We have been picking a lot of green beans from our bush bean plants. We grew Blue Lake and Provider bush beans this year. The Provider appears to be a much more prolific producer and we can't tell much difference in the taste....so next year we will most likely stick to Provider. The canner has been going non-stop the last few days!
I think we are well on our way to our supply for the year. Our pole beans should start producing in the next couple of weeks and then I'll begin canning again. Green beans are a staple in our home. Sometimes the boys will open a jar to eat for lunch....just cold, canned green beans.
It seemed like Strawberry season was a long one this year. We have had strawberry cobblers, fresh fruit, strawberry ice cream and plenty of freezer jam. I'll be doing some strawberry syrup next to have with our made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes and waffles!
My mother-in-law taught me to make freezer jam before I had children. My Grandmother taught me to make regular cooked jam. I hadn't made freezer jam for many years but was inspired by my friend Julie to put my hands to it again. I'm so glad I did! I had forgotten how wonderful it tastes and will look forward to eating it when the snow flies! I think I will do some raspberry also.
We celebrated Josiah's 15th birthday in June. What a wonderful young man and such a blessing to this family. Josiah wants to be a farmer...and plans to hand this farm down to his children some day. He asked for a cake that reflected one of his favorite games "Pirates of the Caribbean"...a card game of sorts. He also asked to have a ship sailing into the fog....FOG????....how do you make fog out of icing and cake? Well...you don't....I found some "fog-colored" cotton candy. The first time it turned out wonderful but by the time dinner rolled around the "fog" had completely disappeared...too much moisture in the air I think. Wish I had taken a picture of the first go around but here is my fog, quickly re-applied before serving :)
And that evening, after dinner, Josiah came to tell us of a special birthday present that arrived although none of us had planned it....
A gift from the hand of our Father! The eggs that Josiah had put in the incubator weeks before began to hatch on his birthday! It just seemed so special and seemed to mean a lot to Siah! I think 4 hatched that day with another 4 over the next few days.
He has filled the incubator again and we are expecting more in the next few weeks...
Stay tuned for the next post to see what other new additions have arrived here on the farm....and I'll be doing another name contest this week.....but not for soap :) Stay tuned!!
Posts
Happy Birthday Josiah!!!!! Wow, you are quite the Mom... coming up with FOG for a cake!!! :D
ReplyDeleteHow appropriate that your beans are named Provider when you have seen so much of God's provision over these past months.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see your storehouses filling up! A wonderful reward for all your hard work.
And happy belated b-day Josiah. What a creative mother you have. I never in a million years would have thought of cotton candy for fog!
Greetings! This is my first time leaving a comment on your blog...which I have only been reading for a week or 2 now. However, we have exchanged a few emails in that timeframe, and you have been an incredible source of valuable & meaningful information to me (re: Comfry), for which I am truly grateful.
ReplyDeleteA great big happy birthday to your son, Josiah (I LIKE that choice of names)...they grow up SO fast, BTW. Also, a happy birthday to the 4 chicks who SHARE in his birthday! :) He is blessed to have a mother who is creative, determined and loving...who would make a "pirate cake" for him, complete with "FOG"! :)
I looked at those wonderful photos of the canned beans, and the lucious strawberries....and I could feel my mouth beginning to water! It transported me back many yrs when I lived in WV, and had my own garden, from which I canned & froze many different types of vegetables. Some summers, that was ALL that was served at our dinner table - was an assortment of fresh veggies. Yum.... We also went with friends and neighbors to nearby hills to pick wild berries (while I carried my son in a backpack)...from which I made pies & cobblers....and to nearby orchards to pick apples. I miss those days, more than words can express. Now, I have a full-time office job, and have so little time for these life-affirming experiences. We had a garden 3 summers ago (here in NC), and with working full-time, it was incredibly hard work. Some nites, I didn't come in from weeding and/or watering, until after 9 p.m.
One question: as a new visitor to your blog, I was wondering what is meant by "a contest"? What does this "contest" entail, and how does it work?
If you ever need some info/resources on wildlife (ie: birds, snakes, spiders, etc.), I will be glad to give you my dad's name and email address. He is a pretty neat guy - a funny, interesting, knowledgable human being - and also a naturalist (he taught at the Oregon Musuem of Science and Industry for yrs). When it comes to anything in nature, he probably knows the answer, and truly LOVES to share his knowledge, experience and insights. He is 82 yrs of age, born in Connecticutt, and now lives in Central Oregon. I have already shared your blog address and on-line store address with him and his wife, guessing that they will be interested in checking it out. :)
Lastly, I wanted to say "thank you" for taking the time out of what I am sure is a VERY busy day, to maintain your blog, to keep up with your emails, and to run your on-line store....and for sharing your life & your faith in God with your readers. Your living of your faith has already served to touch my life in a positive way, and has helped to strenghen my spirit, amidst some challenging times especially "physically/medically" speaking).
May God continue to richly and profoundly bless you and your family, in the hours, days and years to come.
Cheri,
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to finally catch up on you and yours. That is truly an awesome cake! :) You're givin' me ideas...!
I am so thankful for how things turned out with your court date, and so proud of your boys becoming men. May God bless you with a very fruitful summer - both physically and spiritually.
(())
Holly