on blogging.

I have moved on from being inundated with cucumbers to tomatoes. At least with the tomatoes there are numerous things that I can and am doing to preserve them. Yesterday I began processing a bunch of them and ended up with about 15 quarts of puree simmering on the stove. I am reducing this batch for sauce.

There are still a load of tomatoes ripening in the garden and as long as they do not decide to ripen all at once I will have a handle on the preserving. The ones that have been ready first are still producing like crazy. The Big Boys are loaded down with fruit. The Romas are in a similar state. So I will be dealing with tomatoes for a while.

Moving on from the garden………

I am pleased to announce a new addition to the gulch. It is a 1948 6 burner vintage Roper gas range. It is from a time that things were built to last and it is a thing of beauty. There is still some work to be done to get it functioning. We have to put in propane, but that process has been planned out and should be completed soon. I can hardly wait to begin using this range and getting rid of the old electric cooktop that we currently have here at the gulch. I will posting pictures of the range soon.

We are finally getting some much needed rain. The poor lawn had turned brown and crunchy. The garden was looking sad, tired and droopy. It, along with the yard are already looking much better, and I know that the tomatoes in the garden are loving the moisture!

It just occurred to me that I never posted a picture of all the cucumbers I have been posting about. I think it was just the sheer numbers of the things and trying figure out what to do with all of them that made posting a picture slip my mind……

This is just a small sample of all those cucumbers, for reference the white basket holds 2 bushels. In total I harvested 3 wheelbarrows full. Our wheelbarrow holds 10 cubic feet.

Yesterday Hunter and I spent most of the day at the 127 yard sale. The weather was perfect, low 80s, clear blue sky and a light breeze. Usually it is a sweltering 90+ degrees and 90+ humidity, making for a few short visits. Instead we spent hours going form one location to another and looking at all the things for sale.

We saw everything from antiques to vegetables. It was so nice to be able to take our time and wander around looking at things. There was a larger than normal crowd of folks out enjoying the sales and for the most part everyone was relaxed and happy. The vendors were more willing to take the time to chat and to bargain on the prices of their items.

Hunter had lots of questions about most of the antique items we saw. Especially when it came to the tools and such. He was particularly facinated with one of the places we stopped. That sale was being held in an old tobacco barn. He thought it was so neat to able to actually go into one of those types barns that he has seen many times, but never been inside. This barn was crammed with antiques, everything from furniture to kitchenalia to tools.

As usual, Hunter was flirting with the older ladies and as usual they ended up giving some little knic knac for free. He would take the item, give them a huge smile and tell them “Thank you”. Then I would get a compliment about how well behaved and how cute he was. That boy knows how to schmooze. He was at it again when we stopped for lunch at a little country drive in restaurant. When we walked up to the window to order, he stood on tip toe and told the lady exactly what he wanted for lunch and she was charmed, especially when he ended his request with a thank you, unprompted by me.

We had a good time and came home with a few bargains. Hunter had been wanting a toy kitchen, to the point that he was trying to make one out of empty cardboard boxes. He loves to help me in the kitchen and is always fascinated with how different ingredients go together to make things. When we stopped at one sale there was an entire play kitchen up for sale. He ran up to it like it was Christmas morning and his every wish had come true. So naturally I bought it for him.

It is so amusing to watch this rough and tumble boy play chef with this kitchen. After we got it home and set up in the kitchen he spent the rest of the day making and serving pretend food to anyone who would sit still long enough. He just might be a world class chef in the making, well at least when he isn’t out bashing and crashing his cars, digging in the dirt or playing baseball.

Time for the worlds longest yard sale, The hi way 127 yard sale, August 7-10.

We had to go out yesterday and go the grocery, and along the way we noticed that some folks were already setting up for the event. There were signs everywhere, advertizing both spaces for rent and actual sales. As the week goes on there will be more and more vendors setting up shop.

I will be curious to see if things are as busy as in previous years, with the price of gas. I have seen lots of out of state vendors at the past sales and wonder if there will be as many this time. There are usually many vendors that come and stay at their sites in RVs and campers. Time will tell I guess.

One other thing that seems to accompany the 127 sale, a heat wave. The forecast is for temps in the 90s with a good dose of humidity thrown in for good measure. I will be going out to do some looking around at the sale, but won’t be going very far. There is usually so much to see within 15 miles of the gulch that it is really unnecessary to go any further anyway.

The cucumber plants in the garden may be history, but their legacy lives on. I have made pickles, lots of pickles and I still have cucumbers. I have sold and given away many, many pounds of cucumbers. And I still have a large cooler about half full of cucumbers. When I pulled the plants, I picked every cucumber larger than my little finger, determined to make the most out of this bumper crop.

From the final picking I sent two large coolers full of cucumbers to work with Mr.B to give away. I kept all of the small, smaller and smallest ones to make pickles. Mr.B gave all of his away in short order. I have been making pickles for two days now, and I still have half a cooler full of the things. I am beginning to think that no matter how many I use more will just magically appear in that cooler.

I have made quarts of Kosher dill spears and quarts of whole Kosher dills. I have made pints of smaller whole Kosher dills, pints of sliced Kosher dills and pints of bread and butter slices. I used every canning jar I owned and have gone and bought more. I still have cucumbers, and now probably more pickles than we will eat for years.

I am now trying to decide what to do with the cucumbers that I have left. I really hate to have them go to waste and have reached a point that I am afraid that the remaining cucumbers will multiply on their own and take over the house if I don’t do something with them. We have eaten cucumbers every day for weeks and I am thinking we may all turn into cucumbers.

I have decided that when I plant next years garden that I will NOT be planting even half of the cucumbers that I did this year. I also have sneaking suspicion that instead of candy canes, Santa will be handing out quarts and pints of pickles instead.