August 24, 2021

PawPaw processing is in full swing!

These are such a treat, and for those of you who aren’t familiar with them, they are native to the US.  Many trees used to exist, from Maine down to Florida.  Like all things, they have slowly faded from use, and favor.  They look like a giant peanut, but green.  They are ready when they fall from the tree, or when the green skin gives under a finger squeeze.

 Yes, this is fun - front porch sittin chores!

There are large black seeds, which needs to be taken out.  We enjoy this part, because the seeds are coated with the meat, and this is fun to pop in your mouth and get a perfect taste off the seed, then spit the seed out!  So, in my opinion…it’s a chore with perks!

When the seeds have been removed, the remainder of the meat in the PawPaw can be scooped out.  

Then the meat is blended to a custard consistency, and I put this in a baggie and freeze.  When we have gathered enough custard, we will turn that into PawPaw butter, which is similar to Apple butter.

This is the view from our front porch…is it any wonder that we find ourselves sittin and enjoying the heavenly beauty given to us?  We thank God daily for what he has provided!  

That’s it for now, from the ridge!  Get outside and sit a spell, y’all!  

 August 8, 2021

Wow!  Time sure is flying by this summer, and the garden is moving along!

I replanted the cabbage bed, and replanted the sugar snap peas bed.

This was the cabbage bed, which I planted in zucchini and crooked neck yellow squash.  I know they are going to out grow the water trough, but I wanted to give it a try anyway.

This is the bed that we had the sugar snap peas in, and I replanted with our heritage bean, we call it Gracie bean. This bed also has two Anaheim pepper plants on either end, and a sweet red pepper plants in the middle, and a small celery plant with the beans climbing up the fencing…along with a beautiful volunteer tomato plant on the other side of the fencing.  I just can’t believe how much life that these water troughs can hold, and they are so easy to keep weeded.  Of course, things do get beyond my energy at times, which explains the next photo!

This bed is being taken over by a volunteer cucumber, but there are two nice sweet pepper plants in this mess, and just look at that beautiful calendula!

One of the Anaheim chili, which have been outstanding producers.  I have processed two batches so far, and it looks like I may get two or three more before frost.  

So, in between chores, I have processed three dozen peaches and cream corn, a batch of green chili, and two dozen white corn.  The freezer is looking delightful, but filling up! 

Some random shots of life on the ridge.

A look at our hay fields, which seem to be recovering , and hopefully we will be processing hay bales next year.

Thank y’all for stopping by, and get a great week!