Sunday, July 10, 2011

Busy Saturday

Up early again. I am reading another Dave Roubideaux novel by James Lee Burke, so that is what I do with my first morning coffee. I love that quiet reading time.

First things first, at good daylight I headed out to empty the traps (Japanese Beetles). They weren't quite as full as the first day. These I just emptied in water in a 5-gallon bucket. I may try them on the chickens again today. They may never want to see another JB in their lifetimes.....I know I don't!

By evening, I noticed they were full again.

I made my rounds of the yard and garden, did some spot spraying and trimmed just a little inside the garden fence.

Back in the kitchen. I worked up (I can just hear Mom saying that when she canned) the cucumbers and the last of the early beets. I made another batch of bread and butter and some garlic and dill and one little jar of pickled beets. This should do me on pickles...maybe another jar or two of dills. Now what on earth will I do with all these cucumbers? If I just plant what I need, borers kill the vines...so I over-planted this year.........they are going great guns....



Lunch was pizza from a frozen crust. I had some leftover ground pork and mixed it with a half pound of sausage, sauteed with onion. I thought it was a very tasty combo.

During the canning day I cooked a pot of white beans....supper and other meals to come.

The blackberries are finished. Maybe I can work slowly on getting rid of some very tall poke that has grown in the midst.

8 comments:

  1. Goodness gracious, look at all those wonderful 'worked up' goodies. What a delight it must be to open jars during the cold winter months. Jars of sunshine to cheer your souls and bodies.

    Happy Summer Gardening ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's so true. If you don't compensate for a crop that traditionally falls ill, you get nothing. Compensate/overplant and sometimes everything thrives and look out! LOL A couple of years back, when I didn't have the *knack* with tomatoes, I'd plant LOTs so I could get a decent harvest. Then I figured it all out, but planted a lot (just in case). Next thing you know -- WHAMMO! Luckily my nabes don't garden so when I show up with vegs they don't pretend they aren't home. :-D

    ReplyDelete
  3. P.S. Those pickles are BEAUTIFUL!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful harvest for you to enjoy throughout the year, Glenda!...:)JP

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your pickles look great and the beets are especially pretty. Such a rich red color. My mom always referred to working up the goodies from the garden. The past few years I've planted twice as many tomato plants as needed and they all thrived. This year I only had three tomato plants and two pepper plants and none of them did well. Feast or famine I guess.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Those pickles and beets are Blue Ribbon Winners! "Worked up" brought back a flood of memories, you do that for me Glenda and I love it. Forty years ago this morning I had just had a little bundle of joy... thinking where did the years go? Well, I know where they went... just too fast! Stay cool today, supposed be 98 here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your bounty looks wonderful. We don't have much yet, it's been a cold, wet, windy spring here in the Pacific NW. I've been freezing some strawberries, and now have enough to make some jam. I never did get around to planting green beans, so will have to guy those. I am facing potato blight which is looking devastating to half my crop right now. The last 2 days I canned up 8 qts. of beans soups. What do you make with your blackberries?

    http://simpleeverydayliving.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, it was a busy day and you have the rewards to show for it-'working up' the bounty into delicious goodies for later on. I remember always hearing people talk about working up peaches, apples, tomatoes, etc. Still do some, but not as many people 'work up' stuff it seems. Take care!

    ReplyDelete