Blanching and Freezing Veggies

A couple of weeks ago, I called around to find out how to properly freeze veggies because our garden is producing yellow squash at a rate which exceeds our desire to consume them.  Those I called were either accustomed to canning or had forgotten the freezing process.  So, you know what I did? Yep, I Googled it! Now I am going to share what I found out with you while simultaneously showing off my first batch.

Monsters in the garden

Here are a couple of squash from our garden. The zuccini is actually much larger than we should have let it get.  The yellow squash is probably bigger than we should have let it get to. It wasn't even the biggest one, we ate that one. It was yummy! It was at least half-again the size of the one in this picture. I cut it into strips and removed the seeds and did the same with a zuccinin and sauted them together with some garlic, onion, salt and pepper. It is so cool eating stuff we grew in our own garden.  For the 4th of July I made potato salad and included some red and yellow potatos that Rich grew. Now we have to learn how to can because this stuff is coming in fast.

Sneeds in the gym

We have to get out and do something!

Garden photos

First Planting (squash, peppers, tomatoes)

Corn and pole beans (before extreme gardening experience)

Newest bed (will be carrots and bush beans)

     Here are some pictures of the garden I have been sharing about.  I hope you can make it out, as it is surrounded by the "wilderness".  Notice in the middle photo there is just an undeveloped piece of ground to the left of the new corn plants.  Notice also that my corn plants are much taller (bottom photo) a week later!

Extreme Gardening

     Today I spent about 6 hours in the garden.  I must have poured out at least a gallon of sweat.  What was I doing? For the warm up, I inspected and pruned the six tomato plants we have. I tethered them better to the "stakes", which are merely saplings cut down during early clearing of the garden area. As I surveyed the garden wondering what I should do next, I noticed there was too much shade on the garden. The culprits were two small trees that I judiciously cut down with an axe. This was not an extremely difficult task, but it sure in the heck was not easy. By the time I was finished with that, I was in dire need of a water break.
     After getting some water, changing over some laundry, making the kids some lunch and then cleaning up, I went down to see about making a small place for some seeds in the wilderness-becoming-a-garden area.  I began clearing, then I cleared a little more. I started off with raking up some underbrush, progressed to pulling many roots out of the ground, and ended up with an all-out assault on the untouched patch of ground that is now about a 12X3' bed for some beans and carrots. I wrestled with that patch of ground until it became a fully submitted piece of earth that will (God willing) grow some food for my family. I am exhausted, but I feel very accomplished. AND I feel good because I had to have burned some serious calories!

A Visit to the ER (Just in Case)

     Before you get too excited and exclaim, "Oh, no! What happened!" I will start this post by assuring you that it really was nothing.  The front door at the church bit him as he was, once again, RIDING HIS RIPSTICK INTO THE CHURCH.  Nevermind that his mother has pleaded with him countless times to not ride the thing INTO the church.  Anyway, apparently the hole in the door that the lock latches into is quite sharp.  So he got a nasty gash in the side of his finger and took a few layers off his knuckle. There actually was quite a bit of blood so I was having a little trouble deciding whether stitches would be helpful in the healing. So, off to the ER we went!
     X-rays were taken to insure there was no break. Then he was cleaned up, super-glued, steri-stripped, guazed and splinted. Probably the easiest visit to the ER I have experienced. Never a dull moment around here!

School's Out for Summa!

Here I go trying this blogging thing again. Not sure where to start (again) but to just write about what has been happening lately.
I really enjoyed the last couple of weeks that the kids were in school. Since I worked at the Cherokee school this year (serving lunch to adorable elementary school kids) I was done for the year befor the Swain County schools got out. I was able to go on some field trips and enjoy some of the end of the year events at the charter school the youngest three attend. I went with Matti's 8th grade class on a genseng marking expedition. Apparently people have been caught stealing the plants (which are endangered) out of the local national park. Marking the plants involves introducing a chemical into their DNA which proves the plant came from the protected area.
My CDL license came in handy as I drove Samuel's 4th grade class on three different trips. The first was to a favorite swimming area in a nearby man-made lake. The next trip was into town for a fact-finding expedition and a scavenger hunt at the library. The third trip was down into the Nantahala Gorge for a rafting trip, fun! I didn't get to go on any trips with Katie, but I did get to see her play with the middle school band. I also escorted her pet snake, Monty, on a trip to Samuel's class for pet day. 

Since school has been out, we have been taking it pretty easy. The kids have had some friends stay over. We visited the local skate park. We went to see a movie with Rich. Matti started working on Wednesdays on a gardening/fruit and vegetable stand job. Of course, they haven't harvested anything yet, but they have been doing some planting. We have also planted a small garden (Rich, Richie, Samuel and I) at our house. We have tomatos, potatos, peppers, squash and one bean plant! I put some corn in the other day, but none of them have sprouted yet. When they do, I am going to try to plant pole beans by each corn plant and they will hopefully do well together.
I plan to take better advantage of the local adventure opportunities this summer. I would like to do some hiking, rafting/kayaking, primative camping this year. I find it kinda crazy that I have not gotten into more of this during the last 16 years I have lived here.