Yesterday, our friend, Dara, came out to help pick beans. I knew she was coming and I went out and picked a full crate of ripe tomatoes, hoping she could use them, as she’d told me her tomatoes are very slow this year. Will had also picked several more Sweet Granite muskmelons and told me we had a nice, ripe Leelanau Sweetglo watermelon. With all the ripe tomatoes, I made us some fat tacos for lunch. Then we had a big piece of juicy, sweet, watermelon for dessert. It was so good! Yes, Dara said she could sure use the tomatoes, so I was happy I didn’t have to get to canning in bulk so soon.
I guess that was to make up for the day before. I’d taken stuff to the dump when, on the way back, right by road construction, I started to get a flat time. Luckily, right across the road was a big storage building, with a huge parking area. I turned in there and pulled to a thumping stop. I knew with my bad knees, I wouldn’t be able to get down to jack the car up with the small jack and tiny jack handle Ford provides. So I called the local Chevrolet garage, which also has towing, which is covered by my insurance. And tire changing! That didn’t go well. The man said he only had one technician there and couldn’t send him out. I called Will. He was haying and couldn’t hear his phone. I called our friend, Sherri, figuring maybe her husband, John, would be around. It went to voicemail. I then called our local Tire Shop and Mike told me he was there alone and couldn’t come. This was looking bad.
I got out of the car, opened the back hatch, took out the doughnut spare and jack. I first tried to loosen the lug nuts. Oh darn, not one would budge! I kind of gave up at that point, figuring I’d have to wait until Will checked his phone. Then an angel showed up. Well, okay, not a being with wings, but a very nice man named Brian. He set to work and after half an hour of sweating, he managed to get the stubborn tire off and the doughnut on. I tried to pay him for his trouble, but he wouldn’t have any of that. See, there still are very nice people out there, even if they are in the minority.
Okay, I hopped in the car to take the flat tire to the Tire Shop as it was shot, and I knew I’d need a pair of new ones as Brian said the other front tire was not good, as well. It seems that both tires had been rubbing on something, wearing the rubber down to the cords. But the car would not go faster than 35 mph and was kind of going faster, then slower, no matter what I did with the accelerator. Oh oh! I made it to the Tire Shop, dropped off the tire and Gary ordered a pair of new ones, saying to come back at 1 PM the next day (today).
I was scared the car wouldn’t make it the 14 miles home. But it did, thank God. Will figured it was the sensors acting up because of the doughnut tire, which, it turns out, was correct. Today I limped back into town, got the new tires on and Gary took it for a short spin. Yep, it went up to 60 with no trouble. Whew!
So, today it’s back to homesteading. Will was haying but the haybine broke down. He spent the morning working on that and got it back together. I’ve been picking dry beans, as Dara picked a five-gallon bucket full plus a little more yesterday, of Chippewa. Then our friend, Heather came out yesterday late afternoon and picked over half a five-gallon pail of Six Nation Iroquois. We sent her home with some muskmelons and watermelons as a thank you. Don’t you love homesteading? Especially when the self-seeded Grandpa Ott’s Morning Glories are starting to bloom on the front porch trellises.
— Jackie
jackie I’m glad you can enjoy morning glories. Our pollinators love them but they will cover any surface in a matter of days in zone 7b. they are invasive.here Every year I fight them. does your hopi squash do well in my growing zone 1hour north of Atlanta) ? Thanks
The heat wave is over for now, I am so glad 😊
I’ve got about a 5 foot row of Russian cucumbers up and 2 Black Beauty Zucchini :) Am waiting for the other hill to come up.
I am already planning next year garden, going to plant an early tomatoes in April and use milk jugs in case of cold.
I’m going to try and beat the 90° -100° heat and the heat index 108° 110°
I read an article that this kind of weather was here to stay but some summers would be normal but most would be like hot and humid 🥵 92° in the house. I have fans.
Your Morning glories are beautiful ❤️
I’m so glad you got produce.
I’m going to the store and get ready for the winter.
Hey, back up plan when your garden fails.
I try and only only get stuff with 3 ingredients. Food is really bad now.
I’m glad you got help and got everything fixed.
Boy even reading about it sounded awful.
Take care ❤️
I hope your fall garden gives you lots of food. It is so frustrating when a first year garden turns out badly. That’s why when folks tell me “If the shit hits the fan, I’ll just till up my front yard and plant a garden” I cringe. Very few first year gardens amount to much, even in good weather. Just hang in there and it’ll get better next year.
It would be a good idea to check your alignment as that can cause the tires to wear out like that.😊
I am thankful your angel showed up! Its never fun to be stranded and the people who usually help are unable to come to your aid. It has been extremely hot here this week and is predicted to be the same next week. Highs in the upper 90s and lows in mid 70s. My poor chickens are hot. I’ve been giving them fresh water 3 times a day to help keep them cool. The farmers down the road are harvesting pumpkins. They harvest is huge and I have seen loads of pumpkins going by. I feel sorry for those people out there picking in this heat. Your tomatoes and melons sure sound good! Sending prayers for a blessed week.
Thank you for your prayers. I sure hope your weather cools down. It’s amazing at seeing tons of pumpkins being harvested. Ours are already orange and looking great. I can’t wait till our harvest! I just love growing pumpkins.
Flat tires, sensor s, hay fields break down s You’ve certainly had aday! Blessed be your friends harvest help angel Brian and Will always with the answer. Fall is truly my favorite season Colors .Full pantries. Welcome Rain. Hope the next few days go smoother!
That day was certainly a challenge. Now it’s going better. We had 2″ of rain. Great for the gardens and pasture; not so hot for the hay Will has down though. I love fall too. Experiencing the bounty of the harvest always astounds me!
I have been helped by many both day and night. I think about some of those folks. Yes, angels exist. Remember to keep the chain of love going. Pass it forward when you can. Got to love the Karma bucket. Feed it when you can. Draw when you need.
I always try to pass on that love chain; in all ways I can. I believe you reap what you sow.
So I heard something new, to me, the other day about toxic squash syndrome. You may have covered this at one time and I missed it but have you ever heard about it?
Yes, I have heard about it. It’s a very rare condition caused by eating (usually) domestic squash which have crossed with wild gourds, such as seen on the roadside in parts of the southwest. It is extremely rare in home gardeners in other locations, and very rare down there.
If you take a bite of raw squash before you cook it and it is bitter, just spit it our and don’t eat it. And others on that plant will generally be the same so it’s a good idea to pull the plant and definitely don’t save its seeds.
I was curious since you are one of the better informed gardeners (so many years of gardens, lol) but this was totally new to me. Do you think it would be better to separate squash and gourds in a garden just in case?
Hi, Jackie:
We were in Kingman, Arizona and my husband commented about the watermelon plants in the desert. I told him they were gourds! Yes, toxic!!
What beautiful morning glories! I have them planted in 2 locations (unfortunately or fortunately?) I believe the squirrels and chipmunks have rearrange my garden map. So now I have several huge morning glories that are fighting it out with my green beans in my main garden. I don’t mind… adds some beauty in the middle of all the green!
Also, your canning book has been opened again for another season of canning. Pickle Relish, pickled beets and ground beef… soon to be salsa, tomato sauce and canning up my very fertile black beans. Then you for all your wisdom over the years… we have stayed well fed due to you and your books!
I’m so glad you’ve found my canning book helpful! One tip: After I wrote the book, I found out if I lightly browned and crumbled my ground meat and lightly packed it, without adding liquid, it comes out much nicer, both in taste and texture. You might want to give that a try.
Since you are talking about your canning book , I saw in an old post that your cowboy candy recipe was in your “Growing & canning your own food”. I looked but could not find the recipe. Could you provide the page? I want to put your vaquero & cowgirl candy recipes in my book. Plus I saw that Ruthanne Zimmerman uses her leftover brine as a marinade for bbq chicken which sounds delicious. This way I have everything together & have less chance of forgetting since I am unfortunately starting to have memory issues.
Thank you so much for that tip. I will add it to my notes in the book…of course, giving you full credit! Enjoy your week and have fun with all the fun fruits/veggies!
Need some advice about potatoes. We dug some up and the ants and other creepy crawlies decimated them. Ate all of the outsides of the potatoes. Is there anything to stop them from doing this next year? We rotate our patch every year. We also live over by Bemidji, MN so growing conditions are close to yours. Thanks for any advice.
Are you sure it was ants and below ground insects? Voles can attack potatoes and other root crops underground. If it was truly underground insects, next year, when you plant your potatoes, spread beneficial nematodes over the row, via a water mix. This soaks in and establishes the helpful nematodes along the row. They will eat ant larvae and pupae, greatly reducing the size of the troublesome colony.
Voles, also known as field mice, are another thing. Check the potatoes carefully for tooth marks to tell the difference. If it is voles, you can set mouse traps, baited with peanut butter and sunflower seeds near where you have seen damage. A good cat will also help reduce their population. Also, voles have cycles. Some years there are a lot where other years, they are quite rare.
Yes, Jackie, I am sure there are angels around us at times. It has happened to me several times. This was before cell phone times. Once, I had a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and at 2:30 in the morning going home from helping friends move. Luckily, I broke down at the end of a gravel driveway that turned out to be a rural concrete business on a very deserted country road. A man drove out the gate and immediately got his jack and fixed my tire. He would not take money and said he was on his way home from work at the end of his shift. The next day, when I tried to find him, no one ever heard of him or his car I described? Makes you wonder; but thankful.
Wow, what a great story! I’m so happy your angel was there to help you, as mine was. I am just so grateful for the help.
I love fall, especially harvest! After a long dry, hot summer here in western Colorado, my Fremont Culture beans are finally setting on heavy!! My question is, can I include them in when I can my vegetable soup? I’ve included Lima beans before but since these beans are so large I was wondering if will be ok? Also what other dishes do you use them in? Happy harvesting to everyone!
Yes, you sure can add them to your soup you can up. I use them in baked bean dishes too. The skin gets tender, unlike some runner bean varieties. We love the flavor too.