More Garden Delights, PLUS Canning!

We planted our garden in April/ May, knowing that we started late, but we didn't think it would take THIS long to begin producing!

Despite the drought, our garden is green and lush (with too many weeds as well) and we are beginning to pick more and more daily.

Praise be to God!

Sadly, my in-laws just lost most of their garden to desperate deer.... all except the tomatoes and eggplant. I'll post a picture later of the beautiful eggplant they've grown.

Last week, my Oma gave me a crash course in pickling. It was much easier than I thought to make dill pickles.... I guess the hardest part is waiting 3 weeks to try them!

Also, a friend and I made 18 pints of Jam. Some of it was strawberry and some, peach.

It was her first time to can and we had a great system going with one of us at the stove stirring fruit & the other, manning the canner- despite 2 fussy babies and a slew of other children darting in and out the kitchen ( oh, and husbands too).

God Bless them- the husbands that is- they tried to get the children out of our hair by taking them on a wild grape picking excursion, only the place they went to didn't happen to have any grapes on the vine.

Providence or poor planning? - you tell me.

After scattered showers this weekend, the garden continues to thrive. We have healthy tomatoes growing, butternut squash on a wild vine, serano peppers, still a nice bed of lettuce, and some very questionable eggplants (the plant, that is).

There is still a small area of that garden that needs to be tilled and planted so today I started seeds for pole beans (green beans), more bell peppers and a few herbs. Our herb bed has oregano, parsley, salad burnett, basil, mint and lemon balm but half of those are looking really pitiful. I REALLY want to have a couple large basil plants so I tried planting purple and green basil in planters on the porch.

Gotta go, Baby Brother is up from a nap!

Growth & A Rainbow

My thriving 'sproutlings'. We transplanted this squash to our raised beds in the garden last weekend and we will probably move our tomatoes & broccoli this weekend. We dug and filled our new plant beds while the kids were napping and there was something very satisfying about working next to my husband that afternoon. Turning up fresh earth, sweating and building something...together.

"...and after the rain had ceased, there appeared in the sky a radiant, colorful bow. A sign from God..."

Fall planting and other news

My little sproutlings! Broccoli, tomatoes, Lakota squash & white squash.





While Jason weeded the garden and made new rows, the girls helped me fill several small planters to start our seeds in. (Jason has great success with starting our plants in small containers and then transplanting them.) I planted on Saturday and most of them are already sprouting!!! I am excited. I did not help much with the spring planting but I am definitely enjoying the bounty... fresh basil and parsley for my pasta, fresh tomatoes for my sauce, fresh squash to cook...


Also, I have a gig making vestments for the Catholic school where Jason teaches. Hooray!!! A friend of mine found a semi-new sewing machine for me and it didn't cost a thing so I am ready to roll. Sewing vestments really brings me joy. Deo gratias.