In My Kitchen

Jalapenos peppers, several red peppers, and a huge green pepper have now become “Hot Pepper Relish”. This is the first time I have made this. It is beyond YUMMY!  Can’t wait to see how my son, who likes hot stuff, will react to this one. It is one more item for his Christmas box of goodies from the farm.

August 28, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Kitchen

Cooking

There are baskets and buckets full of fresh produce stacked all over my kitchen. Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes,  eggplants, broccoli, and cabbage to name a few. There are cantaloupes and pumpkins too. My creative cooking juices are flowing. Today, I made a kettle of vegetable soup. We will have it for supper and I will put some in the freezer.

There is pumpkin custard for dessert.  It is sweetened with a little maple syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with walnuts. Bob will be happy about that!

Tomorrow, I will make hot pepper jam. The old blue bucket is full of Jalapeno peppers just for that project. We like the jam mixed up with cream cheese and spread on a cracker. Yum!

There is another month of harvesting the garden and then it is over until next year. The first heavy freeze will end it. Meanwhile, I am having fun and realizing what a blessing this is. PTL

August 27, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Kitchen

Tomatoes

The tomatoes are wonderful this year. Bob just brought in three, five gallon buckets, of ripe tomatoes. My observation, after years and years of experimenting with heirloom tomato seed is that the Brandy wine is my favorite all purpose tomato. However, my ultimate best tomato for making sauce is the Amish paste.

The Amish paste tomato is meaty with few seeds, and is full of flavor. It cooks down rapidly into a thick sauce.  As I type, every burner on my stove has a kettle of sauce bubbling away. It will simmer all afternoon and then be frozen in quart containers.

Soon, I will begin to save tomato seeds to plant next year. Only the seeds from the best tomatoes will be saved. Next February, when it is twenty below zero in Minnesota, those tiny seeds will be planted under grow lights in my basement.  I am loving the “seed time to harvest” plan of things.  It is a blessing to be part of it.

August 25, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Garden

Rain

The rain is a blessing. I am grateful to the “rainmaker”.  His blessings are not taken for granted. Thank you, Lord.

August 25, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Contemplations

Working Chickens

This is the first summer we have let our chickens run loose.  They go in the chicken house each evening  and come out as soon as it get light in the morning. The result of this experiment is all good.

1.We buy a lot less chicken feed. (saves money)

2. The eggs are healthier.

3 . We do not have ticks, fleas, or many flies. They also take out grubs.  Our chickens are mighty hunters.

The plan is to let them roam and forage until the weather gets bad.  They will spend the winter in the nice warm chicken house and come out again next spring.

Our Great Pyrenees dogs guard the chickens. We have not lost any of them to predators . (coyotes)

The chickens furnish us with  meat, eggs, and insect control. They work for us! It is all good.

August 24, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Herds and Flocks

Sick

I overheard a Mother telling her 16 year old daughter to “just call in sick and you won’t have to go to work”.  What kind of message is she sending that child? Someone ought to teach that Mom about honesty and integrity.  I am feeling sorry for the child and disgusted  with the Mother.

August 23, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Contemplations

Wisdom

“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.”

Luke 12:8

August 22, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Contemplations

John’s Christmas Peppers

My son John loves hot, Jalapeno peppers, canned in my famous pickling sauce.  I usually give him some for Christmas. This year, I have added something different. In each jar, besides the Jalapeno peppers, are garlic buds and  red cayenne peppers. There is a new blend of pickling spices which will remain my secret.  Turmeric and salt have been added to the while vinegar.  By the end of today, I will have beautiful jars of pickled peppers lined up on the counter. John will be a happy camper come Christmas!

August 21, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Kitchen

All Good

All my dogs are groomed. This is a big deal around here. Everyone has been brushed, washed, toe nails cut, ears cleaned, and mats removed! When dealing with great Pyrenees who live outside with sheep, this is a handful. To top it off, Pilgrim the poodle is also groomed. He looks like a poodle again and not a fuzzy mutt.

We are planning on taking some serious pictures of our clean dogs this week. I am really enjoying my walks with the big and beautiful. We look like a well organized parade. Clean dogs are all good!

 

August 21, 2012 · Sarah · One Comment
Posted in: Great Pyrs

Brandywine Rules

Heirloom, Brandywine tomatoes are the best! Huge, super sweet, and juicy about covers it. The tomato in the picture is just under two pounds and is typical of our Brandy wines.  Bob just brought in several buckets of tomatoes. I will be in full production tomorrow on the sauce project.

He also brought in our first watermelon, our first Israel melon, some Walla Walla onions, and a five gallon bucket full of Jalapeno peppers.

Beside the sauce, tomorrow will be ” pickled pepper” day on the farm. Tonight’s supper is right out of the garden.  Baked potatoes, tomato and cucumber salad, streamed red cabbage, and melon for dessert.

Our buckets are running over!  What a blessing this is for a city girl from Dallas. PTL!!!

August 19, 2012 · Sarah · No Comments
Posted in: Garden