A Thing of Beauty

Years ago, my sister gave me a bunch of perennials from her yard because the deer kept eating them and they never got the chance to bloom. One of my favorite plants that came from her is this flowering bush that has been the centerpiece of my yard for the last few summers.

When she gave me the gnawed, woody plant, she told me it was a butterfly bush. However, after a little research and comparison on Google images, I actually think this bush is a hydrangea.

The size of the plant and its flowers makes a bright white statement that has an old fashioned feel that I absolutely love.

Even though I haven't cut any of the flowers to put in my house, I know these flowers would be great to dry and use as a table arrangement or as a wreath.

The beauty of the flowers really is spectacular and rather long-lasting. My hydrangea has been in bloom for a couple of weeks. The blooms will slowly fade on the bush as fall approaches, leaving behind a brown, crisp flower that will stay in tact until heavy winds and snow have their way. Until then, I plan to enjoy my hydrangea as much as the bees and butterflies.

If you're looking for something new to add to your yard, I highly recommend this plant. It's an easy to care for, charming addition that's sure to be a focal point in your garden.

A Thing of Beauty

Years ago, my sister gave me a bunch of perennials from her yard because the deer kept eating them and they never got the chance to bloom. One of my favorite plants that came from her is this flowering bush that has been the centerpiece of my yard for the last few summers.

When she gave me the gnawed, woody plant, she told me it was a butterfly bush. However, after a little research and comparison on Google images, I actually think this bush is a hydrangea.

The size of the plant and its flowers makes a bright white statement that has an old fashion feel that I absolutely love.

Even though I haven't cut any of the flowers to put in my house, I know these flowers would be great to dry and use as a table arrangement or as a wreath.

The beauty of the flowers really is spectacular and rather long-lasting. My hydrangea has been in bloom for a couple of weeks. The blooms will slowly fade on the bush as fall approaches, leaving behind a brown, crisp flower that will stay in tact until heavy winds and snow have their way. Until then, I plan to enjoy my hydrangea as much as the bees and butterflies.

If you're looking for something new to add to your yard, I highly recommend this plant. It's an easy to care for, charming addition that's sure to be a focal point in your garden.

A Peck of Peppers

I'm a fan of peppers. From the moment the plants go into the ground, I picture chopping up a hot one and making a tomato salad with a vine-ripened garden tomato. Unfortunately, the tomatoes in my garden are still green, but the hot peppers and banana peppers had to be picked. I let them wait as long as I could, hoping the tomatoes would catch up. But that didn't happen.

So, what to do with the peppers?!?!

Stuff 'em!

This recipe uses Italian sausage and cheese to create a flavorful pepper that's sure to please anyone who loves food with a kick.

Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

 

A couple dozen hot or banana peppers

 2 lbs. Italian Sausage (hot or mild)

1 c. seasoned bread crumbs

4 eggs

2 c. mozzarella cheese

2 c. cheddar cheese

 

Clean and half peppers, getting rid of the seeds. Mix sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, and cheeses then stuff peppers. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Bake peppers 20-25 minutes. (The peppers will be fork tender and the sausage mixture browned.) Eat immediately or cool and then freeze to eat in the fall or winter.

 

 



What exactly is a "peck" of peppers? A peck is equal to two gallons or eight quarts.

I didn't have quite a peck of peppers, but I did have enough to make two large cookie sheets of the Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers, plus I had a few extra pepper halves to freeze for chili or salsa later this year. I also have more peppers growing in the garden. Those ones will definitely find their way into a tomato salad.

It's Getting Hot In Here

Not many people are into canning these days. It's sort of a dying art. Although where I live, there are quite a few people (young and old) who still rely on this old fashioned way of storing food.

I grew up with a mother who canned every summer. For years, she processed her quarts of green beans by water bath canning, which consisted of covering the jars of fresh beans in water and then boiling them for two hours. This method created a lot of steam and took a lot of time. Fortunately, she had a stove in the basement that she used to do her canning. However, once she started, the walls in the basement would be dripping with water and the rest of the house would have a stuffy, hot feel. In the end, my mom spent the entire day removing the finished product and adding more beans to the pot until she canned several dozen quarts.

In recent years, mom moved on to pressure canning as did I. I like this method because it's not as hot and steamy. The process yields seven quarts at a time. The trick is keeping the pressure at 11 pounds for the 25 minutes it takes to process the beans. My pressure often fluctuates anywhere from 12 to 15 pounds, requiring heat adjustment on the stove. Despite the fluctuations, I never had any issues with the final product. The jars have always sealed and the beans have been cooked to my liking.

And while I often think it would be easier to buy a .99 cent can of green beans at the store, in the end canning offers a multitude of perks that you can't buy.

1. I spent time with my daughter preparing the beans, the jars and the canning supplies.
2. I know exactly what's in the beans I canned. They came from my garden. No pesticides were used.
3. I'm carrying on a family tradition. And that feels good.
4. My beans are truly canned at the peak of freshness.
5. When the snow flies, I have a little piece of summer to serve at dinner time.

Later this summer, I have even more plans for the canner. The tomatoes will be getting ripe soon. If you've never had tomato juice canned from a backyard garden, you don't know what you're missing.

Have you ever canned veggies from your garden? What's your favorite vegetable to can? Leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Fresh. Green. Summer.

The height of summer in the West Virginia mountains means a bounty of good eats from the garden. The latest reward in my garden is Blue Lake green beans. This is a bush bean, no poles needed, no strings to be removed. A definite plus in my book.

The first picking from these plants yields flavorful, tender beans that bring back memories of my childhood when the month of July meant a steaming hot kitchen (we didn't have air conditioning!) where my mom cooked beans from the garden, serving them alongside breaded pork chops and butter bread with strawberry jam.

 

 

On tonight's menu, I skipped the pork chops, saving them for the next picking because I didn't have any chops at the house. Instead, I seasoned my beans with bacon and onion that I fried until golden brown, using ALL the grease for deliciously flavorful beans.

Green beans and jelly bread. A simple, filling meal that says summer every time.

Recipe:
Two pounds of fresh green beans
One pound of bacon
One onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean ends from green beans. Wash. Place in stock pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain beans and then return to pot. Cover again with water and bring to boil. Simmer for 30 to 60 minutes depending on the toughness of beans. Add salt, pepper, fried bacon, onion and grease to beans. (Note: I cut up my bacon with kitchen sheers before frying, adding chopped onion at the beginning of the process.)

There is no magic amount of time to cook the beans. I recommend checking your beans after the first 20 to 30 minutes of the final cooking to determine the desired softness of the beans. A taste test will let you know when the beans are done to your liking.

What's your favorite way to season fresh green beans?

I've had them flavored with pork chop broth, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, ham and bacon. Each flavor is unique and delicious.