Gardening

The way of the pioneer is always rough. - Harvey S. Firestone

So, I found this awesome vine of blackberries on my street ... not enough to can, but enough for a decent snack. I snagged a few on a walk recently, but when I went back a few hours later? It was covered in yellow jackets.

I swear, those bees are the bane of my existence.

DD pickled an egg a few days ago, because I had leftover brine from pickling and she wondered what it tasted like. She declared it "good". I wish I had enough home grown beans to pickle, because those are yum... I may end up buying some at the farmer's market instead. We'll see.

I think, though, that my canning days are largely over. I plan on making applesauce next month, but otherwise this summer's harvest was a bit of a bust. I'll have butternut squash, but that stores (whole) in my basement. We've had some beans and peas, but barely enough to eat, let alone can.

I think I'm going to have to reimagine my garden next year. I have never had a real bumper tomato crop, so I may cut down on the number of those plants next year to make room for the things that DO produce. I'll plant more beans (lots more), more squash, more peas. I think I'm going to plant potatoes in a couple of large containers instead of in the garden. We have a wireworm problem that precludes my planting root crops, but a container with new dirt might at least cut back on that.

I have a deep admiration for the pioneers. Every year when I have a crop fail I think of them. I can go to the store when that happens. They died.

Today, we tackle clothes shopping for back to school. We went through what she had that she could wear to school already and made notes. The painful part is going to be shoes... sometimes I wish we were still just homeschooling. It may be harder in some ways, but I didn't have a dress code, lol...

Have an awesome Wednesday.

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You Are Allspice

You are not as complex as you seem to others. You really just like to keep things simple. People think you're something you're not. And you're getting a little sick of being misunderstood! You enjoy the company of others, and you appreciate people from all walks of life. You love to learn about different points of view. You seem familiar to strangers. People probably tell you that you remind them of someone else.

What Fall Spice Are You?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

Um ... okay .... hmmm

On a side note, I always assumed allspice was a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. -- and when you buy cheap spices, sometimes it is. BUT, did you know that allspice is a spice all by itself? Real allspice is not a mixture of different spices but the ground berry of a tree.

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