Harvest Hill Farm

Brain Turning to Mush

2012-01-26T08:13:00.000-06:00

I had not read a book at all last summer. It had been so long since I'd read a book that I was fearful that my brain was turning to mush. I'm one of those people who has to have a book around just in case I find a moment to read. I had collected a few, so after Christmas it was finally time to start reading.

I read Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser King. It is historical fiction about Margaret who was queen of Scotland about 950 years ago. Quite good, but made me glad I was not a woman in that era.

Then, I read Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende. She is one of my favorite authors. The setting was Haiti when it was a French Colony in the 1770's, also historical fiction.

Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero by Chris Matthews, non-fiction, of course. This gave some real insight into President Kennedy's personality, and a "behind-the-scenes" look at all he had to deal with and how he handled things. I found it very interesting.

The most recent book I finished is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. She also authored Seabiscuit. Unbroken is non-fiction about Louis Zamperini who was a track star, then a bombardier on bomber that went down in the Pacific Ocean in World War II. An excellent book!

So, if you, too, are looking for some good reading, I would recommend these books. My brain feels better now.

Two Gallons of Paint

2012-01-05T08:08:00.000-06:00

We live in a really old farmhouse. When my husband and I bought a few acres of farmland years ago, this old farmhouse came with it. We bought the land from cousins on my father-in-law's side of the family. My father-in-law had and my husband has lots of memories of the relatives and their families who were raised in this house. When family members no longer had a need for the house, it was rented to other families. If walls could talk, these would have lots of stories to tell about the people and the changes it has seen over the years.

When my husband and I retired a few years ago, we decided to move here and start our market gardening business. We have been so busy with getting the business going that we haven't had time to do much with the house other than solving immediate problems like plumbing and re-doing the bathroom. I painted the kitchen and a couple of the bedrooms upstairs because they were in bad shape.

This week, I finally have started on the living room. Forty years ago, one of the "fixes" for houses which had walls made of plaster was to cover the walls with wood paneling. That's what was done with the walls in the dining room and living room of this house. It was probably a good solution at the time, plus, it stood up pretty well over the years with all the families who rented the house. The paneling is very dark walnut-colored. The rooms are small, so you get a real feeling of living in a paper bag.

Two gallons of paint - one of base coat and one of top coat, and things are looking brighter here. It took lots of spackling to fill all the nail holes and I'm still finding a couple I missed. The color of paint is "antique white" by Behr. The doors and woodwork will be just plain white, when I get to them. I'm going for a cottage garden look since we have lots of houseplants. The room is already looking happier and I can't wait to get the dining room painted too!

Winter Wonderland this Morning

2011-12-10T19:51:00.000-06:00

This was the view to the east as the sun was coming up this morning. Every branch on every tree and bush had a thick layer of frost.

It looked like a winter wonderland.

The big white pine tree east of our house had a "natural" flocking. I used to know a woman who had artificial flocking applied to her Christmas tree every year. Our tree was naturally flocked with frost. So pretty! Later in the morning when the frost started falling off, it almost looked like it was snowing outside.

Craft Show - Tomorrow!

2011-12-02T11:13:00.000-06:00

Since we don't have a farmers' market in Maryville nor Mound City in the wintertime, I take our homemade jams, jellies, and apple butter to craft shows to sell. They make great gifts and also great additions to gift baskets you're putting together. Since I like to sew and to crochet, I also make craft items to add to my table. Otherwise, it would look a little bare, with just jams and jellies. In addition to crocheting dishcloths, this year I've also made headbands for cold weather; they're decorated with crocheted flowers - so cute! I always sew aprons for adults, so this year I've added aprons for children, which are pictured here.

Then, for those of us who keep our thermostats turned down to save fuel during the winter, I'm making fleece ponchos to wear around the house. How cozy is this!? When you sit down to read, watch TV, or knit, you can throw on your poncho to keep warm. It even has a loose-fitting hood that will stop the drafts around your head and neck. And, it will keep you warm as you dash outside to get the mail or pick up the newspaper.

If you need any of these gifts for Christmas, let me know and I can get them in the mail for you. Contact me at pkennish@hotmail.com.

A New Raised Bed!

2011-12-01T15:06:00.000-06:00

Today we started building a new raised bed for additional gardening. Our first 2 raised beds we use exclusively for growing lettuce and they both have special, non-soil growing medium which we bought from Len Pence, http://www.gardeningrevolution.com/.

The one we started today will have regular garden soil plus some peat moss to lighten it up. We had talked about building a cold frame to get seeds started early in the spring. Then, we decided instead, we would just build another raised bed and treat it like a cold frame in the spring. After the early starts are out, we can plant other vegetables in it so we can use it all summer.

Art is where you find it. . .

2011-11-04T15:34:00.000-05:00

and today I found it in the dishpan as I was washing jars before canning crabapple jelly. I thought the framing of the soap bubbles made a nice contrast to the crocheted texture of the dishcloth as it floated in the dishwater; not to mention the sharp contrast in color. By now you may think I've flipped my lid, but after you spend as many hours in the kitchen as I do, you have to appreciate beauty where you can find it!

It's also a beautiful fall day outside and I can watch the combine through my kitchen window as the corn harvest started today. That's such an amazing machine to watch as it gobbles up the rows of corn, separates out the corn kernels and deposits them in the hopper, while chewing up the stalks and husks and spitting them back onto the ground behind the combine. I'm always totally fascinated by the whole process!

Changes

2011-10-29T20:36:00.000-05:00

I'll try not to get too philosophical, but fall has so many "in-your-face" changes, that it is hard to ignore. Many of the trees are beautiful now, and many have already lost their leaves. We had our first killing frost last week, so our gardening is finished for the season, except for the lettuce. Now it's time to get fall work done so we'll be ready for winter and, in turn, be ready for spring. Our job list is long. Today, I started putting another coat of stain on the deck. I missed doing it last year, so now it really needs it before winter.

The dry weather in these parts has enabled the farmers to harvest soybeans and corn every day for weeks now, so the scenery changes daily; there are more and more empty fields.

I went to a funeral yesterday. The woman was 97 years old and had been a life-long friend of my mother. She was kind and generous and will be missed. A sad change when we lose good people who have been part of our lives.

Then, an unexpected happy change: a second cousin contacted me whom I did not know existed. My father was an only child, but his father was one of 12. His siblings scattered and built their lives in other locations. I always assumed there should be lots of progeny from that side of the family, so I was pleased when this "new" cousin contacted me.

Another change that signaled the end of baseball season: the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series! Now that's a change I can embrace! We got to watch some exciting baseball games.

Then, there's daylight savings: that ends on November 6. I'm never sure if that's a positive or a negative change. It's just an aggravating one because it takes me a week or two to adjust.

There's the old saying that goes, "The only thing that's constant is change." That is particularly evident this time of year!

Nearing the End of the Growing Season

2011-10-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

When it's time to carve pumpkins (now), that's a clue that the end of the growing season is upon us. We had temperatures below freezing for the last three nights. We covered the lettuce and the green bean plants. The lettuce, of course, is just fine. The same cannot be said for the green bean plants. They are sad, wilted, and dying.

We will be at Maryville Farmers' Market tomorrow morning, Saturday, Oct. 22. We picked green beans before the freeze and they are lovely. So, we'll have green beans and lettuce to sell. We'll have apple butter, jams and jellies. Also, I'll be baking giant apple muffins and a few apple pies. This will be our last trip to market for the season, so we hope to see you there! If you have any special requests for apple butter, jams, jellies, gift baskets, or baked goods during the winter, don't hesitate to contact us. We also mail jams and jellies for Christmas and birthday gifts, so let us know if you need anything.

Farmers' Markets - Fri. and Sat., Oct. 14 and 15

2011-10-14T07:41:00.000-05:00

We'll be at Farmers' Market in Mound City this afternoon from 4 - 6 and at Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow morning from 7 - noon. The weather is holding, so our fall garden is doing well. We'll have green beans, lettuce, tomatoes and sweet potatoes; apple butter, blueberry jam, peach jam, pepper jelly and wine jelly (chardonnay, rose, and merlot); also baked goods (giant muffins, artisan bread, and apple pie). There will only be a couple more markets after this weekend, so it's time to get that last shot of fresh, locally grown produce before we shut down for winter!

My Laboratory

2011-10-13T12:16:00.000-05:00

One day when I was making jam, my daughter was visiting. She came in the kitchen and said, "This sounds like a laboratory!" And, I guess it does when I'm up to my ears in canning. I was stirring the jam as it bubbled and cooked in a large saucepan. The water bath canner was full of water which was simmering and steaming. The jars were turned upside-down in a shallow pan of water which was boiling gently; the jars were making a soft "clinking" sound as they bumped together in the boiling water. The teapot was whistling with more boiling water that would soon be poured over the flat lids to sterilize them and heat them up before adding them to the top of the filled jars and tightening the rings. Then, there is the timer. It is set to go off when the jam has boiled for 1 minute after adding the last of the sugar. The timer is set again to go off after the jars have been in the hot water bath canner for 10 minutes. But, the best music of all is when the jar lids pop as the vaccuum is created and they seal after they come out of the canner. That means the lab work was a success!

I use timers a lot, especially when I'm baking. If I'm baking pies, I have a timer set for the first one and when I put the second pie in the oven, I set another timer. Same thing when I'm baking Artisan bread. Each loaf has to raise on the pizza peal for 40 min. and then bake for 35 min., so as I bake one loaf right after another, I keep the timers going. I told my husband, if he ever found me passed out and wondered whether to call the ambulance or the undertaker, just set a timer. If it goes off and I jump up, he'll know I'm okay.

Mound City Farmers' Market - Friday, 10/7/11

2011-10-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

Green beans are going again! Our last planting of green beans is starting to produce now. The beans are lovely! We will have green beans for sale tomorrow afternoon (4 - 7 p.m.) in Mound City, east of McIntire Building Center. We'll also have tomatoes, lettuce and sweet potatoes; homemade jams, jellies, and baked goods. Stop by for some wonderful fall vegetables!

The Great Northwest Winefest - Sat., October 8

2011-10-05T18:43:00.000-05:00

ARTISAN BREAD

The Great Northwest Winefest will be held again this year in Mound City from noon to 8:00 p.m. I will be baking artisan bread, baguettes, and a multi-grain bread which we call Cahokia Mound Bread, for this event. They all go well with wine. The artisan bread is a coarse bread with a chewy crust. I bake it in a 450 degree oven on a baking stone. I put a pan of water in the oven to create steam as the bread bakes. The bread is good eaten with wine, cheese, fruit, salads, soups, etc., or just by itself with a little olive oil or butter.

In addition to our fruit spreads (apple butter, peach jam, blueberry jam, and blackberry jelly), we'll have wine jelly (chardonnay, rose, and merlot) and jalapeno pepper jelly. I'm also putting together a couple of gift baskets of jams and jellies in case someone needs a birthday gift or hostess gift in the near future.

Signs of Fall

2011-09-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

Can you see the tree frog in the picture? We live in an old farmhouse, so I was not too surprised today when a tree frog showed up inside our house. Since it's a tree frog, I took it outside and put it on the bark of a tree, then got my camera to get this picture. Shortly after I clicked the photo, the tree frog jumped to the ground. I picked it up and put it back on the tree, it jumped again.

Then, I picked it up again and it seemed so content just to sit in my hand. It occured to me that since my hand was warm, it preferred it to the tree bark. This cooler fall weather must be encouraging the little tree frog to find a cozy spot to hang out. I put it down in some taller grass at the base of the tree. Hopefully it can burrow down there and stay warm for a while. What a cute little critter!

Four Bottles of Wine before Noon!

2011-09-25T18:20:00.000-05:00

I'd been in the kitchen all morning making jelly. My husband came in from working outside and said, "Wow! It looks like you're an alcoholic! I had 4 empty wine bottles lined up on the kitchen counter. Good news is, I didn't drink them. I've been making wine jelly. I'm gearing up for the Wine Fest that will be in Mound City on October 8, from noon to 8 p.m. That's a Saturday and I hope the weather is as beautiful that day as it was for last year's Wine Fest.

This morning I made 2 batches of chardonnay wine jelly, 1 batch of rose wine jelly, and 1 batch of merlot wine jelly. They are all so pretty! They are good served on crackers with cream cheese. They are a pretty appetizer to serve when you have a party, as is the jalapeno pepper jelly.

When I finished making jelly, I made a couple of apple pies. I made apple pies last week and this week for farmers' market. All 7 sold quickly and we had not had any ourselves, so I decided today it is our turn. I need to end this now so I can go eat some, topped with ice cream, of course!

Fall Lettuce is so Tasty!

2011-09-16T16:33:00.000-05:00

We picked our first fall lettuce today! Lettuce likes cool weather, so it is crisp and delicious. We'll have some for sale tomorrow morning at Maryville Farmers' Market. We'll also have sweet potatoes and possibly a few tomatoes. We're taking tomatoes to Mound City Farmers' Market, so I don't know if there will be any left for Maryville. We'll also have baked goods and jams, jellies, and apple butter at both markets.

Sweet Potatoes ------ Finally!

2011-09-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

We will have sweet potatoes, tomatoes, okra and birdhouse gourds at Mound City Farmers' Market today (4:00 - 7:00) and Saturday at Farmers' Market in Maryville. Sweet spreads availble will be: apple butter, blackberry jelly, blueberry jam, peach jam, pepper jelly and strawberry jam. We'll also have some baked goods.

So far, the sweet potatoes we've dug are beautiful. I am so impatient when it comes to root crops, because I can't see what is happening underground. The sweet potato vines are healthy-looking and the leaves on them are huge this year. So, what I wanted to know was: does that indicate a good sweet potato crop, or does that mean all the plants' energy has gone to making leaves and vines so the sweet potatoes won't amount to much? A couple of weeks ago, I told Tom we should dig up some and see what is going on. He said he'd move the mulch and see if he could feel potatoes developing (this is called noodling). That day, the ground was still too wet, so, no clue. Sweet potato anxiety continued! But, finally, yesterday I got to see that all this time, potatoes were actually growing and they are impressive. It's like digging for hidden treasure!

Down on the Farm Primitive Sale

2011-09-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

Leah Kurtz, owner of Red, White, & You is having a sale at her farm tomorrow, Sat., Sept. 3. She sells privitive furniture and decor at her shop on their farm, 28969 Hwy. 159, Forest City, MO (1 1/2 miles east of Squaw Creek Truck Stop). Leah has invited several vendors to participate tomorrow, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Harvest Hill Farm will have a booth there. We have unfinished bird house gourds and hedge apples to sell. We'll have aprons, bags, and crocheted dishcloths. Homemade sweet spreads will include: apple butter, wild blackberry jelly, hot pepper jelly, strawberry jam, peach jam, blueberry jam, cherry jam and grape jelly. We'll have giant muffins: apple streusel, blueberry and banana nut. Harvest Hill artisan bread. Oatmeal raisin cookies (sugar-free) and snickerdoodles. We'll also have fresh tomatoes (regular and Roma).

Leah says lunch will be available too: BBQ pork sandwiches and all the trimmings. So if you're looking for a way to kick of the holiday weekend, join us tomorrow in Holt County!

Stormy Weather

2011-08-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

We had 1.45" of rain, lightning, a little hail and lots of wind last night. Part of the tree north of our strawberry bed blew down earlier this summer. Last night the wind finished it off. It's now in the strawberry bed. The martin house took a direct hit too, so it's down. Electrical power was out for a while, but no big thing because we were sleeping and didn't need electricity for that. Reports to the east of us are bad. Stonger winds and hail destroyed crops, gardens, windows, roofs, and trees.

This week I've been making peach jam trying to get the fresh peaches used up. The tomatoes are still producing so I've been making salsa and canning it.

I just took a couple of loaves of French bread out of the oven, and I'm getting ready to bake caramel pecan rolls. Those will be for sale at Mound City Farmers' Market this afternoon, 4:00 - 7:00 on State Street east of McIntire Lumber. We'll also have Cahokia Mound bread, and giant muffins (apple, banana, and blueberry). We'll have tomatoes for sale again as well as jams and jellies. Looks like it will be a nice evening for the market!

Tomato Juice Sunday

2011-08-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I should change this to a "tomato blog" since that's all I've been writing about lately. I guess "you've got to go with what you have," and we have tomatoes! I spent the major part of today making tomato juice and canning it. You know how some flavors and/or aromas take you back to when you were a kid? Home-canned tomato juice is one of the foods that does it for me.

My mom made home-canned tomato juice almost every year when I was a kid. The aroma of cooking tomatoes in the summer and the taste of cold tomato juice in the winter was delicious. Tomato juice was one of my dad's favorites. Mom canned a lot. Dad built sturdy wooden shelves in the basement for the jars of home-canned produce. I remember rows and rows of quart jars of green beans and tomato juice. I also remember jars of bread and butter pickles, pickled beets, and pickled peaches. I'm sure there were other canned foods too, but I remember these for sure because they were my favorites.

Canned tomato juice has not changed much over the years except for the addition of a little lemon juice to assure the acidity level. Some tomatoes are not as high in acid content, so in order to keep from getting botulism the canning recommedations say to add a little lemon juice. This does not change the flavor. The juice I made today looks, smells and tastes exactly like the tomato juice I remember my mom making over 50 years ago. Wonderful memories! (Oh, another memory I am sure of -- Mom would never have made tomato juice on Sunday)!

Tomatoes are Really Producing!

2011-08-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

This is just a few of the tomatoes; and they are so tasty! We had BLT sandwiches for supper again and the tomatoes are amazing! We'll have tomatoes for sale tomorrow afternoon at Mound City Farmers' Market starting at 4:00. We'll have giant muffins and caramel pecan rolls as well as homemade jams and jellies. I made peach jam yesterday. The farmers' market is located on State Street in the vacant lot east of McIntire Lumber.

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

2011-08-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

Our tomato vines are producing lots of tomatoes now, so we have several that are not pretty enough to sell. I use those to make tomato juice to can and spaghetti sauce (marinara sauce) to freeze. One batch of sauce makes the equivalent of about 6 jars (3 cups each) of commercial spaghetti sauce. Freezing maintains the fresh taste of the tomatoes without any artificial thickeners. This recipe is a good way to use a lot of tomatoes.

BASIC MARINARA

20 lbs. fresh tomatoes

Wash and quarter tomatoes and put in a large soup pot. Heat to boiling and simmer for 20 minutes. Put through food mill to remove peelings. Return tomato juice to soup pot.

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups chopped yellow onions

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion to skillet and cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and next 7 ingredients (through fennel seeds); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add onion mixture to tomato juice. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for several hours until sauce thickens to desired consistency. Stir occasionally.

To store in the freezer: Ladle room-temperature sauce into plastic containers or zip-top plastic bags. Seal and freeze for up to 4 months. I generally freeze the sauce in 3-cup increments because that is equal to a commercial jar of spaghetti sauce.

Timing is Everything. . .

2011-07-21T20:10:00.000-05:00

. . . and ours has not been great lately. We have had so many things going this summer in addition to gardening that, I guess, it was inevitable. We've hit a low spot in vegetable production. One patch of green beans is nearing the end and the next hasn't started up yet. The potatoes aren't producing quantities that they have in years past. Onions are nearing the end. We don't have enough "pretty" tomatoes yet to sell. It's time to start planting fall garden. And, it's really, really hot outside (in case you haven't noticed)! So, we decided the best thing to do at this point is to take what produce we have into Mound City on Friday afternoons for the Farmers' Market that is going there. It's 4 - 7 p.m. at Mason McIntire's vacant lot east of the lumber yard, right on the main street through town, which is State Street.

We'll be there with whatever produce we can find, plus homemade baked goods and homemade jams and jellies. There will be other vendors with lots of beautiful produce, so be sure to come by to get some locally grown vegetables. You will be so glad you did!

Farmers' Markets - Fri. and Sat., July 15 and 16

2011-07-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

Mound City Farmers' Market starts today from 4 - 7 p.m. Charlie Clodfelter has been instrumental in getting the market organized and it will be held most Friday afternoons/evenings. Mason McIntire has agreed to let us set up on the empty lot east of his lumber/hardware business, south of the grocery store. We will have potatoes, cabbages, green beans, onions, and turnips. Homemade jams and jellies. Caramel Pecan Rolls, Banana Nut Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, and Cahokia Mound Bread.

We will have a similar variety of vegetables, jams, and baked goods at the Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow morning, 7 a.m. to noon.

Corned Beef Dinner

2011-07-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

CORNED BEEF, CABBAGE, AND POTATOES

You don't have to serve corned beef and cabbage only on St. Patrick's Day! It's a great summer meal that doesn't heat up the kitchen because you can cook it in a crockpot. We like to eat it now because we have fresh cabbage and potatoes from the garden. I just put the corned beef in the crockpot, add 1/2 cup of chopped onion, 2 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 bay leaves. Pour in enough hot water to just cover the corned beef, set on low and put the lid on. Let the corned beef cook for 8 hours. Thirty minutes before eating, put potatoes in a large pan. Dip out the liquid from the crockpot and add to the potatoes. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Add cabbage wedges in the pan with the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes longer. Slice the corned beef and serve everything hot. It is so easy and so tasty!

Caramelized Turnips

2011-07-07T07:31:00.001-05:00

I have tried, on occasion, to like turnips. I always thought they tasted okay raw, but have never liked them cooked -- until yesterday. The general approach is to cook them, mash them, and treat them like mashed potatoes. I've never really cared for that version. I tried cutting them in chunks, tossing with a little olive oil and seasoning and roasting them in the oven at a high temperature. These were okay, but not wonderful. Yesterday I made another attempt and this is it -- caramelized turnips! I would say these are wonderful! If you like turnips or if you don't, it's worth your time to give this recipe a try. I should have included a picture of the caramelized turnips, but they were gone before I thought to take a picture.

CARAMELIZED TURNIPS

3 cups peeled, diced turnips (almost 2 lbs.)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter, or more as needed

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Place the turnips in a skillet with the chicken broth. Cook, covered, over medium heat until the turnips are tender (10 - 15 min.) Remove lid and simmer until the chicken broth has evaporated. Stir in the butter, let melt and sprinkle on the brown sugar. Gently cook and stir the turnips about 10 minutes until golden in color. Serve hot. Makes 3 - 4 servings.

Note: If you don't have chicken broth, you could probably use 1 chicken bouillon cube and 1/2 cup water.

Independence Day Tomorrow

2011-07-03T20:51:00.000-05:00

Can you believe the 4th of July is here already? It seems like another summer is speeding by! We had another hard rain again early this morning - around 2 inches. These heavy rains are adding insult to injury on the Missouri River bottom where people are hoping the few remaining levees hold; not to mention the threat of flash flooding and the damage that additional water causes in already flooded areas.

Here in the hills we are beginning to be overtaken by weeds because it has been raining so often that the ground doesn't dry out long enough between rains to get all the tilling done. I'm really not complaining because I'm sure we're lucky to have weeds rather than having everything wiped out with flood water. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for families to deal with a flood of this magnitude that is expected to last for 2 more months. It is totally devastating and our hearts go out to them.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 7/2/11

2011-07-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

The Fourth of July holiday is coming up in a couple of days. Don't you need some of this gorgeous cabbage to make coleslaw or Oriental coleslaw for your celebration? We even have onions to add to the slaw. We're picking green beans and digging potatoes. We'll have plenty to sell at the Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow morning. I made blueberry jam and jalapeno pepper jelly this week. So, we'll have those along with strawberry jam (reg. and sugar-free), crab apple jelly and grape jelly.

I had a request for sugar-free oatmeal raisin cookies so I'm baking a bunch of those along with giant muffins (blueberry and apple streusel), and homemade bread. If you make it to the Farmers' Market tomorrow, we'll see you there. Hope you have a great Independence Day Holiday!

Natural Pruning and Landscaping

2011-06-27T19:01:00.000-05:00

The view out our kitchen window this morning - probably a third of the Bradford Pear Tree had broken off.

This is a maple tree south of the house. It was not broken off, but rather just blown over with the roots out of the ground.

In the middle of the night, last night we had a tremendous wind and rain storm; even a little hail. These were straight-line winds coming mostly from the north. I can't remember the last time I've witnessed such strong winds! It was a little frightening. The electricity was out for about 5 hours, which was no big deal because we don't need electricity to sleep. We got almost 3 inches of rain. Several of our neighbors had trees down too, so it was a pretty general storm. I think there was even more rain south of our farm.

The electricity was back on by the time we got up this morning. I celebrated by making 4 batches of blueberry jam today. It is so good! I'll have some to sell at Farmers' Market on Saturday.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 6/25/11

2011-06-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

We will have fresh blueberry muffins with streusel topping at Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow. These are so good with a hot cup of coffee or tea! Other baked goods will be apple muffins, banana nut muffins, Cahokia Mound Bread, and French Bread. Fresh produce will be broccoli, cabbage, onions and possibly green beans. The green beans are starting to produce, but until it dries enough to pick today, I'm not sure how many we will have. This will be our first picking. That's exciting if you like green beans as much as I do!

I have lots to do today to get ready for Farmers' Market, so I can't spend any more time blogging. It's a beautiful day, so I must get with it!

Rain Saturday Morning

2011-06-19T15:27:00.000-05:00

We had about half of the things loaded in the van Saturday morning around 5:45. The wind started blowing like crazy and the rain started pouring. The electricity went out. We usually leave for farmers' market about 6:00. That was not possible with the storm pounding its way east. We invented "Plan B." We sat down and had breakfast by candlelight. That seldom happens at our house, but it was kind of relaxing. As the storm simmered down, we gathered our rain gear and finished loading the van. By the time we drove the 25 miles to Maryville, the other vendors had arrived, but were sitting in their vehicles waiting for the rain to ease up and the lightning to pass.

The lightning moved out and we set up our tents in the rain. Before our tables were up, customers started arriving. A day that I thought might turn out to be questionable instead turned into a very nice day. Regular customers came as well as some new ones. Eventually the rain stopped and our tent even dried before it was time to fold it up and head home. And, we got home to find that we'd had over an inch of rain, which was wonderful. Our vegetables were really needing a good rain.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 6/18/11

2011-06-17T06:54:00.000-05:00

We had enough rain late yesterday morning to "settle the dust." If you've never lived on a gravel or dirt road, you may not have heard that phrase. It means there's enough rain to keep the dust from flying when someone drives past on the road, but there's not enough to make it muddy. That was the case yesterday, so we're still watering the garden. So dry that we need to water vegetables here, while in the western part of Holt County the Missouri River is flooding. It makes no sense.

We'll be at Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow morning. We'll be bringing lettuce, green onions and broccoli. Baked goods will be homemade bread and giant muffins; think I'll make some blueberry muffins. We'll have jams and jellies too.

Fathers' Day is Sunday. If you're looking for a little gift for Dad, the Farmers' Market is an easy place to shop--just a few steps from your car. Dad might like some homemade bread or a jar of jam. I even have some barbecue aprons for the Dad who likes to cook outside! Hope to see you at the market tomorrow!

Pour Boiling Water on It!

2011-06-14T07:59:00.000-05:00

I was talking to my cousin, Sally on the phone. She asked what we do to kill poison ivy that sprouts up around the farm. I told her that one way is to spray it with "Round-Up." However, if you want a more "organic" solution, pour boiling water on it!

My mother was always terribly allergic to poison ivy. The moment a sprig sprouted anywhere near her house she would put a teakettle of water on the stove, heat it to boiling, and take it outside and pour it directly on the plant. She hated poison ivy. It had made her so sick in the past that I think she enjoyed scalding it with boiling water.

Boiling water was her solution for other unwanted vegetation too. If grass or weeds came up in the cracks of the sidewalk, she poured boiling water on them. If weeds came up in her rock garden, she poured boiling water on them. The vegetation wilts immediately with the boiling water treatment and by the next day it's usually beginning to turn brown. Then it withers and dissapears in no time. The only caution I would suggest is to be sure the boiling water does not splatter on your skin as you pour it on the unwanted plant.

I know this remedy works because I've used it on poison ivy and weeds in the sidewalk cracks. I prefer it to toxic sprays. My mother was an environmentalist and may not have realized it!

Cooler Temperatures Again!

2011-06-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

The temperatures are back to being seasonable and pleasant again. We had such a hot spell for a while that it was beginning to be a strain on us as well as the plants. When it's really hot outside, I don't go out to work in the garden in the middle of the day. Now it's so cool we don't even need air-conditioning in the house. We're all working outside today weeding, tilling and planting. It is so enjoyable when the weather is nice!

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 6/11/11

2011-06-10T21:15:00.000-05:00

This is short notice, but we will not be at Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow. I meant to post this sooner, but was having computer problems. We will miss seeing our customers and the other vendors, but we do plan to be back at market next Saturday. I'm sure the other vendors will have lots of wonderful fresh vegetables and baked goods. So, be sure to make it to market if you can, and we'll plan to see you next week!

Living in the Boondocks

2011-06-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

Our farm is on a gravel road 7 miles from town; at the end of the gravel, actually. You would think it would be pretty quiet out here. No sirens, no helicopters, no busy traffic from an interstate, no screeching tires nor honking horns, no rumble of motorcycles as they gather for a rally.

This morning I went to the strawberry patch really early to beat the midday heat. The sun had just been up for about an hour. As I was picking berries, I started noticing all the sounds around. In addition to all the birds chirping in the trees in the yard, I heard lots of other sounds. I could hear cows mooing to the west. The closest cows around here belong to the Miller family and their pastures are 2 or 3 hills over to the west of us. I was amazed their sounds traveled that far! There were wild turkeys gobbling in the treeline to the south of our garden. A couple of small flocks of Canada geese flew over; they were honking as they headed north; maybe looking for a pond or lake to land on. Then, way off to the southwest I could hear the coal train on the Missouri River bottom as it was headed either to or from Wyoming delivering coal for the power plants or on its way back to Wyoming for another load. (I guess that sound will be stilled when the river bottom floods as the Missouri overflows). The sounds made such a lovely chorus, as do those in the city. The contrast made me think of Neil Diamond's song, "It's a Beautiful Noise."

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 6/4/11

2011-06-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

I plan to bake fresh strawberry muffins like these for Farmers' Market tomorrow in Maryville. I'm also making apple streusel muffins. These muffins are good for breakfast, snacks or dessert. We'll have homemade bread: Cahokia Mound (multi-grain) Bread and French Bread. Strawberry jam will be available as well as other jams and jellies. Fresh produce will include leaf lettuce, green onions, etc. Other vendors will have a variety of other fresh produce and baked goods. The market is located at Mary Mart Shopping Center parking lot from 7:00 a.m. - noon.

The Martins have Landed!

2011-05-30T17:18:00.000-05:00

Every spring we put up the Martin House and every year we take it down, clean it out, and store it away for winter. We have done this for 3 or 4 years and the only residents have been sparrows. This morning I went out in the yard to cut some flowers. The wind was blowing like crazy from the south. I heard birds chirping, looked up and there were 3 Purple Martins north of the Martin House riding on the wind facing the Martin House to the south. I was flabbergasted! I went to the house to get Tom so that he could verify that they were, indeed, Martins. He took down the house, evicted the resident sparrow, and put the house back up. We have seen a total 4 Purple Martins at this point and they seem to be staying. What a deal!

The funny thing is that just yesterday I was talking to my brother. I told him that we'd been putting this house up for years and no Purple Martins, so I was considering replacing it with a flag pole. I thought a flag would look nice on our corner with the flower garden. He said maybe we didn't have enough mosquitos (since one of their reputations is that they eat mosquitos). Pehaps they heard my threat of removing the bird house and decided they'd better show up. Who knows? I sure hope they stay and come back next year!

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 5/28/11

2011-05-27T10:21:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning we are headed to Farmers' Market in Maryville for the first time this season. We'll have fresh-picked lettuce and green onions; also homemade bread, giant breakfast muffins, and jams and jellies. It takes extra time to get organized before our first outing, so I must hurry up and get it together!

Progress. . .

2011-05-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

We're trying to get our city house ready to sell since we've retired. I've been working on the basement this spring while the guys are at the farm getting vegetables planted. I've primed and painted the basement walls and baseboards and installed vinyl tiles on the floor. Things are looking better. You can no longer see 15 years of ping-pong, darts, video games, basketball, foosball and countless sleepovers that took place in this space. Plus, nine months of an exchange student from Spain in there somewhere. Amazing what dry-wall, paint and vinyl can do!

Charities

2011-05-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

When I sit to relax, I enjoy crocheting. I have found a couple of charities where I can send items I make. They appreciate hand crocheted and knitted items. One is located in Ohio. Sandy is the woman in charge and she has a blog you can access at http://www.homelessbridge.blogspot.com/. Her blog is called "Bridge and Beyond." There is also the Kansas City Rescue Mission and you can access them at http://www.kcrm.org/. By visiting both of the websites you can find the items they need at any particular time. If you don't knit or crochet, there are always other items they could use, including money.

The photo above shows some scarves I made last week. The concern I have about donating to charity is that I want my donation to go to people who need it rather than to administrative costs and fancy publications. A few years ago I read the book, Three Cups of Tea. Then, I sent a small donation to help build schools in Afghanistan. In the mail I received a multi-page, full color, slick publication about the work being done in Afghanistan. I'm sure my donation didn't cover the cost of printing. After that, I decided only to contribute to charitities where I am resonably sure that the donations are getting to the appropriate people. I saw Greg Mortensen on "60 Minutes" a couple of weeks ago. Some schools have been built in Afghanistan, but apparently he has exaggerated and misrepresented some of the stories he tells. Too bad.

Tomato Plants are Planted!

2011-05-08T15:48:00.000-05:00

We got the tomato plants in the ground yesterday! We planted mostly "regular" tomatoes, but we also planted a few Roma plants and some cherry tomatoes. We had time to get the pepper plants in the ground too. We planted some bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and a new variety of hot pepper called "fish peppers." It may not be a new variety, but it's new to us. The peppers are supposed to be multi-colored, so, we'll see.

Tom is getting the ground cultivated and ridged with the bed-shaper today so we can get the sweet potatoes and the watermelons planted. The potatoes are coming up. The onions are growning like crazy. The broccoli and cabbage plants look good and the bugs are eating the green beans as soon as they come through the ground. We hate to use pesticide spray, but sometimes we have no choice. If we can get the bugs killed right away then the bean plants will make it just fine.

The weather is warming up finally, but we're dry at Harvest Hill Farm. Besides watering the baby plants and the lettuce, I also watered the strawberries yesterday. They have lots of blossoms and are starting to form berries so we decided they could use some help too.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T22:04:00.000-05:00

Nothing says "Cinco de Mayo" better than homemade fajitas (unless it would be a frozen margherita). And, fajitas are so easy to make.

1 pound boneless chicken, beef steak, or pork tenderloin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16-oz.) jar Pace picante saauce
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin

olive oil
thinly sliced onion and bell pepper
flour tortillas, heated
optional toppings: sour cream, cheese

Cut meat into short, thin strips. (This is easy to do if meat is partially frozen). In a small bowl, combine picante sauce, flour, and cumin. Set aside.

Heat a couple tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add meat and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly until meat is cooked through. Add onion and pepper. Cook and stir until tender-crisp.

Add picante sauce mixture. Cook and stir 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Let everyone build their own fajitas. Makes 6 - 8 depending on the size of tortillas. This is a really fast recipe after you get everything sliced.

Too Many Irons in the Fire

2011-04-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

"Too many irons in the fire" is an expression Mom used to use when someone had too many projects going at once. It refers to a time when blacksmiths heated iron in order to shape it for a variety of purposes. If iron heats for too long, it blisters, rendering it useless; therefore, blacksmiths had to be careful not to put in more irons at one time than they could manage.

This expression often describes what we do to ourselves with scheduling too many projects at once. I thought when I retired this would no longer be a problem, but sometimes projects just sneek up on you. We decided to get our "city" house ready to go on the market this spring. Scheduling painting and repairs has not worked out quite as we had hoped, so that is now overlapping with spring planting. Who would have thought?

So, today I started installing vinyl tile on the floor in the basement. I've never done that before, but what does that have to do with anything? I read the directions. My neighbor helped me measure and snap the chalk lines. And, I have six boxes of the full-size tile in place. Cutting tiles will be my adventure for tomorrow. (I think some of my irons are beginnig to blister).

Puppets

2011-04-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

These are hand puppets which I made this winter to sell at the craft show today. I had fleece scraps left from other projects, so this was an excellent way to use those scraps. I love to sew, but one of my fascinations is trying to figure out what people will be interested in buying. I was at the right place at the right time today for hand puppets. I sold all five and have orders for four more. Who would have thought? Homemade jam and jelly always sell well as do homemade breads. With sewed items, it's always a guess on my part. It's good to visit with other crafters and customers; makes for an enjoyable day.

Rocks in Your Pockets

2011-04-10T16:53:00.000-05:00

The wind is blowing like crazy here today--over 30 m.p.h.! If you go outside, you need "rocks in your pockets" to keep from blowing away. We talked about planting lettuce seed today, but decided against it because the seed would have ended up in the next county, which would have been too far to go harvest it.

Spring planting has begun! Tom and Dylan have planted potatoes, onions and sugar snap peas. When the wind slows down (probably Tuesday) we'll set out cabbage and broccoli plants and get another strawberry bed going. We also plan to increase our asparagus bed this year.

This spring has been a little strange, because we're trying to get our "city house" ready to sell and it's on the other side of the state. So, we have a division of labor. I'm painting and fixing the interior of the house while the guys are working on planting. That's the general plan, but it changes some from time to time.

I'm at the farm this week, because I'm signed up for the spring craft show on Saturday, Apr. 16. I have jams, jellies, and apple butter to sell. Also, hand puppets, aprons (including John Deere aprons), bags, crocheted dishcloths and baked goods. The craft show is at the Nutrition Site in Mound City from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If you can't make it, but would like a specific item, leave a comment and I'll mail it to you.

The Older We Get. . . .

2011-03-07T14:32:00.001-06:00

. . . the more we are supposed to change our lifestyles to stay healthy. The bottom line--more exercise; less salt. The exercise thing is always a struggle for me. I'm not overweight, so it's not easy to "see" the need for it. My doctor keeps saying "30 min. a day of aerobic exercise 5 days a week. It's good for heart and bones." I'm sure that's true; it's just that brisk walks are not always possible when it's snowy and really cold. And, I hate the exercycle, but I'm trying. Five days a week is still a goal although it's one I don't reach often.

Then, there's the salt thing. That's an easy one for me. I never add salt to anything after it's on my plate and I don't use much when I'm cooking; just enough to keep my family from complaining. The challenge is the amount of salt in processed foods and I try to deal with that by using very few processed items. My mother used to say, "do the best you can and let it go at that." That was her way of saying "don't stress over every little thing." So, I ran across a couple of herb blends to use instead of salt. I think these will be fun to try. I plan to just make them and put them in empty herb containers and re-label the containers. Then, I'll go for a walk!

ITALIAN BLEND

2 tablespoons each dried basil, marjoram
1 tablespoon each garlic powder, dried oregano
2 teaspoons each thyme, crushed rosemary, crushed red pepper

Use in tomato-based soups, pasta dishes, chicken, pizza, focaccia and herb bread.

MEXICAN CHILI BLEND

1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon each ground cumin, onion powder
1 teaspoon each dried oregano, garlic powder, ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Use in chili with beans, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, chicken, pork and beef.

The Snow Geese are Visiting!

2011-02-28T10:26:00.000-06:00

The snow geese are migrating back north! Their journey always includes a stop-over at Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge. So, while they're visiting, they fly out to the surrounding cornfields to feed--I guess you'd call it a fly-through (or fast food) restaurant for geese. These are views of the cornfield across the road from our farmhouse. Their honking is not similar to a traffic jam in the city. It is continuous; it lasts longer; and, is somehow very pleasing. And, the geese honk whether the "traffic" is moving or not. Even with the snow, the afternoon was mild so it was enjoyable just to stand outside and watch and listen to all the glorious commotion.

What Happened to January?

2011-02-07T13:29:00.000-06:00

I just realized I have not posted anything to my blog since December! January was cold, snowy, and disagreeable, weatherwise. I think I hibernated. January was more about reading books, doing bookkeeping and cooking chili and soups and homemade breads. It was all about staying warm and keeping the water pipes from freezing in this old farmhouse.

Now, with February I can already notice the lengthening minutes of daylight each day. That gives me hope for spring. I'm working on cleaning closets and sewing. I have eased into the sewing projects by making some barbecue-style John Deere aprons in pink. The fabric comes already printed, so it's just a matter of cutting out everything and then sewing. It's pretty simple. Sewing is such good therapy, I think.

SUGAR COOKIES!

2010-12-20T10:44:00.000-06:00

This is the best sugar cookie recipe I've ever made. Suzanne Cadle put it in the Grant City Christian Church cookbook and it is wonderful. The dough is very delicate to work with; you need to be sure not to re-roll it too many times because the added flour will make the dough tougher. And, the cookies should not be over-baked if you want them to be soft - they should be set, but not brown. These are definitely worth the effort!

SUGAR COOKIES

1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter-flavored Crisco
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream sugar and shortening. Add remaining ingredients. Chill for at least 1 hour. (Overnight in the refrig. is good). Roll 1/4-inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 - 12 minutes. Cool. Frost.

FROSTING

1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Beat all ingredients until creamy.

Obviously, these are not healthy. But, whoever eats cookies to be healthy? If you're going to eat cookies, you may as well spend your calories on some that are amazing, and these fill that bill. Merry Christmas!

Aprons and Granola

2010-12-17T12:26:00.000-06:00

I sewed lots of aprons to sell at craft shows this fall, so now I'm sewing some for Christmas gifts.

I made another batch of granola today. This is such a good recipe, you might want to try it. I generally use sunflower seeds and raisins in the recipe. But, if you want to make it look Christmasy, use pumpkin seeds (which are green) and then craisins or dried cherries instead of raisins.

PRAIRIE HARVEST GRANOLA

6 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

3 1/2 cups wheat germ

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup honey

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stir together oatmeal, wheat germ, sunflower seeds and walnuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, honey, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the oatmeal mixture and stir well. Spread the mixture evenly onto two jelly roll pans (cookie sheets with sides on them). Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 min. Stir mixture a time or two during this time. Remove from oven when mixture just begins to brown slightly. Cool. Stir in raisins. Store in zip-top bag or plastic air-tight container until ready to use. Makes 12 servings.

House Plants

2010-12-08T16:04:00.001-06:00

This week we moved our houseplants to the farm. We hope to get our city house on the market in 2011, so it was time to move plants. I'm not sure houseplants are "hot" in the latest interior decorating schemes, but I like them anyway. We have a history. The peace lily in the foreground was given to me about 17 years ago by a couple of good friends. They received it as a gift and gave it to me because they thought they would kill it. I have divided it on a couple of occasions and shared it with other people. The friends who gave it to me have both died of cancer. It always blooms in the summer and is beautiful.

The succulent in the left center of the picture is older than my children. I bought a small start of it years ago at a flea market. It has a huge star-shaped flower when it blooms.

And, who doesn't like an angel-wing begonia? Silver-flecked leaves shaped like wings which are red on the underneath side and it develops clusters of beautiful pink flowers when it blooms. When it gets too large, it is easy to cut back, plus the cuttings can be rooted to start more plants.

I also like philodendrons, snake plants, shamrocks (both green and purple) and spider plants. The plants I grow are practically indestructable because if they don't look good I don't keep them around. The ones I do have are "old friends."

Last Craft Show of the Season

2010-12-03T11:15:00.000-06:00

One more craft show to go for me; it's tomorrow at the Senior Citizens' Nutrition Site in Mound City. Customers have been in a buying mood this year, which is good for us local crafters. Jams, jellies, apple butter and homemade breads have been selling well. I've sold lots of aprons and a good number of crocheted neck scarves and hats. I have orders for a couple more hats and some more crocheted dish cloths. It's good tomorrow is my last craft show adventure because my inventory is running low on the sewed and crocheted items. I always enjoy visiting with customers at these events. Some have even suggested items that I should make for next year that they think people would like. I'm always open to new product ideas that are handmade. I'm not a shopper so I don't know what's hot. I need help to keep up-to-date!

Mrs. Santa Claus

2010-11-30T20:21:00.002-06:00

I'm beginning to think maybe I can identify with Mrs. Santa Claus this time of year. I'm sure a lot of other women do too! I just realized I had only 1 posting on my blog in November, so I'll slip in 1 more before midnight.

Two craft shows are coming up this week: Christmas Around the Square in Oregon on Thursday and the Mound City Craft Show at the nutrition site on Saturday. I always sell jams and jellies at the craft shows, but I can't show up with a table of just that. So, I sew aprons and crochet scarves, hats, and dish cloths. And, I make homemade bread. I was running short on cherry jam and apple butter, so I got cherries out of the freezer and made 2 batches of jam today. Tomorrow I'll make more apple butter.

But, the best part of the holiday season is getting together with family and friends. I love Thanksgiving because it's good food, family, and no stress. Another excellent happening was getting together with long-time friends this week. One couple is from Montana, so this is a rare event. We three women grew up on farms in the same county, went to college together, and have been friends for about 45 years. Our husbands had never met each other, so this was quite an event. Needless to say, we had a really good time!

November Lettuce

2010-11-08T18:53:00.000-06:00

Today we picked lettuce for the last time this season. Not bad for November 8 in north Missouri! The lettuce is in raised beds and we've had to cover it with tarps at night several times to keep it from being damaged by frost. It is undoubtedly, the best lettuce of the year. We use no pesticides on our lettuce, but there have been no bugs this time of year at all. The flavor is exceptional due to the cool weather. Spring planted lettuce gets bitter when the weather turns warm. No matter how big this lettuce grows, it doesn't get bitter because the temperatures stay so cool. It makes us want to eat salads all the time!

Fall Open House

2010-10-22T12:45:00.001-05:00

Judi Scarbrough has organized an open house for 3 local businesses of which we are one. The open house will be held tomorrow (10/23/10) at the Evans Circle Lounge in Mound City from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our booth will have fresh green beans, lettuce and turnips. I will have homemade bread and giant breakfast muffins. We will have a variety of jams, jellies and apple butter. I will take some of my homemade craft items too.

Leah Kurtz will have a variety of home decor items from her shop: Red, White & You.

Amanda Moyers is an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay Products so she will have lots of products to make us beautiful.

We will have hot spiced cider and homemade cookies for you to enjoy while you browse and/or shop. This will be a way for you to get ideas and ease into the upcoming holiday shopping. Plus, you'll get to know what items are available to you locally. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Jam Session

2010-10-15T19:39:00.001-05:00

Enough of the pears we picked have ripened so I could start working on them today. I made a couple dozen jars of pear jam. Of course I couldn't spend that much time in the kitchen without my mind wandering. Since I was making pear jam, I thought of the band Pearl Jam. But, I don't like their music, so I grabbed a CD and listened to Santana instead. It was a pretty good jam session: Carlos Santana was jammin' with his guitar while I was jammin' with my pears.

Which brings me to another point.... One of my cousins (Sally) suggested that I list the spreads I have available so people can make requests for deliveries or mailings. So, here's the list:
Apple Butter, Blueberry Jam, Cherry Jam, Grape Jelly, Jalapeno Pepper Jelly, Peach Jam, Pear Jam. These are each $3.00 for an 8 oz. jar.

Sugar-free jams: Peach Jam and Strawberry Jam. These are $3.50 per 8 oz. jar.

Wine jellies: Chambourcin Wine Jelly, Chardonnay Wine Jelly, and Rose Wine Jelly. These are $4.00 per 8 oz. jar. The wine jellies as well as the jalapeno pepper jelly are good served as a snack or appetizer on a cracker with cream cheese. Some customers also like them on biscuits or sandwiches.

These jams and jellies do make nice additions to gift baskets for the holidays. I can also mail them directly for you to people you'd like to have receive them. Postage, of course, must be paid by you. I can estimate postage costs for you if you e-mail me. pkennish@hotmail.com

Winefest was a Success!

2010-10-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful evening it turned out to be for the winefest! Perfect weather, delicious food, good wine, and lovely entertainment! I had baked bread and baked bread until my oven and I both had almost melted down. Since this was the first winefest in this area, we had no idea what to expect. As it turned out, lots of people wanted to buy artisan breads and homemade speciality breads. We sold it all plus we also sold lots of jam, jelly and apple butter. Tom and I both enjoyed having a chance to visit with people we don't get to see often. It all made for a delightful experience.

WINEFEST - Mound City

2010-10-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

Pictured here are some of the types of artisan bread that I will be taking to Missouri's Great Northwest Winefest tomorrow. The winefest is a first for Mound City. It will be held at North Griffith Park, near the vineyards from 4 to 9 p.m. There will be food, wine tasting, grape stomping, entertainment, and artisan booths. Harvest Hill Farm will have several types of artisan bread and a variety of sweet spreads. We'll even have Rose, Chardonnay, and Chambourcin wine jellies as well as grape jelly made from the Frontenac grapes grown here in Mound City. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, so if you're looking for a "change of pace," join us in Mound City at the winefest!

Scarf Delivery

2010-09-30T20:26:00.000-05:00

Twenty neck scarves crocheted, fringed, tagged and ready for delivery. I made them for "The Student Body" which is a clothing shop in Maryville. The green and white ones are for students at Northwest Missouri State University. The green and gold ones are for students at Maryville High School. I'm really glad to have them finished and delivered. Now I can get on to crocheting with a color other than sage green for a while.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 9/25/10

2010-09-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

This week I made some Chardonnay Wine Jelly. Pretty interesting. It would be good with crackers and cream cheese the same way we eat jalapeno pepper jelly, only the wine jelly is not hot. It would also be good on hot biscuits! So, I'll have some to sell at Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow. I'll have a variety of other jams, jellies and apple butter. Tom will be selling in Mound City tomorrow morning also.

We'll still have green beans, tomatoes, okra, and possibly sweet corn. I'm baking giant muffins (banana and apple), caramel pecan rolls and sugar-free oatmeal raisin cookies. I don't have time to bake bread this week because we have to wash all the green beans. We had a couple of wonderful rains this week, but rain splashes dirt on the green beans. So, they must be washed before we can weigh and bag them. Speaking of which, I need to get started!

Rain Pictures

2010-09-22T16:21:00.000-05:00

My approach to photography is "point and click." I have a digital camera, but it is nothing fancy. Therefore, taking pictures of rain is only slightly easier for me than trying to take pictures of wind. This first photo was taken through my kitchen window as the rain was hitting and running down the pane.

This second photo was taken with the front door open as the rain fell and the water dripped off the upper part of the deck. Altogether yesterday, the rain total was 2 and 1/2 inches. That will make the green bean plants keep producing!

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 9/18/10

2010-09-17T16:34:00.000-05:00

The green beans are still beautiful so we'll have green beans to sell at Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow as well as in Mound City. I'll be set up by 7:00 a.m. in Maryville and the green beans sell fast, so come early or e-mail me or notify me on facebook and I'll save some for you. We also have a few watermelon, a few potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and lots of okra. Larry Smith, who sells in Maryville, called to say he'll have sweet corn tomorrow too.

Baked goods will include homemade bread, giant muffins, sugar-free cookies, and caramel pecan rolls. I'll also have a good assortment of jam, jelly and apple butter. The Farmers' Market days are dwindling down, so try to make it to a market tomorrow if you can!

Next-to-the-Last Planting of Green Beans

2010-09-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

We have 2 & 1/2 rows of green beans on this planting. The rows are long, so there are lots of beans.

The bean plants are pretty and so are the beans. The beans cooked with a little fried bacon and sliced onion are probably one of my favorite foods in the whole world! We have one more planting of beans after this one. The last planting is just starting to bloom, so hopefully those beans will make it before frost.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 9/11/10

2010-09-10T18:16:00.000-05:00

GREEN BEANS are what we are all about this week. Our last plantings of green beans got some good rain at just the right time, and now they are producing like crazy! So, at Farmers' Market tomorrow in Maryville and in Mound City we'll have green beans to sell. We'll also have okra, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. One of the other vendors called and said he would have some wonderful sweet corn too! We'll also have jams, jellies, apple butter and baked goods. Hope you can make it to Maryville or Mound City in the morning.

Market Square Day Report

2010-09-07T20:54:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful day for Market Square Day in Mound City on Labor Day. We had some gusty wind to contend with, but other than that, a perfect day. The photos above were taken about 9 a.m. The majority of people start showing up around 10 a.m. and then we're too busy to take pictures. We sold a good amount of fresh produce, lots of jams and jellies, all the homemade bread and most of the giant muffins and caramel pecan rolls. It's sort of like "old home week" in that we got to visit with lots of people we know but don't get to see real often.

Shortly after we got home and got everything unloaded, friends called us and said they had concord grapes ready for us to pick up. So, we were back in the Blazer headed north. Today I made three batches of grape jelly. This evening we went in town and picked Frontenac grapes. I'm anxious to get some jelly made from those grapes so we can compare flavors. The Concord jelly is really good. I assume the Frontenac will be too.

We won't be selling at Maryville Farmers' Market tomorrow (9/8/10). Our vegetables are slowing up on their production and we need to catch our breath!

Farmers' Market and a Wedding!

2010-09-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

The wedding was not at the farmers' market! We were so busy getting ready for both that I didn't even get the blog updated. So, after the fact---Tom went to farmers' market in Maryville yesterday and stayed until 11:00. Then, we all met and arrived in time for the wedding shortly after noon. It was my nephew's wedding and it was absolutely lovely. Best wishes to Brad and Kara!

Today I've been baking like crazy. Tom and Dylan have been picking and washing vegetables. Tomorrow is Market Square Day in Mound City. We'll be there with veggies, baked goods and jams and jellies. On Market Square Day, the main street and side streets are closed off. Vendors have spaces everywhere. It's a combination of flea market, food booths, bake sales, etc., etc., etc. There is a festival atmosphere where people get together to shop, eat and visit. It's a wonderful way to spend Labor Day. Our space is on State Street just south of Mound City Food Store. If you get to Mound City, stop by and say hi!

Farmers' Market - Saturday - 8/28/10

2010-08-27T15:56:00.000-05:00

The cooler air and lower humidity continue so my oven is getting a workout. Homemade bread: whole wheat loaves as well as Cahokia Mound Bread which is a multi-grain bread with toasted almonds. Caramel pecan rolls. Giant muffins: banana nut, apple streusel, peach with almonds.

Homemade sweet spreads: crab apple jelly, blueberry jam, cherry jam, peach jam, strawberry jam, jalapeno pepper jelly, sugar-free strawberry jam, and sugar-free peach jam.

Tom and Dylan are picking vegetables and watermelon and washing potatoes. We'll have some red cabbage, onions, okra, and tomatoes (regular, cherry, and Roma).

Farmers' Market in Maryville starts at 7:00 a.m. and runs until 11:00 or so. Selling on State Street in Mound City starts at 8:00 a.m. and runs until 11:00 or before if everything sells.

Farmers' Market - Wednesday - 8/25/10

2010-08-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

It is cooler here today, so I'm in the baking mood again. I tried a new 100% whole wheat bread recipe today and it's pretty good. I'll take a couple of loaves to farmers' market in Maryville tomorrow. I'm also baking caramel pecan rolls, sugar-free oatmeal raisin cookies and maybe some banana nut giant muffins.

Homemade jams and jellies have been selling really well. So, tomorrow I will have peach and sugar-free peach; strawberry and sugar-free strawberry; cherry and blueberry jams; crab apple and jalapeno pepper jellies.

Produce will include potatoes, tomatoes, okra and watermelon.

I drove to Maryville in a fog last Saturday morning. It was before daylight so that was annoying. It was so thick at one intersection, I had to roll down the window to be sure I was turning onto the northbound road in the right place. As daylight arrived, the fog dissappeard. It turned out to be an absolutely lovely morning.

The differences between country and city driving are sometimes profound. As I was picking my way through the fog Saturday morning, there were no other cars on the road for miles and miles. When I used to drive in the St. Louis area before daylight, there was no comparison. The TV personalities would say, "There is heavy fog this morning." There would be so much traffic on the interstate highway that it would create a fog-free zone on the highway. Fog would be everywhere else, but I would be driving in a "tunnel" of no fog with all the other vehicles. I always thought it was pretty cool.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 8/21/10

2010-08-20T18:29:00.000-05:00

I've been making peach jam like crazy this week! So, we'll have peach jam, sugar-free peach jam, blueberry jam, strawberry jam, sugar-free strawberry jam, cherry jam, crab apple jelly, and jalapeno pepper jelly. These will be available at farmers' market in Maryville starting at 7:00 a.m. and in Mound City starting at 8:00 a.m.

I'm baking caramel pecan rolls, banana nut muffins, and apple streusel muffins with walnuts. Our variety of produce will include tomatoes (regular, cherry, & Roma), potatoes, onions, okra and watermelon.

Farmers' Market - Wednesday - 8/18/10

2010-08-17T16:52:00.000-05:00

It's raining this afternoon and it's almost chilly; a far cry from this time last week. Today I've been making peach jam and haven't really even needed a fan going, let alone the air conditioner!

At farmers' market tomorrow in Maryville we'll have tomatoes, potatoes, okra and watermelon. Sweet spreads will include: blueberry jam, cherry jam, crab apple jelly, hot pepper jelly, peach jam, strawberry jam and sugar-free strawberry jam. We'll also have giant muffins. If all goes as planned, Tom will be at the market and I will be home making more peach jam.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 8/14/10

2010-08-13T16:50:00.000-05:00

Dylan just picked our first watermelons! We couldn't even wait for one to get cold! As he stuck the knife in and started to cut, it popped and started splitting in front of the knife the way they do when they are really ripe. We chose a small one to try, so he just cut it in 4 pieces and we sat down and devoured the whole thing! Ahhhhh, the joys of gardening! The only thing that could have been better was if it had been cool enough to eat outside so we could have a seed-spitting contest. I guess that will have to come later (possibly next week).

So, in Mound City and at Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow we will have watermelon to sell. We'll also have tomatoes: cherry, Roma, and regular. New potatoes, okra, zucchini, yellow summer squash. Homemade jams and jellies. Caramel pecan rolls, giant muffins - banana, apple, zucchini and peach.

We got .3 of and inch of rain this afternoon and the temperature is supposed to get cooler. Maybe that will kick-start our later plantings of green beans because they're not doing much now.

Farmers' Market - Wednesday - 8/11/10

2010-08-10T16:45:00.001-05:00

We are still up to our ears in tomatoes! We don't use pesticides on our tomatoes so we take the flawless ones to market and use the less perfect ones ourselves. Besides eating them sliced and on sandwiches, I've been making spaghetti sauce. I've used a total of 40 lbs. the last 2 days. Homemade spaghetti sauce tastes so much better than the jarred stuff from the grocery store. It tastes fresh and the texture is better because it doesn't have that artificial thickener that the big companies add. Plus, you can season it to fit your own taste. I have been freezing ours in 3-cup portions which is what works for our family.

I'll be at Farmers' Market tomorrow in Maryville. Guess what? I'll have tomatoes to sell. Besides the regular ones, I'll also have Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. Other produce will include potatoes, onions, zucchini, crookneck summer squash, etc., etc., etc. I'm baking banana nut muffins, zucchini muffins with walnuts and raisins, peach muffins with almonds, and caramel pecan rolls.

I made some more jalapeno pepper jelly yesterday. It's really been selling. I'll also have peach, cherry, blueberry and strawberry jams and crab apple jelly.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 8/7/10

2010-08-06T14:34:00.000-05:00

We have tomatoes, tomatoes & more tomatoes. They are tasty & beautiful. What's any better this time of year than a BLT sandwich with homegrown Missouri tomatoes? In Mound City and at Maryville Farmers' Market tomorrow we will have tomatoes, new potatoes, onions, okra, zucchini & crookneck summer squash. I'm baking giant muffins: banana walnut, apple streusel, strawberry pecan and peach almond. I'm also making caramel pecan rolls. The sweet spreads will include: crab apple, peach, blueberry, strawberry, sugar-free strawberry and jalapeno pepper jelly. Hope you can make it to Mound City or Maryville tomorrow morning!

Farmers' Market - Wednesday - 8/4/10

2010-08-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

Tom will be going to Farmers' Market tomorrow in Maryville. I need some time to get peach jam and crab apple jelly made. This is such a busy time of year; too much to do and not enough time and/or energy! Fresh produce for tomorrow will be tomatoes, onions, potatoes, okra and zucchini. Sweet spreads will be blueberry jam, cherry jam, strawberry jam, pepper jelly, and strawberry sugar-free jam. I'll also be sending apple streusel and banana walnut giant muffins. This is a wonderful time of year to go to farmers' markets; the produce is beautiful and there is such a nice variety! Hope you can make it to the market tomorrow!

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 7/31/10

2010-07-30T15:59:00.000-05:00

Wow! Tomorrow is the last day of July. That's hard to believe. We've been so busy; I haven't paid that much attention to the calendar lately. Tom and Dylan will be in Mound City 8-11 a.m. and I'll be in Maryville 7-11 a.m. tomorrow. Fresh produce we will have includes: green beans, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, okra, hot peppers, cucumbers and summer squash (both zucchini and crookneck). I'm so excited the okra has started producing! Later on I'll make pickled okra.

Baked items will include caramel pecan rolls, homemade whole wheat bread and a variety of giant muffins: banana walnut, apple streusel, strawberry pecan, and zucchini with walnuts and raisins.

Sweet spreads will be blueberry, cherry, and strawberry jams; apple butter; and jalapeno pepper jelly. I did get around to trying the hot pepper jelly on snack crackers with cream cheese. I would characterize it as delightful! Hope to see you at Farmers' Market tomorrow. We already have some advance orders for baked items. You are welcome to do that by e-mail or phone if you would like.

Too Much to Do. . .

2010-07-27T21:11:00.000-05:00

Not enough time to get it all done! I won't make it to Farmers' Market in Maryville tomorrow (7/28/10). I made jalapeno pepper jelly today, which is good, but the crab apples need to be picked now! So, tomorrow instead of going to the market, we will be picking crab apples. We must get them picked so we can make crab apple jelly. I already have customers requesting it. We will be at markets in Maryville and Mound City on Saturday morning and will be looking forward to seeing everyone then!

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 7/24/10

2010-07-23T17:11:00.000-05:00

I will be at the farmers' market tomorrow morning at the Mary Mart Shopping Center in Maryville. Tom & Dylan will be selling on State Street in Mound City, 8 - 11 a.m. Then, Saturday and Sunday afternoons we will have a booth at the farmers' market at the Craig, MO Summerfest. We will have potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, onions, zucchini, etc. Homemade jams will be blueberry, cherry, strawberry, sugar-free strawberry and apple butter. Baked goods we will start out with include: Prairie Whole Wheat Bread, Cahokia Mound (multi-grain) Bread, Caramel Pecan Rolls, Sugar-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Peanut Butter Choc. Chip Cookies, and Giant Muffins: Banana Nut, Apple Struesel, and Zucchini with walnuts and raisins. Hope you'll be able to come to Maryville, Mound City, or Craig!

Mud Shoes

2010-07-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

It's still raining! The weeds are still growing along with the vegetables. And, I have officially designated one pair of my shoes as mud shoes. I just leave them on the back porch and put them on when I go to the garden and take them off when I come back to the house. I don't even bother to clean the mud off anymore. I just wipe them off on the grass when I get out of the garden. On the few occasions when the mud dries on them, I "walk it off" as I head back to the garden. Dylan and I picked green beans yesterday. Plenty of mud then. Tom and I waded out to pick tomatoes between rains this morning. More mud. Dylan is delivering the green beans to the restaurant in town now.

I will be at farmers' market in Maryville tomorrow (7/21/10) from 7 - 11 a.m. (I'll wear my town shoes for that). I will have new potatoes and zucchini squash. I'm not sure what other produce at this point. Homemade jams will be available, as will homemade baked goods. With the other vendors attending, we should have a good variety. Plan to be there if you can!

Splitting Up - (7/17/10)

2010-07-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

Tom and I are splitting up tomorrow! He is going to Farmers' Market in Maryville and I am going to sell on State Street in Mound City. I am taking Dylan with me. This is a trial run for us in Mound City. It will be interesting to see how it goes. For both venues we will have new potatoes, green beans, onions and hot peppers. Jams will include blueberry, cherry, strawberry, apple butter and sugar-free strawberry. Baked goods will be Cahokia Mound Bread, caramel pecan rolls, giant muffins and sugar-free oatmeal raisin cookies. Hope you will be able to visit one place or the other!

Farmers' Market - Wednesday, 7/14/10

2010-07-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

Farmers' Market tomorrow in Maryville. Produce I will have is a duplicate of Saturday. Everything keeps growing and we keep picking vegetables and digging potatoes. I plan to leave the guys home tomorrow to work while I go to market to sell. I'm not sure who the winner is on that deal. Probably me, because even though I have to get up at 5 a.m., I do get to visit with people and relax a little. Plus, I get to drive an air-conditioned vehicle to Maryville and back. As hot as it's getting this week, that is a definite advantage.

I'll have homemade jam to sell as usual, and I'm doing some baking this afternoon. I'll have some giant breakfast muffins and a couple of loaves of Cahokia Mound Bread.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 7/10/10

2010-07-09T13:28:00.001-05:00

Produce we will have for sale: new potatoes, cabbages, green beans, onions, zucchini squash, jalapeno and anaheim peppers.

Baked goods: Cahokia Mound Bread; Banana Nut, Apple Streusel, and Strawberry Pecan Muffins; Caramel Pecan Rolls.

Sweet spreads: Apricot, Blueberry, Cherry, and Strawberry Jam; Apple Butter.

Weeding

2010-07-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday and Monday we got over 2 inches of rain. So, that made today a good day for weeding. Tom, Dylan and I all attacked weeds this morning. It's a little muddy, but not bad and it made for easy weed pulling. I just finished making a batch of apricot jam this afternoon. At farmers' market on Saturday one of our customers suggested I buy apricots from one of the other vendors and make jam. That was a very good idea. The jam is delicious as well as beautiful. I think I will name it Apricot Jam, Ltd., because there is a very limited supply. If you want to reserve some, let me know!

Farmers' Market - 7/3/10

2010-07-02T12:48:00.000-05:00

Tom and Dylan are out digging potatoes right now. So, at Farmers' Market tomorrow we will have new potatoes, cabbages and onions. Sweet spreads will include: Blueberry Jam, Cherry Jam and Strawberry Jam. Baked products will be: Blueberry Muffins, Banana Walnut Muffins, Cahokia Mound Bread, Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds, and Caramel Pecan Rolls. Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful, warm day. Hope to see you at the Maryville Farmers' Market!

Cherries, Berries, and Jam

2010-06-28T19:55:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago when we picked cherries, I didn't have time to make jam. So, yesterday I thawed some cherries and got started. I just need to make labels now and get them on the jars.

Then, we decided to get up early this morning and go pick blueberries. We went to Pine Tree Lane Farm near Easton, MO. The blueberries are lovely and delicious! So, this afternoon I switched gears and started making blueberry jam. What a wonderful way to spend a day!

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 6/26/10

2010-06-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

It's supposed to be a lovely, hot day tomorrow. I'm glad farmers' market starts early. We'll be set up and ready for business at 7:00 a.m. Produce we'll have tomorrow will be peas, new potatoes and cabbage. Peas, just picked; potatoes just dug; and I haven't even cut the cabbage yet. Baked goods will include Cahokia Mound Bread, Apple Streusel Muffins, Banana Walnut Muffins, and possibly Caramel Pecan Rolls. We'll also have strawberry jam and apple butter!

Absence

2010-06-18T17:15:00.000-05:00

We will not be at Maryville Farmers' Market tomorrow due to circumstances beyond our control. However, we do plan to be there next week with vegetables to sell and hopefully some newly made cherry jam! The other vendors will be at the market and I just happen to have a list of some of the produce they'll be bringing. So, I hope you can go and buy some of these lovely locally-grown veggies! They will have beets, broccoli, chard, collards, green beans, kale, onions, peas, potatoes, sugar-snap peas, and turnips. We will look forward to seeing you next week!

Cherries are Ripe!

2010-06-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

We picked cherries yesterday evening until we got rained out. Then, we started picking again this afternoon.

Cherries washed and ready for pitting.

Our new cherry pitters work so much better than thumbnails. We'll use the cherries for making cherry jam which we can then sell at farmers' market.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 6/12/10

2010-06-11T15:07:00.000-05:00

Just picked sugar snap peas.

The sugar snap preas are producing like crazy now and they are so tasty! We'll have those at Farmers' Market tomorrow as well as lettuce, spinach, broccoli and green onions. I'm baking 10-Grain Harvest Bread and giant strawberry muffins. I'll also bring strawberry jam, both regular and sugar-free.

Following is a quick, easy recipe for sugar snap peas that you may like to try.

Sugar Snap Peas with Mint

2 teaspoons olive oil

3/4 pound of sugar snap peas, trimmed

3 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh mint

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar snap peas, green onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Taking a Break

2010-06-08T10:17:00.001-05:00

We got a lovely rain about 5:00 this morning, so the "girls" are taking a break.

Cosmo and Leo hanging out together.

Taco contemplating a nap.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 6/5/10

2010-06-04T13:22:00.000-05:00

Vegetables are really growing now with the nice rain and the warm temperatures. Tomorrow at the market we will have broccoli, sugar-snap peas, lettuce, spinach and green onions. We may have a few strawberries. We will definitely have strawberry jam and strawberry muffins. I'll be baking cinnamon buns and 10-Grain Harvest Bread. Hope to see you at the market tomorrow morning!

Wonderful Rain!

2010-06-02T19:40:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful rain last night! There was lots of lightning & thunder and some wind, but the best part was the rain. We had over 1 & 1/2 inches. A bonus was the cool air. I took a poll this morning and 95% of the vegetables liked it. There was a small percentage who grumbled about the wind, a few who were afraid of the lightning, and a couple who had no opinion. Everything looked washed and clean this morning. Example: The broccoli was especially lovely and ready to be picked.

So, what do we do on a rainy day? We washed & bagged lettuce to get it ready for delivery to one of the local restaurants. We knew yesterday rain was predicted, so we picked the sugar snap peas yesterday evening. Then, today I also pulled radishes for the order. After that, it was back to strawberries. Today I made more sugar-free strawberry jam. We did lots of weeding yesterday, but the ones we haven't gotten to, continue to grow.

Farmers' Market - Saturday, 5/29/10

2010-05-28T12:35:00.000-05:00

We are working on getting food ready for Farmers' Market tomorrow. We will have strawberries, lettuce, green onions, spinach & radishes. I have made strawberry jam, both regular & sugar-free. And, we will have apple butter, both regular & sugar free. Baked items will include 10-Grain Harvest Bread, Whole Wheat Artisan Bread, Banana Nut Muffins, Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, & Cinnamon Buns. Now, I must get back to the kitchen!

Strawberries & Lettuce

2010-05-26T21:17:00.000-05:00

I planted strawberries last year and it's finally paying off. We started picking this week and the berries are beautiful! The flavor & texture are amazing! I'm estimating we've picked about 25 pounds so far off our patch. We're going to a U-pick patch tomorrow to supplement our supply. I need to make lots of jam to sell. Last year I made 88 jars of regular & sugar-free strawberry jam. It sold quickly, so hopefully I'll get more made this year. I started this afternoon and have 31 jars so far. Our daughter is visiting so she got to help with the picking & eating. Excellent timing I would say!

We're also up to our ears in lettuce. The raised beds are really producing. But that's good because we've been selling at Farmers' Market and the restaurants we supply ordered almost 20 gallon-size bags for delivery today. Our salad for supper this evening was a nice combination of lettuce with a few sliced strawberries, green onions & vinegar & oil dressing. The picture below is our produce refrigerator earlier today--all strawberries & bags of lettuce.

Easy Stir-Fry

2010-05-23T12:07:00.000-05:00

Skillet of chicken stir-fry ready to serve over rice.

This is a fast, easy recipe that my students in foods classes used to make. Most of them really liked it and since they could get it done in one class period, you might like it too.

1 lb. of meat cut in thin strips (chicken, beef or pork)

1 package (16-oz.) frozen, mixed vegetables

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon ginger

Dash cayenne pepper

6 tablespoons soy sauce (low-sodium is what I use)

1/2 cup chicken broth (also low-sodium)

Cooked rice

To make the sauce, mix together cornstarch, ginger, pepper, soy sauce & chicken broth. Set aside.

In a large skillet, saute meat in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. when cooked, place meat on a plate & set aside.

Next, place begetables in the skillety with 1 tablespoon of water. Saute until tender, or cover with a lid & steam until tender.

Return cooked meat to the skillet & add sauce mixture. Cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes, adding extra chicken broth or water if it becomes too thick. Serve over cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

Getting Ready for Market

2010-05-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

The sun is finally shining & there's a breeze blowing. We need to get vegetables picked & washed for farmers' market tomorrow, but so far it's too wet to get into the garden. We can pick & wash lettuce because it's in a raised bed, but we can't get to the spinach & onions yet. We'll see. I am baking like a crazy woman, so we'll have homemade bread, sugar-free cookies, giant breakfast muffins, both banana & strawberry, & some cinnamon buns. We'll also have apple butter, both regular & sugar-free. The market in Maryville opens at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, so we hope to see you there!

More Planting!

2010-05-20T07:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday it finally was warm enough & dry enough to plant tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. In this picture Laura, Dylan & Tom are assembling & placing the tomato cages. Then, last night we got 0.3 inch of rain. Perfect for the newly planted vegetables!

Then, we made Skillet Fajitas for supper, which made everyone very happy. I had not made these for a long time and I had forgotten how much everyone likes them. I'll share my recipe in case you'd like to try them sometime.

SKILLET FAJITAS

1 & 1/2 lbs. beef round steak (may use chicken breast or pork tenderloin)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups Pace Picante Sauce

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 cups slivered onion

1 green pepper, cut in thin strips

(May also add a red pepper, if desired)

8 large flour tortillas, heated

Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese

Cut meat into short, thin strips. (Freezing for a while makes this easier).

Combine picante sauce, flour & cumin. Set aside.

Heat oil in skillet. Add meat & garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 min. or until meat is cooked through. Add onion & peppers. Cook & stir 2 minutes or until tender-crisp.

Add picante sauce mixture. Cook & stir 1 min. or until sauce thickens.

Let everyone build their own fajitas.

Farmer's Market Tomorrow - 5/15/10

2010-05-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

We're headed to the Farmer's Market in Maryville for the first time this season. We'll have fresh lettuce and green onions. I have made apple butter; both regular & sugar free. Baked goods will include sugar-free oatmeal raisin cookies, strawberry pecan muffins, banana walnut muffins and a new kind of bread that I'm baking. I'm calling it 10-Grain Harvest Bread. It has Bob's Red Mill 10-grain cereal, which is all whole grains, plus white whole wheat flour, unbleached flour, yeast, salt, & water. So, it's very healthy eating, and it's quite tasty. I'll be making it on a regular basis for our family as well as to sell. Below is a picture of the first loaf that we tried. We'll be at the market tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. until we sell out. Hope to see you there!

Facebook

2010-05-11T19:44:00.000-05:00

We now have a page on Facebook too. If you would like to become a fan on Facebook, you'll find our business at Harvest Hill Farm. Give it a try if you have a Facebook account & be sure to give me suggestions or comments if you have some.

Spring Cleaning Continues

2010-05-10T21:48:00.000-05:00

Today was another rainy day which was wonderful for the cantaloupe seed we planted yesterday, as well as all the seeds we've planted in the last few days. This was really a wet, gloomy, blustery day that made me want to stay inside. I do my best work "when the spirit moves me." I had the housecleaning bug today, so it's always beneficial when I just get at it. So, I attacked the kitchen cabinets. I emptied them, scrubbed them, consolidated like items, did some rearranging. I had saved some empty oatmeal boxes. My daughter is here so she helped me cover them and label them for extra food items that need to be stored like popcorn, pasta, etc. It sure made the cabinets look better and it's so much easier to cook when I can easily find things!

Timing is Everything!

2010-05-07T11:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we worked hard & hurried to get lots planted because rain was in the forecast. Tom is driving the tractor and pulling the bed-shaper which makes ridges for planting watermelon.

We planted watermelon, some canteloupe, green beans & cucumbers. Then we took a break.

We watched unusual cloud formations. These were south of us.

These clouds were to the west. They must have been precursors to the thunderstorms we got during the night which brought us an inch of rain. It's such a good feeling to work so hard & hurry so fast to get seeds in the ground. Then, we get a lovely rain to get those seeds growing & we get a day off. How is that for excellent timing!