Garden Update, The Corn and Beans

I suppose I can't say we don't raise corn and beans on our farm. We do!

Sweet corn and ying yang beans!

We also grow peppers and sunflowers......

These are what Lily calls "Naken Ladies".....

We are starting a speciman identification project. This frog will be included.

We are just having a peach goo, muddy, happy summertime!

Balloon Festival at Sunrise on the Way to the Dentist

One of the amazing things about having an observent and curious little girl and then pairing that with always having my camera with me is that we can document some of the cool things we see by chance. She insisted we pull over. When we did there were 2 balloons in the sky, and when we left there were 30! We were close enough to actually see the glow from the launching.

I also got to tell her all about my childhood balloon ride. I think I was 7 or 8 years old and it was a really big deal. I remember how cold it was and how amazing.  I might have pictures somewhere. I hope I do. :)

So, we had time Friday morning on the way to the dentist to pull over, watch this beautiful moment, talk about things that are possible in life, and just be.

Wild Beauty On The Farm

We think this might be a hibiscus of some sort. It is growing right on the edge of the pond, almost in the marsh. Any ideas?

I just loved this texture.

This is a shaded glade up by Nana and Pawpaw's hill. Bordered by black raspberries.

Yes. I've been playing with the new lens. ;)

Fresh 10 minute Salsa

My life has been made simple just by knowing that food is made from ingredients. Knowing that, I can put those ingredients together to make things my family loves and consumes at an alarming rate: like salsa.

Last night I brought in our first harvest of tomatoes and peppers. Throw in some garlic, onion, a squirt of lemon juice and a sprinkle of spices...ta da! Salsa! So good, I ate half a pint right there. A small bowl full of garden bounty yielded 10 minutes of work and 3.5 pints. If I'd wanted to, I could have hot water canned these, but they won't last the week in our house. I swear my five year old drinks salsa right out of the jar when I am not looking. Salsa, the good kind that doesn't use HFCS, can cost us 3-4$ for a pint at the store. Plus it seems like I am always out of it. It's a good healthy food and I want to have it on hand whenever they want it!

Recipe:
an 8 cup bowl full of fresh picked tomatoes, wash, cut off flaws if there are any, and leave skins on
4-5 medium peppers (also medium hot)
4 cloves of garlic (harvested in June)
squirt of lemon juice
1 medium onion (about 3/4 a cup worth....do not add too much onion....)
Season to taste. (I used 2 teaspoons of paprika and 1.5 tablespoons of a chili mix that had cayenne, cilantro, cumin, and oregano.....)

I used my food processor and chopped one ingredient at a time to the right size, mixed in a bowl, and added seasoning slowly. Yum. 

So join us for simple lives Thursday!