Good Eats...

Last night we had our first corn from the local farm market and it was better than expected for the first that was picked! They picked over 90 dozen from the field across the road on that very morning yesterday. Cars were lined up and the place was busy.

  

I made coleslaw with 1/2 cabbage and used my home-made chive blossom vinegar. It is TASTY!! No, we don't like carrots in our slaw.

please click on image to view larger

Now to cut up another melon for lunch. 

Up and Down and All Around

Look up, look down, look all around and be thankful for what you see and feel. The corn is up, the hay is down, many flowers can be found. Don’t forget to smell the daisies!

please click on image to view larger

(I chose only 18 of 50 images to give you the idea of how beautiful it is here!)

Fruits of the Soil

Today we took a ride out to our favorite home farm market because it was announced on their web page that fresh batches of corn are now being picked and dumped into the bin daily. We took home green beans and tomatoes and three ears of corn. They expect melons to be ready in about ten days!

We'll have to visit several other times in the upcoming weeks because we sure do like their corn! On to the other colorful and fresh items on display; there were cucumbers, squash, onions, red potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and so much more!

I washed and snapped the beans and then they went in for a couple of minutes in a bowling water bath, then immediately plunged into ice water and bagged. They are in the freezer.

 At the bottom of this post is a link to a short video I made in 2011 from my nephew's images when he was canning dilly beans.

Tomorrow I plan to have my first tomato sandwich of this year. I'm patiently waiting for the Oxheart ones that my daughters grow annually from seeds I save every year. I prefer Oxhearts over any other as they are meaty, have few seeds and are extremely flavorful.

The farm just posted this image of the garlic that was all pulled this morning. It is neatly stacked, don't you think?

Photo by La Rue's Farm Market

please click on image to view images larger

Green Beans Video Link

~~~~~~~MY GREAT Dilly Bean Recipe~~~~~~~

Sweet Dilly Beans   (Makes 4 pts)

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs green beans

4 large carrots

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons coarse salt

1 head fresh dill

DIRECTIONS

1. If necessary, trim ends of beans so they will just fit into pint jars when inserted lengthwise.
   
2. Pare carrots and cut into sticks that are about the size of the beans.
   
3. Into a large saucepan, turn the beans and the carrots; add enough boiling water so it comes up about 2 inches; bring to a boil; boil just until vegetables are tender--about 15 minutes; drain.
   
4. Into a medium saucepan, put the sugar, vinegar, 2 cups water, and the dill; bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves; simmer for 5 minutes.
   
5. Pack the beans and carrots lengthwise in 4 pint jars; cover with the hot sugar-vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2-inch head space.
   
6. Place jars on a rack in a large pan, add hot water to cover jars by at least 1 inch.
   
7. Bring water to a boil, then keep at a gentle, steady boil 20 minutes.
   
8. Remove to cool.

'Tis the Season

Corn for Two

James Kochalka - Corn on the Cob 

Verse 1

"I don't work for a living

I don't need a job,

I'm just doin' my own thing

Eating corn on the cob"

Customer Appreciation Day

We didn't realize this was the 2nd day of the farm produce market's customer appreciation day but we sure did and do appreciate their wonderful customer relations, honesty and rapport with all who shop there.  We went for corn and gingersnap homemade cookies. Everyone who knows about this special place understands the effort and work that goes into what they do to have fresh items available during their season!

There is much more offered to customers, all free. Freshly popped popcorn, hamburgers, hot dogs, beverage, snack bags and tables and benches for comfortable socializing and eating.

HOME with our stash.

And the sun is shining! Yay!

Ah! Summertime...

Really warm and humid here. We went to the library and then rode out to our favorite farm market. They open at 10am and we arrived at 9:55. Parking lot was full; inside there were already many shoppers. This is the place to go! We watched the unloading of a heap of corn from a box that was on the back of a ATV. When we put it in a bag it was still very warm from the sun! How fresh is that!! The cantaloupe bin was full and those were also a bit warm. A young girl was still packing the beautiful string beans into aerated bags. They went fast. Of course there were tomatoes, peppers, beets, squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers of all sizes, and I forget what else. We went for corn. I can only do so much now. 

Field to freezer in 7 hours!

please click on image to view larger

I can hardly wait to open the cantaloupe!

Fresh Greens and Gardens

Still cannot type well, but want to tell you that the homemade broccoli soup I made with cheeses was delicious! Going back to produce stand soon for corn that is just being picked and buy a few tomatoes. Daughter in NJ says her Oxheart tomato plants are doing very well so far, reaching heights of over 5 feet and lots of tomatoes growing. Cage working well for blocking out squirrel invasions.

No recipe for soup. I just put in lots of good stuff.

PHOTO Credit LaRue's Farm Market

Out for a Ride, In with Foodstuffs

Today it was decided to not bake nor cook and just relax, maybe go for a ride through the countryside. Wouldn't you know we ended up at our favorite markets. Now this is not just a ride around a park. Out in the area where the orchard is located many interesting scenes exist, filled with animals and farmland. Yes, we stopped at the farm orchard and brought home another four half gallons of cider and ANOTHER peck of Macoun apples! They plan to stay open until just before Christmas because the production of all of the apples, among other crops was extremely good this year and there are plenty of really nice varieties available still to be sold.

Who couldn't pass the produce stand without stopping in? Not us!  It was also a lucky morning because the last of the sweet corn and broccoli were just brought in from the field. Even though the tomatoes still are producing, they are running low. The tomatoes are beautiful to look at, nicely sun ripened and we couldn't resist getting two more although they cannot match our favorite ones, the home-grown Oxhearts, for flavor, low acidity and meatiness. (I have saved seeds for next year.)  We couldn't buy more of anything as the freezer is almost full now.

On the road home we shot over to a little popular and very busy general store and gas station in a nearby village to buy a hoagie for lunch when we arrived back home. It was a nice day. I didn't cook, bake, or even make lunch! Fresh cider was our beverage of choice. How wonderful is that?

please click on image to view larger

"Painted" my Vegetables

To view painted effects please click on image

My beautiful cabbage has been consumed but her beauty remains. 

Today's tomato is saved to please my eye tomorrow.

Corn is still coming.

Eggplants are perfect!

It's just a way to remember summer when the snow is on the roof.

Left Overs

Any way you look at it, the corn was wonderfully delicious! We roll each ear in a stick of butter. The Mister only decorates with salt, and I use both salt and pepper.  The cobs will be thrown up into the woods for the critters. Now to get more. It's a summertime marvelous meal for us. 

Just got a notice that cantaloupes ARE READY! ANOTHER TRIP TOMORROW!

From a Garden...

Down the road…at the produce stand I bought tomatoes, one large sweet onion, a quart of just picked green beans and the Mister got corn.  I have yet to get green peppers and saw that they were large and beautiful. I could make stuffed peppers; next trip. Maybe tomorrow?

There is nothing better than a tomato sandwich with warm and sweet real garden tomatoes, is there?

The sweet onion is for grilled burgers and the corn is for tonight’s supper. (He eats three, me two. We’ve cut back this year.)

And these green beans are BEAUTIFUL!  All sizes too. I just washed them, took off the heads - NEVER the TAILS! - blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drenched in ice water and spread on parchment paper over cookie sheet for a 30 minute flash freeze. They are now packed in freezer bags according to size. They will be “WOW BEANS.”

Remember to click on image to view larger

I just remembered a question that a friend once asked me about leaving the tails ON. You only do this with tender new beans. It used to be that both ends had to go so you could remove the string. Not these!

Visit the Farm Market