'Harvest 09 Continues'

Look what I found on the neighbors junk pile....
Apples Anyone???
Mini Wild Plums
Hmmm, Plum Pudding and Apple Pie?
Jack-Be-Little Pumpkin Decor

We started the day out with a visit and lots of laughs over breakfast and coffee with my twin brother early this morning. It was a great way to get the day going. Folded yesterdays laundry and headed to the woods with the trailer and 4-wheeler to pick apples before the bear and deer break the branches and eat them all. WoW, were we surprised...we filled the trailer besides 4 five gallon buckets. Most will go out to the critters after we cull through them to pick the best for more pies and sauces. Understand tho, that these are not your orchard sprayed apples that we pick. They are from trees grown in the wild from someone tossing a core, or what the birds and animals have planted after thorough digestion. We waste nothing. Our folks have taught us young that we waste not, want not. It's part of what most of our youth now refer to as 'going green', as if it were something 'new' that todays college educated have created...LOL...if they only had listened to their forefathers...I could go on...but you get the picture.

Next we picked tiny plums the size of a nickel and large as a quarter of which I will make a few jars of jam...there were so few on my tree this year that I may have to buy a few large store plums to have enough to make a batch., but well worth the effort.

My goal today was to do more canning but since I am physically exhausted, a shower sounds good, a little reading on 'root cellaring' some carrots in damp sawdust...and then an evening watching the deer and turkeys at the cabin, sounds even better.

God Bless You All

Can You Do the CanCan?

Fall Colors Bring Fall Canning
Much Work Awaits

I have been canning til I'm blue in the face...whew...what a busy day :o) I'm plum tuckered and did nothing with the plums yet..LOL...What I did do, however, was start my day out by grinding cucumbers, celery, onions, red and green peppers for my pickle relish, with oversized cucs from the neighbors, bless their hearts....that had to soak in salt brine for 4 hours.

Meanwhile, I chopped, diced, ground and spiced some tomatoes, cucs and secret ingredients to make some awesome gazpacho salsa that would be good as a tomato soup base as well as a cold soup. I got 4 pts. and 10 half pts. and plan to use ours as a salsa, pure and simple, since we salsas.

Still time to kill before I have to finish the pickle relish so I skimmed through the recipes to see if I had all the ingredients for Indian Chutney,...and yes, I did so.....on with the plan. Now chutneys in general are a great condiment for meats, bases for dips and spreads...which is what we will do with it...this particular chutney recipe only made 5 1/2 pts. but has a powerful flavor that will go far. It is loaded with surprises like raisins, onions, brown sugar And molasses, lemon, orange and lime segments cut fine, all dredged in many spices, cayenne, hot pepper flakes, cinnamon, cloves, to name a few......and wow, what a punch of flavor for my dips....can't wait to open the first jar. There are so few, I'm thinking Thanksgiving and Christmas for sure.

Finally, after 4 1/2 hrs. on my feet, I finished the pickle relish, a bit on the sweet side, but the one I have made for over 35 yrs, and we love on hotdogs, brats, and to make my homemade lemon dilled tartar sauce for our salmon and other fish frys...yum, yum!!! Of that, I tripled the recipe and got equivalent to 14 and 1/2 pts.

Still sitting on the counter, waiting to be put in the pantry is 8 qts. and 15 pts of sourkraut...that was canned earlier this week...

So, Can You Do the CanCan?

Onion Braids, Firewood, Colored Leaves, I smell Fall
Hitchin' a Ride
Wheelbarrow Ridin'

Fall certainly is in the air....the afternoon was spent rolling onions of their dried ground and skins and French braiding them into showy braids for the winter harvest wall...Ben had to hitch a ride with them to the garage but not until we had done a few laps around the yard....a nice warm afternoon...

R & R Time

The fall colors are coming into play....but not all today
The crabapples need to be juiced and jelled of their brilliance...but not today...
The temperature drops at least 10 degrees as we enter the cover of the trees....
A fallen sugar maple leaf waits to be picked up, pressed between the pages of the Bible and sent onto Texas for my sister to enjoy...but not today
The umbrella the maples create, dapples bits of blue sky that embraces them
The woodshed needs to be filled for the cold nights to come....but not today
The Eisenstein Dump reminds me that all of R & R is not pleasant....we need to be humored....but not today
The low waters of the creek needs to be replenished with much needed rains....but not today
The cabin needs to be filled with lots of family giggles and grins....
But not today....

Who does not savor a little R & R time.....We need to take our turn....So we will....Hope you enjoyed the ride to Our rest and relaxation....God Bless you all with Your R & R....

'Our 13th BabyGrand'

Grandpa & Grandma so proud to meet Noah
Proud, exhausted parents Andy and Danielle with their new bundle
Noah Keith Gruber

Noah was born early this morning weighing in at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 1/2" long....

He is as soft as the fur of a new kitten and smells of newborn baby lotion......

All fingers and toes are accounted for and he has not one blemish....

He's a perfect Gift from God and we are so grateful to add him to our family tree....

Thank God for the children....

Blessings to you all

Apples Etc.

Applesaucein Sy, my big helper

Applesauce and jelly

Uncle Bob's Purple Plums

Apples and TatorApple Pie

The Best Apple Pie

Wolf River Apples

We have been harvesting galore, lately. The apples were absolutely wonderful this year again. There were 10 cups of Apples in that delicious pie....my, oh, my what a treat.....and the sauce and jellies made us proud. My grandson loves to pitch in and help whenever he can....and promises to do that all his life....I love it

You all have an awe inspiring day and bless the world with your kindness......and sweetness of pie.....;0)

'Our Pleasant Surprise'

Megan with Daddy Bill, Katie with Mamma JolenePretty Creek Pic

Cool Ride

Our Megan with a Black-Eyed Susan plant

Our pretty little Katie

4-wheelin' the trails

Ewww, Syrus has a grasshopper

mmmmm, apples from trees are so juicy...Katie told Megan to eat all her apple cause it was a healthy treat right from the tree, and Grandma said they could throw the core in Daddys deer plot and grow another tree....

The girls were so impressed that apples came from a tree...cute

The look on Katies face was priceless, and of course, (no camera), when she pulled the biggest carrot out of the ground.......Grandpa washed it for her under the faucet and she ate the whole thing....along with lettuce, broccolli, a cherry tomato off the vine, and chard.....the only thing she did not care for...

It's always a pleasure to see our family but when they just 'pop' in, it's a wonderful surprise. We had a most pleasant day with two of our granddaughters and their folks......took a little 4-wheel ride through our woods trails, checked the trail camera, picked apples Off a Tree, (Katie informed me that their apples came from the store), harvested some garden, discovered grasshoppers, picked flowers and played on the tire swing.....what a nice, relaxing afternoon.....

The Packer Melon

The Packer Melon

So, all you football fans, I wonder why this is called the Packer Melon...hmmmm...the flavor of this pretty little melon is light and very juicy....not as rich a flavor as our favorite seedless varieties or the old original...but none the less, great....What watermelon isn't??....have a great watermelon and corn on the cob Labor Day Weekend to one and all.

'Moon Flower'

Moon Flower in full bloom

Moon Flower seed pod

I recieved this striking plant as a gift from my aunt this spring, knowing only what the seed pod looked like....what I was unaware of was the beautiful large bloom that this small, ground hugging plant she had, was going to surprise me with....

Now, I am pleased to see my own seed pod hopefully develop to maturity so I can share....The real fun part for me is that this plant is a perennial in our zone 3-4 area....now, isn't that a hoot....
Enjoy and love your day away into the starlit night...

Oh, Say Can You See...

Woodpeckers Home by Phlox

Black-Eyed Susan

Yellow Hollyhock Shadows

Yellow Begonia

Under the Tiger's Eye

Thanks for the Tiger Lily Mom

You will ALWAYS find Jewelweed (Spotted Touch-Me-Nots) by something that pokes, itches, or burns you.......in this case, Stinging Nettle that found it's way behind my barn......it MUST be destroyed....

my mossed ol' fence......love it......the big guy wants me to tear it down.....I don't think s0

front side of the ol' fence loved by flowers and weeds, birdhouses and old twig broken down lattice that will be replaced or at least, mended by spring

Just thought I'd share the walk around the yard to check out the last of the flowers and green before the frosty weather.....it was so cold the last 2 nights but we may get an Indian Summer yet....it is supposed to warm up into the upper 70's, even 80 by the end of the week....we can hope...Enjoy the walk.....we will walk again soon....Bless ya'll