Canning and other busyness

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The beans finally started producing last week. I had been kind of frustrated about getting them in so late, but the timing ended up being fantastic. The beans started right after the squash died off.

In the end, we canned 30 quarts of squash. We LOVE squash casserole so that should make for some good eating this fall and winter. There’s still a pile of fresh squash in the house but there’s not enough to can. Maybe I should freeze it, or just can a couple quarts. There might be enough for three more quarts. I don’t know.

Last Thursday we picked two gallons of beans. Then Saturday we picked 3 1/2 more. This morning I picked another gallon – but I only got to two of the rows before I needed to come in and empty my bucket. I never did make it back out to finish picking. Tomorrow. . .hopefully. It’s supposed to be a scorcher here so I hope I can get out there really early. I’m finding muscles that I haven’t used in a long time – bending over like that to pick them. But that’s ok. A little bit of exercise never hurt anyone, and I certainly need it myself!

At the moment we have 11 pints of beans in the canner. There’s enough cut and washed in the frig to do at least that many more. It’s late though, so they’ll have to wait.

The tomatoes are doing well too. We’ve canned some juice but there’s more green tomatoes on the vine at the moment than there are red. Maybe they’ll pick up once the beans slow down. . .

There’s some zucchini in the dehydrator too. Zucchini chips are SO good. We love them, and it’s been a great way to use up the abundance of zucchini we’ve had. We filled the dehydrator, and put some shredded zucchini in the freezer, and made a double batch of cookies (we froze half – they’re too good not to). There’s still more we’ve picked as well as more on the vine. We love zucchini.

Our garden has NEVER done this well. Never. I am constantly amazed at how well it has done. But then I look back in my prayer journal and see that I prayed that God would let our garden produce well, and He has. Far beyond what I imagined. God is so good.

Then Stephen visited the neighbors tonight, and came home to tell me that they said we could pick as many apples as we wanted from their tree! They’re not planning on doing anything with them, and apparently the tree is loaded. I’m thrilled. Just the other day I was telling a friend from church that I wished I had a source of fruit to be able to put up. I love how God answered that want! We’ll need to do it some time this week too. I’m not sure when we’ll get over there, but it’s definitely very close to the top of my to-do list. Homemade applesauce is the BEST and it’s been a LONG time since I’ve made any.

Tomorrow should be interesting. I’d like to can the rest of the beans that are cut, and finish picking the rows I didn’t get to today. Picking apples would be good too. But it’s a lesson day. . .and there’s a heat advisory out for tomorrow too (supposed to be around 105 with the heat index – crazy). I don’t mind being out in the heat some but the boys don’t need to be out in it like that for long. So we’ll see.

Then on Wednesday we have an appointment, and Thursday we’re hoping to go do a triples run, and Thursday is also a lesson day. . .and it’s our weekend to clean the church. . .

Eh. Everything will get done somehow. Right now I’m just thankful for all this busyness – everything is just a reminder of how God is providing for us.