Thursday, August 14, 2014

Busy & Blessed

What does okra have to do with a blessed life?
Because we are fed and prepared for the winter.

I cooked this along with some cornbread
so it would be ready when we
got in from working at the farm.
We sliced some tomatoes and cucumbers
out of the garden!
PERFECTION!

I had enough okra to put up in the freezer!
I love to have okra ready to fry in the winter.
"Sweet Hunter's" Granny taught me how to freeze okra.
So easy.
Cut up. Roll in cornmeal.
Put on cookie sheet and heat through until lightly brown.
Cool and put in freezer bags!
 
 

This is the field of sunflowers that I planted
behind my garden for "Sweet Hunter"!
Do you love it?
We do.

We go to the farm every night and clean up
what the carpenters have messed up!
It's so exciting seeing all the changes.
I will be blogging more about it but I hate to show you just the mess
and not the finished projects.
So when something gets completed, you will see it!
Awwww! Look at this sunflower!
We have sheds, campers & a trailer behind the house that, like everything else
at the farm, was full of stuff!!!
We have a guy cleaning it all up for us.
When he took down one of the campers, I noticed this cast iron bath tub.
I bet they don't put cast iron tubs in campers now! lol
Anyway, I thought to myself......
Wouldn't that be perfect to water my goats in!
Light bulb moment!
So we are keeping it!
 
While he is cleaning up, we are finding all kinds of stuff!
These jars are gold to me since I can  a lot in the summer!
 
This is a tool shed that was full.
It's a great place to put my jars that he is finding.
Some women love shoes & shopping!
I love jars and barns!!!


 
Remember my fence?
And my fence post driver?
Well I LOVE that thing!
I was able to finish putting up my fence posts and my fencing
for my sugar snap peas for my fall garden!

I replanted my yellow squash so we will have some in the fall!
It's looking great!

This is why we are so blessed!
Look at our girls!
3 are my daughters and 2 are my granddaughters!
LOVE them!
See the one in the middle?
Our newest grandson is due Sept. 4!
Please help us pray for Mommy & baby!
3 more weeks!!!!!
Sweet Hunter loves his sunflowers!
So do I!
We are busy but we are so blessed!
Thank you Lord!
***************************************
 
God be Merciful unto us,
and Bless us;
and cause HIS face
to Shine upon us;
Selah.
 
 
 


Sunday, August 3, 2014

My Garden At The Farm

This fence is what I worked on this past weekend.
This is where my green beans were planted.
I used fence posts and twine.




When I cleaned all the vines up and tilled up the ground,
I quickly realized how I hated twine!
I loved having the beans up high but when it
came time to clean it all up, between the vines and the twine,
it was not fun. I had to pull up all the vines in the ground
and make sure the twine was up.
So now I have a fence up for my fall garden (sugar snap peas) and my green beans next year.
I still have more fence to add but I am getting it done.
And I did all this all by myself!


I also planted more squash this past weekend.
I love having it in the freezer in the winter.
I blanch cut up squash and freeze for casseroles
and I also freeze some for fried squash.

In this picture you see my last row of white half runners.
I didn't even stake these up and they are doing good.
To the left you can see I still have some squash growing.

Here you can see my bell pepper plants.
They are doing really well.
I flash freeze my bell peppers and put in a zip loc bag
so I can just reach in and get what I need when I am cooking.

We are so blessed with tomatoes.
I love them any way I can get them.
I have made homemade soup for the winter.
Tomorrow I am making salsa.
And of course....tomato sandwiches.

"Sweet Hunter's" Granny taught me most of
what I know about freezing and canning.
Here is how she taught me to do the squash so it will be ready to fry in the winter
and it is so good!
Slice and bread with cornmeal just like you were going to fry it.
Very lightly grease a cookie sheet and then put squash on it in
oven 450 degrees. Watch it very close. You want it lightly browned but not cooked through.
Turn over and brown the other side. Set out and cool.
Place in freezer bags and it is ready to fry in the winter!

I planted "Sweet Hunter" a field of sunflowers!
Look!!!
Our first bloom!!!!


This is how I pounded the fence posts in the ground for my fence!
A step stool and a brick!
Oh my it was so hard but I was so determined.


When "Sweet Hunter" saw what all I had done,
he asked me how I pounded the fence post in the ground.
When I told him a brick and a step stool............
He took me to Tractor Supply and bought me this
FENCE POST DRIVER!
Who would've thunk it?
It is very very heavy.
Hope I can do it!

I had several cucumbers come up on there own and
I was wanting some more cucumbers so this is good.
I have about 20 plants but they
have just about played out and I am not ready for this bountiful
supply to end!
 

 This is why I love my garden!!!

 
 
And that's why
Sometimes I just want to praise YOU.
Sometimes just to speak YOUR name.
Oh Sometimes I just want to thank YOU,
without asking YOU for a single thing.
Oh sometimes I lift my hands to YOU.
And sometimes all I do is cry.
Everything that I have I owe to YOU,
Lord,
And Calvary's the reason why.