Corn Harvest

As a little girl, I remember visiting my Grandparents' house in Fruitland, Idaho for a special yearly event. My Mother's parents lived on several acres out in the country along a highway in a big white house. They had a pasture with cows bordered with a white fence. They had a chicken coop that was abandoned that I loved to explore, although always afraid I'd find a forgotten egg that had turned rotten (but never did). There was a big two story barn with a huge pile of hay where I remember my Grandpa teaching me to feed and milk cows. Attatched to the barn there was a workshop that had tools neatly haning on the walls. I never knew so many tools existed! There was a pile of old logs that had been there so long they had petrified into stone. I loved to study the patterns in the rocks and was fascinated that such a change could occur. There were wild cats and kittens always around to stalk, catch and cuddle. There were horses to ride, raspberries to pick, tetherball to play, places to explore, cousins to play with and old clothes to dress up in.

But this visit was for a special purpose. It was September and it was time to harvest the corn! My grandpa would disappear into the rows of corn only to emerge later with a wheelbarrow full with ears of corn. He'd wheel it to the shady spot by the house and dump it in a pile in the middle of the circle that was made by my Aunts and Uncles and cousins. We would then husk the corn amid cheerful visiting and laughter. There was always someone snacking on a fresh ear of corn. The golden cobs of yumminess would then be taken inside to the kitchen where Grandma (in her ruffled apron) and the lucky older cousins were blanching the corn. From there, the kernels would be cut off the cob and put in baggies for freezing. Although I always wished I was old enough to help with the blanching and cutting, the next part was always my favorite of all. After the cobs had been scraped clean of all the juicy sweet corn, Grandma would let me take the cobs out to feed to the cows. Those cows looked forward to the Corn Harvest just as much as I did. I still remember the rough dry feeling of a cow tongue as it grazed my hand in search for her treat.

Such beautiful memories. I am so grateful that my Grandpa's love for gardening and CORN was passed on to my mother. She has a large garden, and the corn always seems to be the highlight of our summers. This year she had the best corn crop she's had in years, and today was our corn harvest. I look forward to it every year. We gathered together today to carry on the tradition of the corn harvest. It was so fun to see the kids enjoying it as well. They were all very helpful and played so well together after their work was done. We had fresh homemade bread and raspberry jam for lunch with as much corn as we wanted! I hope that they have fond memories of their experiences in their Grandma's garden as I did in my Grandpa's garden.

Apple Cider

My brother in law has a cider press that his grandfather built.  My sister bought 100's of pounds of Gala apples and we came over for a Saturday of making fresh apple cider.  And boy, that was the most amazing apple cider I've ever had.  Mmmm!

Even Great grandma came to help out

Here are our apple washers.  Brynlee was Grandpa's helper.

How about some apple to garnish your apple cider?

Zuchinni

Summer is here. That means Zucchini. I love Zucchini. I love how prolific it is. How reliable, how versatile. I was very sad to come home from our crazy month on the road and to see that both my zucchini plant and my yellow summer squash plants had been eaten to dust by squash bugs. Never fear, there is always zucchini to be had somewhere.

My parents took a motorcycle ride to Montana for a week and left me in charge of caring for their chickens and her garden while they were gone. Rick volunteered to check on the chickens on his way home from work every day, and not wanting to overwhelm him, I decided that I could go check on the garden a couple times during the week, well, I FORGOT. Saturday had arrived and I went to tend to my duties for the last time. As I was watching the chickens, my gaze landed upon my parents' lovely garden, and oh, how many red tomatoes there were. And then it hit me! So I spent the next hour harvesting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers of every size, and 3 zucchini. 2 of them were large, but still edible, and the third? I don't know if I have ever seen a zucchini that big. I laid all of the fruits out on a table, put the large sized evidences of my neglect in a couple grocery bags, left the tomatoes, small cucumbers, and zucchini, and headed home.

With the zucchini the size of a small child in my fridge, I began to look for ways to cook it. We have tried 3 new zucchini recipes this summer that we've all liked that I thought I would share.

The first 2 recipes I tried on the same day. A main course and a dessert. Both were a hit. The main course was called Spaghetti Zucchini Bake. I actually doubled this recipe and froze the other half. I just unthawed it, topped it with cheese and cooked it. It worked out great!

Spaghetti Zucchini Bake (serves 8)

1 lb Penne or Macaroni Pasta

1 1/2 lb Italian Sausage, cooked and cut in to bite sized pieces or Meatballs (I used hamburger)

2 cans 14 oz Diced Tomatoes

1-2 cans mushrooms (optional. I opted OUT)

1 can Tomato Paste

1/4 C. Dehydrated onions, hydrated

1-2 cloves of Garlic

4-5 C Zucchini, cut into large chunks

1 t. Oregano

2 t. Basil

2 C. Mozzarella Cheese, grated (I used cheddar)

Salt to Taste

1. Cook your pasta in boiling water until tender.

2. combine diced tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste, hydrated onions, garlic, oregano, and basil in large pot. Heat to boiling and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

3. While the noodles are cooking, grill Italian sausage.

4. Place zucchini chunks in a bowl and microwave for 3 minutes (just to cook them slightly).

5. Add zucchini and meat to sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in noodles and 1 C of cheese and stir. If you don't want to heat up your oven just place remaining cheese on the table for people to top theirs with.

6. Place Spaghetti Zucchini Bake in a 9x13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted. Make sure and watch it so the cheese doesn't burn.

The dessert we had that night was

Death by Chocolate, Zucchini Cake (one 8" pan)

1/2 C. Brown Sugar

1/4 C. White Sugar

1/4 C. Butter

1/4 C. Oil (or Applesauce)

2 Eggs (if you're doubling the recipe use 3 eggs)- 2 T. dehydrated eggs + 1/4 C. Water

1 t. Vanilla

1/4 C. Buttermilk-3/4 T. Dry powdered milk + 1/4 C. Water + 1/4 T. lemon juice or white vinegar, let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe

1 1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 t. allspice

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking soda

3 T. cocoa

2 C. Zucchini, grated

1/2 C. Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Cream brown sugar, white sugar, butter and oil together in large bowl.

3. Add eggs vanilla and buttermilk and stir well to mix.

4. In a separate bowl mix remaining dry ingredients together and add to mixture.

5. Fold in grated zucchini.

6. Pour into greased, floured 8 inch round cake pan or 8x8 pan.

7. Sprinkle the top of cake with chocolate chips and bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

The one we had last night was called

Zucchini Cakes

1 large zucchini

1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs

1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2-3/4 c. Italian cheese blend (I used half queso fresco and half cheddar)

1-2 eggs

a pinch of kosher salt

olive oil

black pepper

Chop the ends off the zucchini and then use a cheese grater to shred it. Place the shredded zucchini in a clean towel and squeeze out the liquid (VERY IMPORTANT. I even ended up putting mine in a strainer as I was cooking to continue to let the moisture out). I was very surprised how much came out. Next place the semi-dry zucchini in a large bowl. Add the garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, 1 egg and salt and pepper then stir with a fork (I used 3 eggs. I liked a firmer texture). If mixture is to dry, add another egg. If it is too dry, the mixture will fall apart when you try to cook it. In a frying pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4". When the oil is hot, drop the zucchini batter by large spoonfuls into the pan and then flatten with the back of the spoon. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. The PW recommends serving these with Ranch dressing for dipping sauce, of which I had none last night, so we ate without and they were still fabulous on their own.

Carrot Harvest 2008

This year I am trying square foot gardening. I have 2 grow boxes that I've used for 2 years and just this year I decided to divide it into squares and try this new method. This is my carrot harvest I got out of 8 square feet (1/2 of one box). I was pretty pleased with the amount of carrots I got, but of course I couldn't enjoy all the fruits of my labors without ruining it somehow.

I picked about half of the carrots one day and then got so busy I wasn't able to do anything with them, so I just left them in a bucket with greens and dirt and all. By the next morning all of those carrots were like wet spaghetti noodles they were so soft. So, Carrot Lesson #1: CUT GREENS OFF IMMEDIATELY AFTER HARVESTING. That was quite disappointing, as I was hoping for a large one-time harvest to make one of my favorite carrot-treats to freeze.

I was still able to use about half of the carrots, but I didn't get nearly as much as I wanted, so I'm going to attempt to re-plant for a fall harvest. I've never done that before, but I've heard it can be done, so watch me! It may be too late already, and I just can't seem to get organized enough to get the seeds in the ground, but hopefully I'll get to it this week.

My favorite carrot treat is called "Carrot Stuff" (creative, I know. Any new-name suggestions are welcome. I've thought "Orange Delight" might sound a little more appealing). It is a recipe my not-famous-for-her-good-cooking Grandma Orton made up to feed my Grandpa when he got old. It is very simple to make, and my mom would make it for us occasionally growing up. I love it, but am aware it's weird, so I'm not offended if no one else likes it (I'm the only one in my family that likes it). But I'm sure I've made you curious by now, so I'll include the recipe.

Carrot Stuff

Carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely

pineapple juice

sugar to taste

Cut up the carrots in large chunks (1-2 inch pieces) and put in blender. Cover carrots with pineapple juice. Add sugar (I add about 1/4 cup of sugar per quart, but that might be too sweet for some). Blend till very small chunks (Do not puree). Eat chilled, or put in plastic containers to freeze and enjoy later.

Baby Burn

So we are finishing our basement and we just got a gas fireplace installed into our basement.  We have no chimney, so they installed an exhaust vent that comes out the back wall of our home.  It is the middle of the summer, but to burn off the factory oils, the technician told us to run the fireplace for a few hours, so we did.  The technician left and not long after, my 3 year old slipped out the back door while I was right there doing dishes and before I could even notice she wasn't there anymore she started screaming.  I ran over and she was at the base of the steps shaking her hands and head.  I asked her what happened, but she wouldn't tell me.  I looked around and suspected she may have touched the hot exhaust vent.  When I asked her if she touched it she wouldn't answer me. (I think she thought she might get in trouble).  I looked at her hands and they looked like they were burned.
I took her right inside and slathered Lavender Essential Oil on both her hands and let that sit as I got a bowl of cold water and ice for her to soak her hands in.  Her crying seemed to subside.  I sat right in front of her to keep the bowl from spilling and noticed she kept gently biting her top lip.  I looked closer and her top lip and nose looked white, with a little abrasion (which was probably a blister that had already popped) and a pink spot on her cheek as well.  I asked her about it, but once again she denied anything had happened to it.  I realized she probably had burned her face as well.  She wouldn't allow me to put lavender on it, as it was right under her nose and her top lip (lavender doesn't taste very good).  So I got her a wet rag with a piece of ice in it and held it on her lip.
About once an hour we took her hands out of the water, dried them off and re-applied the lavender oil.  By bedtime she had developed a blister on her top lip.  Her hands never blistered and felt better the next morning.  What didn't look better the next morning was the burn on her face.  It had all scabbed over and looked so painful!  My husband was worried about long-term scarring on her beautiful little face.  So that night after she was asleep, I snuck in her bedroom and applied Frankincense and Rose essential oils as best I could on her nose and top lip.  She slept through it, so this became our new routine for the next week.  Once a day after she was asleep.  We were so pleased with the results.  You can click on the picture to make it bigger.

Each day showed improvement, till after 7 days the scabs were completely gone.  I took a picture after 10 days.  There is still a bit of marking on the underside of her nose, but I just got the Immortelle blend which has Rose, Frankincense, Lavender, Myrrh, and Helichrysum in it and it smells divine.  I will finish the job with that.

What I thought was remarkable was the difference in how we treated her hands and face initially.  Her hands, which we slathered with Lavender oil probably within 2 minutes of the initial burn, and then hourly after that never blistered or scabbed over like her face did.  On her face, we were only able to use cold water and ice and what a contrast in the healing process!

And for future safety, we normally won't be running the fireplace in the summer, and in the winter, there aren't children playing in the back yard anyway.  I will have my husband build some sort of safety cage that still may get hot, but will protect little people from touching the vent directly.

Strawberry Jam

I've always known that kids are capable beings - very capable at a young age to make huge messes and refuse to clean them up. I am not one of those lucky women who was born with a love of cooking NOR do I have any interest in cleaning up the cooking mess. Now, I know as a stay at home mom, it is my primary responsibility to do these things, but I have to admit I have no love for either of them. I know some wonderful women who are very talented at organizing and cleaning, or find joy in providing beautiful square meals for their family daily - this simply is not me. Because of this, I have a strict rule in my house that no kids are allowed in the kitchen when I'm cooking. I'm stressed out as it is trying to muster up some sort of meal within 20 minutes since I've procrastinated till the last moment my most unfavorite chore of the day. Kids asking to "help" just adds to my aggravation.

BUT...in light of my recent lessons learned, I decided that I might help to teach my kids some skills in the kitchen and have them make strawberry freezer jam. I didn't have any plans, so there was no rush, freezer jam is easier than pie with no cooking even!

I was most nervous about letting either of them use sharp knives. Rayna is 6 and she has cut herself using a butter-knife before. Ian is 8, but he is simply careless at times. I was more afraid of him accidentally stabbing Rayna with his knife than I was worried about either of them cutting themselves. I just kept telling myself that even if there is blood, they won't die...it's part of learning. And how will Ian ever learn to be careful with a knife unless he practices, and hopefully if I supervise, someday I may even TRUST him with one...maybe.

Believe it or not, they cut the greens off of 4 whole pounds of strawberries without one accident! Amazing! They had a great time together. Jaeda woke up from her nap during their fun and came to watch.

Here is Rayna stirring in the pectin that Ian poured in. She lost her front tooth earlier today, so this is her brand new tooth-less smile. The next step to freezer jam is to stir it every 5 minutes for 1/2 hour. They weren't too keen on hanging out for that, so I let them go play and I finished it up myself all ALONE.

It wasn't so bad having them in the kitchen as long as I wasn't doing any of it. I didn't mind supervising them, and when it was my turn I got the kitchen to myself. What a great experience. For dinner, we had bread and JAM. It was fun to see the kids enjoy it so much.

Heritage Quilt

Although we were few in numbers, 30 people participated this year in the Orton Quilt Block swap. I loved the colors that our depression-era-reproduction-print-themed quilt inspired.

Here are some photos from the event:

Rayna with her quilt block contribution

Cousin Kristen, our lovely hostess, provided her beautifully manicured backyard and delicious food for our gathering.

My mother, Wanda, explaining her quilt block. The center square in each of her blocks is an actual quilt block from Grama Clora's collection.

One table of quilt blocks

The other table of quilt blocks, with roses from Kristen's garden

Some of the attendees enjoying each others' company. Cousin Sharise, Aunt Susan, Aunt Peggy, Wyn, Mattie Rae, and Cousin Daunell.

Rayna with her second cousin, Hannah (Kristen's daughter).

Of course we had discussion about next time or IF there will be a next time. Daunell opened the floor to comments on the matter. I raised my hand and emotionally expressed that "I will participate as long as it is offered. The opportunity to have a tangible piece of each of you is priceless to me."

I feel such a love for the Orton women in my life. They are my most favorite people to spend time with and to look up to. I love their strength, their cheery outlook, and the depth of their testimonies and example. Although I don't always feel like I can contribute to a group of women with such caliber, I love to absorb the love they exude and be inspired by the pioneer spirit that runs so deep in their blood...my blood.