Baymule’s 2020 Garden

[Cosmo spring garden]

I didn't can the green beans yesterday. I avoided the garden. If I don't go in it, then there's nothing to pick, right? And if there's nothing to pick, there is nothing to put up......durned table full of tomatoes was looking at me, green beans were still in the refrigerator. One of my customers texted yesterday, she was at the beauty shop and the owner and one of the beauticians wanted vegetables and eggs. Counting what my customer wanted, we sold $73 worth.

Then we stopped at a neighbor's before we got home, they are rehabbing an old mobile home. Audrey has 3 kids under 5, her cousin was there too so we got to meet him. I invited them to the farm to give them some Thai long beans. They wound up buying lamb chops and leg of lamb. So that came to $70, not a bad day! Audrey sent me the cutest picture of one of her kids eating a tomato I gave her and pictures of the supper she cooked. She has a garden and is looking forward to moving so she can have a bigger garden. She wants to learn how to can, so I will be happy to teach her. Can't wait for her and family to move.

We went to birthday party for 3 of a neighbor's 4 boys, had hot dogs and took the boys a present. We got them a dome tent. All and all it was a nice day.

So today I hit it. I was cutting up tomatoes at 6:00 this morning and tossing them in two big pots. I loaded up the dehydrator with sliced tomatoes after shaking the seeds out. Then i went outside to do chores. I fed the animals and started picking. I picked the first purple hull peas and more eggplant. I picked a few Thai #3 long beans, Kentucky Wonder beans and a few tomatoes. My husband shelled the peas while I snapped the KW beans. I blanched the peas and bagged them for the freezer, got 3 bags. I cut the Diamond eggplant in half, microwave blanched it and vacuum sealed it, got 4 pkgs of 4 halves each. I peeled and sliced the rest and got 2 bags of 2 eggplant each. I peeled and cut the long eggplant, microwave blanched it and vacuum sealed it for the freezer, got 4 bags. We are going to see my sister this week and are taking her the peas and the long eggplant. I strained the tomatoes and returned the juice to the pots. I canned 4 pints of KW beans, not a lot, but they will be good this winter. That gives me 16 pints. In between, I cleaned up my messes. I sure do make a mess when i am canning. Finally I had cooked down the tomato sauce down and I canned it. I got 2 quarts and 9 pints. I am tired.

Your hard work will be a blessing in the winter when you will enjoy hour canned goods! Gardening and preserving the produce is hard work but so worth it! If you ask my kids "where does food come from"? They will reply "the garden/farm!" And not "the store" and this makes me so happy that they are so connected with their food. My son loves to ask "how many things from this meal came from our farm mommy?" And this time of the year I can make 90% of the meal using pur own farm grown ingredients. And awesome job selling your produce and meat! I sell eggs to few people and it really helps with the feed cost!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I get tired just reading that Bay. Starting from fresh tomatoes to canning sauce is a long day by the time you cook them down. I never have to worry about dirty fingernails on canning day, there is so much washing involved.

 

[baymule]

Haha, I made huge messes all day, cleaning up each time and putting things away. Then getting things out for the next mess and starting over. My husband wisely stays OUT of the kitchen!

Our son is excited about the tomato crop this year. He uses a lot of my home canned tomatoes and last year there was none.

I love to prepare a meal with our own home raised meat and vegetables. It’s so good!

 

[flowerbug]

Haha, I made huge messes all day, cleaning up each time and putting things away. Then getting things out for the next mess and starting over. My husband wisely stays OUT of the kitchen!

Our son is excited about the tomato crop this year. He uses a lot of my home canned tomatoes and last year there was none.

I love to prepare a meal with our own home raised meat and vegetables. It’s so good!

i am often Mom's sous chef, cleaning up when she's done cooking, but i can also make a good mess of my own. i much prefer not being helped in the kitchen. i'm very task oriented and dislike not finishing something i start.

 

[baymule]

Picked another wash pan of tomatoes this morning, cut them up and put 3 one gallon bags in the freezer. Picked more Purple Hull peas, twice as many as yesterday. Picked more Thai #3 long beans and a couple of eggplant. Taking the peas, beans and eggplant to my sister's in the morning. Gonna spend the night and come back Wednesday. The garden will be screaming at me after a 2 day absence. Got to water the garden good this evening, fill the horse water tank, the pig water barrel, get hay down for the sheep and write out instructions for our neighbor. He'll have to feed the horses, dogs, chickens and sheep.

My sister's husband died a month ago, there was no funeral because of Covid. In the meantime, she has come to realize that the huge 5 bedroom 4 bath 2 story home on 3 acres with a swimming pool is too big, too much and the insurance will break the bank, not to mention the upkeep. She's looking at south Texas, along the border and a smaller house. I say go for it.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I'm sad for your sis. When my sis' hubs go, she'll be completely lost.

Do eggplants need pollinators? My plants are pretty and the blooms are gorgeous. But no "eggs"

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Picked another wash pan of tomatoes this morning, cut them up and put 3 one gallon bags in the freezer. Picked more Purple Hull peas, twice as many as yesterday. Picked more Thai #3 long beans and a couple of eggplant. Taking the peas, beans and eggplant to my sister's in the morning. Gonna spend the night and come back Wednesday. The garden will be screaming at me after a 2 day absence. Got to water the garden good this evening, fill the horse water tank, the pig water barrel, get hay down for the sheep and write out instructions for our neighbor. He'll have to feed the horses, dogs, chickens and sheep.

My sister's husband died a month ago, there was no funeral because of Covid. In the meantime, she has come to realize that the huge 5 bedroom 4 bath 2 story home on 3 acres with a swimming pool is too big, too much and the insurance will break the bank, not to mention the upkeep. She's looking at south Texas, along the border and a smaller house. I say go for it.

Sorry to hear about your BIL. Will she be moving closer to you or further away?

 

[baymule]

I'm sad for your sis. When my sis' hubs go, she'll be completely lost.

Do eggplants need pollinators? My plants are pretty and the blooms are gorgeous. But no "eggs"

Yes, eggplant needs pollinators, bumble bees pollinate the eggplant and purple hull peas in my garden. Maybe you could pollinate your eggplant with a Q-tip.

Sorry to hear about your BIL. Will she be moving closer to you or further away?

MUCH further away. We are about 1 1/2 hours east of Dallas just off Interstate 20. She is 3 hours from me now. She wants to move to the southern most tip of Texas, 550 miles from me, 8 1/2 hours drive. She has a younger half sister and half brother there. She and I have the same mother. Her biological father had several families with 4 different women. We were both born in south Texas, along the border. The Rio Grande Valley is a beautiful place, big in agriculture.

 

[baymule]

Got home at 7PM last night. I fed animals real quick and made tracks to the garden. Peas were ready! I picked 3 rows before dark, got 2 wash pans, yield 6 pounds, 7 ounces shelled peas. This morning I picked the rest, yield 7 pounds shelled peas. At 3PM today I started watering, lost a lot of my sweet corn because I wasn’t here to water it. Have the sprinkler going on peas and tomatoes. Also picked another wash pan of tomatoes, more green beans. I’ll be putting up vegetables tomorrow!

I cooked supper for my sister, daughter and her 3 girls, me and my husband. Fried eggplant, purple hull peas, green beans, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and cornbread made from Painted Mountain corn. It was good and she sure enjoyed it. We had a great visit. Bittersweet.

 

[seedcorn]

Fried eggplant recipe? Please and thank you.