Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

The First Day Of Summer :)


Can you believe that Summer is here!
Our weather is getting hot,
so I was up at 6 this morning
and out turning on our drip-lines by 6:30.


Look at this . . .
Thistles are growing wild in the ditch across the road. 
Now, we know that it is easy to 
find beauty in a rose,
but look at these thistles gone to seed. 


Aren't they pretty!
Can you see beauty in them?


When I went out to do the drip-lines
I also picked a large bowl of snap peas.
These are called Oregon Giant Snow Peas.
Snap Peas - Snow Peas
To-may-toe  -  To-mah-toe 


After watching a You-Tube video
I blanched them . . .


Ice bathed them . . .


Dried them . . .


And put them in bags for the freezer.
I got four nice bags
and in a couple of days 
I should get four more.

This "farm-girl" thing is new to me,
but thanks to You-Tube & my sweet sister-in-law
I'm learning so much :)

Well, now I'm going to practice my guitar
and enjoy more of this
fine first day of summer :)

Keep Smiling!

Your blogging sister,
Connie :)
 

51 comments:

  1. Connie, you are becoming really excellent at the "farm girl" thing! Your snap peas look beautiful and are obviously at the peak of ripeness and flavor. We really admire all the energy that you have, especially in the summer heat. Your large yard is so pretty, and your photos are so much fun to see. Thank you for all your work on putting your fun blog together. Happy summer, from Marina and Daryl Lynn

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    1. You are so sweet . . . we moved into your country home three years ago this month, so gardening, canning and any type of preserving food is new to me. I love You-Tube . . . it is such a gift to those like myself that are visual learners. Not only canning, but most of my quilting skilled where also started with a You-Tube video. Thank you for your complements . . . it is a big yard to care for, but I love being outside and seeing the results of hard-work :)

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  2. I think the thistles are beautiful. But then, I think dandelions are beautiful too. I have never blanched and frozen and snow peas, but that's how I preserve my green beans. Such a treat in the middle of a cold winter. I hope you're enjoying your summer days.
    Blessings, Betsy

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    1. Hi Betsy, I haven't had good luck with green beans but I think that is going to change this year. So far they look very healthy. They are still short and just starting to climb . . . but I see green beans in your near future. I had a feeling that this would be the way to do them, too . . . they are so much like these peas.
      Oh, I like dandelions, too :)

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  3. I think the thistles are beautiful! and the Snap peas, are too. Enjoy your longest day of the year.

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    1. Oh, I know . . . now they start getting shorter again. I seem to have more energy and get more done when the days are long. In the winter I'm content to be in my PJ's by 5 PM, LOL.

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  4. It's an amazing life we live when we can find all information we need on the internet! And thanks for sharing how simple it is with us.

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    1. You-Tube is wonderful for learning new things. I know that there is a lot on the internet that is not healthy . . . but there are also so many wonderful uses for it. Like blogging and making new blogging friend, right :)

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  5. I do see the beauty. Those are pretty. I'm not a big fan of peas but I'll eat snow peas when they're in stir fry

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    1. Have you ever eaten them raw in salads . . . they are very tasty :)

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  6. I believe you're going to make a fine farm girl! Yes, I do see beauty in those blooms. We have thistles with purple blooms and BAD stickers!

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    1. Oh, these have bad stickers too . . . and this evening we are having a wind that is probably blowing those seeds into my yard. I'm not to happy about that, but in the ditch, I can see their beauty, LOL.

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  7. A productive day, indeed!
    The peas look yummy, Have fun with your guitar!

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    1. Thank you . . . I'm working on learning a couple new songs. Well, old songs, but ones that I haven't played before. About a month ago I noticed that dust was collecting on my guitar and I can't have that, LOL. Thanks for stopping by and for leaving a comment . . . I love reading them and getting to know my blogging sister better.

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  8. Love those kind of peas!

    Fabulous flowers, too.

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  9. How lovely! Have a nice summer, Connie!

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  10. Happy summertime, Connie. I do see beauty in those thistles. Nature is just amazing, isn't it? Your sugar snap peas are beautiful. I know you will enjoy having a stash in the freezer. ♥

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    1. Learning to put things from the garden up for winter is so exciting to me. That and knowing that what I grow is healthy and not filled with preservatives . . . vegetable gardening is still fairly new to me, but I'm having so much fun learning and grocery shopping in the backyard :)

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  11. I think you had a very productive first day of summer. Hope it included a little stitching as well.

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    1. Sorry to say it didn't, but summer is a busy season for outside. I do have a quilt to make for a mid September birthday gift . . . so I'd better start getting my mind wrapped around and idea. It will be for a ten year old granddaughter who loves, art, sewing, cooking, dogs and chickens . . . The last quilt that I made her was pastels with vintage embroidery, so this time I think I'll go bright and cheery :)

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  12. I'm anxiously waiting for my sugar peas to start producing. I can stand beside them in the garden and have a feast!

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    1. Oh I know . . . they are so fresh and when you eat them raw they have a nutty flavor. I love adding raw ones to green salads. It's like when you go berry picking . . . you come home with a bucket full and a belly full, LOL.

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  13. What a joy to visit. I am a fan of you tube too, a great learning tool. The thistles were beautiful and how lovely to have a taste of summer in the winter months.

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    1. I know, we are so excited about learning to put up our harvests for winter. Last week I found a Better Homes & Garden canning book at the Goodwill. With all the tomatoes that we planted we want to also make spaghetti sauce this year. Last year we learned to can our tomatoes and we also made salsa. They were great this winter :)

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  14. Connie, I love your harvest. Those peas are going to be so nice. Not those nasty thistles...when I see those seed heads, I can only think of more weeds. LOL the roundness and color make them look pretty. Wishing a pleasant summer for all of us...you know, not that horrid humid heat. :):) Blessings, xoxo, Susie
    p.s. So funny that I was just near your old hometown this past weekend.

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    1. I have fond memories of living there . . . we only lived about 2 blocks from the lake and although I wasn't allow to go there and swim by myself because of the undertow . . . I would go and walk the beach. It's so peaceful and even a young girl could see the beauty in it. That was a long time ago. Two summers ago we had a heatwave that lasted for three months . . . never want to see that again :) Our heat is a dry heat, so it actually doesn't feel as hot as when you live in a humid zone. The last time that I was back in Indiana in the summer the humidity killed me . . . I would get up and shower and 30 minutes later I felt like I needed another.

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  15. Mmmm those peas look yummy. I'm thinking your plants aren't thistles though but some type of a Dandelion plant. Thistle usually have stickers on the plant.

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    1. Oh, these have stickers they are just very fine . . . I forget sometimes to wear gloves when I pull one out of the yard . . . they appear to look safe, but touch them and it's a different story.

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  16. Your snap peas look so fresh and delicious! Your yard looks so pretty. I'm assuming you have a big veggie garden? And yes, I can definitely see the beauty in those thistles. I think they're very pretty! They look different than the ones we have here in IL - ours our purple.

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  17. Oops, *are* purple, not our. ;-)

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    1. These bloom yellow, and have tiny stickers up their stems. So tiny that it is easy to forget and try pulling them up without gloves . . . not a good idea. If you get them in your hand they are very hard to see to tweezer out. I do have a huge vegetable garden. A big patch with tomatoes (I've planted 39 this year) and pepper plants. Then I have nine garden boxes and a few tires also planted with vegetables. Farmer's Market is in my backyard, LOL. I love it and each year it gets bigger:)

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  18. Those sugar peas look delicious! How will you use them this winter? I don't know if I have ever seen thistles that look like that. I don't like it when thistles reseed in my yard! Happy Summer! Nancy

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    1. I don't like them in my yard either . . . as for the snap peas . . . I like to cook them with carrots, use them in stir fry and add them to soup. This time of year when they are fresh I like to snack on them raw and throw them into salads.

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  19. Hi Connie,
    I would have been eating those peas right off the vine! Try frying them up in some stir fry. Or popping them into a cold pasta salad. YUM! We would have had some this year but the rabbits ate them all! ARGH! Have a great day and Happy Summer!!!

    Cindy Bee

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    1. Hi Cindy, thanks for the idea of adding them to a pasta salad, I have never tried that. I'm going out this morning and picking some more. I noticed last night that the vines were full again :)

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  20. They look so tempting...you will be glad you have them later on.

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  21. Hey sweet Connie! Your peas are so pretty. I always can green beans, but yesterday I watched a short video on how to freeze them. It was simply, just like you did the peas, but the video did not show cooling the beans quickly in ice water after blanching, so I completely forgot to do that. I packaged and froze three bags of hot blanched green beans!! If you get a minute to stop by, I left a reply to your comment about the apron pattern (complete with a couple of misspelled words). :) I've never seen thistle like that. It's pretty.

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    1. My beans are just starting to vine, so I'm not sure how long it will be before I have any. This method was so easy that I am going to try it on my beans, too. Now, I'm going over to your blog to see your reply to my comment, thanks :)

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  22. pretty images of the thistle!! i have a small garden, much smaller than yours....your snap peas are beautiful!!

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    1. Thank you . . . I do get carried away with gardening, each year our garden grows a little bit bigger, LOL.

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  23. Love the pictures of the thistles.

    Enjoy those snap peas, they look good.

    All the best Jan

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  24. Looks to me like you're catching on to the "farm girl" thing quite well. You should feel good about your accomplishments. xo

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    1. Oh, thank you so much . . . you are a sweetheart :)

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  25. My hubby loves taking pictures of thistle, yes it does look pretty against that green back drop!
    You will be all ready for winter with your wonderful garden, isn't the internet great for learning things!
    Hope your enjoying the start to your weekend also!

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    1. We are having a lovely weekend. Thank you for your kind words and blogging friendship:)

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  26. Hi Connie... how fun to get peas already! I used to do tons of canning and freezing.. years ago when I was in my 30's... have attempted a few things the last couple of years but I think I burned myself out all those years ago! My preferred method now is freezing... like you did with the peas. Once I do that, I hate to go into the freezer and use them though! I like to see the little bags pile up as it's such a good feeling. Your garden looks so pretty and you'll have a nice long summer to look forward to, of canning and freezing! Hugs... Marilyn

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    1. I love the feeling of our land providing us with food for our bodies. Food that we know is not filled with additives and chemicals. It does my heart good to put these foods on the table to serve my family and friends. We never had a place to grow a garden before, so this is a true blessing :)

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