GARDEN UPDATE & MAKING PICKLES!!!

by Robin

Here are a few pics of the gardens.  This is garden #2, which is our new garden.  It was started with 100% horse manure, drip irrigation and 3 sets of trellis(es).  We live & learn.  I have 7 rows but probably should have gone with 6 or even 5 if I had know how good this was going to work out.



Here is my first baby, Garden #1.  We started from almost scratch in here.  Some of the tomatoes were started from seed in pots and a couple were moved from other parts of the garden and put into new areas with like-kind or closer to a drip irrigation line.  Mostly, there are various tomatoes here & sunflowers.  The zucchini were added later when I lost a lot of Black Krim tom seedlings. 



Here is the far side of Garden #2.  Left is cucumber vines and right is 2 types of bean vines.




Self-explanatory....



Here is yesterday's harvest.  I also harvest, over the weekend, about 2.5 gallon freezer baggies worth of beans, plus a few squash.  I have found myself working a part-time job with this awesome harvest!



Ok, so here comes the 2nd part of my blog.  Making bread-n-butter pickles.  I've made 11 jars of dill pickles and 2 pint jars of sandwich stackers (dill), but now I want to expand my horizons with the 15 cucumbers I picked yesterday. Below is the recipe that I followed.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bread-and-butter-pickles-ii/Detail.aspx





For 3 hrs, you pull the moisture out of your pickles for crispier pickles.  There are layers of onions, cukes and salt underneath that ice.  The ice keeps everything fresh.  Bell peppers were also recommended but I didn't have any on hand.  Those will be coming in a couple of weeks. 



Two & a half hours later, I start with making the brine.  I followed the recommendations of others and made a double-batch but in truth, I needed a 3rd (minus the seeds) to fill the remainder jar.  Be careful of the tumeric, it stains everything!!  You will need to clorox your counters after this.



While the brine is beginning to boil, turn your attention back to the veggie mix.  I love reading other's reviews of recipes because that can save you a lot of heartache on a mis-step in the recipe writing.  I drained off the water that was pulled out of the cukes & onions.  Remove the ice.  RINSE THE VEGGIES 2x MORE!!  You want to get the saltiness off the vegetables.  That was not in the recipe itself but in 50% of the reviews!



I varied a little bit from the recipe for this step too, thanks to another reviewer's notes.  I stuffed my sterilized jars FIRST, like you do with dill pickles.  THEN, I put the brine into them.  Remove air bubbles!
(This is still waiting for that last bit of brine.)



I let my kids join in with the process.  My eldest is learning how to cook for class credit so he learned a lot today. 



Of course, my stuntman got in on the action, while the big guy is dropping the jars into the boiler for 10-15 min.  This allows for the jars to be kept on the shelf instead of having to be refrigerated.





We couldn't fit all the jars in, so this was a 2-step process.





With this recipe, the pickles are ready to eat as soon as they cool down.  But, I will probably make my family wait a few days.  I want the spices to have a chance to soak into the flesh of the veggie mix.

God bless
Robin

GOODBYE DISCOVERY

by Robin

I did not take these photos, so the credit goes to NASA Kennedy Space Center photographers who posted on Facebook.

We said good-bye to a good, dear, old friend today. Discovery, we love you! We will never forget the service that you gave our country.

We'll have to come see you in DC one day.

God bless,

Robin

LAST WEEK'S PICS

by Robin

We're eating something almost daily out of the garden. That makes cooking so much more fun. I cleared off the camera this morning (because I'm on ice for my back) and found some gems to share with you.

They're in order, as taken throughout the week. So far, we've picked & eaten 5 cucumbers, 2 squash, 2 helpings of green beans, and 2 servings of kale. Kale chips are not as awful as I read about. Infact, if you season them right, they become somewhat addictive like potato chips. Of course, a carnivore like my husband may choose to disagree with my assessment of the new household snack. His thoughts were more along the line of "survival food" for a desperate situation ONLY.






This is MY FAVORITE!! Once in a while, I take a book-worthy photo.



Take care everyone!! This is a big week of testing for our family. Pray for us!

God bless America,
Robin

GARDEN - Wk 7

By Robin


I think we're on week 7. If not, it would be week 8.

I've had to buy mid-supports because the cucumber & bean fences are collapsing under the weight. I also pulled the bean mid-sections out away from the cucumbers because they were fighting & clinging to each other. I stood on a chair to take this picture.



Right on time, these are blooming. I cannot wait to have my own peas. This is a first for me!



Here is our little guy. I have 5 plants but 3 are new and the other older one was accidentally pulled out by a dog and replanted by me. (not happy!)

I had to photograph this because it was putting out a purple leaf that deserved some attention.



I do have my weekly photos of the entire group but will hold onto them for another week. I like to compare week by week on the same plants.

I did pick my first cucumber two days ago. I also picked kale, which was filled with aphids. A little soapy water and they all drop off. So, with that in mind, I sprayed my plants top AND bottom-side with soapy water yesterday. Some leaves were clean and some leaves were heavily populated.

God bless,
Robin

SUNDAY'S COMING!!!!

SHARING PASSIONS

by Robin



Gardening was a passion of my Dad's. Well, not so much all gardening, but was definitely into his tomato plants. He watered & fertilized them. One year, they went well over 6 ft high. He sparked so much of my interested in growing veggies, which now has become this terribly out-of-control hobby. ha ha.



Year after year, I'd take my toddler(s) into the garden and let them put seed in. At harvest time, I would let them pick my cherished garden presents.



Today, I was out taking my weekly pictures of the garden plants and examining the blooms. The female squash blooms had some larva feasting in them. On the other side of the garden, I disappeared between the rows to help pollinate my cucumber plants until the honey bees do a better job. When I stood up, my 12 yr old was with me. He was curious examining plant after plant. He's a bug guy at heart. We found an insect that mimics a spider. He saw different types of bees. I showed him the larva & remaining eggs. It was fun.



When we came inside, he came to me and said these words, "Mom, for a minute there, I wasn't bored. I had a lot of fun in the garden with you." It was like sweet music to my ears. Years and years of gardening and somebody seemed to enjoy it with me.

But then, as warm & fuzzy as those feelings were, I had an adrenalin rush of shock when it hit me that God probably feels the same way about us when we finally dust off our Bibles and seek Him for something. Why is it that I sometimes dread spending time with Him? When I get lost in His Word, I really enjoy myself. I really do need to look forward to sharing those times with Him and let the responsibilities of my day just melt away for 30 minutes or an hour. The world will not stop revolving because I enjoy some time with my Heavenly Father.

I want to encourage you this Holy Week to spend some time with God too.

Blessings,
Robin

From SIGNING to TOILETS

by Robin

Today is our final day of Spring Break and I get to spend it cleaning the church with a few other friends. We're on a rotation schedule that was created months ago. Coincidentally, I felt the calling to work in the sign language ministry at church. Twice I have been on stage to sign the worship music. My vocabulary has to build more before I can interpret the sermons, but it is an honor just to be back serving after a year of rest.

Anyhow, I had a good little laugh, by myself in the garden, over the fact that on Sunday, I'm dressed pretty, on stage signing my little heart out for Jesus. Then, on Friday, I will be scrubbing some toilet bowls and sinks. I think it is good for those in high profile (visible) ministries to also do something humbling to keep them grounded. I have two friends from another church who both sing huge solos in front of thousands of people every month. But what many visitors don't know is that one does childcare for a living and the other chops veggies & cooks the Wed night dinner at church.

Why would God want to keep us so grounded? We want to be certain that we do not go from being righteous followers of Christ to self-righteous, selfish people. Even Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He is God. He is Savior. He is Creator of the heavens & earth. Yet, he washed dirty feet right before he ate his final meal. And he suggested that we all wash feet too. Cleaning toilets used by strangers is a lot like washing stranger's feet, in my opinion.

Thank you Lord for your provision over my life. Thank you for finding anything worthy in me to be used for Your purpose.

Blessings,
Robin

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Inventory

by Robin