We hauled in boxes and crates of tomatoes. Then, yesterday, our friend Sherri came over to help pick the sweet corn. As the birds were starting to get into the Seneca Sunrise we save for seed, not only did we pick the sweet corn I’d planted to eat and can, but also two big patches of Seneca Sunrise too. We picked the North Garden, then drove over to the Wolf Garden and picked there. Thank God, it was a beautiful day. We ended up with several crates of each, plus the back of the golf cart/garden mobile full of sweet corn to can up. I guess I won’t be sleeping any time soon. Ha ha!
Well, today is another beautiful, although cool day, with the high supposed to be 60 F. Not bad for October, though. I’m on the front porch, madly seeding out the tomatoes I’d boxed to seed. Then I’ll be adding more to be roasted and canned up tomorrow. I’m hoping to be able to also get the Victorio tomato strainer going so I can get another roasting pan full of tomato puree to cook down for tomato sauce tomorrow.
This time of the year, especially all that’s going on in the world today, we feel like the ant in the ant and grasshopper fable, rushing, rushing to get ready. But it’s so satisfying to go to the grocery store (with its sky rocketing prices) and think “I don’t need that and that and that!” — Jackie
Dear Jackie,
There was nothing more wonderful than pulling into my parents’ drive. I could always smell wood burning in the stove and coffee brewing. The cool crisp air brings back so many memories. They are both gone now but I have a world of knowledge that they passed on to me. Yes, we worked hard but it was a good life. I still have my canning, quilting and a bit of flower gardening. I live in the middle of lots of farmers and I still can buy my fresh produce from them. I pity the folks buying from grocery stores. Now this is a true story, and I challenge anyone to try this test. I make my own bread, and it will mold in three days if I don’t keep it cool. Normally, it all gets eaten before 3 days! But I bought two types of bread at the store; one was white and other was whole grain. I left them on my counter for 8 weeks and they got hard but never molded. They are full of preservatives. Think about what that does to your stomach. It does my heart good to see all your work and teaching to folks. Processed lunch meat will kill you and the processed sugar in cookies, cakes is not far behind. Folks, try to make or grow your own!!
I do so like reading your posts. We got down to 33 but no frost. I did have a fire in the wood stove a couple mornings. I have my tomatoes covered just in case. I’m sure we will have buckets of green tomatoes soon. Went to visit friends and came home with tomatoes so tomorrow is salsa. I love canning!
So do I. Today I’m doing more tomato sauce and sweet corn. I’m thinking ditto for tomorrow with (I hope!) celery too. This year I’m feeling like I NEED to put up a lot of food.
What a privilege to raise all Your photo s show abundance and Hard Work! So many people today have no CLUE about food,where it comes from The importance of nutrition in their grocery purchases one would Think the public learned from the covid isolation inforcements. Empty shelves, lack of services. . Sad to see the world is going backwards in stead of forwards as our forefathers were able to witness. Canning pears today. Hoping the tomatoes ripen before the freeze temperatures arrive here. The cherry tomatoes are huge and green! What with all the other rip varieties ,the sweet corn you probably don’t have Time to save them from a harder freeze. Don’t over work and DO get Some sleep! We all need what you have to say and share. God Bless
What a busy setting your pictures show! I agree that the majority want the “easy life”. Most do not have a clue where their food comes from and how it is produced. Food from a garden, heat from a wood stove, meat from the animals in the barn-NO WAY! I see many people who shop for meals to be consumed the same day – fast food, plastic-wrapped meals to heat, etc. It is gratifying to try to provide for one’s sustenance and some degree of “independence”. I dance to a different drummer, but also realize I cannot completely provide all that I need. I am astounded by the number of people who do not know how to cook even the most basic dishes. I feel at times I’m a relic and wonder if it will ever shift back to “old ways”. Time will tell. Enjoy the fall
My husband was at a class at the gym this week, the instructor threw out the question, ” So what is everyone harvesting from their gardens now?”. Dead silence until my husband rattled off what we’re picking, eating and preserving. Still silence until one person said, “Well, you can get all that from the grocery stores, without all hard work and time invested. Gardening is a lot of work “. It amazes us that people truly believe that food from the store is as healthy and nutritious as home grown or that our food supply chain will always work. Hard to understand. So thanks for all you and Will do to help people be more self sufficient and healthy.
Yes, unfortunately, that’s the common thought today. Just buy what you want at the grocery store and not work so hard. It seems nobody wants to work anymore. At a job. At home. Raising their kids. I don’t understand it at all! Unfortunately, one day, there’s going to be a time of reckoning.
Even without tariffs the price of food will increase. It makes me sad to think how much food waste due to lack of labor to pick. What incentive do these farms have to plant for the next growing season?
We’re in the 40s at night (more upper than lower) but we need rain. The almost .5 inch we got the other day hardly scratched the surface but did perk up the strawberry plants.
Dusty – even more so when soybean harvest is happening. A lot of folks here, including our household, have dry scratchy throats.
Be a bit before we have a freeze but we’ve been having a fire in the wood stove at night. That massive red elm is yielding a ton of firewood to add to our supply/reserves.
That firewood is such a wonderful thing. Will brought in more yesterday. There’s a big pile in the woodshed plus a lot already stacked up. It’s been very dry here too. That fire in the wood stove sure feels good in the mornings, doesn’t it?