" WE'RE AS BUSY AS THE BEES "

We are as busy as these Bees that were swarming the big Hibiscus!
Garden veggies coming in, company coming for dinner.....
Never a dull moment!




We had a Fish Fry last night and I made slaw from fresh
cabbage and put fresh bell pepper and dill in it! The fish,
bream, bass and catfish all came from our pond!
Life is good at Swiftwater!

We had sliced tomatoes and fresh banana pepper.

However...it was the wild blackberry topping I made for

my cheesecake that made the guest say WOW!

( hubby picked three gallons of Blackberries Saturday morning)

The Bees were also swarming the Mexican Petunias but

I wasn't fast enough to get a pic!

" It's All About The Babies" And....

Poor little Sadie Boo is miserable.........
She has two more weeks to go, give or take a day....
The Vet says; 4 or 5 pups more than likely!
That's Ok Sadie, this will be your one and only time!!








Last weekend....it was all about these two babies.....
They'll be heading back to Germany tomorrow..ahwwwww!

The AND part.....the first ripe tomatoes.... :)

And...that first tomato sandwich.. :D

I need to make some of Vicki Lane's homemade mayo!!

This weekend...it's all about these babies.........

How Sweet it is.....or will be?

And......this baby and siblings

This baby eggplant is so cute!

A row of Okra...................

With blooms.....................means

Good eating soon!

And.....my Hubby, the Blackberry Prince....

picked these in one little spot this morning!

He's back out there now with a bigger bucket! :D

This is his thorn less Blackberries planted two years ago!

Oh my goodness! Baby blackberries for the first time!

In order to put baby containers like this in the freezer

full of roasted bell peppers for recipe use later.....

( I got this picture in the wrong order)

It starts like this...............

I dealt with veggies all day yesterday!

Rub clean, dry peppers with oil. Do not use olive oil or butter!

Place them under broiler or on grill and keep watch so they don't burn!

Turn to get all sides roasted, then put in glass bowl and cover......

The steam loosens the skins fast!

The tops, seeds and skin come right off............discard.

Place in bags or containers and put in freezer......

I love these on Pizza because they are soft....

Just call me " Squash Queen"!

I have given it away till every one's first words to me are;

" Don't need no squash, zucchini either"

so now I'm dealing with the excess.......

it starts with my wonderful food processor.

Slice it up, change blades and grate it.

It should look like this........I add a tablespoon of sugar.

This is Zucchini but I do Yellow this way also....

Spoon into bags..............

Label bags. Put in freezer. I did these yesterday.

The Yellow will be used in quiche and casseroles and soup.

The Zuchinni, in bread and Crabless/Crab Cakes!

They're Yummy!

This was my Pepper Sauce stash up till yesterday..

Then I dealt with these. The jar of sliced on the left, went in the freezer.

The others got canned...............added to my stash!

Growing some of your own food is hard work but so fun

and rewarding. Come Winter that freezer stuff will be devine!

We must have a thousand tomatoes out there about to come ripe!

I'll probably be red from head to toe before that's jobs over but come

winter.........oh my!

Last night Hubby did supper on the grill.....................

Organic Beef T-bones and Veggies .........

Homemade bread........

All from Swiftwater Farm............!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE !!

" Yee Gads It's Raining Veggies"

We are expecting a good rain today 80% chance that is..
I feel like it's raining veggies already!
Yesterday's harvest went by Hubby over to my Dad's
this morning for my Step-Mom Jeanette to deal with :)
Except that is, for the peppers inside these jars! I got a jar
each of Sweet Banana & Anaheim Mixed, Cayenne and Jalapeno






I gathered and washed this bounty, THIS MORNING!
I told you it was raining Veggies.................
I will make more Pepper Sauce, cut up Bell Pepper and
stick in freezer. I will slice the Cukes and put in Vinegar,
Salt and Olive Oil in Fridge....should be wonderful when
we return.......I'm cooking all the Squash, we'll eat some
for supper and the rest will go in the freezer!

What's left of my WONDERFUL Blackberries will be put

in small bags for the freezer............

The animal kids have to be taken to the kennel late afternoon

and the rest of the packing has to be done!!!! I gotta get going!!

Do you remember that I had to go to the UPS Store on Monday

to mail a package I fixed up for a friend/girl? You know the one

where Jake panicked and ...you know! Well, she got it yesterday!!

Click here and read all about it................ I'll see you all back here next week.............

http://vickilanemysteries.blogspot.com/

Books, Bread, Berries & Baby

This week has been busy.................................
The garden is coming in full force!
Got an Amazon box yesterday......
I'm wanting to enhance my recipe box
to include more options to serve greens






And protein and fiber........................

I also received two new Roses......

Both are Heirloom Runners...

Joseph's Coat and Lavender Lassie

We will be leaving at dawn Friday morning to travel to my

son Todd's home in Stillwater, Oklahoma to a family reunion.

My granddaughter Mandy(Todd's Daughter) is there visiting

from Germany with my great-gran Amy Suzanne. She will soon

be seven months and this is the family's first meeting of her.

This is Todd holding his first grandchild............

What a Princess she is! All three of my children and spouses,

and all my grans and this great-gran will be there!

I got this Bread Machine a couple of months ago. I call it my

Willow Manor Copycat Bread Machine as Willow has one and

she sold me on one! I made my first loaf Monday night. I forgot

to get a picture! Any hoo, it was delicious!

I used what was left yesterday morning to make

French Toast for breakfast...................

Fresh Strawberries and Sausage made it a fine meal!

Oh....let's not forget that 100% Pure Maple Syrup!

I married a Prince! I really did....................

He went out in the hot sun yesterday and

picked me a gallon of Wild Blackberries off

the fence line!

I bet I ate a pint of them yesterday!

Well now you girls give some thought to joining me in

the mountains!