How I feel about my garden and other random facts

As I was picking green beans in the garden the other morning for the 5th time, I came to a realization.

Having a garden is somewhat like the anticipation you feel before having a baby. I get all excited come January when my seed catalogs come in the mail. I plot and plan my garden for the coming year, and start my seeds in the basement under fluorescent lights.

Then, spring comes and the garden gets tilled, and I move my seedlings from the basement to their home outside.

Strawberries make the first appearance in the garden, and I CANNOT wait to get out there and pick them. Next comes lettuce, and the first batch tastes SO good!

Next is peas, which take an INCREDIBLY RIDICULOUS amount to make enough to freeze.

After peas come onions and basil. I made some pesto this year to see how I like it. Note to self: DO NOT plant 16 basil plants. It is TOO MUCH!!!!!!

Beans were next, and they came on heavy!

I picked 5 times and froze as much as I could, and then gave some away. I was so upset the other day that it was so HOT and there were still beans coming, I actually pulled out some of the plants that are being overshadowed by the tomatoes.

I got all the potatoes out of the ground and put them in the basement. They taste good.

Zucchini is coming slowly, as well as tomatoes and cucumbers.

Random fact #1

My dogs, as much as I love them, are STRANGE!

When I'm out in the garden picking tomatoes, they are both nipping at my heels to get some. They LOVE tomatoes. I'm sure it's not good for their tummies, but they fight each other to get some. Weird!

My flowers look nice too...

Random fact #2

I moved this enamel topped table down to the kitchen to do applesauce the other night, and I like it there, and since I'm still putting produce away, I might as well keep it here.

Now, since I've made my garden sound so great, and told you about how it's just producing so well, I'll tell you how I really feel....I'm beginning to resent my garden. That's right, I RESENT it.

I'm getting tired of getting all the produce ready for the winter. Now, don't get me wrong...later I will look in my freezer...

and sigh from delight because it's filled to the brim with items I can use to make meals all winter. Right now, though, I hate my garden's guts. Especially since I'm riding on the coat heels of applesauce making (63 containers later), and also since my husband informed me that our sweet corn will probably be ready to pick and freeze during the fair. I don't have TIME during the fair!

Random fact #3

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I have 2 freezers. Last year we realized after we butchered our pig, we didn't have enough room in the one freezer for the meat and all the things I freeze, so we bought another one. Who has two freezers?????

I'm giving my garden the evil eye right now.

I'm ready to till it under right now, but I don't have the heart. I'm lucky to have a garden and put away all the food that I do. My family likes the fruit all winter long, and it saves on grocery bills too.

So, I'll just BUCK UP as my husband says, and pick until there's nothing to pick anymore.

We'll see how I feel next week!

Applesauce

The task of doing applesauce is a chore...yes, a chore. It usually requires all day, or at least 2 nights as was the case this year.

It is always worth it in the end, but very tedious. We use transparent apples, which are so SMALL...

they seem almost comical.

My kids are FINALLY getting old enough to be a lot of help with this task.

Of course they are very good at posing too!

During the process there is usually some goofing around (I mean, with my kids, I can't expect anything else)

and this year since Brent helped, there was also background music. He got out his Van Halen CD's and the kids and him grabbed my kitchen utensils and were head banging instead of helping with applesauce. PLEASE!!!!

Now, back to the task at hand...

We were all set up, all the big bowls I owned were out, sugar, cinnamon, containers... we were ready!

Liquid GOLD! This will last my family all winter. Of course we don't eat it with every meal, but it's nice to have to pull out of the freezer. Out of 2 1/2 bushels, I made us 63 containers! Whew! I'm glad it's done, and I'm DOUBLY glad it's done before fair. I just don't have time to do anything the week of fair!

If you haven't tried some of my applesauce, come on over...it's the BEST!

Our day in the big? city

This week I took Grace and Evan on a little journey. This town is only about 45 min. from us, and is most undoubtedly a tourist trap. I mean, just look at this....a buggy with a sign on the back....buggy rides!

Now, I get that we see this ALL the time, and some people don't, but really, who would like to ride in a buggy? On an incredibly HOT day?

So, anyway, we preceded on to this place...

which was really the whole premise of our trip. Everything we needed, (pretty much) was in this building.

Since we arrived around lunch time, we ate at the famous Jo-Jo's Pretzels.

All I have to say is...YUM. Really people, if you haven't went to Jo-Jo's in Shipshewana, IN, you must go!

I've been trying to stay away from alot of carbs lately, but this day, it totally went out the window. I didn't have enough will power to just let Grace and Ev have one, I wanted one too!

Next, to pacify the kids, we went to the toy store. That had it's own separate entrance for kids.

There were puppets,

games and puzzles galore,

and a Thomas the Train table. (honestly, I don't know why my kids are playing this....they haven't liked Thomas for ages!) They loved it, though.

This sign just cracked me up!

We then went over to the indoor carousel. It's filled with beautiful hand-painted farm animals ranging from horses to chickens and pigs! They had a long ride...

and then it was time to let me visit the adorable vintage kitchen store and the WONDERFUL scrapbook store. I was in heaven. (Thank goodness the scrapbook store is connected to a candy shoppe!

Of course, in this fantasy-like land, they have a really cool candy dispenser, so we had to have some!

They were more than ready to leave after about 1 1/2 hours. So we next stopped at the huge fabric store where I got the coolest thing to make Grace a school bag. (more on THAT later). We had a good day. I'm glad we went.....I don't know why we don't go there more?????