Sunday, August 25, 2013

Visitors


We love these phone calls:

"Can we come out and visit Clark?"

If Clark only knew how spoiled of a skunk he really is!!!! We don't like to tell Walter that Clark gets phone calls for visitors because we are afraid he may get jealous!! 

We always welcome visitors!! Here is Clark's most recent company. They even sent him a thank you card. (Yes, he gets mail too!!!)





Monday, August 12, 2013

Quarts, pints, and freezer bags


A few days off = lots of canning, freezing, and storing for the winter. In a way, kind of makes me sound like a squirrel! 
    It took Darin and I two evenings to finish bagging 66 quarts of sweet corn. I hadn't picked sweet corn in a long time. When we were kids, we picked all the time and sold it as a little summer project. Well, dad and I picked bucket after bucket, and thanks goodness for an electric knife or I would still be cutting corn off the cob!! Thanks Jamie for this tip: use the inside of an angel food pan to  set the corn on and then cut it off- the corn will fall straight into the pan. 
   
 
After corn last night, I ended up staying up late and making 4 batches of salsa. I ended up with way more than I thought- 4 quarts & 12 pints! Thank you gma for teaching me over the years how to make it! Biggest tip - thank the lids when they pop to signal they are sealed! 
     
Countless gallons of blackberries. Time consuming to pick but worth every second! Blackberry pie- my favorite! 
   
  Who could forget the green beans?!?! We still have blooms so I anticipate more picking days but 14 quarts already hold a spot in my pantry. 
     
White peaches- the newest fruit I've tried..... And delicious!!! Thanks Danny! A white peach pie they turned into. This was my first attempt at a peach pie and I'd have to say, I'll def do it again!! 
    

Despite a couple pesky critters ( 2 opossums to be exact) we have had a wonderful year for fruits and veggies. Clark the skunk loves it too because he eats all the scraps! 

Gardening and canning is a passion of mine. If you have tips or tricks that you would like to share, I'd love to hear them!