55 Things #30 – A Summer Recipe

55 Things, Cucumbers, Garlic Recipe, Recipe, Reflections,

Click here to learn more about my “55 Things” and here to view previous posts in this series.

We have cucumbers coming in fast and furious so it is the perfect time of year to enjoy a cucumber salad with very fresh ingredients.

To make my cucumber salad I simply peeled and sliced three cucumbers and dressed them with my Garlic Dill Dip (recipe below). For three cucumbers I cut the dip recipe down by half.

Garlic Dill Dip – 1 pint of sour cream (you can use low fat or whatever you prefer) add several cloves of fresh, minced garlic, 1 or 2 tbsp. of dill either fresh of dried, and about a tsp. of sea salt. Mix all ingredients well. It can be eaten immediately, but the flavor improves if it sits for at least 15 minutes before eating. (I love this for potato chips, Fritos, or as a veggie dip.)

Enjoy!

What is your favorite way to eat cucumbers?

When The Rains Came

garden, Rain, Rainbow, Reflections,

Much needed rain was in the forecast for Sunday night and throughout the day on Monday. We were becoming discouraged as we watched the radar and saw storms to the west fall apart as they crossed lake Michigan. Throughout these days the National Weather Service forecast also changed with chances of rain diminishing from a 70% chance of rain to only a 20% chance that we would get any.

We were so happy Monday evening when the rain started to fall. We had just come from the gardens where I had taken many pictures, that I used in my previous post, and we picked Swiss chard, beets and cucumbers.

As the rain poured down we sat on the barn porch and offered prayers of thanks.

It rained for about 30 minutes or so.

And by the time it was done we had puddles on the driveway.

When the rain was coming to an end we looked to the east for a rainbow – the symbol of hope. The white spots are caused by rain drops. I know the one looks like the moon, but it is not.

It was a complete rainbow – I just couldn’t fit the entire thing in one photo.

The sun was low in the sky as the clouds moved out.

We are so thankful for this life- sustaining rain.

Note: In the early morning hours of Wednesday we had more rain arrive. It started sometime before 3:30 A.M., when my husband got up to let Ranger out, and ended around 6:30 A.M. Our garden should not need to be watered for a while now. 🙂

How has you weather been this summer?

Mid-Summer Garden Tour

Apples, Gardening, Reflections, Watering,

We will start the garden tour in what we refer to as the main garden. This garden are is our largest and is part of our back field. In addition to annual vegetables that we plant there it contains 4 apple trees, our blueberry patch and for the last several years our strawberry patch.

Lets see how some of the annuals are doing there. This year it is mostly corn, pumpkins and squash growing there. There are also buckwheat that has mostly gone to seed and sunflowers that have not blossomed yet.

Corn and pumpkins growing together.
The pumpkins play hide and seek.
This should make a nice pumpkin pie.
Hubbard Squash.
Looks like a perfect apple.

Then we move on to garden three. This area is in the front of our property and this is our first year using it as a garden. My husband started planting strawberry runners in there last summer. Then in the fall we planted garlic in there. In the spring this is where he planted many more of our annual vegetables. Lets have a look.

Pumpkins out of control.

These pumpkins which are planted with corn have grown through a row of sunflowers and are now climbing out of the fence.

Sweet corn with melons to the left.
Bush Acorn Squash
Watering the Squash

During the dry season, when it is a challenge to keep things alive and productive, we look for innovative ways of watering. This year my husband used zip ties to attach the hose to this long 1×1 board. He could then reach areas that he is not able to get to otherwise. It’s not a perfect solution but will buy us some time until the rain comes.

Up Front – Green Tomatoes. Green Beans in the Second Row
Beets and Swiss Chard
Eggplant
Calendula
Our First Cucumber

For several weeks we have been enjoying the fruits of our labor. Thus far we have eaten Swiss chard and beet greens, green tomato, banana peppers, beet roots, and green beans (with garlic butter). We also picked our first cucumbers and they are on the menu for today.

Do you have a garden this year?

Do you enjoy fresh locally grown produce when it is in season?

55 Things # 29 – If This Is The Worst Thing That Happens…

55 Things, Reflections

Click here to learn more about my “55 Things” and here to view previous posts in this series.

It’s so easy to let little things that happen stress us out, put us in a bad mood and even ruin our entire day. My husband and I often use the phrase “If this is the worst thing that happens today…” to overcome this by reminding us that life is good and that we are truly blessed.

We have a few different ways that we might finish the sentence.

They are:

If this is the worst thing that happens today then life is good!

If this is the worst thing that happens today then we are blessed!

If this is the worst thing that happens today then Praise God!

Thanks for reading and remember gratitude will change your attitude. 🙂

Where The Bees Are

Bees, Reflections,

Yesterday while walking around the back field I spotted Honey bees on several different flowers. I first noticed a bee in the white clover, then another foraging in the birdsfoot trefoil. I spotted a couple of bees on Canadian thistle blossoms and there were many buzzing about in the sweet clover.

Honey Bee on Sweet Clover Blossom
Honey Bee on Mountain Mint Blossom

I then walked by a patch where we planted wild flowers several years ago to see what they might be foraging in there. While the mountain mint that grows in that patch was not part of the seed mix that we planted, it has become a favorite of the bees when it blossoms.

Honey Bee on Oregano Blossom

Back at the prayer garden I found many bees in the oregano and a few on the anise hyssop.

Bumble Bee on Anise Hyssop Blossom.

The bee in the above photo is a bumble bee. Honey bees and bumble bees often forage the same flowers.

In addition in all of these plants my husband has reported seeing the bees pollenating the squash and pumpkins and I have seen a few foraging in the marshmallow plants.

The beauty in the bees foraging such a wide variety of plants is that each time we harvest honey the result is a deliciously unique blend of various plant nectars that the bees have collected. I dare say that we have never had two batches of honey that were exactly the same.

Thanks for visiting.