[gardeners] In the garden for awhile on Monday
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 11 Sep 2000 20:50:59 -0500
This day did not start out as a winner. Got in the car at 0630 to go to a
clients shop and the car wouldn't start. Jumped it with my handy dandy battery
charger and it fired right up. Decided to take it to the mechanic instead of
going to the clients. Strong smell of raw gas, belt screaming, check engine
light on plus check gauges light. Mechanic is supposed to let me know tomorrow.
I suspect it may be a switch and certainly hope it is. Luckily I have a mechanic
I have used for several years and trust him.
Anyway, back home by courtesy of a friend I cleaned my kitchen, washed the
dishes, made a blueberry/currant cobbler and started some butterflied pork chops
thawing for dinner this evening. Then Sleepy Dawg and I went out and picked
about a quart of sweet chiles and another of the hot plus about 5 little
eggplant. The eggplant have finally played out so I pruned them back severely
and fed them good hoping they will come back when, or if, it gets cool again.
Miz Anne got in a little later than usual so dinner was delayed until 6:30.
Grilled the pork chops and served with a hot chile jelly made last November,
green beans, crowder peas, and fried eggplant. Very good stuff that was followed
about an hour later by a small bowl of cobbler, also very good. The currants
gave the cobbler a tang that we both liked and only had a half cup of sugar in
the whole casserole.
The hot chiles were capped, slit and dropped into a half-gallon lightening top
jar and covered with a vinegar/water mix. This will go on until the jar is full,
probably 10-12 days. I will then present it to one of my clients who likes hot
chiles and has graciously invited me to go duck and goose hunting on his lease.
I'll go mostly for the friendship and camaraderie at the camp house as I don't
like ducks or geese except in gumbo.
Another friend, the feller who gave us all the pears this year, called and asked
if I would make him a lot of pear sauce next year if he furnished the pears and
jars. Told him sure and asked why, he said the pear sauce I made this year was
so good he ate the whole quart I gave him in two days. :-) Reckon next year he
will come up with a case of quarts and all the stuff to make it with. Since it's
mostly smashed pears cooked down in their own juice it's not really a problem to
make and I've got a 20 quart stainless pot I use for big batches.
Got a wee bit of rain in the last few days, just enough to whet our appetites
for more. I've got the soaker hoses running all afternoon and need to go out now
and turn them off. Our gardens are so dry there's dust devils blowing around
when the wind comes by. The oak trees are already shedding leaves because they
are so stressed. How do you get enough water to an oak tree that is more than
six feet in diameter at the ground?
Anyway, that's how my day has gone and now I'm off to turn off the water, take a
bath, and get ready for a practice nap before bedtime.
Life is good.
George, Miz Anne, and Sleepy Dawg