Too Many Pears!

   Pears.  Lots of pears.  Too many pears.  About 12 years ago, I planted two pear trees...one on either side of the back steps.  My thinking was that being near the small back deck would make picking the fruit easier.  (Sometimes, I do have brilliant thoughts and this was one of them!)  Happily, the trees have done extremely well and have always produced plenty of fruit for us despite the fact that every critter around here seems to think the trees are their personal diners.  About half of the pears are eaten before they are allowed to ripen.  This, however, is probably not a bad thing as the trees are always overloaded.

  This year, despite hundreds (literally) of pears being eaten by critters, there were far too many on the tree.  The branches drooped pathetically under the weight of the heavy fruits and then...crack!...one limb snapped.  Two days later, another broke.  I called for an "emergency" thinning of the pears and Son came to my rescue.  Bucket after bucket of pears were handed down from the ladder then the rooftop.  So many pears!!!

  Now that about a third of the pears have been picked, the trees look a lot happier but my kitchen does not.  Something will have to be done with the fruit and I am not relishing the hot job of canning.  It seems that nobody wishes to be donated a bunch of pears.  Have pears become that proverbial hard-to-give-away zucchini?   I guess canning will be my chore for the next couple of days then again when another batch are picked.  Too many pears!!!!  Way too many pears!

Monkey Wrenches and Home Canning

  Oh, the dilemmas!  Why does it seem that right when things start going smoothly, something has to throw a monkey wrench into the works. Earlier this week, I noticed that the freezer that holds fruit and veggies, was starting to act a bit weird.  Well, it has been acting a bit weird for a while but it was now acting weirder. Odd acting freezers are not something you want to leave to their own accord as they have a way of messing things up pretty badly.  I opened the lid to find that this freezer was jammed packed. Well, there was nothing else to do but pull stuff and can it.  I had been lazy in the past and just threw berries, grapes, pumpkin and pecans in the freezer instead of taking the time to make the jams, jellies and preserves.  It was time to stop being lazy.  So, for the past few days, I have been in the kitchen.  The dining room table soon was covered with a couple of hundred jars of goodies. Then came the realization that I could not just leave them there.  These things had to find a more suitable home.  Ok, so who needs bookshelves anyway, right?  The vintage books were removed from the shelves flanking the fireplace in the dining room, the shelves were cleaned, a few more shelves added and a pantry was created!  Yep, my dining room is now a pantry!  When you come to think of it, why not?  Jars of food can be every bit as beautiful and a lot more useful than a bunch of knickknacks lining the shelves.  I do have to find a place for all those books, however!

  Now back to those opening statements.  As far back as when I was a tot, I remember Pop talking about monkey wrenches.  Whenever he would be working on the old tractor and needed a strong wrench, he would tell me to go get the monkey wrench.  I was the gofer for a lot of Pop's tools.  The monkey wrench was my favorite even though it was heavy.  Now I find out that there is a difference in a monkey wrench and a pipe wrench.  I was always bringing Pop a pipe wrench.  He never complained and simply made do.  A monkey wrench is an adjustable wrench with straight jaws while the pipe wrench is adjustable but has a slight curve to the jaws. This makes sense as the curved jaws were made to fit around pipes and give a better grip.  I guess a tyke has no sense of such things! I always grabbed the one that was red!!!  To me, that red color should denote a monkey wrench since my friend had a stuffed monkey with a red jacket!  Red equals monkey!.  Who wants to tote around a plain, old wrench when a red "monkey" wrench is within reach?? Obviously not five year old me!  Great color!  Fun name!  The red pipe wrench was dragged to Pop!  Sorry, Pop!  I seriously just learned this!
  
  So I accomplished the chore set out in front of me AND learned something new.  Things can't be all bad.




 

Don't Toss It!

  Lately, the dehydrator has been in constant use.  We have all had a craving for dehydrated fruit snacks and since they are easy to make and healthy, it seems only natural to make them.  Today, apples were pared, cored and thinly sliced.  The dehydrator was filled to the brim and set to going.  The house smells wonderfully wintry with the scent of apples!  Next, citrus peels will be dried for use as orange zest.  Gallons of that will be dried and pulverized for later use.

  When loading the dehydrator, it occurred to me that the apple peelings were tasty, too.  Not wanting to even waste them, I gathered the whole lot and dumped them in the crock pot.  To this a bag of cranberries from the freezer and a two cups of sugar were added along with about a cup of water.  The crock pot was turned on high and it, too, spent the morning smelling up the house.  Once the peels were tender, everything was blended until smooth and then jarred.  Come morning, this apple/cranberry butter will be mighty fine on some fresh baked buttermilk biscuits!  One jar will be kept and the rest shared.

  Back on the farm, nothing went to waste.  It was instilled in me, so very long ago, that it is shameful to waste anything that can be put to good use.  I have a hard time not being appalled at those who think tossing usable stuff in the trash is a good idea.  "Waste not, want not" has always been taught as a thrifty way to be.  I suppose those folks who find it easy to trash anything have never had a need.  I would just as soon find a use for things.   No, I do not need more jelly, jam or butters but some of my neighbors do.  Sharing is a good thing, folks.  It is a good thing.  Do it.

Getting on to that time of year....

  A bit of a cool spell eased in on the Bayou the other night and brought with it just enough rain and cooler temperatures to start the ripening process of the citrus fruits.  The last freeze we had in the spring ruined a good many of the blossoms so the crop is skimpy but what is there will be enough.  I always look at things as plenty regardless if others see it as a "bad" year.  Pop taught us that we should always count our blessings and figure out ways of making things work better for the next time.  The oranges will be enough...and I am happy.

  Actually, the navel orange tree is the only one that has a goodly number of fruits.  The satsumas, lemons and grapefruit are scarce.  With the early cool spell, it makes us wonder if this is to be a hard winter.  Extreme cold for more than just a few hours can do major damage to the wood of the trees.  If the bark splits, the tree almost always dies. Hopefully, this will not be the case and next year will find us with trees heavy with fruit.  If not, we will still be blessed with plenty.  Always are. 

Time for a break

  Ok, so it is time to take a break from all of this canning.  The pantry shelves are stocked and three deep freezers are jammed packed.  Tomatoes have been sauced, plums have been jammed, blueberries canned and some made into syrup and figs have been candied.  Butter beans, field peas, corn, okra and shrimp have been added to the freezers to top off what was already there.  Now is time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor...at least, until fall when pears will need to be preserved.

  A lot of people have been asking just why I do all of this. "It is easier to just go to the grocery store and buy beans (tomato sauce, peas..whatever)."  That is true for folks who like to shop.  I do not.  I will zip in to buy milk or eggs but it is not my nature to spend an hour in a store...any store.  Plus, it is nice to be able to pull together a meal without worrying what I have on hand.  Son said we could eat well for about a year with what we have stocked.  Now, add in the promise of knowing just what is in those jars and in that freezer, makes it worthwhile.  Too many "foods" lately have been recalled for whatever reason.  I do not have to fret over that situation.

  Then, there is another reason for the stockpiling of home-canned goods.  Duh!  We live where hurricanes and tropical storms visit occasionally and knock out power.  With a ready supply of foodstuffs, it is easy to fire up the grill and whip out a meal. So, I will continue to do what I grew up doing.  We always "set aside" foodstuffs back on the farm.  When times were lean (money wise), we still ate good!  Same here...nuff said.

Round Two...The Little Red Hen Syndrome

  Back a couple of months ago, I had dozens of small tomato plants in the greenhouse.  These were just the right size to plant out in the garden so I offered several folks a few plants for their home gardens.  I had no takers except for Darling Daughter.  She took 16 plants home to put in planter boxes.  To that, she added a dozen pepper plants and is waiting on a few eggplants.  She is the only one who took the effort of planting a small garden.  Other folks all made the comment that they "did not have the time" or it is a "lot of work for a few tomatoes/peppers/eggplants, that I can get at the store."   That said, I planted...and planted.  My garden plot grew in size just as the plants did.  Soon, the entire east side of the yard became a vegetable garden. Not only did I plant in rows in the ground but I also utilized planter boxes, flower pots, old shrimp baskets and stuck vegetable plants in the flower gardens. The plants did well and soon set all sorts of blooms.  Now, fast forward two months and I am harvesting healthy meals from the back yard.  Darling Daughter is doing the same.  

  Now that I have fresh vegetables and fruits for our meals, folks are coming out of the woodwork to say "Oh, I will take a few tomatoes!  We love fresh squash! You have far too many peppers and onions."  Keep in mind, these are the same folks who turned down my offer of plants just a couple of months ago. While I am all for sharing the wealth, I am not all for those who take advantage of others' hard work.  Nope, I do not have far too many of any vegetables or fruit.  What we do not eat fresh will be canned for later.  Some jars will make it all the way to Georgia (son, daughter-in-law and grandlittles!), some will go to Darling Daughter and her hubby's place. A lot of fruit, berries and vegetables will be doled out to our elderly friends.  Why, I will not even hesitate to give a couple of these or a few of those, if someone asks but do not demand! I will share but not with those who are ablebodied but too lazy!  The "Little Red Hen Syndrome" strikes again.  Some folks just take, take, take and never wish to lift a pinky finger to help.  

  There is a wise saying that folks can only take advantage of you if you let them.  Although it is hard for me to do, I have learned to say no and stick with it.  Only those who shared in the work shall share the bounty. I am willing to share plants and seeds and I am eager to teach folks the art of home-canning, dehydrating and freezing fruit, herbs and vegetables.  Do not, however, expect me to do all of the work then come demanding the fruits of my labor. It ain't happenin', folks, it ain't happenin'!

Hanging in there!

  Rains kept me inside most of the day so there was not a lot of opportunities for photography.  Mark and I did manage to sneak out late this afternoon for a quick hike about the hillside. As we around the canebrake, I was behind the navel orange tree and could see a side of it that is blocked from view during my normal approach.  Wow!  The tree is literally loaded with fruit!  This is a strong, sturdy tree that is relatively young,  Its limbs were doing well at holding up the large soft-ball sized fruits unlike the poor satsuma trees.  

  Just yesterday, I pointed out to Mark that the limbs of the satsuma trees were about to break from the heavy load they held.  Hundreds of fruits dangled on the small limbs.  Looking closely, we saw that some satsumas were already touching the ground.  He and I decided to dismantle the wisteria arbor and build a temporary brace for the satsuma limbs.  This should suffice as an added support.  

  With today's heavy rains, the limbs of the satsuma would have surely broken causing us to lose hundreds of pounds of fruit.  After leaving the orange tree and its luscious looking (albeit still unripe) fruit, we inspected our handiwork under the satsuma trees.  Job well done!  Even though the limbs were saturated by the rains, the framework held. Hopefully, no storms will come and the fruit will all be allowed another month of growth.  It appears that this will be another good year for citrus fruit!

What good are a few bees?

  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my dismay over folks using toxic sprays or powders on flowering plants.  I was quite distraught that the chemicals of choice were ones that would kill honeybees. After I wrote my say on the matter, I came in contact with a few people that read that page.  They were astounded that I would even dare to "attack" their methods of gardening.  "What are a few bees when it means that my plants will be bug-free?"  they queried.  Going even further a few made the comment "What good are honeybees anyway?  I can always buy honey from the grocery store."  Hmmm. Once again, I am saddened.  What good are honeybees?  Oh, my word!

  Well, I will tell you. Those pretty little flowers that you are trying to "de-bug" will no longer exist if you keep killing the bees. Little do some folks realize or little do they care at the moment, but honeybees pollinate about eighty percent of our flowering crops, both ornamental and food crops. This makes up about a third of our diets.  Everything from fruit to veggies are "flowering crops". Without the bees' pollinating habits, the crops cannot reproduce and will eventually die out.  This causes problems even for you folks who eat a ton of meat as without the crops (think grain), there will be little feed for cattle, hogs and poultry.  Pretty soon humans will be reduced to eating a bunch of lab-created junk.  How long will it take before we die out as well?  

   Not only do we depend on the honeybees for their habit of pollinating flowers but, also for their delicious and nutritious honey! (And, sorry folks, without bees, there will be no honey on the shelves of the grocery store!)  I, myself, use probably a two dozen quarts of local honey a year.  There is a kind man not far from the Bayou who sells his honey.  Another benefit of keeping our honeybees healthy is the fact that medical research has proven that a number of diseases and disorders can be treated with honey and/or bee venom.

  So, if you have any doubts about protecting the honeybee, I suggest that you start now to reorganize your ideas on food consumption and medical treatments.  Perhaps a water diet would suit you!  I am quite sure you will do well with that!  (Especially, since the same toxins that are killing our honeybees are also polluting the world's water supply.) In the meantime, do not tell me that honeybees are not important!  If you ask me, right now they are far higher on my list of importance than folks who are too lazy to find a natural method of ridding the garden of pests and insist on poisoning the earth.