Thankful

for kindness
health
grandparents
spouse
children
family
love.

Procrastination pays off sometimes

We've had our first few frosts of the season. I haven't been in the garden much this fall and when I look to see what I had going on last year at this time I was harvesting broccoli! Wow, not that together this year. I'll blame it on the kids. ha. I am amazed I don't accomplish more than I do as I'm in a constant state of perpetual motion from the moment I wake until I go to bed. It's just not overly productive motion when caring for 2 small kids is my focus.

But the garden is ever-loving! This weekend I went out and found some carrots hiding in one of the beds and roasted then tossed them with browned butter and fresh minced thyme. Oh my. And we've been making lots of guacamole. So much so that I ran out of onions. But hark! onions in the garden that were just left behind because they were too small to make harvest. Ya, procrastination on garden clean up really can pay off. I even have a small harvest of tomatoes left for sauce. Maybe today! Eh, maybe not!

We ate our first pomegranate from Colven's tree! It was really neat to see my boy eat his first fruit from the tree his placenta nourished.

These persimmons are not from our garden (although I did plant a tree this year!) but they are so abundant right now in our area. I bought a huge pile of them from The Farm. They were 4 for $1! I've been making Persimmon Pudding with Brandied Whipped Cream like mad. Everyone is addicted. I was given a tip by a friend of ours to use the Joy of Cooking recipe with double the spices for the pudding. Um ya, excellent! EXCELLENT! The Brandied Whipped Cream is made by adding a splash of brandy and a bit of sweetener to some heavy cream and then whip together until it reaches the consistency you desire. I'm fond of the gloopy whipped cream as opposed to the stiff peak kind.

Back to tending the stove to warm our house.

Moons & Stars & Milky Ways

I found this little heirloom Moon&Stars watermelon gem today hiding in the asparagus patch! I planted late and honestly kind of forgot about the poor little bugger. Today as I was watering here and there this sweet single melon caught my eye and what interesting galaxies this melon sky beholds. We'll be having November melon for dessert tonight; What a treat!

"Mom! I found you something sooo awesome. SO AWESOME mom. Wait till you see THIS! Oh wow mom... there are TWO! SO AWESOME!" worms and words from my 3 year old :)

We did a late harvest of gourds and squash and pumpkins today, assembled them in front of the garden gate on a giant pile of mulch and took a Ranch Family photo. I didn't post the photo with everyone in it since I didn't ask the permission of anyone and seeing as this is public... but I did take a test photo of the scene and isn't it gorgeous? Look at our harvest! I'm smitten and proud :)

The Pumpkin

You may not believe it, for hardly could I:
I was cutting a pumpkin to put in a pie,

And on it was written in letters most plain

"You may hack me in slices, but I'll grow again."

I seized it and sliced it and made no mistake

As, with dough rounded over, I put it to bake:
But soon in the garden as I chanced to walk,

Why, there was that pumpkin entire on his stalk!

by Robert Graves

Not to be outdone, this Cinderella pumpkin took my peep-toe hot pink heels with her!

Vacation

We've been on vacation. Well, sort of. Because you know a vacation isn't really a vacation with 2 small children. It was a break from chickens, weeds, laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc etc however and for that all I can say is YAY! Swimming, beaches, and gluttonous amounts of tasty food prevailed. And kid chasing. Lots of kid chasing.

I came home to a very fall garden which would have had lovely lettuces and beets and carrots awaiting our arrival had the covers not blown off and the two recalcitrant juvenile chickens had not had their way with them. I'm still working on locating their roosting spot as I can never seem to make it outside as they prepare to slumber. Tonight perhaps?

Autumn in and around the garden

Autumn is upon us isn't it! The amaranth and sunflowers have gone to seed (oops), the popcorn is dried on the stalk and ready for harvest. We're in the garden with scarves and sweaters. This scarf was made by a friend for my birthday a few years ago and my grandmother made that hooded baby sweater for my first boy so it's extra special for my second to be wearing it. Despite what I said just a few short weeks ago, I'm ready for winter to slowly creep in. I've been busy spiffing up our house and getting it ready for the {hopeful} rainy days ahead.
Freshly harvested strawberry popcorn

figs!

Lemon verbena flowers

Canning Green Beans

That was my big idea. To can some beans. At this time of year we begin to be as up to our ears in beans as we are in zucchini. Last year I froze a bunch of our blanched green beans and we ended up not really using a bunch because they were kind of.... not great. I mean really, we live in the Salinas Valley aka The Salad Bowl of the World. Eating other than fresh is a foreign concept in many ways, but in my quest to be more SELF SUFFICIENT I keep trying for ways we can grow and store most of what we will eat. Freezing green beans isn't the way. And now I know niether is canning! I started with fresh-from-the-garden green beans in their prime. I decided to go with the raw pack, room temperature water method which is: Pack trimmed beans into jars, add desired seasonings (I used a bay leaf and minimal good sea salt and a sprinkle of ground black pepper), add water and really leave an inch of air at the top. Trust me. Process, following your pressure cooker's specifications, for 35 minutes. Results?

Pretty but YUCKY. I figure they will make great finger food for my baby once he is old enough to eat. Yup, they are THAT consistency.

I'll take mine fresh off the vine anytime. Have you ever had them tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper then bbq-ed? I want it just the way I want it or I don't want it at all. If you are the same, please don't attempt canning your beans. Or tell me how you do it. I'm flexible! My next adventure: Pickled Dilly Beans. I'll let you know how they turn out!

(as a funny aside, my husband says this picture looks very aquatic and I can't help but agree!)

Growing like zucchini!

Our boy is 4 months old now, and 16.5 pounds. He measures up with this giant zucchini from our garden.
Growing!

Happy Sunday

Canning and Vulnerability

There is nothing like knowing new people are checking out my blog to make me feel like a total dork for some reason. Please tell me it's not just me? Not that there is anything wrong with dorks..... I remember, years ago, hearing the phrase "dorks rule the world." It was said with such fire and fondness (and in the moment, such marksmanship... oh youth) that it seared a permanent spot in/on my brain and is something I am forever grateful to have heard. Pass it on. Green, red, gold: Green Zebra, San Marzano, Taxi tomatoes

Anyway... I have a few photos and a really cool finding although it may not be a new finding for anyone else I'm feeling like a genius for it. But then I also think I must be a genius every time I misplace my keys since geniuses, in case you didn't know it, are known to be absentminded. Hence the term: Absentminded genius. You knew that was coming, right?

This is only my second year of canning tomatoes (thank you Marlyn for the inspiration last year!), so I have had to buy canned tomato sauce this year. I know, I know. We don't really use a ton of it, but when we have I have saved the jars to use for food storage and hopeful canning. Today I went to use them and while a regular mouth canning lid fit just fine, the typical screw band didn't fit at all as it has completely different threads (which my construction husband pointed out to me when I said WTF is wrong with this F-ing thing?? in frustration and you know we wonder where our 3 year old gets it... jeeeeesh). So this typical jar of sauce:
With this typical lid:

Is usable! I put the canning lid on the clean surface of a filled jar and then firmly screwed the original lid (above) down over it, then processed it and PRESTO! It worked! I had to really carefully unscrew the lid because it does catch the canning top a bit, but it worked perfectly. I should add this is for water-bath processing only, I haven't looked into how they might hold up in a pressure canner.

Ohhhh Summmmmmer. Oh summer. o-summer!
Damn I love summer.
I LOVE summer tomatoes.

These are a Thursday night harvest. The bottom basket is full of San Marzano which, as we speak, are sitting in jars popping away to let me know they have sealed well. (such a beautiful sound!)


We have been making lots and lots of Balsamic Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with our tomatoes as well. If you have never made it you really need to try it. It is a simple recipe so splurge on great ingredients.
Here is what I do:
Chop tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, if using cherry tomatoes I like to cut in half so they don't explode in the mouth. Plus, cut tomatoes pick up flavor better than whole. Chop up fresh (also called Buffalo for some reason) mozzarella. Mince a bunch of fresh basil. Toss all those into a big bowl and dose with a good amount of balsamic vinegar, a splash or two of olive oil, a sprinkle of good quality salt (please, no iodized) and a sprinkle of pepper. Toss around, let sit for a few minutes but not too long.... AND VOILA!

How cute is this?

This baby gourd will grow to be big and strong and holler out, loud and proud as my sister-in-law in Kentucky would say, the names we carved in them. We have some surprises in store for our family and friends :) Shhhhhh!

A dose of sweetness

Really there is nothing more sweet or tender than the time following the birth of a new life. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to really understand that. It seems the same with chickens. The mamas are so busy defending their new babies that they don't take time to relax. I sometimes wonder if the flurry of the few months of new human babies isn't so far off from chickens! This Buff Orpington mama hatched her first clutch just a few days ago and I was fortunate enough to be standing right next to the brooding box when I heard the first peeps. I ran in to get the camera and managed this one single shot of a puffed-out mama and a newborn chick. She ended up hatching all 6 of her clutch within a day's work.

First Egg (and a lucky button)

That's the smallest first egg we've had yet. So cute!

Tomatoes..... a Saturday morning harvest.