~A Day In the Life of a Country Girl~

Written by Sue, Thursday, July 30, 2020  very hot, humid, clouds left over from
yesterday's storm,90's.⛈

In Blogland Rules, they say you shouldn't make excuses as to why you haven't been blogging, which make no sense to me. When you reach a certain age, which I have, one will push the limit on rules, as I am doing at this moment.
Simply stated I've been so busy gardening, preserving food for winter, and just trying to stay cool, our weather has been almost intolerable, heat wise, the humidity is so high too, when I step outside to water the plants on the porch, I come in dripping with sweat, not perspiration plain old sweat.

Enough excuses for now!

COUNTRY GIRL SUE'S DAY

I am usually up by five a.m., coffee and devotions first, then on to the days work, such as yesterday. After the first things first, I put a load of laundry on, then to the kitchen to make mango jam, my goal is to try as many new recipes this year as possible, and this one was a winner. How do I know, I tested it this morning on a slice of toasted raisin bread, so yummy.

Last week Aldi's  had mangoes for 49 cents each I bought 14 used 8 in this recipe, I didn't need to use much sugar, it made 8 half pints, so I figured I had 64 cents in each jar. I have 4 left which I will freeze, two have been eaten.

After kitchen was cleaned, I put dinner in crockpot, I do enjoy my crockpot makes things so much easier.
I worked on drying more herbs.Here I have oregano, so much fresher than store bought.

We then went to the grocery store as the new weekly ads had come out,  Food Lion grocery store had 25% off their Nature,s Promise organic and all natural meats, I got some great deals, once home I washed, froze  the meat in trays, then I packaged the meat in Foodsaver bags! My Foodsaver is one appliance I must have, it keeps food fresh so much longer.

Here are some of  the bargains I got on the meat, we spent roughly $76.50, more or less in chicken tenders, whole chicken, pork chops, pork ribs, ground beef, steaks. Once packaged I figured, 17 meals of meat dishes  for 2 people estimated at 2.25 per person per meal, using organic and all natural meat.

I am and have always been a bargain shopper, I don't buy cheap products, I try and buy high grade at a great price. I bet you are better shoppers than I am.

WHEW! I'M NOT DONE YET!
I also worked on organizing one of my pantry closets.

Other than making jam, there is nothing I enjoy more than baking, especially cookies, I made 4 dozen chocolate chip, 4 dozen ginger snap cookies, most went to dear daughter she had asked if I would bake some for the construction workers who are working on their new log home. Homemade cookies are like people they come in all sizes and shapes.

I once again cleaned the kitchen, then on to finishing dinner. After dinner I froze some white seedless grapes I bought on sale for 99 cents per lb. Have you ever eaten frozen grapes, they make the best snacks for long hot summer days, or anytime!These were so sweet, DH and I ate quite a few before I could get them in the freezer.

At this point , I am looking for a shower and my bed.💤💤💤

 I hope you are happy you stopped by today., 

I know I am happy you did.😉😊

Hugs from me to you

Sue

~Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard is overflowing~

Written by Sue, Sunday evening, July 12, 2020  hot hot hot, humid humid humid, high 90's it must be summer.

Would you like to know what I've been up to? I am in what I call "my season of preparation"!
Summer is when we grow lots of vegetables and fruits for preserving and enjoying fresh from garden to table.

This what  my dining room looks like today,I am running out of space, this week I will getting the pantry organized and filled with  corn, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, carrots,salsa, relishes if I can find a veggie or fruit, I will either freeze it or preserve it in a jar.😜😋

This is what my kitchen counter top looks like today, here I have homemade meat sauce, which I use with all kinds of pasta dishes, such as lasagna, spaghetti, even on pizza. The bright red jars are canned tomatoes, the yellow jars are pineapple, the green jars are the last of the green beans.

I alway try canning something new each season, last week Aldi's had pineapples on sale for $1.19 each, I use a lot of pineapple in my baking, and cooking, and find it rather pricy, I said, "why not", It turned out perfect, I made chunky,

 and crushed, both were delicious.What? Did you not think I was going to try this sweet stuff, oh, yes I /we did!😱

A vegetable that I have always wanted to can was carrots,since we grew them this year,

I said, "why not". I am looking forward to trying these with a pot roast!

We have also had wonderful times with family, celebrating birthdays and summer holidays, so not all has been work. For example we were leaving daughter's place recently,(after celebrating a special birthday, on the menu buffalo steak, so delicious) when we saw  on the patio 

this fella, busy as he could be weaving a web,

 it was so fascinating to see how fast he was spinning the web, only a matter of seconds between theses shots.As you can see it doesn't take a lot to make me happy! 

Sending lots of Love and Smiles your way,

Sue

~Thankful~

Written by Sue, Saturday, July 4, 2020        Sunny,very hot, humid, typical summer day!

Hello dear  friends, thinking of you today, wishing you and your loved ones  a very Happy 4th of July weekend. I think of you all so often.

I am so thankful  to live here in America, to know the price that was paid, and is continuing to be paid for the freedoms I get to enjoy each day! With all the turmoil going on, I know this, our Heavenly  Father is still in control, to which I totally rely on! His Peace is perfect, unlimited, freely given. 

Isaiah 26:3~ YOU will keep him in perfect peace; whose mind is stayed on YOU; because he trust in YOU!

I sure Miss Y'all!

Blessings,

Sue

~p.s.See you soon~

~Has Another Week Past, Already?

 Written by Sue, Wednesday, June 10, 2020~ Wow scorcher today, high 90's, heat index 98🌞😎

Do you like surprise visits, I usually don't as I like to get the house in order,however, last Thursday evening  about 9:30 we received a call from our oldest son asking for the code to the entrance gate, he was at the gate,
Wow we were so surprised, we had not seen him in quite awhile,about two yrs. I asked him why he didn't call to let us know he was coming, his reply was, "because, I knew you would work real hard cleaning the house from top to bottom, and do a lot of cooking." What he didn't know was I had completed that task cleaning  a few weeks ago.😉
What he did ask for was a chocolate pie, done!

 Like me he enjoys coffee in the morning, after a good night's sleep, I made coffee without a coffee pot,(remember my last post)  he asked what kind of coffee maker I was looking for, he had a new one ordered in a flash, it came yesterday.

I am sorry to say he didn't get to enjoy a fresh brew while he was here, but Mr P. and I had a fresh cup this morning, oh so good. We had a very nice visit, did a lot of catching up! When families live so far away sometimes it gets lonely and hard to deal with, especially when one gets older. However dh and I will take whatever precious time we can get. 💗 Knowing, and trusting all of them to the Lord!

           *******************************************************************
Dh wanted some pimento cheese, today,... I found a very simple, and delicious recipe from All Recipes, love their recipes.

2 cups shredded sharp , or extra sharp,cheddar cheese, which ever you prefer.
 1 8oz. softened cream cheese,
 1/2 cup mayonnaise,
 1seeded, diced jalapeño pepper (optional) I used half,
1 4oz. drained pimentos,
1/4 tsp. garlic powder,
1/4 tsp. onion powder,
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, also optional,
salt and pepper to taste.

 In a mixer bowl with the paddle, mix above ingredients.. until smooth.

Voila', Delicious, my taste tester, loved it, says it was so much better than store bought. Made with loving hands. We also love toasted pimento cheese sandwiches. 

Oh! I have been so busy canning and freezing fruits and vegetable,too, enjoying filling the pantry once again.I have lots of photos. I hope your week is going well. I am also doing a lot of praying for our precious country, and for the people who live here. We are so blessed to live in the USA!

Blessings to everyone.

Sue

Psalm 34:8~ Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.

~Where There Is a Will ,There Is a Way~

Written by Sue, Wednesday June 3, 2020   sunny, hot, humid, 90's

So they say... and I proved it true....

Like most folks, coffee is the first thing I look for in the morning, it was beginning to look a little bleak this past week, as my percolator just plain killed over, I tried everything to bring it back, but to no avail. So I put my noodle together, and here is what I came up with! Hmmm works pretty well, not as good but it will have to do until I get my new one.

We have been on semi lockdown, dh and I have only made necessary trips, and now after looters, and rioters completely destroyed a Wal-Mart and other stores at the Mall, and everything closed down, I will be continuing making coffee this way. I like my coffee Hot! so I heat my creamer too!😱

Ahh! Black Gold!

*************************************************************************

So how is your week going? As usual I am busy canning, food, and busy in the garden. Here are potatoes that were planted March 15, ready for harvesting! When the plants begin to turn yellow and die, the potatoes are ready, we dug them, and I canned them Saturday and finished yesterday.

This is what the bed looked liked when we had finished digging the taters, messy huh! but not for long.

This is what the bed looked like 45 mins. later, see the plants in the walkway, I had plans for them.

These are zinnias, I transplanted  from the walkway, they had volunteered from last seasons, pretty cheap planting  I would say.This is what it looked like, 2 hrs. later, better, right? Tomorrow I will plant more flowers, probably marigolds, I am going to plant flowers to cut.

Here is some more  results of this weeks work. I had 28 quarts, with a few left over to eat fresh! I have now checked potatoes off my list.

I find time in the garden is well spent, I get sunshine, exercise, fresh air, quiet time to talk to my heavenly Father, He always has a listening Ear!, And He cares about what I care about. We are experiencing troublesome times, here is one thing for sure, our heavenly Father knows what is happening, he never sleeps.

 

Isaiah26:3~ You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon You, because he trust in You.

Love,

Sue

~And So it Begins~

 Written by Sue, Friday, May 29, 2020 .... rain, rain, rain, very warm, humid,  HIGH 80'S

Most of you know that we grow and preserve our veggies/ herbs  here at the farm.
This week was the beginning of my food preserving, the methods I use to preserve are, canning, freezing, and dehydrating.

Anticipation begins long before any seeds are planted, winter is when we plan for the next growing season, and prepare the soil! From the time the seeds and plants are planted into the soil, countdown begins,  seeing plants come forth and begin to grow is so rewarding, once the plants are established there is weeding, fertilizing, and watering, some might think a lot of work, yes, there is labor involved, but so rewarding when you can walk out to the garden, pick a vegetable, bring it into your kitchen, wash and cook it. or preserve it for later use, such was the case Tuesday.

The first vegetable I gathered from the garden was broccoli,

washed, air drying on counter.

 I use my Foodsaver for freezing fruits/vegetables, and nuts, I bagged 10 bags of broccoli , anything that is packaged in a Foodsaver last twice as long as regular bags, one of my most used appliances is the Foodsaver.. We enjoy broccoli, so I leave a little more stem on the florets.

Some of the cabbage are ready, the carrots are almost there, they were so pretty I couldn't resist,  I pulled a few to have with a roast, aren't they cute! Small for now so I will let them grow a bit. The flavor was so yummy.

Making Jam/jellies is another of my favorite things to do, yesterday I made strawberry jam,
 once picked, they are washed, and capped. Did someone say, "Luscious?"

  Using another one of my  favorite appliances, my food processor, I chop them a bit, (I have had this processor for about 40+ yrs.)

I then add the sugar, lemon juice, mix thoroughly, let the mixture macerate a couple of hours, this causes the berries to soak the sugar and become juicy, by using this method I don't use as much sugar. Lemon juice added to jams makes for a better flavor, actually lemon juice is great in most foods!

I then cook until thick, there are several ways to tell when the jam is ready, use a temp. gage, watching the jam run in a sheet off of a spoon, place a plate in refrigerator, to cool, pour jam on plate,

run finger straight through the jam on plate, if it doesn't run together it is ready, this is  almost ready but  not quite.

 Fill sterilized jars with jam, wipe the rim with a clean wet cloth, cap with sterilized lids and caps.Process in boiling water bath  for 15 minutes.

 Voila' homemade jam made with lots of love! I must say this was quite tasty.

Thank you for visiting, I have no legitimate excuse as to why I have been so lax in blogging, I could say I have so busy, (true), maybe it's laziness, hmmm, not true, maybe it's old age, that's it, I am getting old!😱😱😙.

Love from me to you

Sue