It’s been nuts around here. And we just keep plugging along. Today’s accomplishment consisted of getting 27 packages of carrots into the freezer.
Speaking of the freezer - we found this ‘ sanity saver ‘ on Craigslist last week! Got a great deal on it - $250.00. And it’s in wonderful condition!
Dwayne and one of our neighbors went to pick it up yesterday morning. Sent him home with canned tomatoes - a few jars of tomato sauce - fresh tomatoes - and a jar of pole beans - a thank you for helping us!
So far - we’ve crammed the chest freezer with 89 packages of green beans. We did the 27 packages of carrots today. I’ve lost count on the cases of canned tomatoes that I’ve managed to get done. And then I got almost 2 cases of ½ pint size jars of tomato sauce. And the tomatoes keep coming.
I have a drawer full of jalapeno peppers ready for canning. We still have potatoes to get out of the ground and get canned with the pressure canner. We’ve harvested the pole beans enough to fill 3 quart size jars - so far. And the 5-gallon bucket is crammed full with another load.
I’ve dehydrated pineapple and a bag of onions that I bought at the store. We have over 20 onions curing out on the front porch that I’ll be running through the dehydrator before packaging with the FoodSaver. And the corn is coming along.
It all sounds like so little work in type. There’s so much that has gone on in between - just trying to get anything accomplished. The weather - okay - the heat - has gotten in the way with everyone out here this year.
We drive through our neighborhood and see where folks just gave up on fighting with the weeds in their gardens, as well. It’s just been too hot to get out there and deal with it all. And to be honest - the grassy stuff growing up around the veggies has actually been a help with retaining moisture in the soil to help against the lack of rain we’ve had.
I now have two dogs - a cat - and fifteen chicks to take care of. Working in the garden - doing the canning - freezing - dehydrating. Carrying everything back and forth from the garden. Getting the laundry taken care of down in the basement. All the trips up and down the stairs to store all the food that’s been put away. Trying to keep up with cleaning the house. We got the rain we needed - enough that we’re having to mow again - and Dwayne does the weed eating.
I go to bed wiped out. I wake up wiped out. I hit the floor running. Chickens - cat - and dogs are dealt with before I even get to sit down with my first cup of coffee.
I’m hanging in there - keeping one thought in mind the whole time - just to get me through all this right now.
Actually - I am getting some help after going to the doctor this past week. I’ve been put on an anti-inflammatory called Meloxicam. It’s not doing much - but it’s helping a little.
That thought? Oh - “ I will not be doing a vegetable garden next year. “
I’ll be able to focus on fixing up the flowerbeds around the front of our house next year.
And running all around this entire region - chasing Farmer’s Markets!
I just might get some rest.
I know one thing for sure. My hubby won’t have to seal the house next year. He won’t have to build a chicken coop next year. And he won't have to drag me down to Savannah while picking up a tractor!
Trust me. You just had to be here and see it - to understand the importance of those facts.
I’m so proud of him!
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3 comments:
You are SOOOO busy!! We are here too, but not getting the produce stored away. I was going to can beets this week, but I ran out of time...hopefully they will still be good so I can hopefully get them done this next week.
I think we have a problem with the tomatoes...DH better get a fence around the garden, cause we aren't getting any...there are green ones, but we never see red ones. He informed me finally today that he thinks the chickens have been visiting it...now after how long he finally figures this out?!! LOL How many did we loose? *sigh*
I so wanted to do some canning of them this year...at this rate I should just pick the green ones and save them up and make me some mock mincemeat! We will see what this next week brings...it BETTER bring a temp fence at least, around the garden, although I'm not sure that we can keep them out of it with one of those since they do fly. :(
Glad you could get another freezer! Enjoy filling it!!!!! :)
I fell out when I read your comments! Of course it's your chickens! They LOVE tomatoes! Either one - fence or aluminum pie pans hanging on twine and blowing in the wind from off the plants.
All the Mockingbirds hatchlings are leaving their nests right now. They invaded this week's pickings - all at once. So - I'm using the aluminium pot pie tins.
Believe it or not - as I write this - I've just turned the burner off on ANOTHER pot of cooked down tomato puree for canning sauce! But it's so late. I'm wiped out. I'm lettin' it cool for the fridge and I'll reheat to can it in the morning.
I've also got a mess of onions finished curing. They'll be going into the dehydrator in the morning, as well!
Season's not over. You're not too late. And here's some really cool advice... If you have any long shoots on your tomato vine that are a problem - turn 'em into gold! Get you a spot ready for another plant. Clip off enough to lay horizontal (as close to 1 ft as possible) and bury it down about 4 inches. Keep it watered good - without mulch until you see new growth coming! You just may get lucky and earn a fall crop!
*giggle* Yeah, you would think after being around chickens most of my life that I would have known better. I wasn't taking care of that part of the garden, so didn't go up to look at them even to see how things were doing, I did the raised beds with the beets in them...so will blame my being blond on that. LOL
DH should have known...I'd have thought...but don't know how much he has actually done up there himself, since I'm busy doing other things and don't watch. I wanted him to put the garden down by the raised beds, but for this year he thought it would be easier up by his shop...since our tiller needs work before we can use it. Less grass there I guess. LOL
Anyway hubby said he has some fence he was going to put around it...not sure why it's not done yet since he figured this out last week, but guess he wants to give them some more tomatoes before he does it. I'll turn bitchy about it soon though...cause I want my tomatoes. LOL
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