Corn Day

There's not much leeway in harvesting corn if you want to get it at its peak of freshness. Dale told me Friday that Saturday was the day, so harvesting corn was what we did. We picked early, set aside what we thought we could 'put up', and shared the rest with some friends and neighbors. It's work--but satisfying work--to fill up the freezer with our own garden goodies.

Mountville Parade for the Red, White and Blue

The Mountville parade to honor America's birthday never happens on the fourth of July and this year was no exception--it was on July 1. It all happens in accord with the cooking of the hash and barbecue, a community event to benefit the volunteer fire department. Our family participated, as usual, and I snapped some cute pics of our entry.

Claire, Collier and Seth

Travis and Hamilton bring up the rear.

Even Grandma Ava gets in on the fun.

Too Much Zucchini?

When zucchini and tomatoes are in abundance, I have a tendency to want to pair the two. Yesterday I cobbled together some ingredients I had on hand to make this Italian flavored dish that turned out so delicious that I am certain to make it again and again.
Here's what I did: 
I sauteed sliced zucchini and onion in a little butter for a few minutes, added chopped fresh tomatoes, whose juice added plenty of liquid and let the mixture cook until the zucchini was tender. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and fresh basil, chopped.  Just before serving I put in chunks of fresh mozzerella and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Yum!

Whose the Fruitiest?

Travis joined us again on our annual blueberry picking excursion to Lexington, SC and we came away with forty-four pounds of the succulent orbs. Berry Hill Farm has to be the very best blueberry picking venue in the whole world!! Hundreds of bushes line the rows of this city farm tucked in the Red Bank area of Lexington and we joined other families eating and picking their fill from about 7:00 until dark on Friday night.
Blueberries are one of our favorite fruits and we bagged them up for the freezer for future use. What to do with all of these berries? Dale's first choice is blueberry pancakes but we also love them with yogurt, cereal, ice cream, and pie or cobbler, and even in salads. (I'm counting on the antioxidents to ward off dementia.)

The bushes were loaded. I spent 45 minutes picking one bush!

The farm supplies you with buckets and a waist strap so that both hands are free.

They should have weighed Dale before and after the picking!