Weekly Tally And Farm Update

It is indeed that time of year again. I am starting to see everyone putting out Halloween and Autumn decorations. And of course the stores already have Christmas stuff out. That just makes me so mad!  

The Apples are crisp and plentiful as are the critters wanting to eat them. They are predicting rain this weekend and O Wise One has been working on cleaning out the garden of all the finished crops. Next thing you know we will be picking up pecans and walnuts. With rain and wind in the forecast we will really have to watch the apple trees that hang heavy with fruit right now. In high winds it would be easy for them to break. O Wise One has cut some sticks and braced them up already and even though we thinned them, looking back I think we could have removed a few more. Next week apples are definitely on the canning to do list! 

The dirt roads are full of hunters these days looking for deer movements and those big bucks. Season opens in November. 

O Wise One made breakfast sausage with the rabbit trimmings from the rabbits he butchered and some ground pork. 

This will go great with those farm eggs, buttered grits and some buttermilk biscuits.

He also smoked some pork for seasoning meat. This was cut into small chunks and frozen in bags. 

This I use in those cream of potato soups and pots of beans.  The pork he purchased at a sale in town this week. 

This Weeks Tally 

11 bags frozen  pork seasoning meat
5 bags frozen rabbit/pork breakfast sausage
10 bags frozen stuffed peppers
9 pints canned sauerkraut
2 gallon bags dehydrated tomatoes

We continue to have a bowl of watermelon every night with our evening television shows. We will miss the watermelon when they are gone. The cucumbers are just about finished also. 

Still to be canned apples, potatoes, peppers and onions. 

We have started adding jars to the right side of the pantry in among the pots and such. I think we will work on reorganizing and making room for more jars this weekend. 

The left side is completely full,  all 7 16 foot shelves are full. 

As O Wise One pulls up the plants he brings in the seeds that are left on the bushes. I spent some time shelling another tray of both Jade beans and French Horticulture Bean seeds. He took a couple boxes of tomatoes to the lady that runs the small grocery in town. She works 6 days a week daylight to dark running the store and has very little time to garden so he thought to share some with her so she can put them up. She was very happy to receive them. He also has been sharing watermelons with everyone because we had so many. The lady that runs the variety store called me and was amazed at the size of hers : ) Credited it to that rabbit poop. 

The dining table has accumulated quite the collection of seeds all drying naturally under the ceiling fan. Above are dill seed, cantaloupe seed Healey's Pride, tomato Brandywine, tomato Yellow Pear, tomato Oxheart Paste, tomato Unnamed Determinate Paste, watermelon, and pepper California Wonder. 

One last note of business I would like questions for my Question and Answer post next week if anyone would like to contribute one. 

Well that is another week here in Hickery Holler. Hoping each of you have a safe and blessed weekend and as usual I will see you on Monday, if the good Lord is willin and the creek don't rise. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter