Monday, July 21, 2014

The Garden of Love

This morning was one of those times I just can't get enough of our garden!  Blue sky, big white clouds, the forever view (have I ever mentioned the view, just a few hundred times) and the endless abundance of onions, kale, chard and now green beans.  Dick and I spent an hour picking beans and an hour weeding lima beans.  Yes, the lima plants are now in full bloom lots of flowers.  Come on bees do your thing.  Back from the garden for Salt Rising toast with rhubarb sauce and apple butter, the pick of the breakfast.

Bean season is in full swing.
The beans will go to the freezer and the next picking will be done in the pressure canner.  While I did beans and picked a quart of blueberries Dick was so kind to pick the wild raspberries.  I regret to say (or not) this chick will NOT venture to the raspberries in our Pine Grove and bordering our lawn!  Yesterday not one but TWO snakes crossed my path while mowing the lawn. One I actually dared run over, truthfully no choice it happened so fast, it was about 4-5 inches long.  The next one looked like a python, very big!  It was on the edge of the lawn and slithered into.............>the raspberry patch<!  So the berries will only be picked if Mr. B. wants to.  I won't go near, especially not until my "scream, turn and run" is a lot quicker than it is now!
One hour and 2 quarts of wild raspberries.  Off to the freezer for
jam and jelly making on a cool fall day.
If you don't think you have snakes around your lawn just invite me over.  A few weeks ago I was telling Ron and Marcia what a "snake magnet" I am.  Ron said he hadn't seen a snake around their place in years (city folks they are).  How about the very next day they were setting on their patio and BAM Ron saw a snake.  It was a very funny story with him sending Marcia in the house while he killed it.  He said, I just didn't want her to see if the thing got away.  He got it (or so he says).

Beans have been cleaned, blanched, immersed in ice bath,
left to drain and then packaged, labeled and sent to
the freezer.
Here's supper!  Sausage gravy on buttermilk biscuits, fresh
green beans with butter and last years
cinnamon applesauce.