Domestic Solitude & Spring Casualties

As Spring gradually gives in to the hot days of summer.... the cool weather crops start ripening. The cabbage are putting on heads, the peas and greens are winding down. The last several days have been devoted to picking, washing, shelling and preserving those crops. The strawberries were washed and frozen until I can get jam made with them. The peas were picked and I turned the radio on low, listened to the slow steady drizzle of rain through the open screen door on Monday and shelled, washed, blanched and froze a dozen bags of peas. They will be eaten plain, go into stews and casseroles and even pea salads. I made a pot of creamed peas and new potatoes for O Wise One for supper and he was in heaven.  

We have been enjoying spinach salads for almost a month but they are starting to bolt so they were pulled up and fed to the pigs.  The mustard greens are also ready and I canned 11 jars on Monday also.  We love canned mustard greens in the winter when the snow flies and greens are scarce. We will also plant a fall crop of mustard greens to can as well.   It was so nice to be able to open the doors on Monday with the cool weather and enjoy a day in the kitchen. But alas all good thing must end.....

Mother Nature decided we had enough reasonable weather and decided she needed to dice things up a bit. And along came the spring storms with winds gusts and rain. Now we bid farewell to the giant Maple tree that sat at the top of the hill. She had been there when we purchased the farm 14 years ago. Standing sentinel at the top of that hill for probably close to a century. Guarding the old farm house that once stood on the property. Shading the old barn that once stood here as well. I planted grandmas hosta beneath her and she now shaded part of our driveway. But now she is gone.

 There were once three of these giant maples on the property and she was the last standing. The first two being lost in a tornado several years ago. The Redbud tree is also a casualty of this same storm. This was planted by us over a decade ago... a volunteer in O Wise One's mother's yard. We moved it to our own yard. So for the rest of the week we will be cutting and burning wood and cleaning up a mess. The large maple fell into the flower garden and I know that the rose trellis is under there as well as a bird bath. So as we dig everything out I hope that these will not be too terribly damaged. The hosta under the maple will probably have to be moved because they are shade loving plants and without the maples shade they will not like it there.

All in all we are thankful for our garden's many blessings that we were able to preserve over the weekend and doubly thankful that our wind damage was minimal and no one was hurt. In light on the tragedy in Joplin our loss of a few trees are minor. We pray that the crazy weather in our area will stabilize soon.

 Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter