THE PIES AND CAKES OF MY LIFE

I grew up sandwiched between the lives of these two women. My Mom on the right was a scratch baker, rarely a recipe in front of her, and if there was one, it was hastily written on any scrap of paper that was handy. My Aunt Frances, (Grandma to me), with the cakes in her hands, kept accurate records in beautiful penmanship on little note cards ~ all on file in a little recipe box neatly organized. Their kitchens were as different as their style of cooking, but the end result was amazing none the less. They lived next door to each other for their entire lives, and shared a life time of family, home, and food.
My Mom insisted that I learn the secret of her pie crust... and had me making pie crust cookies at 7 or 8 years old. Her 'recipe' was more method than measurements. I have spent 40 years making her crust and finally feel like I have hit my stride with pies! Her recipe has been committed to memory. Crisp, dry days in the fall and winter are the best times to bake. She used lard or rendered bear fat, but gave way eventually to Crisco. I have baked with all three and the rendered bear fat produces the most unbelievable light flaky crust. a A French pastry chef had nothing on Mom when it came to her pie crust!
Then there was Grandma's cakes and the chocolate, fudgy frosting that topped them. Dessert at her house was called "toppings" and not much could top off a meal like one of her chocolate cakes. I miss these wonderful women, the kitchens they cooked in and the banter, gossip and love that was ever present.

THE GARDEN BLANKET

This ugly roll of black plastic behind the tomato plants gained us enough insulation to extend the tomato harvest. We tented clear plastic over the top for a green-house effect.

It looked terrible, and with the threat of 19 degrees at night, but sunny daytime temps in mid September, it did the trick. This wrap method bought us almost 3 weeks of extended garden time and another 40 - 50 pounds of tomatoes.

PRESERVING IN THE PAST

THE MAJESTIC ~ THE RANGE WITH THE REPUTATION

My husband and I live in the house where I grew up, and the old Majestic wood range my Mom cooked and canned on is still in kitchen, providing for us, warmth and good food, baked and simmered all winter long. This was my Mom's stove, and she used it faithfully everyday when I was a child. I can remember her canning on this in the summer, fans going, hotter than heck, cooking greenbeans in a waterbath canner for 2 1/2 hours.

She baked pies, cakes, fried chicken, pork chops, venison, and vegies and potatoes, or what ever was on the menu for the night. She canned on this old stove for years, until she bought a small apartment sized electric stove. Dad installed it right beside the Majestic. She then moved the summer canning activities to the modern era of electricity! She never bought a pressure cooker to can in, but always relied on the old method of waterbath and open kettle. We all lived through it, and ate well because of it, but now it is not acceptable to preserve many foods with those methods.

~

I have a lot of respect for the way our Moms, Grandmas, and Aunties strived to put up the food for their families, working in a sweltering kitchen for hours to put the treasures of jams, jellies, tomatoes, green beans and pickles on the pantry shelves for winter. It was a labor of love, dedication to family, and an ever mindful eye to thrifty living.

There are lessons to be learned from the ways our mothers ran a household. There was no excess to their lifestyles, needs were met before wants were granted and you made do or did without. My life has been crafted by my Mother and the women I was closest to when I was growing up. Their influence runs deep in my veins and I have worked to pass this on to my daughter. And as she so eloquently puts it... sometimes the old ways are best...

SEPTEMBER HARVEST

My husband had the opportunity to help with wheat harvest on Century Farm in Genesee, Idaho. This is a 4th generation farm owned by my brother in law and sister in law, Kurt and Sharon Blume.
They are part of the Shepard's Grain group of farmers that are promoting sustainable farming practices and direct seeding, a practice for protecting soil for the future.
Kurt is in the combine and Rog is running the red quad tract, pulling the bank-out wagon.
Thanks goes to the Blume's for letting Rog be a small part of this great opportunity!

Kentucky Wonder pole beans mixed with Yellow Bush Beans
make a great combo. Throw a chilled jar into a salad and dress
with Tuscan Italian Dressing.... top with fresh grated Parmesan
Cheese....serve with toasted bagettes... there is not a better meal anywhere.

Huckleberry jam on a shelf of it's own. Excellent with everything!

PUT UPS IN THE PANTRY

Pickled Beets are a staple for us

and we like them heated through

and served like a side dish instead

of a garnish for salad.

My Aunty Beatrice's recipe for BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES
The recipe has been around since the late 1930's. It was

passed to me when

I started gardening and canning.

A TRIBUTE

The evenings are getting shorter. At 8:30 last night the realization of summer's wane floated over me with the evening breeze. It was a melancholy feeling that left me with a reluctance that I didn't want the gardening to be over, that in spite of the hard work, sore knees and back, I was going to miss the peace and contentment and the sense of accomplishment that growing our food gives me. With the clank of the latch, catching when it closes, the vintage gate that old Sol hangs on, provides me with protection from the outside world and all the while teaching me the patience, tolerance, compassion and ability to leave the world, even if it is just my world, a little better. Keeping a garden teaches us to be kinder to the earth. Nourish it, and it will in turn, nourish us.
I have learned, to give is to receive.

We buy seed, work and water the ground and plant. But we don't often think of the miracle that God has given us when the first sprout of seedlings stretches through the soil. The Bible speaks of planting and sowing and reaping, and while a good share of this is metaphor, I would like to think it is also a literal command. To feed our body, keeping this miracle in our heart, is to feed our soul. Whether we farm on a large scale or garden in containers, the process is the same. A seed is planted and a sprout is formed and grows. Our tables are blessed and bountiful.
I am thankful.

There are a few green beans left to mature, cucumbers are still producing, tomatoes are ripening, my zucchini, while grumbled with a slow start, has produced a respectable crop and continues to shovel fruit at us at an astounding rate.

The bully of the garden has had his tendrils clipped but didn't seem to mind the pruning. The squash he is growing are beautiful.

There is still canning and preserving to be done, and the faint feelings that indicate summer is changing, will soon give way to crisper days and cool nights. I am reminded that the preservation of food gives way to the cooking and baking of what has been put up.
These are the gifts of the garden and it's only expectation is for us to receive it.
I am greatful.

TICKLE THE EARTH WITH A HOE AND SHE WILL LAUGH WITH A HARVEST

My winter squash is a bit of a bully. Pushing his way in front of the cucumbers, through the rows of beets, across the carrots and beans to see if the other side of the garden is greener!

One of my poles of green beans fancy the nearest tomato plant and my plum tree sees fit to pepper the cabbage with little green plums. My garden seems to have a sense of humor and displays a bit of a cheeky personality.

I am drawn to this small plot of ground that seems to have a soul of its own. It is giving up its harvest in small increments right now. A colander of raspberries, a salad a day, beets coming on, beans in bloom as are the tomatoes, with all 12 plants producing. My zucchini seems to be the only slacker in the patch.....

WATER WORKS

EARLY MORNING 'FIRE WORKS' OVER THE GARDEN!
WISHING EVERYONE A FUN, SAFE, AND


PATRIOTIC 4TH OF JULY

VEGGIES GONE WILD!

Look whats in the garden! I think if I watch quietly and with determination....I will see them grow!

BOWL OF BEAUTY

My favorite peony adds a feast for the eyes just outside my kitchen window.

Every Gardner Knows That Under the Cloak of Winter Lies a Miracle

I am always surprised and delighted when the rows of seeds emerge and in such a short time, the shape of the garden has been created. Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans are reaching up to take hold of the supports, the squash are racing the cucumbers for space, and the beets, radishes and onions are ready.

IN MY GARDEN MY SOUL IS SUNSHINE

Step through my garden gate.

You will always be welcome here!

Shepard's Grain

I have used Stone-Buhr flour for many years. Then my sister-in-law gave me 2, one gallon sized bags of Shepard's Grain flour. I was hooked and haven't looked back. When it finally hit the stores in my home town, needless to say, I was more than happy!
Check out the best buy date on your next bag and log on to Find the Farmer. The home page has the window to upload the date of your bag flour, enter the date and hit submit. The date is the key to the location where the grain was havested. A map will show farms that are noted by a red push pin icon. Click on the push pin and it will tell you the name and location of the farmer that grew the grain that was milled on the stamped date. Explore the web site...I am sure you will like what you find.
Be sure and check out the link I have provided. Just click the title of this post "Shepard's Grain" and it will take you to the proper page. I am proud to let you know that Kurt and Sharon Blume are my brother and sister in law, and are part of a group of multi-generational farmers that are changing the face of large scale farming practices of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Listen to the video and learn a bit about the farmers, Shepard's Grain, and get closer to where and how such a common commodity like flour is produced.

PLANT A SEED AND SEE WHERE IT CAN LEAD YOU!

A LITTLE SWEAT EQUITY AND A LOT OF IMAGINATION

The fence surrounding the garden and the arbor have been completed. The only goal, for design in mind when we started, was to complement the old plum tree. My husband gleaned and saved twisted and gnarly limbs and trees from various jobs, with the thought they would be used one day for some project in the yard. His imagination and creative ability with the chainsaw came to life and he has outdone himself with this wonderful gift! It turned into a family affair with the much appreciated help from my step-son.

The dimensions, once the tilling commenced, quickly changed from it's conservative beginnings, to truly being a garden. We dedicated two days to hauling compost in by the dump-truck load. The garden was enriched and tilled once again before final planting began.

But, as they say... the best laid plans go astray! Still working from the original grid plan, we ended up with extra space and room for rows.

I stuck to basics this year, with my intent to preserve what we eat the most. Green beans, variety of pickles from the cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, and no garden would be complete without zucchini squash.

So now that the radishes are through the ground and the beans have germinated, I am called upon my patience to wait. Wait until I can put the first canner load of green beans in the cold pantry. Wait until I can make the first batch of my Auntie Beatrice's Bread and Butter Pickles. Wait until the tomatoes are cooking into the tantalizing aroma of Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Zucchini, Sweet Red Bell Peppers and the Greek Oregano that grows wild in the garden. Alas ~ Wait, Wait, Wait....

BeBop a Rebop Rhubarb Pie!

Nothing makes my mouth water more than the first fresh pie of the spring season.
Raspberry-Rhubarb Lattice Pie is a winner.
1 1/2 to 2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
4 cups rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 cups granulated sugar (or you may want it sweeter so you can add more)
1/3 cup flour
1 Teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons cold butter in 1/2 inch diced pieces
Crust for 11 inch Double crust pie... chilled.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
Separate 1/3 of the pastry and refridgerate it until ready for use.
Roll out remaining pastry and place as the bottom crust in you pie dish.
Put the raspberries and rhubarb in large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, flour and lemon juice. Toss to combine, but be careful not to break up the raspberries.
Spoon the filling into the bottom crust and dot with the butter.
Roll the remaining pastry into thin rectangle. Cut strips into 1/2 inch strips and start the lattice on your pie by forming an 'X'. Weave the remaining strips in an over - under fashion to form the lattice. Crimp the edge of the pie with a fork or your fingers.
Bake the pie on a large parchment covered baking sheet for 1 1/2 hours or until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbly and thick. Let cool completely before serving.
(If you use frozen rhubarb let it thaw and drain completely before baking)

THE OLD GARDENS

Even though my Dad was a photographer, he apparently didn't
think the vegetable garden was worthy to record it's
history on film. The garden in the front yard was
another story. Gourds and beans grew at each side of the little bridge going to the front door.
Roses bloomed alongside beds of zinnias.
There were flowers everywhere.
My Mother loved pots of this and that scattered throughout the larger beds. She could create the most interesting array of arrangements from found articles... buckets, boxes, anything that was old iron that had an appropriate hole in it, was suitable for planting.
Hens and chicks still grow on the rock wall behind the house.

Even years after she was gone, I would find Sweetpeas and California poppies blooming in hap-hazard places. A group of iris hidden behind my garden shed, The ferns that come up every year and are tucked away so that when their lime green color hits your eye, it is a reminder to pay attention!

Beets and Beans and Carrots OH MY!

Autumn Beauty and Teddy Bear Sunflowers

Atomic Reds and Little Finger Carrots

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans... an old reliable with high yields and tons of flavor.

Detroit Darks, Early Wonders and Italian Cylindra Beets... We love the tops cooked like spinach and Pickled Beets are a favorite.

Boston Pickling.. a great Highly Productive Cucumber for those of you that like to make pickles.

TWO kinds of Zucchini... a must for my spagetti sauce and Morning Glory Muffins!

Radishes..... Scarlet Globe and French Breakfast... Did you know you can saute radishes?

And a variety of canning and table tomatoes, Heirloom varieties all...... compliments of my Cousin Chuck's greenhouse.

My canners are ready, the cold pantry is being organized... GET GROWING!

Francious Rene Chateaubriand

When God on earth was making the primal Paradice,
A garden, say the Scriptures, was fashioned to suffice.
And man these years remembers, and every spring recants....
One step toward his Eden with every seed he plants.

The Little Green House in the Window

Portly, the stout black bear with the big tummy, stands watch over the little green house in the window. Boston Pickler Cucumbers, Zucchini and Teddy Bear Sunflowers are ready for transplanting into bigger containers.

The best table top green houses are right from your local bakery! This one started life as a carrier for a sheet cake. There are little grooves in the bottom of the tray that let you water evenly, and there is easily room for 2 dozen jiffy pots. Don't for get to label what you grow!

Waiting Patiently to Plant

Watching the snow level diminish from Gisborn Mountain has been used for a planting gauge since I can remember.

After a long winter with heavy snow, waiting for this mountain to be free from the icy grip of our

unpredictable Northern winters, can be a test of endurance.

And to a gardner, there is nothing worse than having all the catalogs and flyers arrive, and then you look out your window and four feet of snow still layers atop the garden!

Your heart beats a little faster and all of a sudden you just

KNOW that Spring has to hurry up and get here!

Who wouldn't want to dig in the dirt with a view like this?

Gardening is in my blood...... I can't help it.

I have the good fortune to live where I grew up. I have an undeniable link to my roots. I live in the house where I was raised and my children and grandchildren call this home as surely as I do.

My Dad grew a garden in the most unforgiving location on the acreage. And he did it with flare and generosity and was successful enough that my Mother used to say he could feed the Panhandle of Idaho with what was grown on that hilly spot behind the house. The original garden is gone now, with only remnants of the raspberries gone wild. But a new garden has been created and I invite you to come along with me while I re-invent and renew my green thumb.