Table Talk and Questions (one a serious one about bee keepers keeping bees on your property) ~ Goldenrod

 

This was not all in one day.  I do have a question at the end of this post today.  Actually two questions after someone stopped at our place yesterday evening.

I made the breakfast bell peppers again this week.  I used up spinach and bacon, that we had leftover from our camping trip.  The top pieces of the bell peppers were saved for another meal.

Roasted the first of our spaghetti squash for a chicken dinner casserole.  I saved some seeds, but gave the rest to the chickens.  It was not worth my oven time, to roast the last 1/4 cup or so of seeds.

I roasted a second spaghetti squash to make this dish.  We love it.  It is a meatless dish, but pretty good, and easy to make when you still have tomatoes.  I have also used cherry or grape tomatoes from the garden in the past. 

Not only is it delicious, it's very self sufficient.  You can grow everything for this (aside for the black olives), and you can make your own feta.

 The recipe is simply "Spaghetti Squash" recipe online with Allrecipes.

Due to my husband's long work hours in the spring, we did not get our raised beds built, so no greens were planted.  I am relying on what I can find locally.  I froze some kale and spinach this week.

Sage made it to the dehydrator.  I use a lot of it for homemade sausage.

Question:  Has anyone here made "breakfast" mushrooms?  I am re-thinking our breakfast, and would like to add mushrooms as a side when I make eggs or scrambled eggs.  I know they can be added to an omelet or casserole, but I'm considering it as a breakfast side.

My other question is a serious question.  We were sitting on the front porch last night.  My husband was making calls on his cell, and I was knitting.  A van pulls in, and a guy walks up to the porch.  He says he has a farm slightly north (maybe 20-25 minutes), and is a bee keeper.  He asked if he could bring 50 units (forgot what he said they are called) to put out back on our property, because we have a lot of goldenrod right now, and his bees are not doing well.  He proceeds later to say he has issues with his bees having mites, and if the bees are in the back corner of the property, we would not know they were even there.  He also told us that the government will only allow bee keepers to treat their bees with specific chemicals.

I'm hesitant on this, so I'd like your opinions on this.  He has to be able to drive them to where they will sit.  Also, he said he'd exchange a gallon of honey if we agree, but not until next year. 

We looked his farm up. He is legit.  He used to raise a bunch of meat birds and chickens, but has turned bee keeper now.

Getting some honey would be great, but I am on the fence with someone coming onto our property with his property, that we do not know.   What about these bees with mites and being treated with chemicals we know nothing about?  

 What if deer trample the bee hive boxes?  Or something happens otherwise out of our control?  Or am over thinking this?

I would appreciate all of your input, especially if you keep bees.

Sorry for the long post today.  Speaking of goldenrod, we have an abundance of it.  Do you dehydrate it?  What do you use it for other than tea?  I have wanted to put some up over the years, but it always seems something else needs done.

Paste Tomatoes ~ Spearmint ~ Cucumber Powder ~ Bell Peppers

I'll admit, that some things suffer this time of year, and yes that is a big ol' pile of towels on a kitchen chair.  It's been there for 2 days now, as I have been very busy, and too tired at the end of the day.  We still need to eat and we still need to have clean clothes and linens.

Tomatoes are still rolling in.  I've canned ketchup and Lemony-Basil Tomato Soup, and a 2nd batch of ketchup.

I've put a start on dehydrating spearmint finally.  I've also made dehydrated cucumber powder.  Spearmint is for tea and both of them are for Tzatziki Sauce this winter.  It is the first year to make cucumber powder, and I am researching the uses for it.  It sounds like it would be great in sauces, dips, and other recipes.  I had a few cucumbers getting too soft to make a salad, and didn't want to waste them (although I am sure the chickens would have loved them).  I do have a better plan to keep the cucumbers "fresh" after picking them.

The weather is heating back, so any dehydrating is on hold now.

I used some of our regular beefsteak type tomatoes to make fresh salsa.  I just throw it all in my food processor.  Our jalapenos are hot this year.  Woooweee! 

I have a few more bell peppers to take care of, but we found our newest, favorite breakfast. 

 I stuffed them for breakfast with some sage sausage, egg/cheese mixture with spinach.  The one in the middle spilled out, but you can't get "perfect" bell peppers when they are homegrown ha ha!  These were so dang good!  I used a recipe online from The Recipe Rebel, and just used the sausage vs. ham.

Has anyone frozen halves of bell peppers to make these over winter?  If we get more bell peppers in the garden, I may try freezing some in halves, just to try this breakfast.  I'm just wondering if they will be too soft after freezing.  Anyway, that is a quick catch up on what's going on here.

I found a quick pattern, to use up leftover cotton yarn balls, and I have a small container (one of the kids hand crafted me and gifted me one Christmas), in my kitchen now.  It's holding the leftover yarn, so I have a special place to work on them while watching the sauce reduce or canning. 

They are cup coasters, and after making 2 with the leftover balls of yarn, I had enough yarn to make one facial scrubbie, and still had a small bit of yarn leftover.  These are balls of yarn leftover from knitting dishcloths.  I do love the edging.  I now have learned a new stitch believe or not.  I'll get a better photo to share.  I plan to sell them all at the last, and only fall craft show this year (which I still have to locate and sign up).

I thought I took a photo, but will be back with that, as I am wondering what to do with the last small bit of yarn leftover.  I may call the local school and ask the art teacher if they could use it.

I am still putting up paste tomatoes, and may be doing it all next week. I am devoting Saturday to a day off from them, as we need to get the chicken coop worked on.  It seems that everything was put on hold, because of tomatoes.  I'm too tired at the end of the day, and I am my husband's only help.  If I am not available, it's not getting worked on.

We got a hot minute of porch time last night.  We grilled burgers and topped them with home canned pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, and grilled corn on the cob.  The weather was oddly chilly.  The Labor Day weekend will be hot, with temps up in the upper 90's.  I'm glad I did not turn the AC off.