More Humidity

If this heat doesn't break soon I will have accomplished nothing all summer.  I DID go to the basement and check on the mouse traps I set yesterday!  That is an unpleasant chore, but we caught a few down there a few weeks ago.  Maybe the cats got any still there when they lived in the basement during the power outage.  If so, good.  Stick to rodents and leave the birds alone, I say!

I wanted to get our new Hydrangea in the ground right away.  The last time I kept plants in the garage until I could plant them, they died.  That's why I don't have any yellow squash.  I hope the butternut squash will have a good harvest.  I DO have plenty of zucchini.  Anybody want to trade some zucchini for some yellow squash??

My cousin in Troutville likes the BIG zucchini to make into zucchini boats, so I left a few on the vine for her and her family.  She has a lot of kids, but I doubt they want THIS many giant zucchini boats for many meals to come!  She will still have to take them just to be polite.  Thank goodness they are all very polite. 

I have no idea what she puts in the zucchini boats, but I may try to do something with bread crumbs and sausage and then bake them, because I have a lot of zucchini to eat, also.

I cut some basil and lavender to force myself to use them in a dish, too.  I have a lavender bread recipe I may try....

When harvesting, I made a side trip to the compost pile.  The soil by the house is too rocky to be good, so I always add lots of compost.  When I no longer have horses, I will have to go get horse droppings elsewhere.  I love a good compost pile!  I know that makes we weird.  I'm OK with that.

The Hydrangea now has a lovely, composty home and I hope she will be happy and thrive.  I went in to the house.  People don't like humidity like plants do.  I should vacuum, but I probably won't.  I worked for a whole hour.  Isn't that enough industriousness in this heat?

                                      

A Wasted Trip, But A Fun Day

Last year we went to 3 Birds Berry Farm in Blacksburg (3birdsberryfarm.com).  We picked tons of berries and froze them.  They lasted us for the whole year, except for a small amount that we lost when the power went out.  Then plan was to go last evening.  So much for plans.

Blacksburg is about an hour from here.  Because it only takes an hour or so to pick as much as we can use, we wanted to combine this trip with an antique outing.  We love going to antique shops and because we are finishing the basement and adding a bedroom, we need lots of furniture.  We couldn't go in the morning because I had to meet the farrier where the horses have been moved.  I called and got a recording reaffirming that they still had evening hours on Thursday and off we went.

Antiques On Main had the best selection of the kind of things we like.  We are looking for furniture, particularly bedroom furniture,  and we like oak. We also want a few tables  and chairs.  Next we went to Stagecoach Antiques and they also had a huge store.  We didn't buy anything this trip, but we will be looking more seriously as the basement nears completion.  Neither one had air conditioning and the fans they used were inadequate, so that kept us moving through at a pretty good pace.  It takes me forever to decide on a piece I want to buy, so I'm sure this is part of why we left the store empty handed.  We will go back when it is cooler!

It was getting close to 5:00 so we headed over to the berry farm....and they were closed.  I called to check the message and it still said they were open.  What a disappointment for a 2 hour trip.  Sure we could go back next week, but we probably won't go this year.  I guess I can just buy frozen blueberries and only have to buy what I will use soon, thereby keeping more room in my freezer.  We use them a lot in our B&B type breakfasts for guests.

Down the street from the berry farm, there was a small nursery.  We stopped in to see what they had.  They had a beautiful hydrangea on sale, so we bought that.  We wanted to have some sort of success on this shopping trip!  When I paid for it I mentioned the closed berry farm and our disappointment.  She said she had seen that they would be closed in the evening just that morning on Facebook.  Is that how I am supposed to plan my day now?  Checking to see if a company has a Facebook page and then checking Facebook for store hours?  Sheesh!

Some Cards I Made Today

It's hot, hot, hot.  I know I'm not the only person experiencing this horrible weather and I feel really bad for the farmers.  But right now I feel bad for me.  I can't face going out to do work and I don't want to just knit or read, so I made a few cards.

                             

I cut the card stock in half and folded it to make the blank cards. 

                             

I had an idea to use a window frame stamp and then cut the window to see into the interior of the card.  

                             

I had little signs I used to hold the sentiment.  In this case I used a small "thanks" clear stamp to make sure it was placed properly.

                             

The frame is rather rustic, so I wanted to do some desert plants and rocks and fortunately I had several stamps from which to choose. 

                               



                             

                                         

I tried to make each one a little different. 

                            

                                   

The library got rid of some old craft magazines and I bought them.  They had some good ideas and I used one of them.  The card used different, yet coordinating paper.  The two parts were divided by a ribbon.  I added a few tiny buttons that I liked.

                              

I never have as much paper as I want, but I had enough to find some that went well together.  I also buy 10 for every 2 I use, so I guess it is time to go back to the store!

So while I didn't get anything done, I got a bunch of cards made and didn't feel like a complete slug.  This won't help me lose weight or get into shape. but it kept me from lounging around and knitting all day.

Harvest Time

Today was my first "big" harvest so I had to get out my "harvest basket" for the first time this year.

                          

The horses are at the trainer, and I don't even have to go to the barn.  So this is my one venture out in the sun for the day. 

                        

Although I had to hurry.  The sky was a bit threatening.

                        

The peach trees have quite a few peaches for the first time, but they are swarming with giant wasps.  I admit that they intimidate me and I had to walk all around the tree to find the peaches that were not covered with wasps and butterflies, of all things.

                           

Naturally the ones with the wasps had been partially eaten by said wee beasties, so they were no good.  I was tempted to pull them off and throw them on the ground, but decided they would give the insect predators a distraction from me reaching in and taking the untouched peaches. 

                            

There is some kind of small brown spots on my peaches.  I did a bit of research and it seems I have to ride out this season and then spray for the bacteria early next season.  I also have to spray for peach leaf curl and the fire blight for the apples.  I had hoped to go organic, but I guess that is not going to happen!

                           

I also hope the spray I need to use will take care of all of the trees so I only have to use one type.  This will be easier and cheaper so it most likely won't work for me, worst luck.

                           

Lee is currently spraying the hay fields.  We use 2,4-D to kill the broadleaf weeds.  This gives more room for just grass to grow.  It made for some great hay for the horses.  Even though we no longer have the horses here, I don't want to let the weeds come roaring back, like they are trying to do. In addition to choking out the grass, they have pollen that is hard on Lee's allergies.  So we will probably continue to spray, at least once a year.  It's kind of expensive when we don't get the use of the hay, but I think getting rid of the weeds and pollen is worth it.  We have a sprayer that we mount on the back of the mule and with the four wheel drive, we can get most anywhere on the farm.

I trimmed the tomatoes and now have some green ones to make more fried green tomatoes.  My friend, and fellow blogger Anita Firebaugh ( see her blog on my blog list, Blue Country Magic) suggested using tempura batter for a change of pace and I think that is a good idea.  I don't have any more goat cheese, but I can make some peach salsa from the few I will get this year..and they have to be peeled and can't be made into jam with the current brown spot/bacteria issue, so salsa is a good use for them. 


                          

Hey, where did that giant zucchini come from?  Didn't I just pick TWO days ago?  It is amazing how fast they can grow and how well they can hide.  My yellow squash didn't make it so it will be heavy on the zucchini this year.  I hope the butternut squash does well. I love to roast it and make it into soup. 

                                    

Pineapple Peanut Coleslaw

                              

Usually I write a list before going to the grocery store.  I know what I want and try to stick to it.  Sometimes while shopping, I will see something I want that is NOT on the list.  And that is why we had coleslaw last night.  It caught our eye while buying salad and so we picked up a bag of shredded cabbage.  We didn't see any dressings we liked so I made one up.  Plus, I didn't want a big jar of dressing that would sit in the fridge and take up room when we don't have coleslaw all that often.  The power outage really cleaned out my refrigerator and I don't want to clutter it all up again!

Pineapple Peanut Coleslaw

1 bag Dole Shredded Cabbage for Coleslaw, or just shred your own, make a big mess and then chop some carrots and use a bit of purple cabbage and try to find a use for it before it spoils.

Pineapple tidbits in cups.  The rest are good for a snack or to take for lunch and you don't have to use them up before they spoil.  Sheesh!  It is way more complicated to cook for two people than a family!

1/4 cup peanuts chopped.  I like them and it could have used more but that is all I had left because SOMEONE ate the rest when I wasn't looking.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Splenda
salt and pepper

I didn't have any, but it could have used a few Tablespoons chopped cilantro.

                             

Drain the pineapple juice into a cup and then drink it. ( Waste not, want not.)  Chop the pineapple and the peanuts.  Place them in a fairly large salad bowl.

Put the milk and the vinegar in a small bowl, stir and let sit for a few minutes.  This is my version of buttermilk when I don't have the real thing.  I won't buy it for a few Tablespoons worth.

                                

Mix the mayo, lemon juice, and the s & p in with the pineapples.  Add the milk and stir.  I decided it needed a bit of sweetening, so I added a teaspoon of Splenda.  You may not like it sweet, so taste it first before adding any sweetener. 

Dump the cabbage in the bowl and toss gently.  If you have cilantro, mix it in at the same time.

(Next year I will try to grow cilantro.  I like it a lot and can't always find it in the store.  Plus, I only need a bit at a time and hate to buy a bunch and then toss it.  SO, note to self, plant cilantro...)

Peach Mango Crisp

                            

We still had a bunch of peaches.  It is hard to go through a whole flat for just two people.  We went to IHOP for breakfast.  Lee and I split an omelette and still couldn't finish it.  That is just too much food for one person.  Delicious, though.  When we eat out we usually can't face a whole meal for dinner, still a bit too full, I guess.  So I made dessert for dinner.  We had to use the peaches pretty soon and neither one of us could face a big meal.

Peach Mango Crisp

Pile o' peaches.  I only had 4 1/2 left because one had gone soft on the bottom.  Could have used 6 or 8.
1 mango  Same thing with the mango.  I had one so I used one.  Could have had 2 or 3 more.
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/8 cup flour
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup walnuts finely chopped  Pecans would also work.
4 Tablespoons Splenda brown sugar, divided use.  You can use regular brown sugar, but you will have to double the amount.
dash of salt
2 teaspoons corn starch.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with Pam.

Once again I didn't have any lemon juice.  This is useful for keeping the peaches from turning brown.  Because of this, I made the crisp part first.  Then the peaches would not sit around.  If you have lemon juice sprinkle a teaspoon or two over the cut peaches.

                   

I have some cereal called organic Raw that I bought that is mostly oatmeal.  It also has barley, quinoa, rye and wheat.  Sounds great, right?  So I used that instead of the oatmeal and it was delicious, but oatmeal works just fine. Put the oatmeal of your choice in a bowl and add the flour, finely chopped walnuts, cinnamon, salt and 3 Tablespoons of the Splenda brown sugar.  Stir it up a bit with a fork and then cut in the butter.  You can use a pastry blender or slice across the mixture with two knifes.  Set aside.

                   

Peel and slice the peaches and the mango.  This time after I made my two big slices of mango, I peeled them and then lay the long slice on the cutting board and cut it in cubes.

                  

Put them in the prepared dish.  Sprinkle the cornstarch and the last Tablespoon of the Splenda brown sugar over the top and mix well. 

                  

Spread the topping over the peaches and put in the oven for 30 minutes.  Cool slightly and serve warm.

Lee asked, a little hesitantly,  if I was planning on serving the crisp with ice cream.  I hadn't, but I told him he could have the last bit for his.  Well, no, he couldn't.  He had eaten it earlier and wanted to make sure I wasn't mad.

So serve it with ice cream...if you have any...or a dollop of Cool Whip, which we DID have.  I like to keep it around.  It makes plain fruit seem like a dessert and it is low in calories and fat.

This would have been great for four people.  We had two servings each and that was dinner.  I love dessert for dinner.

Strawberry Peanut Salad

                              

We just came back from a trip to Michigan.  When eating out, I try to order salads as much as possible to counteract all the fast food along the way.  I love the salads that you can get with strawberries and pecans.  On this trip I found salads with strawberries and cashews instead of pecans.  I had some strawberries and some peanuts and thought, "Why not?"

Strawberry and Peanut Salad

                        

It just so happened that I had a Dole salad kit.  Romaine salad with something like a raspberry vinaigrette dressing would also be great.

                         

Sliced strawberries ( I like to Sprinkle them with a bit of Splenda)
A handful ( maybe 1/4 cup?) of peanuts

Done.  Oh, yeah.  You gotta toss it all together.

                       

We had this with a Peach Mango Smoothie and it was more than the two of us could eat.  So I picked out the strawberries and most of the peanuts and tossed the last little bit.  Good thing I have a compost pile so that I can let myself throw stuff away.  Or I would be a lot fatter.