Late July

Hello, friends.  Well, we did get some peaches to enjoy this year.  All but a couple were buggy, but I just cut the bad spots out, and used the rest.  Going through my recipes, I saw one for Peachy Cobbler, which had ingredients we could eat.  Once I prepped the peach portion, and was getting ready to start on the topping, I looked to see what temp I needed to turn the oven to, and realized it was a raw recipe.  I look over ingredients when saving recipes, but don't generally look at the prep instructions, unless it looks especially long or complicated.  We both thought it was good, though different from traditional cobbler.  We had one white peach from a tree our neighbor gave us, and J managed to harvest it Saturday.  We're looking forward to trying it.  I harvested cucumbers, peppers, figs, and tomatoes.  Not many of any of them, but we're thankful for all of it.  

 

I've still been working on going through recipes.  It's not been every day, and might be 30 mins at a time, but besides removing ones with things we can no longer eat, or just no longer sounded good, I had collected recipes over the years for what to do with the bounty of things we were growing, but the plants ended up not making it.  These included rhubarb, olives, and chestnuts.  Vegetables have their own categories... sweet potatoes, summer squash, winter squash, cabbage, eggplant, broccoli & cauliflower, beans, greens, etc.  Sweets... cakes, cookies, other desserts.  Fruits.  Non-sweet baked goods.  Then there were collections for family gatherings we had, for St. Patrick's Day, and hayride ideas.  And DYI recipes, such as ketchup, vegan parmesan, etc.  Though still fairly well organized, I didn't realize how many there actually were.  Several folders and some large accordion folders of them, plus a couple of piles that needed filing.  Whew, it was a lot!  I have been through them now, but still need to do some more organizing and consolidating.  I'll be glad to finish, and move on to other things.

One thing that really helped me work on things I don't usually get to is that J had 8 weeks of PT twice a week.  While he was in town, he'd often pick up groceries, which meant I could stay home, and was very thankful for that.  It finished just before my last post, so I'm getting groceries again.  I gathered another round of elderberries, and dried them.  It's the time of year I can substitute sweet potato leaves for spinach in my smoothies.  At least above ground, the sweet potato plants look quite happy.  Early in the week, I foraged for some chanterelles.  Instead of drying them this time, I tried the Cross Legacy method of putting them in a jar with a paper towel.  They kept great, and were added to potatoes and peppers, for a dinner.  Caprese salad was made with our tomatoes and basil.  Flowers were gathered for a bouquet.

I started seeds of lettuce, collards, kale, chard, and parsley.  I'd neglected the carrot patch the past few weeks, and finally got around to checking on them.  Some looked large enough to harvest, and I pulled a small basket of them.  Most were a bit gnarly, some with two legs.  Other than one I snacked on, I steamed them for the pups dinners, and put the greens in the broth bag.  I'd recently read how wonderful carrots are for dogs, both raw and cooked.  I learned another new thing, which is that hummingbird food straight from the fridge is perfectly fine, and may even be best in hot weather.  Too hot is a problem, and I probably wouldn't give it cold once the weather cools, but that's helpful to know, as I sometimes have a hard time remembering to let it warm on the counter.

I began this post on Saturday, and early Sunday morning, McNibs took a turn for the worse.  It's not likely he'll pull through.  He had a good day on Saturday.  He ate wonderfully, had a good walk, played with his toy, and was his sweet, goofy self.  If you're so inclined, please send him light and love, and wishes for a peaceful passing.  Thank you, friends.