell peppers, onions, banana peppers, etc. and add to your salsa. I am not a fan of onions, but when I make salsa I always add a few for taste and to give the batch more body. Plus, the more vegetables you add, the more health benefits you get.

-Use a food processor to cut your tomatoes and leave the skins on for your salsa. Tomato skin is loaded with vitamins, plus it's easier to just leave it. When you cut the tomatoes, don't purée, just pulse the on switch to keep your fruit chunky.

Enjoy!

Small garden box

This little garden box has really filled in with flowers since the beginning of summer. I think my favorite part is the little concrete bunny that I cabbaged onto from my mom's garden.

My Fairy Garden

I planted this fairy garden early in the summer, and just love it!  It makes me wish there really were little people who could come and take a seat and enjoy my flowers as much as I do.

Popping daylillies

Some have bloomed and some are close! I cannot wait to see my pretty flowers come alive.

A Flower Craft

I found the tiniest little flower pot during a trip to little Nashville, IN. I also found a small napkin ring holder that fits the pot perfect! These little cuties were at the Village Candlemaker, my favorite store to visit in Nashville.

One thing about me, I love collecting knick-knacks, and little things have always had a special place in my heart. This pot will fit right in with all my other collectibles. One of my mini-irises broke off and I decided to "plant" it until I find a seed that might work instead.

Flower box

Here is an artistic picture of a flower box I had planted last year with the help of the kids. After playing with some special effects I came up with this fun image.

Peeking flowers

After living in our home for two and a half years, I am finally getting some flowers established. When we first moved, there were absolutely no plants, but I’m thankful for family members who have shared their plants with me and the few plants I’ve been able to track down for purchase.