We know we can’t do anything about horrible mass killings, wars, hate, and divisiveness. We do know we can be grateful for what we have on our homestead, day by day.
Beautiful fall weather continues, bringing not only gorgeous colors of maples and aspen, but the fragrance of fallen leaves and fresh air. I took Jenna, our daughter, for a short tour a little north of us. We went to Vermilion Falls and were awed at the thundering water, coursing through the narrow rock gorge, then on to the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to look for moose and visit a few pretty lakes. It was a fun day!
Unfortunately, Sunday brought an end to her visit, and she headed home to Illinois and called to say she made it home safely. I’m sure Gus, her Carpathian Shepherd, was very happy to have Mommy home again. (They are a big, beautiful dog, the size of our English Mastiff.) Sarge and Hondo will miss her petting too, I’m sure. I know Will and I will sure miss her a lot.
Today I’m picking and shelling more beans. I’ve got to tell you how thrilled we are with a pole green bean, Brita’s Footlong. These beans handled our horrible weather wonderfully, putting on tons of bunches of very long, sweet green beans. The dry beans I’m shelling today are pure white and can easily substitute for Great Northern beans like you buy at the store. But they grow much nicer in the homestead garden than them. They will always have a place in our garden!
— Jackie
It’s so great when families can get together! I’m glad y’all had such a good time.
I like the look of those Brita beans but wonder how they’d do down here in the Georgia heat and bugs. It’s a battle against stink bugs, bean beetles and riptorta. Beans for fresh eating and canning don’t suffer as much because they finish before the bug population maxes out. The length of time necessary to get dry beans finished makes them a prime bug target, resulting in punctured pods and ruined beans inside. Some years are better than others but I’ve about given up drying beans. It would take chemical warfare. Is Brita Footlong ok for fresh eating if picked young or used as shellies?
Yes, it’s a wonderful green snap bean and can certainly be used as shellies. Sometimes throwing a row cover over the entire trellis of beans will ward off those nasty bugs. It’s worked for me in New Mexico.
Family time is the most precious gift we ever receive. I’m glad you and Will had the gift of time with your daughter. Extremely hot weather is continuing for us. Highs in the upper 80s and no rain. ugh! I tried my hand at making hominy from your directions in the Backwoods Home magazine. I wonder if it could be cooked more on the front end, rather that just the 30 minutes? I ended up simmering it for about an hour after sitting overnight. It tastes good and the kernels swelled up to a good size, but just didn’t look as nice as I wanted. I’m sure there is a learning curve, lol. Sending prayers for a blessed week.
Yes, there’s a learning curve to making hominy as there is in gardening or bread baking. It also depends on the variety of corn you’re using too. Yes, you can sure simmer it longer to start with if it seems to need it.
We so enjoy having family visits. We talk to Jenna frequently on the phone but haven’t been with her in person for years.
Thank you for your prayers!
Yes, I also enjoy the peace and quiet on my little (20.5 acre) homestead. I have been praying for the victims, families of the victims and the families of the folks that did these horrid things (often they had no clue!). Almost scary to go anywhere, but fear must not rule our lives! There is so much hatred and folks have forgotten how to handle it.
With weather and all, I fear we have hard times coming. I have been given some produce. Today, I canned up 10 pints of carrots, 10 half pints of papaya (1 papaya) and have 8-10# of beets and almost as much in Chayote squash staring me in the face to process.
Thank you for sharing with all of us.
Yes, things look dark, not only in our country but worldwide. I pray for the innocent every single night. It’s all I can personally do. Having sponsored a Vietnamese boat family and adopted children from India, I know we kind of live insulated lives from what goes on around the world. We donate our year-old seeds to missionaries in Uganda and have heard horror stories from there and elsewhere our seeds have found homes for. Now it’s hitting closer to home with the rounding up of illegal immigrants and mass shootings. No wonder we focus on putting up every bite of food we can. Just in case.
Beautiful pictures. I agree about the peace at one’s homestead. I try to ignore the world’s chaos and joke I’ll build a moat around our place. We’ve had unseasonably warm weather-today 90 in SW Wisconsin. I love “living beyond the sidewalks as Jerry Bellinger would say. Fall harvest is in final mode here and it is very dry. The Brita footlong beans look prolific.
Yep, living far beyond the sidewalks sure feels wonderful. We’re dry here too but it’s letting Will get haying done, despite the weather and breakdowns, seeming daily. We’re in full harvest mode here. I’m doing beans and tomatoes daily with more to pull, plus carrots and potatoes, not to mention squash and pumpkins too. Yes, Britta Footlong beans are both tasty and extremely prolific!!
Such beauty and happiness in your photos . Wonderful to escape the world s pain. Started my dry bean shelling and red corn cobbing . Sure thankful for last year’s prolific harvest. This year is small.. Received a nice shower yesterday ending our hot dry summer season. Love the feel of approaching fall. Colors are just hinting here but higher up, low30’’s are showing lots of colors.So thankful you had a good visit with your daughter and her safe return home. Happy harvesting!
Thank you, Mary. We’re dry here but we’re happy as it’s letting Will get to haying. I’m busy every single day now, harvesting like mad and still enjoying the fragrance and sights of fall colors and falling leaves.
Yes, Jackie, thanks again for sharing the beautiful pictures and your family. If I could, I would just stay in the woods forever and enjoy the peacefulness of it all. But winter is on our doorstep and maybe it will bring a slowdown and more peace in the world. It is nice to stay home, quilt and eat our bountiful harvest that we have stored up this summer and forget the worlds woes for a while. Peace to all.
Ah yes, peace. We feel it all around us, like a snuggly cocoon, keeping us safe from all the strife in the world. The air is fresh and smells of fallen leaves. Will and I have been busy splitting firewood in times we’re not busy doing something else. Daily, the woodshed fills up. Between the garden’s bounty and the firewood, plus knowing we have so much extra hay for the critters, it sure feels great.
Jackie, much thanks & gratitude to you, Will, & Jenna for sharing your week with us! And for the beautiful pictures especially of the waterfall and the lake. Most people are deprived of nature’s beauty and don’t even know it. Yes, gratitude for what we have been blessed to have in our lives is important. Counting your blessings can lessen the grumblies!
Warm & dry here in Nebraska, field crops are starting to be harvested, hens are starting to molt & gardens are being put to bed. Beans are pulled, only 2 tomatoes and a couple sweet potatoes left.
Peace to all!
Yes, peace! We sure value it. Sometimes I just stand in the woods and hold my breath, not hearing a single sound but, perhaps, the wind and some bird song. Then I breathe and smell the good earth smells. It just feels so good, right to my soul. We’re in full harvest mode here, between seeds, canning, hauling in produce, making hay and splitting firewood. Everything makes us feel more secure and peaceful. No grumbles here. : )
Aww, nothing like family. Glad you were able to spend time with daughter. Those are memories that last forever. Looks like it was a beautiful time weather wise also. Jackie, thank you for all the time and effort you put into your blogs. I so look forward to them every week. They add lovely snippets to my life. I’ve always enjoyed reading about other people’s lives and experiences. You never disappoint. I just wish they could be longer, but I understand. Maybe a new book soon?
Maybe there’ll be another book in the future, if I get time. We were so happy to spend a week with Jenna. It seemed so short a time too. It rained the day she came but the sun came out for the entire week so we could do outdoor things.
Today I’m canning tomato sauce and seeding out more tomatoes. I’m slowly getting there, with only a few more varieties to save seeds from. We were astounded to have the biggest cherry tomatoes I’ve ever had. I think it’s the crazy weather they liked.
Mama, Gus was so happy I came home! Ten minutes or 9 days and that dog thinks I’ve abandoned him forever. I always forget how big he is! I realized as I was giving him the I missed you so much squishies that I barely had to lean over for, he is taller and longer than Sarge, not as heavy but he makes up for it with all that floof! It’s like hugging an angora sweater the size of a bear. Give Hondo and Sarge some scritchies for me!
I had the best time and love you and Dad lots and lots. Thanks for letting me do all the things. Being there brought me so much joy. ❤
It did us too, Jenna. Hondo acted depressed for two days after you’d left. I know he missed you just like Gus. Sarge now responds to “Snitch”, the name you gave him when he barked when you came in the house or down the stairs. Sarge Snitch is now his full name.
We sure hope you can come again soon.
Those poor squishy babies!!! I have so many pictures of Hondo at my feet it was like it was his full time job. And I thought about my nightly hour long ear and butt scritchies sessions with Sarge Snitch as soon as I got home. Give them lots of scritchies and some no snitchy biscuits for me! I love that Sarge is now Sarge Snitch. Miss you all, already! ❤