Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

Okay, these aren't 'those' kind of beans...just having some fun! I thought I would show all of you bloggy buddies what I have been up to last week, as if you didn't know!! I canned 63 quarts. The good husband did most of the picking except my 'hour' that I picked Monday. We both strung, and I canned. I was up til' midnight each night as it takes so long. Thursday was a twelve hour day with no breaks except for barn chores and animal feeding. You know how if you have been driving all day and you dream of the highway when you sleep? Well, Tuesday night I dreamed of stringing and canning beans! No kidding. Friday was a special day for me, so I took a break and got out of the house and ran errands. The good husband knew I worked hard and didn't complain one bit. He picked some more that day, strung them himself and froze several gallons. The tomatoes are ripening so I will make some salsa next week. For those of you who grow corn, our frozen corn from last summer still tastes so good! We don't blanch it, we kept it on the cob and there is no weird cob taste either. We boil water, pop the ears in for only 5 minutes and the taste is out of this world! My friend's 8 year old twins gobbled up 5 ears for dinner one night! And we all know how picky kids are these days!

By the way, the good husband's brother has informed me that he was going to 'beat' me and that the race is on...okay, I never heard of a bean competition before...I think he got jealous that I canned more than him so today he bragged that he is up to 70 cans now. Hmmm, I thought the hematoma was going to set him back; evidently it didn't! He needs to give me back my huge bucket of beans that I so kindly gave him on Monday and play fair! Bad brother in-law...what a bean head!

Find Me Friday at Farm Tails!

This is a cute idea from Ali over at The Blessed Country Mom that I have been meaning to participate in...but life gets in the way especially in the summer time...I hope I am doing it correctly, Ali! Find Me Friday is when we post photos of something partially hidden. I don't have a lot, but when my animals are hiding, I now think of Ali's idea. Thank you Ali!

Pickin' -n- Cannin'

This morning we learned that the good husband's garden buddy (brother) hurt his leg so he is unable to pick beans. Poor good husband, he was all upset so I decided to pitch in... the normal routine is that the men pick and the wives can, but this time it will be different and wouldn't you know the days are back to hot summer scorchers!

Last night the good husband brought in a mess of beans that were beauties. No blemishes. So out came all the canning pots, jars, lids, etc. I put on a huge pot to boil water. Thankfully, the good husband used to own a really nice restaurant and we have these super sized stainless steel pots. I boiled my jars, then let them cool, poured boiling water over the lids (not supposed to boil those according to the 'book' as the rubber gets ruined), we both strung beans (yes, good husband, you did most of them!), I washed them several times, then began the process of putting the beans in the jars and packing them tight! I pour water in the jars to about 1/4 inch from the top, tighten the lid and put them in the Presto cooker. The process takes awhile as the pressure cooker needs a lot of time to cool out before the lid can be released. The good husband purchased another pressure cooker for me yesterday. All of the cans 'popped' (sealed) and are very pretty. Where am I going to put all of these beans? Before I forget, I was taught to can by one of the most wonderful humans I know...her name is Janet and she is truly gifted in gardening, canning, cooking, etc. Thank you Janet!!

Today I picked for an hour. It is a killer job on the back so I sat down between two rows! With three stress fractures and a little bit of arthritis, I will find the most comfortable way to labor! No bunny this morning, just a lot of beans and a few bees. I gave my pickings to the injured brother before my hair appointment. While I was gone, the good husband refused to wait until the sun went down and picked more beans!!! So, a lot of work awaits me and I still haven't gotten the barn chores done. Now you will know what I will be doing for the next few days. All is well on the bean farm!

Bounty Hunter!

The Big Man Garden is flourishing! The beans are ready to be picked as we speak, the tomatoes aren't really pretty yet, but we are getting a few good ones. The green (yum) and hot peppers (yuck) are doing fabulous as is the cabbage. The eggplant is so pretty but just beginning to grow a beautiful purple 'fruit' and the broccoli will be ready in about a week. The corn however is disappointing. The hard rains along with the timing of the planting did not bode well.

We gathered some 'bounty' yesterday evening and just as we were leaving, I spotted a bounty hunter! Uh oh! I told the good husband to go on and that I would walk up to the house. He knows me too well but not well enough as he warned that I was not going to find a turtle in there...what, a turtle? Who was thinking of turtles?? Silly man, but I acted as if nothing was going on...he saw through me and just sat there in the Kubota patiently watching...

I felt like a hurdler, carefully straddling the bean strings, trying to catch up with this perpetrator without breaking any delicate stems. It darted fast and hid well. Darn! But, my eyes are still good. I finally caught up with the cute little thing after about 10 minutes as it decided I was not going to hurt it and sat in the open beside a bean plant. Upon my return, the good husband asked if it was a rabbit or a woodchuck as he must have seen the flashes of brown. I told him. Then he asked why I didn't shoo it away...uh, hello!!!! My blog name is Kritter Keeper, we have 13 animals and I feed several deer, an occasional fox, a raccoon and a couple of rabbits their nightly corn and I also feed the birds...now why would I shoo that tiny thing away when the huge Big Man Garden will offer more than we can eat, store and give away to friends.... besides, I told the good husband how to keep those tiny garden ghouls from entering as I learned how from a garden magazine this Spring and he didn't listen, so now he has to learn to share!