Monday, July 11, 2011

Sweet Corn

While we were all celebrating the 4th of July, Granny was cooking and putting up the first of the corn.  She let us know that evening, the corn was ready.  We watch the silks on the ears to determine when it is time.  The stalk puts on ears and the ears start to silk, once those silks turn dark and the ear gets full, we pull it.  You don't determine when you want to do corn.  There is a window between when it's full and when it sours. If it sours, you'll know it.

Tuesday morning, before day break, Tony and Jerry went to the garden and pulled 3 and a half rows of the sweet corn.  Granny was right, it was perfect.  Even though Tony did not side dress it, we had big beautiful ears.  There were very few worms in it. And the deers had not eaten any of it.  We were blessed.



Tony pulled the corn and shucked it before he went to work




When we do corn, we do it all at Granny's.  We have done it for so many years that we have our knives and pans ready, along with our buckets and rags.  This year Tony, Jerry, Granny and I hit the ground running.  Well, Granny hit the ground running.  When I got there at 8:00, she had cooked breakfast for 5 people and had made a banana pudding.  I felt guilty for sleeping late. 

Once Tony had the corn shucked, Jerry and I silked it and cut off the bad places.  Even though we didn't see any worms, we saw evidence.  That's to be expected; however, it was minimal.  About 5 years ago, I learned a trick to silking corn.  We started using washclothes to silk it.  It works like a charm.  For years we used a small brush.  The bristles would burst the kernels and make everything so sticky.  Merrit sweet corn has very few silks compared to field corn.  So, the washcloth works well for silking.  You do have to change rags when you do as much as we do; but, it is still easier.


I'm behind on my silking

After we silk it, we use washtubs and 5 gallon buckets to wash the corn through two waters.  This takes alot of containers.  And alot of water.  You want the corn clean before you cut it off.    The water also keeps the ears cool and prevents them from souring.   Because there is so much starch in sweet corn, souring is always a possibility.  We are extra careful to keep it in shade and in the water.

Once you get it silked and run it through two waters, it is time to cut it off.  Here is where skill takes over.  There are two ways to cut off corn.  Cream and whole kernel.  We did it both ways.  Granny likes cream and my family likes whole kernel.  When you cut off, the most important thing is to have a very sharp knife.  Creaming it you clip it twice and scrape it to get the juice out.  Whole kernel is easier because you only cut once and it is close to the cob.  You really don't even need to scrape it unless you want a little juice. When Tony and I first married, Granny was ticky about the way corn was worked up.  I cut away from me; but, Granny cuts toward her.  It really doesn't make that big of a deal as long as you are consistent as to the depth that you cut.  At 91, it is a thing of beauty to see her work.





This year even Tony and Jerry cut off...whole kernel!



There is no telling how many ears came off that 3 and a half rows.  We had all we could do for one day and after we cut it and cooked it....we were finished with the corn.  The next morning, early, Jerry went out and pulled the remaining sweet corn.  Granny called in the neighbors and shared it with them.  Giving away makes room for God to bless you!

This is what Jerry pulled to give away, ain't God good!!




Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Lay it By

When you plant a garden and work it, you are waiting on the day when you can "lay it by".  After all the work's done...all the planting, plowing, hoeing and thinning; you can sit back and let mother nature do her thing.  There's nothing else to do but watch it grow.  We layed it by this week.  And, it is beautiful. 

Today is the 11th straight day with above 90 temperatures and we have had only one significant rain in two weeks, so we have watered everything but the corn.  In spite of that, the corn is tosseling.  The tossel is the grain that comes out the top of the stalk.  The stalk and leaves are green and the leaves are flat, not twisted.  All of that and we did not "side dress" it.  Granny said that we needed to put some "soadie" on the ground next to the plant so that it will make a fuller ear.  Soadie is the fancy word for amonium nitrate.  It is what makes it green and pretty.  It is also what you would use to build a bomb!  Tony thinks we'll be fine without the soadie, we shall see.
Tossel


90 degrees, no rain, no soadie...looks good!




Before we layed it by, Tony had to plow the peas for the 1st time.  He planted them the week before last and they are coming up.  Among the peas are quite a few weeds.  Plowing takes care of the weeds between rows; but, it will still need to be hoed to get the weeds between the plants.  Tony used the tractor to plow.
He also plowed the okra.  He had to be extra careful because the plants are still small.  And the soaker hoses we laying next to the plant.   



There were some odds and ends that needed to be done.  Tony has always used ground cover between the bean rows and on each side.  This is great for weed control.  By rolling it out, it does not need to be hoed and you can walk easily when picking beans.  At the end of the season, Tony will roll up the cover and use it again the next year.  The vines are starting to bloom and soon we will see some beans.  The first beans will be close to the ground which is another benefit of ground cover.  It is alot cleaner than red dirt!

Between the bean rows.


Jerry also caged the tomatoe plants.  It will keep the plant growing up and makes it easier to pick the tomatoes.  We use just basic fencing and roll it into a cage.  Jerry drove a post in the ground and tied it to the cage to keep it from falling over.  As the plant grows, we will make sure the limbs stay inside the cage.  This helps to keep the plants off the ground and healthy and gets plenty of sunlight to the fruit.


Tomatoes before they were caged.


Caged

Okra



Squash...it is blooming!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Green Beans

Saturday, after Tony plowed the garden, Jerry hooked up the soaker hoses and started watering the beans.  And, boy, do beans love water.  They really started growing and have put on some runners.  The plants are still somewhat small and the runners will be what produces the blooms and then the bean.  It is amazing to watch this happen.  The plants look healthy except for a few places where the bugs have eaten them.  We will take care of those bugs with a little Sevin dust.


After watering the beans

Beans are a vine and the best way to stake them is so the the vine will grow up.  If you don't, the vine will be on the ground and all the beans will be on the ground.  It is not fun picking beans on your knees.  Over the years Tony has perfected "staking" the beans.  There has been some trial and error and this is the way that works best for us.  We have found that big wooden fence posts with some metal fence posts work well, along with barbed wire and bailing twine.  The thin twine is the best because by the end of the winter, the twine will rot on the wire.  This year Jerry has had the "pleasure" of driving the posts along each row and tieing the stings.  It is HARD work; but, it makes life so much easier down the road.

They drive 8' wooden fence posts at the end of each row and at a quarter and half way.  The post at the end of the row are braced at the top with a 2X4 to give them more stability.  It is a big job!  Since the soaker hoses had been on the ground for a while, it made it a little easier to drive the posts.  Between each wooden fence post in the row, there is a 8' metal post to help hold up the barbed wire.  The barbed wire is run across the top of each post.  Don't ask why we use barbed wire.  It might be because of its strength.  It is not becuase it is easy to handle. It will eat you up.  As the bean vines grow, they get heavier and heavier and put alot of pressure on the wire.  So, at the end of each row there is a short metal post driven in the ground and cable is looped around the top of the wooden post and the ends are connected and ratcheted so it can be tightened up as the season goes.


The back end of the bean row

Front end of the bean row
After all the posts are up and the barbed wire is run from one end of the row to the other, you tie cut pieces of the bailing twine about every 6 to 8 inches.  The bailing twine is what the bean runner catches and climbs.  It is amazing...the bean vine has little feelers on them and when the wind blows the runner across the twine it grabs.  Often times we will start the runner by hand.  The vine only runs in one direction, counterclockwise.
Why would you wear white socks to the garden?

Runners


Staking the beans is a job that requires everyone to get involved.  This year Granny had the job of cutting the twine.  It is not a back breaking job; but, it is important. After all, you will need about 700 stings. 


Granny, the greatest teacher I have ever known!


It Takes Water

What is so funny about gardening is that you can do everything perfect; but without water, you've got nothing.  I guess that's why older people are always talking about the weather.  I think weather is God's way of reminding us who's in charge.  We can do all sorts of planning and we can control most everything; but, over and over God's Word reminds us that none among us has ever caused one drop of rain to fall.  It is because of God's mercy that HE allows water to fall to the earth.  Without it, we would all wither.

It has been about two weeks since we have had a good rain and the beans and tomatoes need watering.  Because we have been here before, Tony has bought all the hoses we need to get water from the well, run it to the garden and use soaker hoses right next to the plants.  It is amazing the difference it makes.  Soaker hoses are ideal.  They use very little water, it can be laid right next to the plant and the water soaks in the ground down to the roots.  When you use a sprinkler alot of the water evaporates in the air, you water the weeds and the plants and most of the water lays on the top of the soil instead of going directly into the ground to the roots.


Soaker hoses beside the tomatoes

Soaker watering the japaleno


Soakers on the beans



Peas and Okra

There is alot of work to do when you plant a garden.  It is hard physical labor.  This week was more of that hard work and with the temperature getting higher, we had to start watering.  We'll talk more about that later.  Saturday, May 21st, Tony plowed the garden for the second time.  Before he did, the corn had to be thinned and some of the suckers had to be taken off.  As I said when we planted, corn has shoots that grow off the side of the stalk.  If you cut them out, the stalk will be healthier and grow a fuller and bigger ear.  These suckers take nutrients from the stalk; but, they don't produce anything.  Do you know anyone like this?  God's first commandment to us was to rule, subdue and PRODUCE!  No matter where we are planted, we need to be productive.  In other words, Get up and do something!  The corn has grown taller and Tony will only be able to plow with the Farm-all a couple of more times.  When it gets too high to plow, we will "lay it by".


You can see the suckers that were cut-off and laying in the rows.




After plowing, you can still see a little moisture.




Since Tony had the tractor at the garden he decided to go ahead and replant the okra and plant the crowder peas.  The ground on the lower side had hardened since he first plowed in mid-April so he had to till it again.  This time he just used the harrows to break the ground.  They don't pulverize the soil.  After he plowed, he layed off 5 rows with the Farm-all.  One row of okra and four rows of peas.  These pea seeds are over 100 years old and have been grown by the Wade side of Tony's family.  When Granny moved from Yonah to White County when she was 12 years old, her daddy protected these seed by sitting on them.  Can you imagine riding in a wagon from Yonah, between Homer and Alto, to the southern end of White County with your family and everything you own?  That's what they did.

 Normally, we plant the peas on June 10th.  I am not sure why, it's just when Granny says they should be planted.  But, we are taking a chance this year and planting two weeks early.  I hope we don't have the same results as we had with the okra and have to replant.  When the peas start coming up is when we will encounter another one of the garden's enemies, deer.  Deer love peas and they will come from near and far and will eat the tops out of the pea plants.  We have tried every conceivable way to deter them.  We have tied plastic bags to strings, tied Granny's dog, Roll, to a tree next to the garden, we have gotten hair from Tony's sister and brother-in-law and put all around the edges.  And, Tony has even tried taking off all of his clothes and laying them on the fence around the garden hoping the scent would keep them away.  Nothing we have tried has worked....even stripping down naked.  So, if you have any suggestions, let me know.  As you can see nothing is out of Tony's reach when it comes to protecting the garden.


Harrows

Rows for okra and peas

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Setting Out

After Tony plowed, the ground was broken up, moisture brought to the top and it was the perfect time to set out the cucumbers, squash and tomatoes.  When plowing, he decided to plow up the okra.  We did not get a good stand.  If you'll remember back mid-April when we planted it, I said that we normally don't plant the okra this early because it is not warm enough.  I was right.  Okra likes heat and ours did not do well.  Okra was a plant brought over from Africa so you can imagine the conditions that it needs to grow.

Every year we plant an abundance of tomatoes.  This year is no exception, we set out 25 plants.  The only thing different is that Jerry, Tony's brother, set them out.  Tomatoes can get all sorts of diseases.  The blight, the rot and then there are worms that will eat them.  People have different ways to prevent this from happening.  One thing we started doing is adding lime.  Not A lime, but lime powder that is a source of calcium.  You mix it with the soil so that it will be absorbed through the roots.  Because the ground was soft from plowing, Jerry dug the holes, carefully spaced them so that they can be caged later, and added lime to the soil and mixed it up. Then he set the tomatoes from the container on top of the mixture and covered the roots.  He also sprinkled a little lime right on top of the ground just for good measure.
Tomatoe planted 5/12/11

We planted the cucumber, squash and tomatoes on the row right next to the beans.  Squash and cucumbers spread out when they grow and require lots of room.  And if you keep the vegetables picked, squash and cucumber will continue to bear until the plant dies.  So, potenially we can give everyone we know a "bait".  The thrill of watching something grow is what drove Tony to set out these plants from seed in peet pots.  He put these pots in the house, next to a sunny window (in my utility room).  Over the last month, they grew enough that they were ready to be put out.  Granny said she thought they should be a little tougher.  We'll see!  Jerry set these out when he planted the tomatoes.  And he gave them plenty of room!

Squash and cucumber 4-20-11



4-30-11

Cucumber 5/12/11

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Watch it Grow

When you have a garden some weeks are busier than others.  This was one of those weeks.  We fertilized, planted, plowed and thinned.  This week the temperature got up into the 90's drying out the ground and making it perfect for plowing.  The garden needs moisture and fertilizer.  Tony bought 200 lbs of
gu-annar.  Many old timers call vegetable fertilizer "gu-annar".  It was a fertilizer harvested long ago and I am not sure if they even make the pure stuff anymore. But, today, gu-annar is a broad term for any plant fertilizer.  There is a true science behind soil management and the chemicals you add to grow a green healthy plant.  It takes nitrogen, phosphate and potash.  We use 5-10-15.  But, Granny just calls it all gu-annar.  It's funny how you hear older people say things and use words younger people have never heard.  I wish I had written a book of these phrases. "This younger generation" could learn alot by talking to old people. 


Jerry fertlized the garden before Tony got home from work.  He poured the fertilizer in a small cloth bag so it would be easier to carry.  And "threw" it out right next to the plant.  Careful not to hit the plant because the nitrogen will burn it.  It is important to fertilize first so that when Tony plows it, the broken ground will let the fertilizer mix with the moisture and will get down to the roots.  This is where the 1956 Farm-All is so vital.  If we did not have that tractor, we would have to hoe the whole garden to get the fertilizer into the soil.  When Tony plowed it there was still moisture right below the surface even though it had been over a week since it rained and the tempurature was up.

Unplowed Merrit corn 5/10/11



Unplowed beans 5/10/11

 

Plowing in the fetilizer 5/10/11



Plowed Merrit 5/10/11


It is amazing what a difference the guannar and the plows will make. We came back two days later and look at what had happened.


Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Enemy

In order to produce a garden, you have to get rid of the enemy.  Weather, rodents, deer, birds and bugs.  They all pose a threat.   This week we survived one of those threats...blackberry winter.  May 4th there was a light frost.  We debated about whether the temperature would drop low enough to kill the beans.  Tony has some ground cover that he could have laid over the tender plants.  Because Granny said she didn't think it would be a hard frost, he decided not to.  She was right.
  
Today, we faced another challenge.  Groundhogs!  In the twelve years Tony and I have been married, I have determined that there are only two things that will make him lose it...rats and groundhogs.  When he is faced with a rodent, he goes crazy mad and I am not exaggerating.  He will do whatever it takes to get rid of it.  He makes John Belushi look sensible!  So when Granny called and said she saw two groundhogs, he grabbed the gun and bullets and took off.  He has said, he will lose his religion over a groundhog.  Seriously.

You have to see the big picture.  The garden is behind three chicken houses.  There are stacks of rotting wood on one side of the garden and on the other side is an old trailer.  The combination of these three things gives groundhogs the perfect place to build dens.  The mama groundhog digs a hole and goes in to have her babies.  All those groundhogs are just waiting on us to plant the garden and as soon as the small plants come up, the groundhogs will eat every one of them.  They are alot bigger animals than you think they are and they can mow down a row of beans in one night.  Granny says, "thur hateful"!

In years past, Tony has set steel traps for these 'hogs.  He'll place the traps on either side of the hole.  He has gotten lucky many times.  But, you have to be patient, something he runs short of when it comes to animals eating his garden.  One year, he had one cornered in a den and he stuck the barrel of the gun down in the den and started shooting.  I starting screaming, "STOP, STOP!!!"  He took me to the house and told me to stay there.  He lost his mind that night and I decided when he is hunting 'hog, I'm staying inside.

This afternoon, Tony bush hogged around the garden.  He knew with the grass cut down, he would be able to see the groundhogs running to the garden. So, tonight when Granny called to tell us she saw two groundhogs "playing" in the grass he had mowed,  he was ready.  We went straight to Granny's and he got off a shot and missed.  Granny said he need to just start shooting.  Don't worry, Granny, that's exactly what he'll do!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

What a Difference Two Weeks Can Make

Two weeks ago, Tony plowed and planted our garden.  Patiently, we have waited on the seed to sprout and push up.  We've had a couple of good rains and some warm days, exactly what we needed.  Today we went out to see how it looked.  The first thing we noticed is that the rain has created a hard shell on top of the ground.  The rain dries and the soil cakes.  When it's hoed and plowed it will break up easily.

We planted corn, green beans and okra.  It looks like all eight rows of the corn came up nicely.  But, the plants came up close together, as usual.  Once, the roots get a little deeper, we will thin it and take off the suckers/shoots.  Thinning it will ensure that the corn gets plenty of sunlight and the ears will be fuller.  It also gives each plant the nutrients required for healthy growing.  The suckers or off-shoots that come up on some stalks make it hard to grow a big strong plant because it takes water and nutrients to supply these non-producing suckers.  There is alot of application for this.  We can look around and see even some people who live this way.  Constantly taking and never producing anything of value. But, that's another blog for another day!

Merrit sweet corn April 30, 2011



The green beans also look good.  We planted two rows of beans.  The Nickell beans that Tony bought this year were on the front 1/2 of the upper row.  They look good and I am excited to see what the bean looks like. 

Nickell white 1/2 runner April 30, 2011


Do you remember Granny's two jars of seed that she saved?  Tony planted the big jar on the last half of the upper row and the back half of the lower row.  The front half of the the lower row was the small jar of seed that Granny had.  They did not do good at all.  When we told Granny that those seed did not come up, she said, "they'll have to be replanted".  Jerry, my brother-in-law, will drop those seed.  He will probably thin the beans and break up the ground with the hoe.  Granny said to thin them "about a hoe width".  I'm guessing that's exactly what he'll do!

We checked the okra while we were there and only a few had come up.  We weren't expecting to see any because it has not been warm enough.  They start out so small to grow so big.  The ground is really hard as you can see. But, they pushed their way up.  Tony used a screw driver to dig down to the seed and he saw some seeds that had sprouted.

Cowhorn okra April 30, 2011

 As we were leaving, we saw a volunteer cucumber plant that came up.  Tony always plants cucumber and squash.  He has been growing them from seed in peet pots in my utility room.  When you buy the plants at garden stores, they are a couple of dollars each.  You can buy a entire pack of seed for less.  I don't think it is about the money for Tony.  It is about nuturing the plant and watching it grow. They are about three inches tall now.  He will probably set them out this week.   



Peet Pots of Cucumber and Squash

Volunteer squash April 30. 2011


 






Sunday, April 17, 2011

You Reap What You Sow - Part 2

Now that Tony has prepared the soil and layed off the rows, he's ready to plant the seed.  Because we plant the same vegetables each year, Tony rotates the garden.  One year he will plant the corn on the upper side, then in the middle and then the lower side.  This keeps the soil from being depleted of nutirients.  The plants draw nutirients from the ground and it is important to also put back in the soil by feritilizing.  Last fall Ashley, Tony's nephew, covered the garden with stable manure.  The ground should be rich and ready for whatever we plant. This year Tony decided to plant the corn on the upper side and the beans in the middle.  It really works well that way because there is a slight incline to the garden and the middle seems to hold water and that's great for growing green beans.

This year, as with every year, we will plant 8 rows of corn, 2 rows of beans and one row of okra.  Tony will use a push planter to plant each seed.  The planter has a disc for each type seed we plant.  And you change the disc so that the seeds will be the proper distance apart.  Even though we always use the right disc, the seeds are sometimes too close together and when we hoe the garden the first time we thin out the plants. 

The first row of corn we planted was silver queen.  And the remaining seven rows are merit sweet.  These are two completly different varities of corn.  Silver queen is not as full or sweet.  It is whiter and does not cut off as well for whole kernel.  The merit corn has alot of starch and is sticky and sweet.  It goes a long way when cutting off.  And it is perfect for eating off the cob.  My personal favorite is merit sweet.  But it is nice to have a change.

Tony and Granny have had a "disagreement" regarding the green beans.  I'm still not sure of what they are talking about.  As I said in Part 1, Granny likes the long skinny pods with the small bean.  Tony said that is what he planted last year and he has the seed.  She doesn't believe him and saved her own seed.  Tony just went along with her and planted her seed!!  We've learned it's just easier to agree with her. 

The last row he planted was okra.  It is a little early to plant okra because it is a hot weather plant.  But, because he had the seed and he's doing his planting later than normal, he planted it anyway.  Okra seeds are very small but the stalks can grow over 6' tall.  We planted the cowhorn okra.  The pods get long and they stay tender.  I love okra...fried, pickled or boiled. 

















Saturday, April 16, 2011

You Reap What You Sow - Part 1

Seeds are amazing.  One tiny grain of corn can produce thousands of grains.  All you need is soil, water and sunshine.  Putting a seed in the ground, watching it sprout, bloom and grow is facinating and very entertaining.

Each year we plant the same vegetables.  Corn, green beans, okra, tomatoes, pepper and peas.  Usually in that order.  We also plant some pumpkin, watermelon, squash and cucumber just for fun.  By the way, we have never eaten a watermelon grown in our garden.  But, EVERY year we plant some. Recently, Tony has been experimenting with heirloom green beans and we have had mixed results.  Seeds that you buy at most farm supply stores are mass produced. Companies grow the plants strictly for the seed.  These plants are not grown for their taste, they are grown because they produce the most seeds.  Sometimes these plants have been genetically altered; but, that's another issue altogether.

Heirloom seeds are saved at the end of the harvest from plants that you grow year after year.  Many years back the only seeds you had for next year are the ones you save this year.  Every year we grow crowder peas, which I love.  The seed we use have been grown by Tony's family for over 100 years!  When his mother moved from Yonah to White County as a young girl, she rememers her daddy holding the seeds while they traveled.  When you grow all you eat, seeds are valuable.

So, Tony is looking for the perfect white half runner green bean.  He has bought several variety and has even searched the internet for the perfect bean.  A few years ago he bought some from Sustainable Mountain Agricluture at http://www.heirlooms.org/.  We've planted Anna Robe, Non-Tough white half runner and Nickell.  But, it is the NT that Granny likes.  A long pod with a small bean inside, very tender and not many strings.  Last year after the beans started to dry on the vine Granny saved the seed.

Race Against Rain




Normally, Tony plants the garden on Good Friday.  This year Easter is coming really late, April 24th. There are many people who go by the signs or moon phases to plant.  But, Tony has the holiday off work so it's a good chance to have enough day light to plow, lay off the rows and plant the seeds.  This spring we have had some rainy days and the soil has stayed wet.  Over the last week there have been a few dry days and tonight the weather man is calling for tornado warnings, so, today, April 15th, he took a half-day of vacation and planted the garden.

It takes work to prepare the soil for planting.  Because the ground has been left alone all winter, he uses a rip plow to break up the ground.  It is a big piece of equipment that looks like a hook.  He puts it on the tractor and rips up the ground, hence the name.  He then puts on the John Deere tiller and plows over the garden two or three times.  The thines on the tiller pulverize the soil and make it soft enough so that the seed can be pushed into the ground and the small plant can push its way up.

The next part is what I love.  Tony uses his daddy's 1956 Farm-All tractor to lay off the rows.  This year we will have 16 rows.  This tractor is a life saver and a back saver as you will see later on in the spring and summer.  You know the saying "they don't make them like they used to", it is refering to the farm-all.  After being in the shed all winter, it cranked on the first turn.  Granny and I always celebrate when the farm-all cranks! 








Friday, April 15, 2011

Our Little Garden

Every spring for the past 10 years my husand and I have planted a garden.  Each year it starts out basically the same way.  Beginning the first of March my mother-in-law starts talking about the garden.  She drops what she thinks are subtle hints that are her way of telling us it is time to get started.  She talks about seeds, about her brother Hubert's plowing and about the rain.  We are well aware that spring is coming and that we will plant on Good Friday; but, we enjoy all her gentle reminders.

She loves to cook and at 91 years old she is still interested in planting and she is excited to spend another summer and fall canning and freezing.   She is deligent regarding the garden and has certain requirements.  And, because of the love and respect we have for her, we honor her wishes and do exactly as she says.

One of her "requests" is that we plant it big enough that we can give away more than we use.  Being able to "divide" with the neighbors gives her joy.  She tells us what to plant and how much to plant so that she can call anyone she thinks has a need (or a want) and she gives them all they can handle.  We start in March thinking about the garden with the knowledge that we will give it away.  In this world of "get all you can and can all you get" we have Granny to teach us how to share our blessings.

Gardening is very rewarding and this summer, with the help of my husband, I plan to document what it takes to plant and perserve vegetables.  Preparing the soil, planting a seed and watching it grow is a miracle.  So, sit back and watch our garden grow!
Our Little Garden - 80' X 200'

The Farmer’s Wife 1920s