So, I’m trying to tie up all the outside loose ends. I picked all the Striped Sugar Rush Peach and Sugar Rush Peach hot peppers in the south hoop house and am going back out to pick the Venice Bootleg peppers. This morning, Will turned off the propane heat in the hoop house, and it’s supposed to go down to 32 F tonight so it may freeze in there. Everything else is done. The only heat we have besides the wood stove in the living room is the heat in the greenhouse for the squash, cabbages, and onions, just to keep them from freezing until we can move them into the house.
Tomorrow, I have carrots to bring in and wash up in preparation to can up. If I have time, I’ll also can up some cabbage chunks, which we like (no matter what “they” say about it being too strong to can). I just dump out the water it was canned in and cook it up as I wish, whether frying it or simmering in butter and milk, making soup or adding to stews. Then there are a lot of cabbages to make Amish coleslaw, which is canned and remains crispy.
I feel so bad to hear that the SNAP benefits will be halted for so many people who truly need them. I personally know several people who use this benefit and are disabled, ex-military or simply elderly, on a small, fixed income. That’ll be a huge blow to them, and I don’t know how they’ll make it, as expensive as food and everything else is getting. AEOA has also been cut severely, so they also aren’t getting as much fuel assistance as they did in the past, which certainly did not completely cover their heating needs all rugged Minnesota winter. That’s all so sad and I don’t know how folks will make it. Help them all you can by donating food or cash to local food shelves, please.
We’ve benefited from our new friend and neighbor, Matt, who had his 20-acre new homestead logged so he can develop pasture. He gave us all the leftover slash wood (smaller diameter tree ends) we want for using as firewood next year when it dries. Thank you, Matt! It’s easy to access and only a mile away. He brought some in a trailer and Will has hauled some home too. Right now, though, Will is busily hauling in our big round bales, ahead of snow. — Jackie
