Green Beans and Bacon

I love fresh green beans out of the garden all steamed and sprinkled with a little butter, salt and pepper!  But what I really love is green beans cooked with bacon!   It's super simple!

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Green Beans and Bacon

Fry up one pound of bacon.  I usually bake my bacon, but for this recipe you are going to want to fry it!  Once the bacon is cooked to your liking (we like crispy but not so well done it turns into powder) place the bacon on a plate and drain most of the bacon grease from the frying pan.  Place 2 quarts of green beans (raw--we like fresh from the garden or frozen from the garden) in the skillet, crumble bacon over the top of the green beans, cover and cook on medium until the green beans are cooked (until they're bright green).  Once they are done you can serve them with your favorite main dish.  My favorite combo would be Easy Peasy Chops, Smashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Bacon, and Honey Yeast Rolls.  Mmm...yummy!

Refrigerator Pickles

Last year we made refrigerator pickles but they didn't have quick the "kick" to them that I had hoped.  They were good, but something was lacking.  The way the garden was going this summer I was hoping that all the produce would wait to ripen after our vacation. 

Well of course a bunch of pickling cucumbers ripened while we were in the midst of 4-H judging and packing for vacation.  

Hubby, the awesome hubby that he is, decided to help out. 

He bought a pickling concoction from Ball and had a few kiddos help us out.  

For every 2 quarts of pickles you need:
3 1/2 pounds of pickling cucumbers
2 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup Ball Kosher Dill Pickle Mix
2 quart canning jars with new lids and bands  (I reuse my bands)

You can use a boiling water canner and the instruction are on the bottle, but we did the refrigerator method. 

Either way prepare your pickles by cutting the ends of the cucumbers and cut into spears.  Combine water, vinegar, and the mix in a medium saucepan.  Heat to boil.

1. Pour hot pickling liquid over cucumber spears in a large bowl.  Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. Pack cucumbers spears into jars.  Ladle pickling liquid over cucumbers.  Place lids and bands on jars. 
3. Refrigerate pickles.  For best flavor, allow pickles to stand in refrigerator for 3 weeks.

They have to sit in the refrigerator for three weeks to soak up the flavor so yesterday (the first full day home from our camping vacation) was the first day we could eat them.  They were dilly and had a good kick to them.  Crunchy, too!  Perfect! 

We have more pickles coming on the vine and we hope to do the boiling canner method so we can store them for a year on the shelves.

Hummingbird Nectar

We love to watch the hummingbirds flutter around our home.  We have one on the side porch window that the hummingbirds actually fight over!  My homemade hummingbird nectar must be delicious!  It's super easy!

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Hummingbird Nectar

Stir together 2 cups boiling hot water and 1 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Stir in 2 cups cold water and fill your feeders.  If you have any left over just store it in the fridge until needed.  Don't worry, it won't be in the refrigerator too long. Word will get around that there's a nectar party at your house! (Oh, and there's no need for red food coloring. They could care less about it!)

Outdoor Summer Tour

Last week the kiddos, my mom, and I had a little friendly competition.  The front flower border needed to be weeded badly.  We broke up into two teams and in about two hours we got it all spruced up for summer!  There are a few pine shrubs, barberry bushes, and two flowering bushes that I can't identify. 

I transplanted some peony bushes last summer and they didn't do too well then, but they look better this year.

I also planted a few rose bushes and mums last year and I didn't think they had made it through winter.  They are looking pretty good!  I just need to put my weed mat down and put some mulch out there and it'll be lovely!  I also have a dream to have a stone border there in front, too, but I have to find some stones for that project! 

Meijer had a really good sale last week on hanging baskets for $5.99!  I had picked out a bunch of flowers to pot in my large pots for the front step, but just for one pot it would have cost me over $12!  So I had a wonderful light bulb moment!  I decided to put the flowers back and get a few hanging baskets to re-pot into the large pots. What ya think?

I bought some moisture control potting mix and it was worth it!  I planted some impatiens in pots with that soil the other day and they are not only doing very well, but I don't have to water them every evening!

This is the front porch.  I think I'm done decorating it, unless I can find a cheap large metal watering can to add to the decorations. (Oh and you'll notice my Americana jug of sun tea. I ran out and I can't wait for another cold glass! --it's Lipton Decaff, by the way.)

The chair was an old one from the dining set that we bought used when we were first married.  I spray painted it and the star on the door colonial red.  The white basket was a 25 cent garage sale find that I spray painted white.  I bought some red geranium bushes from JoAnn's fabrics in the spring when they were half price. On the red chair is a pot with white New Guinea Impatiens.  I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out.  Next year I hope to add more to decorate the front porch. 

As you come around the side of the house to the side porch you will find another peony bush, a few hostas, and a hanging basket.  I also have a little Americana yard stake there.  Love my Americana decor!  I hope to add some more perennials next year. 

This is the side porch.  I have some revamping to do here, but for now it'll work.  *smile*  Hubby is going to re-do our old glider rocker for me and we'll put it here on the porch. I can't wait to sit on the porch, drink my sun tea and watch the kiddos play!

I love the little bench with flowers in it.  I found it years ago and put it out every year.  The irises have really doubled in size this year!  We brought them with us from our previous house when we moved in three years ago. I plan to divide them up for next year so they can span the whole front of the porch banister!

This side flower bed is full of beautiful perennials!  Hosta, mini irises, lambs ear, and a few other things I have no clue what they are but they look great!  *smile*  Of course there's another hanging basket another Americana flag!

There's a lot of Columbine, too!  I have a few Hostas that I can't wait to divide up next spring.  I think I'll be putting more of them around the Catalpa tree.

Our Catalpa tree is home to a bee hive.  See the dark spot to the left of the bear's head?  They go in and out there.  So thankful they are there to pollinate our flowers and fruit trees!

This little chair holds an Impatien to welcome you at the back door entry.  See the dark box there to the left? That was the coal chute when they used a coal stove to heat the house many years ago.  I have a few more ideas for this little area, but they may have to wait until next year.  Maybe I could put some of my divided Hostas here?

Well that's it for now on our tour.  I have a garden section on the other side of the house with lilacs, coneflowers, a potting shed (an old outhouse converted) and all sorts of other pretties to share with you but they need some sprucing up a bit before they are camera worthy.  *smile* 

Homestead Blessings: The Art of Gardening

I've borrowed some Homestead Blessings videos from the library. The West sisters and mother share their great home keeping tips and inspiration! My mom and I watched the Homestead Blessings: The Art of Gardening the other night. It was very informative! It was filmed in their own garden! They share tips on starting a compost pile, container gardening, lasagna gardening, an easy way to grow potatoes, and more! There are also a few recipes that they share, too! They have a lot of other helpful videos; from canning, to herbs, to soap and candle making! Check out this clip from the Gardening video.




Go here to order: Homestead Blessings: The Art of Gardening

Gardening: How to Save Big Bucks in the Kitchen

I placed my seed order yesterday at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Their seeds may seem a little pricey compared to W*l-mrt or L*wes, but they are not modified in any way and you can save their seeds for the next summer. I wasn't diligent last fall to save seeds but I plan to this year. (By the way...usually a hybrid fruit or veggie's seeds can not be used for the following season.)

We spend easily $10 a week on frozen or canned veggies. For me to spend $2 on a packet of carrot seeds that will feed us for several months is definitely worth it! You don't have to have a huge garden to grow veggies. Raised beds are great, we've done that before and it worked great. Green peppers and tomatoes grow well in pots. So do herbs! At our current homestead we have a large area that was tilled once before for a garden so we're using that space. The Hubster has put in trellises for our cucumbers/pickles, tomatoes, and beans. I have to remember to rotate our crops after this season so we don't have to worry about plant disease. We have a herb garden area outside the side door by the kitchen. I've seen portable kitchen herb gardens that you can make yourself. You can also grow herbs on your kitchen window sill!

I've ordered now because soon I have to start a lot of my seeds inside so they are ready to plant in May. I ordered a handy dandy chart that will help in my planning...it's at the bottom of the list.

Here's my list of seeds that I ordered, their order number from Baker Creek and what I plan to do with them:

BN108	McCaslin 42 Pole Bean (I ordered 3 packets of these! We intend to freeze a lot!)
BR105	Waltham 29 Broccoli
CR103	Little Finger Carrot (I ordered 3 packets of these! We intend to freeze a lot!)
CR118	Muscade Carrot
CU143	Edmondson Cucumber (We'll eat these as cucumbers and they make great pickles)
LT125	Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce (I ordered 2 packets...we loved this lettuce last year!)
GP104	Lincoln Garden Pea (We have never grown peas before...we'll see how we do.)
PP106	California Wonder Pepper
SP102	New Zealand Spinach (I ordered 2 packets of these. I hope they work out!)
SQ153	Butternut Rogosa Violina Gioia Squash
SQ131	New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin (I would like to use these to make pies, but last year they were a bit too little and I didn't get many so I used them to decorate the homestead.)
SQ129	Connecticut Field Pumpkin (Fall decorations!)
TK120	Mortgage Lifter Tomato (Good slicing tomato for burgers!)
TM132	Riesentraube Tomato (I hear these are great cherry-like tomatoes!)
TM103	Royal Chico Tomato (We grew these last year -- they were great!!)
HB101	Basil - Genovese (I hope to enlarge my herb garden area and dry some basil.)
HB124	Bee Balm Lemon (I hear this is great to treat colds and headaches...reading up on that.)
HB143	Cilantro, Slo-Bolt (I plan to make lots of salsa!)
HB126	Dill Bouquet (I canned pickles last summer and used home grown dill in them!)
HB158	Feverfew (This is supposed to repel insects...I plan to learn how.)
HB118	German Chamomile (I plan to make tea!)
HB112	Lavender (I plan to dry this and sell. Again...we'll see.)
HB133	Parsley Giant Of Italy (To use in cooking!)
HB114	Yarrow (This is a beautiful dried flower and also good to treat colds.)
FL473	I plan to use the following flowers around the homestead. I bought 4 packets of the Alaska Shasta Daisies to sow in to the border by the road. Kilimanjaro White Marigold
FL424	Majorette Double Yellow
FL745	Henry Wilde
WF117	Alaska Shasta Daisy
CGP101	Clydes Garden Planner (I hope this helps me be a bit more organized this year!!)

Like I always say...it's good to have a goal. My main goal is that we'll be able to eat healthy meals in the summer and freeze what we can eat in the winter.

What are your gardening plans this summer?