The summer harvest continues...........

Summer is always a busy time of year and July has been no exception. The gardens are really starting to produce and all the hard work of planting, nursing crops and dealing with whatever mother nature decides to throw at us is paying off.

First string bean harvest

Tuesday morning after chores we harvestested our first 10 gallons of string beans. This is a green/yellow mix. I've never grown this particular seed before and so far it's done well. Mom and I nipped and cut them, preparing them for canning.

Sterile jars ready for vegetables

As you can see my cook stove serves many purposes. These jars have been sterilized and are ready to be used for canning the green beans. I would like to put up at least 250 pints. We are big green bean fans here.

My kitchen

When we designed our new home, the kitchen was the most important area to me. It's a big kitchen and it's wonderful to can in. It has easy access to everything and there is more than enough room for both Mom and I to work in there together and not step on each other. We love to can together and I cherish every minute of it.

Success!

The first batch out of the canner. While the beans were processing, we put up 6 quarts of the Everlasting slaw. Three quarts from green cabbage and three with purple cabbage. I've posted the recipe at the end of the blog entry for those that have asked for it. Simple, quick and delicious :) It has quickly become a favorite of my family.

Everlasting slaw

Everlasting slaw recipe:

• 1 medium size head cabbage
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tablespoon grated horseradish ( I used 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish)
• 1 tsp. mustard seed
• 1 tsp. celery seed
• 1 tsp. turmeric

Shred the cabbage and carrots. Chop the green pepper and onion and combine it with the cabbage. Boil together the vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices, only until they are well blended. Pour over the slaw and allow it to set for several hours before serving. Once it has cooled off, I fill quart jars to store it. Will last forever in the refrigerator.

Before we got the last batch of beans processed, the telephone rang - it was our hay man. He had 200 bales in the field ready to be picked up. No more canning for today. When the hay man calls, we drop what we are doing, load up and go.

Filling up the barn for winter

It was a late night - we finally piled in for dinner about 8:45. Thankfully Mom had made a huge pot of spaghetti. We had energy enough to eat, cleanup and hit they hay :O)