Seed Saving

Here is an onion flower from a set that I had planted last year. It didn't do anything last year but came up beautifully this year!

Here is the flower all dried out!

And here are all the seeds that I now have for planting next year. We love onions here so this is awesome for my first seed saving venture!!!

Gotta Run,

Yart

Where have I been

I would like to say that everything is fine and I have just been busy. But unfortunately, everything is not fine. Wednesday afternoon about 20 minutes after Grim left for work on the Harley, he was hit. The bike went one way and he the other. Luckily, he is just banged up, road rashed, & bruised. His leather jacket took a lot of the damage as did his gloves. All the woman who hit him could say was I didn't see you! Seriously, Grim is 6'5" and almost 300 pounds, riding a Harley that is a far cry from quite. And she didn't see him!!! Right now he is on the mend and I thank the Goddess for that. We are not going to stop riding because of this. The only thing that keeps going through my head about this is that had she killed him would she be so nonchalant about telling his children that sorry that he is gone I didn't see him...... I am just so enfuriated by this. How hard is it to pull over to talk on the phone. Or just not answer it. Really, how many life and death calls do you get in a day? Plus, motorcycles are everywhere. They are not a brand new invention, they have been out since 1903, over a hundred years! This is why I waited to write about this. I knew once I started typing it would all come pouring out. Grim and I have been together for over 20 years. We have had our ups and downs. And we almost split up a time or two. But I don't know what I would do without him. When he had his heart attack a couple years ago, that scared me but I didn't see the damage. With this he is pretty battered and everytime I look at him I think because of someone else's stupidity I could have lost him. The past few days have been hell. I have been dealing with the insurance, the impound, and the dealership that will do the work. Then come to find out our family doctor won't deal with accident victims. Time to find a new doctor. But luckily, one of the other doctors in the office agreed to see Grim. What a cluster...... I will keep writing about the status of this as I don't know what will happen next.

On a lighter note I got the onion sets in the ground during the day on Wednesday. We also picked up what we are affectionately calling Audrey (hops plant). It is in a pot in my living room and already grown 2 inches. I wanted to give it a chance at an early start so that's why it's in the house!

Happy Easter!

Gotta Run,
Yart

Friday

Woo Hoo! No football game tonight. The monsters are just going to grama's for a visit and Grim and I will be heading down to our hometowns monthly walk. They have been trying to increase foot traffic in the city and they came up with this. The town museum is all done up for Halloween. It is fun every year.

Grim and I went to the farm market for the last time yesterday. I got a ton of squash, 100 pounds of potatoes, 50 pounds of onions, 50 pounds of carrots and a bunch of pumpkin's for the monsters. They were only $1.50 per carving pumpkin. Not bad the monsters were a little upset but they each got 2 to carve up so that made up for it. I also got 8 pie pumpkins. Oh, and a ton of green peppers and a hubbard squash made there way into the cart. I processed the green peppers and got 8 quart bags of chopped and sliced peppers for the winter.

I also got started on making the apple pie filling. Only problem was the apples that I got for that are more suited for sauce of some type. I didn't know this when I bought them, went off the recommendation of the salespeople. Not to fear. I cooked down some last night and the rest will go tomorrow. I will be making carmel apple butter. Haven't tried the recipe but it sounds so good. If it is I will post the recipe for everyone.

I will have pictures later to make up for the lack of a post yesterday, later!

Gotta Run,
Yart

Lazy, Crazy, Rainy Day

Teenage monster is home after being gone for the past week to band camp. Not only are we happy that she is home. She was very home sick. This was her first time being away from us without any other family around. So with her home I had a ton of laundry to do. LOL! I guess I this is what happens when they go away to college.

We pulled all of the onions out of the garden this week. Ended up with 4 pint bags full in the freezer. This was a smaller harvest then we had hoped for. But we got onions so no complaints. Brought in a ton more tomatoes. Cooked some down the other day for juice and I have a pot on the stove as I type doing the same. Having tomato juice on the shelf is one of my little indulgences.

Of course I am still harvesting eggplant with the weather being cool and wet the plants have set more flowers. So soon I will be giving away eggplant. I almost have more then we can use now. There is almost enough cayenne peppers to make a 3rd rista. If they keep producing then I will be giving rista's away for Christmas. Every day we add a couple more jalapeno's and yellow sweets to the freezer bags.

All of the potatoes were canned up and/or frozen. Next year hopefully, the blight won't affect them. But I will also be using several different varieties. Same with the onions. Several types should help if there is a problem. But isn't that the best fun with gardening.... Knowing that next year will be different. New plants, new problems and a whole new crop to preserve and eat fresh! Ahhhhhh! Next Year!

DH and I came to a decision. We are going to stay in town and try and purchase property out. That way we will have time to set the land up. Without having to survive off the land when we aren't ready. I got a catalog with trees in it. So we know that we want to get English Walnut trees, at least 4. Some for us and then some to sell. I know, fingers crossed! Then we want an orchard of dwarf trees. Apple, peach, pear and mulberry. Oh my!

So once we get the finances in order we will be able to get some of these dreams going. I know we are like a ton of people out there. Lots of dreams and no money to pay for them. One day! Sorry melancholy hit for a sec there.

I spent the last week doing the before school cleaning. Not done yet but now I feel the fall in the air. And I don't think that its imagined. The weather has been cool and rainy. The trees seem to be ready for the change. The squirrels' tails are starting to bush up. I think that we are going to have a winter for the record books this year. I hope that I'm wrong but I don't think so. Just helps me to rationalize all the hard work that I put into preserving the harvest.

Apples won't be ready for another month or so. But I have my clear jel and just waiting patiently. This year apple pie filling will be on my shelves. I might even break down and make some peach pie filling. You never know. If I get a good price on some peaches.

Still a couple more weeks for the sauerkraut. It is fermenting very well. I think I will end up with about 7 quart jars. That will last me the whole year. As I still have a couple jars from last year. Yummmmm!

See what happens when I don't post for awhile... LOL!

Gotta Run,
Yart

February

It has just been hectic here over the past couple of days. Where to start.... Cardinals lost... But that is ok. I really didn't care. I was just rooting for the underdog. So Yeah Steelers... LOL! The super bowl party we went to was fun. Lots of friends were there. Lots to drink.... That is why I didn't post yesterday... LOL! I was too hung over to want to sit in the cold and type.

Ok, I got out the dehydrator and cut up onions. I have a 50lb bag that I put up for winter well, they need to be used up now before the weather changes and they all go bad. So this is the first item. I cut up enough for all 4 trays. I plug it in, then say to Dh this is the quitest one I have ever seen. We went out cause it says 6 - 12 hours. So I figured I had plenty of time. We get home and I check them as it was like 3 hours later....hmmmmm! Something doesn't look right. I flip the thing over and the fan thing isn't moving. I move it to a different plug... Nothing. Now I realize that it isn't working. I call the 800 number. They say all I should have to do is plug it in. So now I have to take off all of the onions and pack the thing back up to take back to the store. I take it back and explain how I know it doesn't work and why it smells like onions. They give me a store credit just in case they don't have anymore on the shelve. Sweet I know. But luckily there was one for me. So got back home and replaced all of the onions and it is really quite but this time Dh checked to make sure it worked. LOL! Once I get this batch done I will take pictures cause I still have the rest of the bag and some potatoes to do also. But I think that I will be working on the onions for the next month.

One of my friends over the weekend bought some knit hats with patches on them. The patches were just stuck on so he is coming over so I can sew them for him. LOL! That is ok, cause this falls into the whole I need to learn how to sew better skill learning. I think he has 4 of them so I should be able to get it done in just a couple of minutes.

I have been very bad this weekend. I only exercise on Friday. I haven't done anything since. I had to work on the laundry today and I am already sore from hanging it. So I know I am going to pay for having missed 3 days. My Wii is going to yell at me. LOL!

I can't wait for Monsters -vs- Aliens. It is a pixarmovie... Also is of the child type movie. It looks really cute. I like the kids movies and comedies, some horror. I use to watch every horror movie that ever came out. Now not so much. Not sure what changed now I guess I'm not that in to them.

Fringe is on tonight so I have so much to do before that comes on. I better go.....
Yart