4th of July, 2014

 And so it begins. Everything up to this point has just been a warm-up for what's to come. What?  My first batch of green beans is sitting in a bucket ready to be cut and prepared.  As usual (for me anyway)  many of them are too large to be anything but tough.  The chickens like them though so it's not like a lost cause.

It seems like once the green beans start coming in  everything else will follow as closely as possible.  Don't ask me why.  I might be wrong but it's the way things happen for me.   

I put up some dill pickles using the recipe that Cristy suggested. I thought I had enough cucumbers ready for a full canner full but only ended up with 5 quarts.  It all worked out though because that was all the vinegar recipe I'd made.  I even made extra so next time it looks like I'll have to double the vinegar mix next time.  I've picked a whole bunch of cucumbers in the past couple of days and it's time to get them prepped and canned.

I also had one of the jars bust on me.  Thankfully it was just the bottom that blew out.  The brand?  It was one of those that Big Lots and Dollar General  carry?  Golden Harvest is the name I think.  It's the first time I've had one of them bust so I don't know what happened.
 
Miss Kitty has decided that she likes the outdoor sink.

I've got peppers to pick and it won't be long till I have to can them too.  These hot banana peppers are almost as long as this plant is high.  I'm thinking I want to  put some up for sandwich peppers.

The picture doesn't do justice to the size of these jalapeno's.  I'm seeing some bacon wrapped stuffed peppers in the near future.

Mars has a thing for serrano's and so I'm definitely going to have to put some up as well.

The purple hull peas are just waiting on me for the first picking and I'm hoping I can get that done today.  I'll shell them and put them up in the fridge until I have enough for a full canner run.  Of all the beans/peas we eat these are our favorite.  I've got a goal of 52  quarts this year. 

I've also got the same goal for squash but that is probably just wishful thinking.  Slowly but surely those #%*$ bugs are trying to take over. It's an ongoing battle and I'm not ready to fly the white flag of surrender just yet.

There are other things I could share but it's all pretty much garden stuff.  Shoot, many of you are going through the same things as I am.   It's times like these I wish I could move as fast as I used to.  This going on at half speed truly gets old. It's frustrating but hey, we all do what we have to do with what we have to work with.  

The beautiful Day Lilly's up top are a sight to see right now.  This is the first time in three years that they've actually bloomed.  I just love the color.

Lots of Questions

Today's Harvest minus the whole bag of broccoli

Where to begin?  It seems I've been gone from here forever yet not much has changed other than the work intensity.  The weather has played a remarkable role in it all.  That's what I keep telling myself anyway. 

I've got another question for you guys.  See the difference in color of some of the squash.  Some of it looks almost orange. They are hard to cut and don't seem to cook well at all. Why do you think that is?  

Everything in the garden seems to be behind  by at least a couple of weeks,  maybe even more with some things.  I haven't canned my first jar of beans or peas yet.  Not a single one. That in itself is pretty unbelievable for this time of year.  I know it won't be long though.  There are all sorts of blooms on everything.

My dill, cilantro, basil and other herbs either didn't come up at all and that that did make an effort went to seed before it ever even got big.  Some of these are required to be partners in different recipes.  *sigh* I'll figure something out though.

I need to find a decent dill pickle recipe this year.  Even with the squash bugs on full throttle the cucumber plants are really doing well.  Now the question is what the heck will I do with all these cucumbers.  There are only so many things I can do with it.  I've got several different things I can do with the fresh cucumbers and we are having cucumbers at most every meal. 

The broccoli has done well.  We are eating it at least once a day and adding it to salads. We just love broccoli! It's starting to bolt however.  Do I replant it for a fall garden or if I just leave them alone will they make goodies on their own?

Why is it that the tomatoes never get ready to eat until after the lettuce and other stuff has bolted?  lol just one of those things that make you go hmmmm.....
I need to be replanting some lettuce but I'm wondering if it would do better to start in a few weeks, after the heat of summer is backing off. 

I had finally got used to having a food processor in the house.  It was a garage sale find and  I really got my moneys worth for $4  One of those little things that you don't miss until you have had one and then when it dies you realize just how much work it did.  *sigh* Just in time for summer too!

I'm still fighting the #$*% squash bug war.  It seems to be working though as long as I'm participating in it's destruction.

Speaking of destruction I've been weeding like crazy.  In fact I've done so much that I seem to have pulled a muscle or something in my neck. I can hardly move it and if my buddies in the preppe'rs chat room could see it I'm sure they would have a super fun time giving me grief!

Well, like I said to begin with things are