It’s so good to pick so much of a meal from the garden. No, I didn’t raise the hog for a ham hock, lol; that came from a wonderful Amish company from Lancaster who sells their stuff at our local bent and dent store. And I’ll throw in a couple little potatoes that I didn’t grow either.
But collards, black eyes, a few stray green beans and the first couple small Limas, all that will go into the pot after the ham hock has simmered several hours and been torn apart and cleaned well for fat, etc. And the parts of the ham hock that aren’t edible for people go out in the yard for the creatures of the night, or maybe even the crows of the daytime.
Yesterday was Lammas, the pagan holiday of the first of the harvest festivals. On Lammas they began to harvest the wheat that was so critical to their having enough food for the coming winter. We don’t grow wheat, and we’re lucky that food we don’t have to grow will be available after the winter cold comes. But I’m thankful that we’ve been harvesting good food now for quite a while. So many blessings come from our earth.
One of my favorite expressions: grow it, pick it, eat it, love it!
Sarasin's thoughts....... 
What a great expression and post! 🙂
Thanks Jackie. Summer will slip away and I’ll hold on to it as tight as I can!
Nancy, did you read my blog a couple weeks ago about my new electric pressure cooker? Would you like to have my old (non electric) cooker? It cuts down cooking time to a fraction, as I’m sure you know. I’ve been trying to decide who might like and use it and reading this post made me think of YOU. Please don’t feel obligated whatsoever…I just wanted to find a ‘good’ home for it. It’s got many years of service left in it I’m sure.
Bless you for such a thought. I’ve been afraid of pressure cookers ever since I was 10 and grandma made us kids get out of the house cos she couldn’t get the lid off hers. She figured if it blew up, only she would get hurt, lol. So, maybe work on telling me how safe they are when I’m there in person. You are such a dear. Thank you.
I’ll have to put off Lammas for another week or so as my wheat (I’m really growing some) isn’t quite ready.
I am now starting to harvest fresh food daily, too. Summer squash today, little carrots and onions yesterday. Maybe a second picking of kale tomorrow. It is so good to be able to do this.
I’ve seen small pressure cookers that are for cooking rice. I don’t think they are as potentially dangerous as the big ones for canning. They look like a regular small pot with a handle and a tight fitting lid.
I’ll probably let my friend talk me into the fact that they’re not so dangerous, cos she offered to give me her old one. MY grandma was probably just a worrier.
Isn’t it great to be able to pick so much fresh food! Yours is a lot more than the small amounts that we grow, but I still always had enough to share, and I like that so much. My daughter in law is learning to be quite a gardener so I can pass knowledge on to her. I have a favorite expression: if you learn how to listen to the plants, they will tell you their secrets. 🙂 It’s so good to know their secrets.
I saw the cooker on a vegan cookware and foods website. I’ve used a big old-style pressure cooker many times with no problems. One time the lid wouldn’t come off so I just waited for it to cool some more.
Having a garden is is great! I live in a rural area but most people only have a little garden plot. Very few actually grow for winter food. One of my neighbors does, though, and this year they want me to teach them how to grow garlic, It’s pretty easy but everyone thinks there is something mysterious about it. Must be that vampire story.
Your season is longer and warmer than ours. Do you plant a fall garden?
I plant just a few things for growing in the fall. Some more spinach, since it won’t take our summer heat, plant peas again, and some collards, which I cook and freeze for winter. The only other things I put away for winter are some frozen tomatoes and a bit batch of tomato sauce, which is so versatile.
I’ve got broccoli and cauliflower planted for the fall. I started these outdoors in rows and transplanted them (in the old garlic and onion patch) about 2 weeks ago right in the middle of the heatwave but they’re doing fine.
I’ve grown collards some years and might next year. Chard is my spinach substitute. Summer is too hot and the spinach bolts, the chard just bides its time.
I have Brussels sprouts we planted in the spring coming along pretty well. Yea spinach is a spring/fall crop here, and peas too. Collards will keep going and I like to have a couple extra plants in the fall just for freezing.
Brussels sprouts are almost impossible here. I’ve tried them a few times and only got pea-sized buds. One of these days they’ll work. I think I should plant them in July as August tends to cool down and keep the plants protected into the fall.
Lots of kale and I need to harvest a pile of leaves today for fresh eating and the freezer. Kale will go right into October if its covered at night.
This is the first time for the Brussels sprouts here, and my DIL got the small plants free from a guy at work. So we’ll see how they do. The little sprouts are starting to get bigger now. Maybe more next year! I love it. You learn things each year.
There’s definitely a learning curve with growing plants. I think I’ve figured out some of them so I need to try new ones to keep my mind sharp.
Well, time to get more squash. Cooked up two quarts last night.