a little dirt and some crippled chickens

We've been doing a bit of garden prep, me and the husband... oh yes, and the chickens.  Now that the nights are promising to stay above freezing we are eager to get things in the ground.  I'm always a little bit late planting because I don't have any confidence until I'm warm.  It seems reasonable to me that if I'm not comfortable, the seeds and seedlings couldn't possibly be alright.  So after adding a few yards, the soil level is acceptable, the tomato plants are being hardened as we speak and the final deed has been done... we clipped the chickens wings as seen on this 35 second Youtube post so that we can control their coming ins and going outs.  They'll be allowed to free range without supervision again after the plants grow large enough to handle intrusion because the chickens... they will intrude!

Mr. Grill did a fine job with the marinated elk steak, mushrooms and zucchini.  It was a beautiful day and within the next few, the beans, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and basil will be up and running... well, they will be in and growing.  

Now, I'm off to add a few more rows to the Maile before heading to bed.  

Blessings, Debbie      

who needs a groundhog? (sorry punxsutawney phil)

Guess who's gettin' busy... and it's not the Easter Bunny!  Hurray for longer days.  I took a walk the other afternoon.  Around the house I strolled with my camera looking for signs of spring.  I got up close and personal with many of the shrubs and trees that make their residence on our property.  Nada.  No sprouts, shoots, buds...  But then my hubby came in with his sweatshirt pocket full of these beauties and I was satisfied.  We are getting closer.  The hens say it's so. 

Blessings, Debbie

justification

Back in June I planted a little something that I knew would give me great pleasure.  I planted a bird feeder!  Over the years I have learned that a minimal investment in bird seed each month provided me with maximum entertainment.  The visitors I have received throughout the changing seasons are as diverse as the interesting people that walk by my house each day (and we do see some interesting characters).  The strategic placement of one of my feeders brings the activity into full view through the living room's bay window.  Imagine my excitement when one of the bird feeders I planted shot up 8 feet, far exceeding the height of my previously favored one!  Let's see, the month of October costs me the price of a single sunflower seed as opposed to the $10.00 I spend the other 11 months of the year.  That's a savings of, lets say roughly $9.90.  Hmmm... that's 3 lattes, or a movie ticket, or a bargain skein of wool...  

If I can keep the birds off of 11 of the full heads then I can put them away and bring out one a month, impale it in the garden and save myself $9.90 a month each month!  In a year, that's 36 lattes, or 12 movie tickets, or 12 skeins of wool!!  

Wait a minute.  If I save 12 seeds from one of the sunflower heads I already grew, I save another $1.20 on the seed packet I would have purchased for next year.  That's a bag of m&ms!  Sometimes it's fun playing in my head!     

Blessings, Debbie 

goat cheese

The photo shoot has been postponed until Monday morning but we still had a lovely hiccup planned for this afternoon.  The young friend who provides us with our goat milk came over to teach us how to make goat cheese.  She's only made it once herself.  The ingredients were simple, measurements unclear, and results quick.  Her mom and I laughed and called this 'cheese making basics' and agreed we can fine tune.

This really is basic but tastes fine.  It was too hard to spread so I crumbled it like feta and figure we'll see how it melts, and how it might taste on a salad.  In other words this batch was experimental.  We'll be making another with a bit more precision next week.  I'm so thankful for the lesson... Now we know it's not rocket science!

Blessings, Debbie

today it's jam

Berries!

Debbie Penington 
August 31, 2011

Berries in the berry patch

Berries in the bowl

Berries by the spoonful

I love to eat 'em whole

Berries by the riverbank 

Where pickin' 'em is hard

Berries by the picket fence 

In someone else's yard

I pick 'em in the morning

And I pick 'em after noon

(whispered) 

I pick 'em from my neighbor's 

Only underneath the moon

If berries are your favorite 

And they grow beside the gate

Be sure they are on your side

Or be sure and pick 'em late!

Blessings, Debbie

green beans

My day in green beans pictures.

Final count ~ 16- 3/4 lb. bags of blanched frozen beans.  And 9 quarts of my personal favorite... Dilly beans! It's definitely a start.

Blessings, Debbie

a birth announcement

Larry and Debbie are proud to announce the arrival of the FIRST of their first fruits of the summer.

Name:  Tomato P.

Born:  August, 28, 2011

She's finally here!  My firstborn.  All pink (o.k., orange) and baby smooth.  Don't tell me she's not perfect because after all of the time spent awaiting her date...

Isn't she lovely?


Blessings, Debbie

welcome to the jungle

It's no secret that I've been a bit off this season.  Not to mention that so has the weather... Thus, this years tomato's are having to fight it out with the foliage.  I literally filled one of my 2 raised beds with them this year and missed my opportunity to prune the suckers (that's not slang folks, I'm talking about the shoots that grow from the main stem)!

I'm trying to figure out why I bother with them every year seeing as, left to themselves I've never had a healthier harvest.  Well, they haven't been harvested yet.  As you can see they are still green, but they are going gangbusters!  I can just sense the energy they are exuding trying to be red.  When I walk by I can hear a gentle murmur... "I think I can, I think I can..."

The plants are covered with beautiful fruit, and buds.  If we could just hope for an extended summer I think we could eat tomatoes well into the next harvest.  So, I'm hoping to catch a gentle murmur on the summer's breeze, "I think I can, I think I can."

I am so eager for these green devils to be ripe.  I've been thinking about recipes like the ones below all summer...

ElizabethD's Roasted heirloom tomatoes
Jane's Oven roasted spaghetti sauce
Gumbo Lily's Tomato Salad with Croutons
Patti's Interesting recipe

O.K., Patti's recipe has nothing to do with tomatoes.  Just wanted to see of you were paying attention and have a bit of fun!  Patti actually gives me wonderful recipes and ideas.  But I have informed her that this is one I am NOT trying...

Blessings, Debbie

yeah you!

enjoy your weekend.

Blessings, Debbie

a quickie

This recipe gives you fresh rolls in less than 1 hour from start to clean up!  I've been making them for years and they are failproof... well, almost.  We eat them at least twice a week in the winter.  This summer has been so mild that I don't mind using the oven for baking.

Debbie's quick dinner rolls~(actually it's a glorified Kitchen Aid recipe) :)

makes 3 dozen (1 for tonight) 2 to freeze!

Heat 3 cups milk, 1 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cups butter in small saucepan over low heat until it's too hot to hold your finger in.  The butter will not melt, that's o.k.

Mix 11 cups flour, 2 1/2 T sugar, 1 T salt, 2 rnd T of dry yeast.
*As usual I use 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat flour.

Slowly add hot liquid while mixing.



Add 3-5 cups more flour a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached.  You want a soft dough, not sticky.  Knead for 8-10 minutes by hand or 5 by mixer.

Let rise in oiled, covered bowl about 20 minutes.

Check by poking with your finger.  It's ready if indentation remains.

Break off into extra large golf ball size rolls and place close to one another but not quite touching, in pan.

Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.
Let rise 15 minutes.

Bake in 425 degree preheated oven for12-15 minutes.

This recipe gives you fresh rolls in less than 1 hour from start to clean up!  And remember that at least 1/2 that time is rise time.  The dough is working... You are not!!  My kinda cookin'.

Blessings, Debbie