Summer on the Way Back

The forecast was for rain today so I started out sewing. Norman went for his walk and had to come back early because of the rain show that came over but that was the last of the rain and the sun came out. It has been beautiful all afternoon and the humidity has risen all day. Norman went down to weed the garden and found it was too hot to work out in the sun. After the break we went to Spencer to the recycyling center and Norman burned the paper and other burnable trash. So another day busy all day doing nothing so tomorrow it is back to work in the garden. Norman tells me the green beans need to be picked again so I will pick beans while he is taking his walk and we will see how many we can get and see if we need to can them or pickle them. We also need to pick Swiss Chard and spend any extra time weeding. I need to get my flower gardens weeded so I hope it doesn’t get to hot in the afternoon. Have a great dayl

About Carol (Ouma) Petts

I am a retired teacher. I have taught all levels from kindergarten through college and have been retired now for over 20 years. The last ten years we have lived on a farm and lived off the land, growing our own food and canning for our extended family. Now we have sold the farm and are moving to Florida to truly retire. I guess I have always had a short attention span as this is our 11th move. We have moved from a small farm in New Hampshire, to more city type living, small business adventures, focusing more on traveling, Florida living, Georgia, and Tennessee farming and now back to Florida. My blog is a way to keep my children up to date on what I am doing and letting them know I am still alive and well. My children are spread across the country from New England to Florida, Nova Scotia to New Mexico and CA and several places between, They let me know what they are up to by commenting on my blog but they are so busy with their own lives most times I have to assume " no news is good news". Now I are starting on a new adventure so will try to give daily updates until we get settled into a routine. Then I know even if I am getting older and should settle down I will start looking for some new and exciting adventure to start. Welcome aboard. Norman died Oct 30, 2017 so I am continuing the journey alone with the aid of my children, grand children and great grand children. At present I am living with my daughter and we are 7 in one house and cover four generations. We range in age from 7 to 85 and are finding common ground, we are living proof that multi generations can live and function in a three bedroom house if they really want to. Soon my grandson will have his house built next door so we all will have a room of their own except for the seven year old twins who by choice will share a room.

View all posts by Carol (Ouma) Petts →

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Summer on the Way Back

Rosemary says:

August 20, 2014 at 5:42 pm

Hello, Carol,
Do you make hodge podge? It is our main meal this time of year. I cook beans, carrots, and peas together. Some people cook potatoes with it but I do them separately. After they are done and drained, pour on some light cream and butter. We are having lots of broccoli, which I refuse to eat! I also made beet pickles this week and will do more. We have had one ripe tomato! There will be lots more.
Don’t work too hard!

Rosemary

- Carol (Ouma) Petts says:
  
  August 21, 2014 at 9:11 am
  
  Hi Rosemary,
  I don’t make hodge podge here, our peas and beans don’t come in at the same time and I can’t eat carrots so we don’t plant them. Our peas come in in May and they don’t do very well here, I guess it is too hot for them. At least we have never had any luck growing them, first the wild rabbits eat them when they come up and if we can keep them out the peas don’t produce well at all. We have tried snow peas and English peas and neither one taste very good, they are not very sweet here. Not like I remember them in New Hampshire so I guess they need the cold weather for a longer period of time. I use to love it when my mother made it for us but I have never found the secret of growing peas. My mother always cooked the new potatoes and added those to the beans and peas. We had that a lot in the early summer. I like broccoli but like it best with a little cheese sauce on it. As Norman says anything is good with cheese on it. I find right out of the garden broccoli is good but it does loose its sweetness if left a day or so before cooking it. I like to pick mine and have it cooked or frozen within two hours. I also found out this year that the parsnips love to grow with broccoli or cauliflower. I have never been able to grow parsnips here until this year when I planted the seeds between the broccoli and cauliflower plants that I set out. I paid no attention to them and all of a sudden they were growing and after the broccoli and cauliflower were gone the parsnips are really taking over and growing large. In New Hampshire we used to grow huge ones. We had one that was over a pound and just as sweet and tender as any of the smaller one but no one grows them here so I guess they don’t do well here. Beets do well here in the early spring as long as we thin them two or three times and fertilize and hill them each time we thin. Norman likes the greens from the the beets best but I like the beets baked the best. I cut them up into 1″ or 1 1/2 ” pieces drizzle olive oil on them so that each is coated with the oil, a little salt and bake on a cookie sheet for about 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees. You can put any root vegetable on with them, I always put on some sweet potato too. My daughter uses any vegetable with her bake.
  Enjoy your harvest, take care of your self. Carol

	Phyllis on Pictures of Melrose, FL
	Creativity Xpressed on Old Farmhouse Door Stop
	Creativity Xpressed on Old Farmhouse Door Stop
	Rosemary Rafuse on Pictures of Melrose, FL
	Rosemary Rafuse on Moving Again