Sometimes I get a little high on myself. I think "hey, I can garden and can and cook and do it all pretty well". And then my homemade pectin isn't pectin-y. And my homemade pickles match the textbook description of spoiled pickles that should not be eaten. And it freezes the night that I don't cover my tomatoes. And the only butternut squash that has survived the great squash bug infestation of 2010 (which I fully intended to harvest but my hands were full so I decided it could use a few more days on the vine) also freezes and is then discovered by the ever-expanding squash bug colony.
But I'm good with it. I'm learning things. Every flubbed attempt builds a little more character and expertise (as in What Not To DO expertise, which is really quite valuable). And guess what? My relish is SCRUMPTIOUS, my hubby and kid have downed gallons of homemade-pure-and-unsweetened grape juice within the last week, and there are plenty of edible things hanging out in the pantry and freezer waiting to grace our table this winter.
I'm sure the magpies will be ever so thankful for the spoiled pickles.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Jungle
Every year I tell myself I will do better about this, and every year I forget. Staking/caging tomatoes is a trial for me! I know it's not that hard, but (like cleaning toilets) I dread it so much that I make it out to be a huge task and then I just avoid it!
Alas, this means that picking tomatoes requires hacking through a jungle. Do you know how frustrating it is to see a glimpse of ripe tomato goodnees peeking through the underbrush, yet not be able to get to it without a machete!? Some of my tomato plants have decided that standing up just isn't worth the battle and have decided to lay down on the job, meaning that my lovely ripe tomatoes are often wallowing in the dirt. Since they were all planted in 4-foot square raised beds, the chaos is at least manageable, but it is messy! And somewhere, hiding under all that, are a few straggling basil plants and at least one pepper plant. I know they're in there--I can smell 'em.
I'm pretty sure the mayhem, combined with my inattentiveness to the blossom end-rot problem, will adversely affect production, but I swear that I will do better next year! Meanwhile, does anyone have any ideas for a delicious way to put up eggplant? And let me mention in advance that pickled eggplant just does not sound yummy to me.
Alas, this means that picking tomatoes requires hacking through a jungle. Do you know how frustrating it is to see a glimpse of ripe tomato goodnees peeking through the underbrush, yet not be able to get to it without a machete!? Some of my tomato plants have decided that standing up just isn't worth the battle and have decided to lay down on the job, meaning that my lovely ripe tomatoes are often wallowing in the dirt. Since they were all planted in 4-foot square raised beds, the chaos is at least manageable, but it is messy! And somewhere, hiding under all that, are a few straggling basil plants and at least one pepper plant. I know they're in there--I can smell 'em.
I'm pretty sure the mayhem, combined with my inattentiveness to the blossom end-rot problem, will adversely affect production, but I swear that I will do better next year! Meanwhile, does anyone have any ideas for a delicious way to put up eggplant? And let me mention in advance that pickled eggplant just does not sound yummy to me.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Non-blogger
Almost every day I think of something I would like to blog about, but (obviously) I don't. And why? It's because I don't ever take the time to take pictures. Or, if I do take pictures, they sit on my camera for a month. I so love to read the blogs of people who document their activities with beautiful photos, but this just isn't one of those blogs. It's pretty utilitarian--simply the method by which I update people-who-care with the goings on at our house. So I'll do that!
Our summer raced by, and was full of camping trips, road trips, gardening, weed-pulling, watering, and now harvesting and preserving those garden goodies. I've overcome my fear of the canner and we're becoming fast friends after long hours in the kitchen together. I now open my pantry door to the delightful sight of jars full of my amateur creations--sour dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, mustard pickles, blackberry jam, grape jelly, plum jam (not actually in the pantry yet, but on it's way), and sweet relish. There are veggies and fruit chillin' in the freezer waiting to be enjoyed this winter, and I am working on creative ways to use my lovely eggplants and leeks.
Luke has gone to a couple of rodeos this summer and the resulting obsession with "buckin' bulls" and "buckin' broncos" has been very entertaining. His stick horse gets a daily workout, and I'm on the hunt for age-appropriate cowboy songs to sing to him at night when he begs for them. Parenting has been wildly entertaining this summer, and I've loved having my sidekick around.
Now, bring on fall! It's time for soup, sweaters, football, boots, rosy cheeks, planting garlic, and getting some venison in the freezer!
Our summer raced by, and was full of camping trips, road trips, gardening, weed-pulling, watering, and now harvesting and preserving those garden goodies. I've overcome my fear of the canner and we're becoming fast friends after long hours in the kitchen together. I now open my pantry door to the delightful sight of jars full of my amateur creations--sour dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, mustard pickles, blackberry jam, grape jelly, plum jam (not actually in the pantry yet, but on it's way), and sweet relish. There are veggies and fruit chillin' in the freezer waiting to be enjoyed this winter, and I am working on creative ways to use my lovely eggplants and leeks.
Luke has gone to a couple of rodeos this summer and the resulting obsession with "buckin' bulls" and "buckin' broncos" has been very entertaining. His stick horse gets a daily workout, and I'm on the hunt for age-appropriate cowboy songs to sing to him at night when he begs for them. Parenting has been wildly entertaining this summer, and I've loved having my sidekick around.
Now, bring on fall! It's time for soup, sweaters, football, boots, rosy cheeks, planting garlic, and getting some venison in the freezer!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Best Kind of Day
Way back in mid-April, on a beautiful, sunny Saturday, my favorite event of the year took place. A dirty, smelly, sweaty event...branding day. Every year this is a day for family, friends, neighbors, and their various dogs and horses, to meet down at Grandpa's corral. There are dogs underfoot and kids swinging ropes and men wrestling calves. The tween nieces learn how to give shots and one even tries her hand at branding--stressfull business with all the men crowding around giving advice--but it isn't smeared after all, and she has done a great job. The little ones are pooped halfway through the afternoon and head up the hill to play at Nana's house. Hours later, the hard part is done. Up the hill there are steaks on the grill and a potluck in the shade of the house. More neighbors arrive. We stay late and everyone agrees that the weather was perfect. It was a good day.
Slim, the cowdog-in-training
Flying boy's-eye view
Taking a break
Cousin loves
a new skill
tired eyes
bovine stink-eye
Slim, the cowdog-in-training
Miss vet-tech-in-training
Flying boy's-eye view
Taking a break
Cousin loves
a new skill
tired eyes
bovine stink-eye
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Ages and Stages
The other night, at a 29th birthday party for a dear Dear (who shall remain nameless to protect her in the future when lying about her age), I offered up the sage observation that "the 30s" are my favorite years so far. She responded that this might be true if you have acheived what you want by that point.
She might be a little bit right. I had a whole list of things to do before 30 that I didn't acheive, but the big goals did happen: I gave birth (at about 29.75 years, close one!); I've had a range of professional experiences that made me feel like I've done enough to ease back from the workplace and enjoy motherhood; and I'm the lady lucky enough to be married to my husband.
But all of those things would be good at any age! The thing I like about 30 (that I imagine will increase with each decade), is the comfortable confidence that I enjoy more often. Not because I've grown wise or learned a lot, but simply because I've learned one thing: that success is not the measurement of acheivement--it's the opposite! I've often limited myself to only doing things that I know I will be quite good at. That is a weakness. Trying something new, not doing it well, but trying over and over until you get it right or at least improve--that is strength, and that builds confidence! The 4-H motto "learn to do by doing" really is a life lesson! Here's to doing, whether you do it well or not!
She might be a little bit right. I had a whole list of things to do before 30 that I didn't acheive, but the big goals did happen: I gave birth (at about 29.75 years, close one!); I've had a range of professional experiences that made me feel like I've done enough to ease back from the workplace and enjoy motherhood; and I'm the lady lucky enough to be married to my husband.
But all of those things would be good at any age! The thing I like about 30 (that I imagine will increase with each decade), is the comfortable confidence that I enjoy more often. Not because I've grown wise or learned a lot, but simply because I've learned one thing: that success is not the measurement of acheivement--it's the opposite! I've often limited myself to only doing things that I know I will be quite good at. That is a weakness. Trying something new, not doing it well, but trying over and over until you get it right or at least improve--that is strength, and that builds confidence! The 4-H motto "learn to do by doing" really is a life lesson! Here's to doing, whether you do it well or not!
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