Thursday, August 29, 2019

Mishmash

Heavy rains were expected last night and this morning so Papa Pea worked late into the day yesterday getting the grain we grew as fertilizer on the field garden and two other smaller plots mowed down.  

The green growth was high but he was able to get it mowed using the rotary mower on our Gravely garden tractor.  Good timing as seed heads were just starting to think about forming.  And we did get the rain that was forecast.


This is what it looks like today.  Amazing as last night it was a solid, deep green color.

Now he'll let it lie for a couple of days to watch the decomposing, and we'll definitely have to wait until all that material and soil dries out enough to plow it into the soil. 

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Way back near the middle of this month, I finally finished knitting a pair of socks for my daughter that I started (she admits shamefully) somewhere around the first of this year.


I call them the "sherbet socks" because of their color.  They remind me of when I was growing up and occasionally went to an ice cream shop in the summer with my parents.  Along with many flavors of ice cream, they also had a variety of sherbets and my favorite, which I chose every time without fail, was a triple dipper consisting of one scoop each of lemon, raspberry and grape sherbet.  Therefore, the "sherbet socks." 

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I've been making our supply of Stuffed Green Peppers to stash in the freezer.  


Here's a partial tray of them prior to packaging.

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It's also time for me to use the fresh veggies I have available to make our jars of kimchi for the winter months.  Simply put, kimchi is a fermented vegetable mixture, and there are hundreds of varieties of it.  The basic one of cabbage and spices may be most familiar with Americans.

It can be served as a condiment or side dish, but we eat a quarter cup each of it with our morning meal all winter long.

What does kimchi do for you?  It is believed to lower cholesterol levels, boost your immune system, may reduce inflammation, is linked to improving memory (I may start eating more each day -- if I can remember), and keeps the good bacteria in your gut thriving.


I've found a good combination of veggies that we both like (more than just cabbage), but am branching out a bit this year and trying a couple of new mixtures.  I may go a little spicier than I have been.  Pretty wild and crazy, huh?

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In my quilt room I've been happily creating a couple of fall themed small wall hangings.


This one is made up of six inch blocks that are a derivation of the Log Cabin Block.


The Pinwheel Block centers are two inches across and the strips representing the "logs" are 1/2" wide.  Overall measurement of the piece is 18" x 18".  I machine quilted it in a meandering pattern.

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Our weather has been delightful on days when it's not raining.  Or raining on and off all day (like today).  Nights are now cool and sleeping is wonderful.  I can feel autumn coming on full force, and I welcome it with open arms!

13 comments:

Nancy In Boise said...

Wish we had some rain here, been smoky from some fires. Nice quilt! I need to make some Curtido, spicy fermented slaw, yummy. What a cute quilt!!

SmartAlex said...

I cut down one of my beds of buckwheat last night too. I have another in bloom that needs to go, and I have two more six inches high that I think I will rake in before they get out of control. It sure is lush and beautiful this year

Michelle said...

Summer is still ferociously present here; two nights ago we actually kept the house closed up and the heat pump set at 79 degrees all night, a very rare occurrence here. I am SO ready for fall!

Leigh said...

All kids of interesting things going on. Love the socks! And the quilt! Looks like you had a really good cutting of green manure. We'll be doing ours next month. Kimchi, yum. And one of these days I'm going to freeze some stuffed peppers too. I always thought that was a great idea.

Mama Pea said...

Nancy - Yep, fermented foods of all kinds are soooo good for us! Smoke from fires, not so much. Ugh. Hope all manages to get under control. Thanks for the nice words about the quilt.

SmartAlex - There's so much to keep an eye on in the garden, isn't there? Spring, summer and fall . . . it doesn't stop until the dead of winter. 'Course, then we're inside doing paper planning for the next garden!

Michelle - Ooof, too much heat at this time of the season! I've heard so many people say they are ready, ready, ready for fall this year.

Leigh - Anything I can make and have ready as a "convenience" food is a real boon to those of us who always cook from scratch! Speaking of convenience foods, I always think back to a girl friend of years ago. She was a hefty, chunky gal and in an effort to lose weight, went on a diet of one meal a day which was a commercial frozen dinner. Did she lose weight? Oh, yeah. And also ended up being severely run down and sick. Why? Among other effects of her diet, no nutrition even from her one meal a day!

Sam I Am...... said...

Glad you got the mowing done before the rains came. Love those sherbert socks and your fall quilt is lovely. I'll have to look into kimshi as I know fermented foods are good for you. My ex said he had it in Vietnam and liked it. They used to bury it in the ground there. I think it was quite "hot" too. I'm off to Walmart and then making some ranch and bacon zucchini 'boats' with chicken. Have a great Friday!

wisps of words said...

The socks were worth the wait. They are adorable!

the stuffed green peppers look pretty delightful, themselves!!!!

Oh on food..... You were commiserating with me, about how I can only eat food in liquid or very, very mashed up form... After the teeth extractions. But! I have now found, that I can take regular meals, and make them able to be eaten, by me!

Like last night we had our yummy crock pot chicken in a sauce, with green peas. I simply put those things, in my little Oscar ( it grind things up nicely), and it came out perfectly. Didn't LOOK good, but tasted GOOD! LOL

I know fermented foods are good for you. But never canned. So...... I don't think pickles do-the-same-trick. ,-)

It's so wonderful, that you are able to have your quilting fun!!!! Along with all the winter prep. I still think, you might consider continuing to stay-cut-back-some, next summer. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know. ,-)

I also know, Papa Pea never "had much truck" with that old saying! LOL

✨🌻✨

Lynne said...

You have such knowledge on so many things, it's just wonderful!!! The socks are pretty. Your daughter will enjoy them. I've been doing a pair for my sister. They are off white be cause that's the only color she'll wear. I do like doing them. The stuff peppers look yummy. They'll be good this winter. So good to see you manage to do a small quilt. It looks excellent. Good for the fall season. Take care!! Keep having fun!!

Mama Pea said...

Sam I Am - I'm going to try making our kimchi a little zingier (is that a word?) this year (at least some of it) because the hot spice from peppers is supposed to be good for us. Neither of us were brought up on spicy food so it's a challenge for us but we're getting there!

wisps of words - Believe it or not, we are still concentrating on getting more balance in our lives . . . and succeeding to some degree anyway. It's just that this time of the year is especially busy what with winding up summer projects and it being harvest time.

I used to make our daughter's baby food by taking whatever we were eating and putting it in the blender for her. You're right in that it sometimes doesn't look great, but still has all the nutrients in it. Smart gal you are to think of doing that!

Lynne - Thinking of your sister's off white socks you're making, I was just this past week looking at some nice sock yarn that was on sale at a really good price. But they only had solid colors which I would wear . . . but so much more fun to knit socks with some color interest in them!

Lynne said...

I agree with you 100% . My daughter's like all the different colors.

Cockeyed Jo said...

Kimchi does the body good! I'll stir-fry with chicken or fried rice. I eat it every day. Two servings (1/2 cup) at the slightest tickle in my throat.I can eat a whole pint jar with rice if I don't stop myself. I like mine really spicy.

I stockpiled (making 8 pairs for each of us) socks for us last year, so this year is sweaters in worsted weight. As we raise angora rabbits, I have some lovely hand spun yardage of angora blend (with merino) to make us two each in my stash.I just have to figure out what colors I want to do them in. I've also spun some 6-ply yarn out of two sheep fleeces I was gifted for an afghan to go on my bed. Cockeyed Jo

Mama Pea said...

Thanks, Lynne!

Cockeyed Jo - Can't beat kimchi, can we? A little each day keeps the doctor away. (Wait. Is that right?)

Sixteen pairs of socks in one year? That beats my crazy sock jag knitting for my husband last year!

I've always admired anyone who could spin their own yarn. Now that makes any garment knit very special!

Cockeyed Jo said...

Mama, I learned to spin on my great grandmother's wheel at the tender age of 12. When my grandmother died, the wheel came to my mother, and eventually me. I donated that wheel to a historical society museum when it could not be repaired two years after my first stroke and taught myself to spin one-handed. It was over 250 years old. Originally made and purchased in Germany.

Since then, I've bought a used Ashford Traveler and have progressed to an electric wheel 4 years ago. Spinning fiber into yarn is my favorite Fall and Winter pastimes.

I learned all my womanly crafts almost 50 years ago. I relearned how to knit a year after my stroke. I find hand quilting and embroidery almost impossible to do one-handed and I haven't tried relearning crochet yet. Cockeyed Jo