Summer Yum

The last few years my garden lacked a good yield. Partly due to my lack of attention in the garden (sore back which leads to inability to weed, water, and tend the garden) and weird weather. I can't say the weather has changed much this year but my back is behaving better. For about a month I have been getting various types of squashes. They are yummy.

















Finally, the tomatoes are turning red. Both of these in the picture should be ready eating (I mean picking) within a day or two. Last week I started eating my little golden cherry sized tomatoes- yum, they never make it inside.






















The garden is very green and lush. My tomato plants are tall, maybe 4' tall. The one thing that is different this summer is I have been fertilizing the plants once a month. Ohhhh, they like getting fed. Now if the weather would turn a tiny bit warmer, the tomatoes will turn from green to yummy red.















My front yard is exploding with color. Anyone need some English lavender? I will harvest some soon. I love color in my yard.

The huge bummer in my garden this year was the NO fruit production from the apricot and plum trees. Both received a very good trimming in February. Maybe the trees needed a rest this year. I still have in my freezer fruit from last year. Time to jam and pie!














I so love daisy's. They remind me of God's unfailing and tender hearted love He has for me. Unlike what the world says about daisies, "he loves me, he loves me not. . . ." With God choosing me as His own, dying on the cross for me, it is, "He loves me, He will always love me. . . ."- and that will go on for eternity!

Summer Yum!

The blackberry bushes are ripe and ready to be picked on part of the route where the gals and I walk each morning. After we walked our 5 miles, we grabbed our containers and bags and started picking. We picked about 4 quarts of yummy sweet juicy berries, got a few scratches, have purple fingers and the makings for some delicious food.

When I got home I made gluten free blackberry pancakes for breakfast. In fact, I was so excited about the blackberry pancakes, I forgot to brew my coffee. Quickly I discovered my loss and got some brewing.

For lunch, I had the rest of the berries with some milk. One of my favorite meals in summertime is fresh fruit with milk. I eat it like cereal and I can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, or for dessert.

God has been so creative in the foods He has created for us to enjoy in California.

YUMAHUH!

Papa's Birthday Weekend

For the last 4 year's, since there have been grandkids, Papa's birthday has been celebrated over a weekend with the entire family. There is a BBQ swim party at my house and Dad takes all of us to a Giant's ball game(this year there were 10 of us, 11 if you count Baby F., from my 95 year old grandma to my 2 year old nephew). Papa had a great time in the kids lot helping Joey bat, run the bases and play the outfield with the kids. Dad really enjoyed himself. I love the first picture, Trinity has her hand on his leg for security. Joey a little bit later had to play right where the outfielder is on the painted wall. It was pretty cute. When my sister passes along a photo of all of us, I will post it up.

At the swimming party, Trinity showed off her new skill of swimming and jumping off the diving board. Actually, we could not keep her off the diving board, she was so excited to jump off my diving board. Mom, grandma, Amy and Jen cooked up some yummy food for the party. Yumahuh food indeed! In my family, yumahuh and good times go hand in hand.

Before the game got started we were able to go down to field level right by the Giant's dugout and look around and take some pictures. Me and my loves!

The only thing missing was a win. Funny has it, everytime we have all gone, the G's have not won. This time we should have won but the ump blew a call in the bottom of the 9th. We'll try again next year.

Jammin'

Soon as a cool and free day comes around, I'll be making jam, jelly, and syrup. My freezer is packed full of prepared strawberries, apricots and plums. Not all the frozen fruit will be used for jam and such but will kept frozen to make a crisp or pie. YUMMY! In this picture you can not even see the 3 gallon bags full of strawberries, they are behind the apriocots.

Back to the Blogging World

Thank you for hanging in there with me, I hope I have not lost some of you. The desire is back to spend some time blogging. I have posts lined up in my brain and I will try to do some "ketchup" and squeeze them out as time allows.


There have been birthday celebrations, mini trips, preserving, changes in seasons, pounds lost, miles walked, books of the Bible read and so much more. My little sister has been urging me to get out a post and I thank her for her encouragement and motivation. So, here is just a "briefing" of some of the highlights that I have time for this morning (Jen, Joe and the kids are in town for Thanksgiving and almost every daylight moment is spent with them).




A few weekends ago we celebrated Trinity's 4th birthday. She is growing up so fast. She is such a beautiful little girl. In the below picture we are waiting for Trin's friends to show up at Pump it Up.

Trinity is learning how to ride a bicycle with training wheels!

Trinity fondly calls Joey "brother". Brother is taking a ride on his scooter, with assistance.

Back in mid-October we celebrated Grandma's 95 birthday. This is our 4th annual birthday celebration up in Apple Hill. Grandma is still doing wonderful and defying age.


At the place I like to buy apples and pears, there were all of these old box labels that I thought were cool.

I'm learning how to take pictures and interesting shots.

This cart could barely contain all the goods that I purchased. Along with good eats for the next month, I canned 28 quarts of apple sauce. YUMMY!

The Low Down and a Few Pics

A glimpse into what has been going on in my world over the last several weeks, in no particular order, rhythm or reason.

• The is a deep feeling down in my gut that the Giants will not make the playoffs, or if they do the Dodgers will be hard to overcome. At least it's a winning season.


• School has been in session for 4 weeks now. First progress report grades are due on Tuesday. Time is flying on by but it is a long stretch now until my next day off, Veteran's Day. I think I have another good crop of students this year. My worries are not so much my students but all of the students who have 6th period PE. Between the 5 teachers in my department there are 250 students. Of these students, about 50% of them are "disciplinary repeat offenders". Daily I need to take time to pause and pray to my heavenly Father for His grace and wisdom to deal with these students and that I would always respond in a way that gives glory to God. Last week my school was put in lock down for an hour and half due to a shooting at the high school.



• End of August always means peach picking at Carol's family peach farm/ranch. Last week, I finished eating the last peach. For the first time I canned fresh peaches, using both the raw and hot processing method. Thank you Carol for always inviting us to go peach picking and to hang out with your family.
  
  
• Dawn and I took a little drive up the Silverado Trail from Napa to Calistoga. Just a drive to do something different for just a short amount of time.



• On the counter top cooling is sitting my very first attempt at making a cheese cake for a co-workers birthday tomorrow. Cheese cake is not a dessert I would choose to eat with all the yummy choices out there but I will enjoy trying what I created. The whole cheese cake was made in the Cuisinart that Suzy gave me. Thanks Suzy, I already love that you are now part of my kitchen. Speaking of Suzy, she had a group of people over last night for one of the most delicious (yum!) home made Julia Childs meals. Everything was so incredibly delicious. Great meal Suzy and absolutely wonderful fellowship!



• Since Memorial Day weekend I have been on a challenge to myself to get into better shape and to lose some weight. I praise the Lord that He has allowed some success and I feel so much better. There still is a long ways to go but with faithfulness on my part and encouragement from my family and friends, I will obtain my goal. The biggest part of my goal once I met my goal is to stay there and not go back to where I have been. Please contact me if you would like to know how I have made some of these changes and seen success.



• My dad and I went golfing over the Labor Day weekend and I managed to drive the golf ball well, stay out of the pond and out of the sand traps. My middle game and putting still needs some refining.



• At some point in the near future I would like to learn how to can tomatoes (including tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and whole tomatoes) and grape jelly or jam. Trin Trin has been asking me for sometime if I make grape jelly and I always have to tell her that I do not know how. The grapes are starting to come in at the farmer's market.



• With no air conditioning in my house I am starting to prepare myself for the big heat wave that is projected to come across the land this next week. I think for at least the next 6 days, triple digits is expected. The fog can return anytime soon for my liking.



• My faithful God is always good to me, always full of tender care and mercy.

Ping

Ping
Ping
Ping
. . . (counted 29)

Today I canned another round of jam. This time my job was easier because I had skinned, pitted and cut up the fruit about 10 days ago and stuck it in the freezer for when it was convenient to can. I made 29 jars of jam. Surprisingly, I only have about 10 jars left from the first two rounds that I made (47 jars). I have been giving them away to different people. The round today consisted of apricot, plum and apricot raspberry, all reduced sugar. The plum might have some problems setting up because I used more fruit than the recipe called for and the label warned me that it might have trouble setting. If it does not set, I will either open the jars and use the 6 cups the recipe calls for and try to set it again, or turn it into plum sauce.

I love to hear the ping after the jars come out of the water bath. You know that your jars are sealed when you hear that cute ping. Each batch that comes out of the bath I count to hear the pings. It got a little confusing today because my first batch was not finished pinging when I took my second batch out and they started pinging. Thankfully, all of my jars sealed properly.

I am also trying a recipe that I pulled off of the Ball Canning Jars web site for Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing. The strawberries are sitting in a large steel pot with distilled vinegar over night. Tomorrow after I get back from the farmers market I will finish the recipe and can the dressing.

What a joy to have learned how to can jam. I am having loads of fun. By the way, if you remember a few post back when I first spoke of learning how to can. Marie told me that I had to pass along the skill of canning to someone else. The second time that I made jam I taught my good friend Janet how to can. Still hoping to teach my sisters one day.

Today's Pick

I just had to show you another picture of what was picked today. Really hope that you are not getting sick of my garden. God has been abundantly good and He has allowed my garden to produce goodies.

This year is proving to be one of the best yet since I have been in the house (can't believe it has already been 6 full years). But this year's crop has brought some lessons too. My young fruit trees are loaded and I am not the most experienced fruit tree "farmer". I did not thin out the crop when it was just forming and now many large branches have broken and I will need to cut them off when the fruit is done. My trees will take awhile to regain the girth and strength that they were prior to this year.

This summer I have started to buy my fruit and veggies from a local farmer's market. The produce is so fresh and I love supporting local grown farms. I am thinking about starting my own little market with my yummies. J/K!

Tonight Janet and I are going to visit and have dinner with a widow from our church. We are bringing dinner and I am bringing some of the love from my garden.

Peaches and Cream

One of my summer time favorites to eat anytime (for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack or dessert) is fresh peaches and milk. Yumahuh! Click here for a past post on the defination of Yumahuh! My mouth is watering just thinking of it. Think I will have to have a mid-afternoon tasty snack. Here is the basic recipe.

1-2 fresh peaches (the fresher the better), cut up in slices
1-2 Tablespoons of sugar (really best with organic sugar) 1 Cup milk (any grade will do, I use 2% because that is what I use for my coffee and anything else)
Stir and eat.

O, you just can't go wrong. Let me know what you think if you try it.

Photo taken from Google images.