Colder Weather (again) ~ 43 degrees! What?!

 I have yet to remedy the websites using my blog for whatever they are using it for.  The views cut down by about 200, but considering I posted a very, very short post yesterday, it's still getting 300 views from advertiser businesses and other businesses.  All to read about how they are using my blog too.

It is very annoying to be honest.  I have not had a lot of time to work on putting a stop to it, but I did look into a few of the sites to "opt" out and there were no options to remove my blog.  Not sure what to do next.  If I do remedy the situation, I will remove the page breaks on my posts.

The majority of viewers are from Hong Kong and Singapore (huh?).  Like it's been suggested, AI may be the reason, and one we cannot avoid, as Blogger has very little privacy options.

Experimental Healthier Zucchini Bread ~ Garden

 Along with an experimental baking, this is my experimental post to see how things go too.  Thank you for all of your advice on the blog issues.  

This and That

 

Two weeks ago we had another heat wave, bringing temperatures up to 104 degrees.  It was very, very humid too.  Following that, we got 5 days of rain.  Good for the garden.  Bad for the weed problems.  We just go with "the flow" of things and do the best we can.

Humidity has been about 100% lately.  The thickness in the air almost takes your breath away.  Too hot and humid for anything outdoors.

Harvested our very first zucchini July 23rd, and our very first yellow squash July 24th (a late harvest year).  They both went into breakfast, and my husband was delighted with his go-to breakfast - Eggs from the ladies, roasted squash with onion and herbs from the herb garden, and smoked bacon from an area butcher store (a breakfast win from the freezer).  So good!

I am making a meat re-stock list of course, but the meals created by randomly picking freezer items has been fun and successful.  I did, however (gulp), find a few bags of frozen green beans from 2023 stuffed into the back of one shelf.  We had a bumper crop that year.

Harvested our first handful of cherry tomatoes July 25th.  I think we may have a chipmunk eating the very low tomatoes.  It could easily get into the fence, so we (gulp) purchased some rodent netting and wrapped the lower fencing for now.  Protecting the garden is becoming expensive.

First basketful harvest of the season and we are almost at the very end of July.  What a strange garden year.  It's almost August.

New to the garden this year - Cocozelle Zucchini.  

No new book blanket granny squares, and no books finished for that matter.  I, however, started another baby blanket.  The last if this particular yarn.  I am behind on the book blanket, and have not started any lap afghans to donate just yet.  The goal is to just get this baby blanket done first.

Everything seems to be running out at the same time as the end of July approaches.  I'll be making several re-stock items that I have found to be my/our favorites.  I am out of witch hazel, and now I am on the hunt to find some sold in stores. 

In the meantime, I have a growing list of to-do's pertaining to the garden, re-stocking freezer foods (thankfully blueberries are done for this season), and the like.  Dehydrating herbs continues as well. 

Have you ever heard of boiling corn on the cob with milk and butter in a large pot?  I'm just learning this, but with just us two, I have not tried it.  Apparently, it creates a very sweet corn, and as you lift the cob from the pot, it butters itself with the butter added to the pot.  

This and That   ©  July 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Homemade Diced Chili Peppers (Anaheim Peppers)

 Yes, you can buy cans of chili peppers for about $.70 and up, but there is nothing better than homemade diced chili peppers.  A small 4 oz. can of organic diced chili peppers are costing about $2.19 a can in our area now.

I have had this on my "try it" list since last garden season, and had intentions of canning them.  I am "on the fence" with canning them for now.  I'll explain.

How I made our chili peppers - picked larger fresh Anaheim peppers from the garden.  Washed them, dried them, cut off stems, sliced them in half lengthwise, and cleaned out the ribs and seeds.

I placed them all cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking dish, and roasted them in a pre-heated oven at 450°F.  I, however, decided to reduce the heat to 400 before placing the baking sheet in the oven.  I roasted my peppers for about 20 minutes, until the skins were bubbly (watch them so they do not burn).  These smelled fantastic right out of the oven!

I removed them from the parchment paper, and put them into a bowl, covering them with a towel. I let them cool for about 20-30 minutes.  I then removed the skins from the roasted peppers.

I simply diced those peppers and added salt to taste.  This particular batch made enough chili peppers for homemade chicken quesadillas, but you could put them in the fridge and use later.  I have yet to experiment with freezing them, but this batch was about equivalent to a 7 oz. can you buy in the store.  It takes a lot of peppers, so if I want to can them, it would take way more Anaheim peppers than we planted this year.  

Overall, it was a new garden-to-table accomplishment, that was a new one for this year.  I will be planting more Anaheim peppers next year.  They are high in vitamin C (from my research), and many other nutrients.

What's new in your garden this year?

Homemade Diced Chili Peppers (Anaheim Peppers)  ©  July 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Good Vibes ~ Al Fresco

I have had one run-in with a baby deer this garden season.  I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or him/her.  Off it ran and no damage to the garden.  I do think we may have another ground hog, but have not seen it for a while.  A bug of some sort is having a feast on my garden kale, so once we catch up on the weeds and such, I'll sprinkle some flour with pepper mixed into it (husband's trick).

It's a bit disconcerting to not have much to harvest yet, and hear the sound of locusts announcing fall is around the corner.  The rain is coming down almost every other day or every day, so the weeds are winning I think.  The bonus win is not having to drag 200+feet of garden hose out to water stuff.

Our first Anaheim peppers from the garden.  They are huge as they should be.  However, it's not enough to process, so they are in the crisper drawer to use for current meals.  Or I have plan B too.

The cherry type (heirloom) tomatoes are finally on and turning.  Other tomatoes are on, but nothing not even close to harvesting yet.  We now have some hot peppers on the plants.  There are a few hot banana peppers about ready to pick too (the need is to have them all ready at the same time).

I harvested some Swiss Chard for one dinner too.  The garden is providing.

Garlic was finally dug up, but we had to wait for a dry day to get into the garden.  The garden was actually still pretty wet the day I dug it all up.

I had some chives that spread into my thyme plants, in the herb garden.  I dug those out, but later spotted one more smaller start.  I will get that dug out and into a small pot for now.  Most likely I'll give them to friends or donate to a local person who gives plants away (we have a few people who have bring one, take one plant tables).

It's not really a good week (ha, there never is) to pick up 10# of blueberries (from a nearby state), but I did.  I am pretty sure we'll use them all too.  I love to use frozen blueberries for summer lunch time smoothies, and especially after a long hot day of garden work.

I've been challenging myself to continue to meal prep from the freezer first, then add pantry and garden goodies.

It's sort of been fun, by picking random items and looking up recipes.  Rotation underway . . . preparing any room for garden additions to the freezer.

Good vibes from the herb garden.  Green onion, parsley and basil to add to a cold salad.

Edamame salad - corn and edamame from the freezer (new recipe tried as a result of random freezer rotation).  It utilized the freezer and garden, but it did not give us the "wow" response.  Good, but not great either.  Healthy?  Yes.  I thought the flavor overall was much better after it sat in the fridge overnight too.

A sweet potato breakfast casserole - sausage and bell peppers from the freezer.  Delicious.  I would prep more breakfast meats for this, for easier and quicker baking. I will also be trying this with garden kale.

Stuffed garden bell peppers from the freezer for dinner. 

What's was next?  I randomly pulled some sweet Italian sausage links.  I am sure I had a plan for them, but cannot remember what for.  I did a very simple crock pot meal with potatoes on the bottom, layered the sausage links, topped it with frozen garden green beans from last year, and whipped up my own homemade Italian dressing and poured it over. The sausages fell apart, and it was fantastic.  Two more freezer items used.  Dinner al fresco - weather was fantastic.

It should be fun putting something together for the next dinner.  

Other news . . .

We (by "we" I mean my husband) are starting to clean the gutters out.  I have been after him for weeks, and almost got the ladder out to do some myself (but got scolded).  

We have come up with a plan for the rose bed, but it's on the back burner until we get caught up with the vegetable garden weeds.  It's back on the "list" but so is the chicken coop (story of my life).

The weather was an absolute gorgeous 70's (wish I was camping, but sometimes we have to shuffle life's responsibilities) and cool day early in the week, but the heat is said to return.  Early mornings have been slightly under 60°F, and foggy.  It has helped me get more done in the garden.

Lastly, some good advice from a book I recently finished.

Good Vibes ~ Al Fresco  ©  July 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Whirlwind

 Like most garden summers, it's been a whirlwind of activity.  Weeding is hit or miss with the recent downpours and storms here lately.  I can't complain for not having to water anything.  Somehow, in between storms, the mowing and trimming got done.

(leaves are bigger than my hand this year- woohoo to a great crop)

The Red Russian Kale I planted, did very well this year.  I harvested a pretty good lot already.  The kale we grow has a less bitter taste, and more favorable for fresh salads or topping a sandwich.  The frozen kale will be used for smoothies, soups, stews, casseroles, breakfast casseroles and anything I can add greens to add more nutrition.

However, pint freezer bags are very hard to find in our area.  Just a few places sell them.  One year, I was lucky to snag a "bulk" box of them at a nearby Menards (not available this year).

I am still getting a few more radishes, and the Swiss chard is doing great this year.  Everything else in the garden is about 2 weeks or more behind compared to last year.

I got my refund on the stainless steel tomato strainer.  I have not had any thoughts on new resources.

I mended a few pairs of pants, and ran necessary errands, and booked appointments with a new optometrist (based on recommendations).  Our current optometrist wants 6 month visits for contacts and will only write 1 year on prescriptions for glasses (my husband's work will reimburse every 2 years, like most prescriptions for glasses are generally written).  Our family physician retired, so we are having to find a new one there too.  Appointments for "new" patients have a long waitlist too. 

I exchanged 3 books for one (not a bad deal on reducing my bookshelf).  

I went to a local area Dollar Tree for some scrub brushes, and while I was there, I thought I would pick up some more tin pans for the chicken's treats.  The store raised the prices on the tin pans to $1.75 now.  I'll be buying inexpensive bowls and just washing them out over summer instead.  Besides, the ladies tend to smash up the tin after about 3 or 4 treat days.

Meanwhile. . .

Someone is going to all of the free little libraries in one nearby town, and taking out all of the books (or most of them), and replacing them with a bunch of Bibles.  I don't care what belief you have, but seriously???  It always takes one person to ruin a community project that is fun and free.  There has been a volunteer to check those free libraries now.  I have donated more books to those little libraries than to other places lately.

On a side note about little libraries . . .I found an out reach program that puts books, journals, pens, bookmarks etc inside the little libraries every once in a while at part of "service day" with their churches.  Guess who found some bookmarks in a box of misc. stuff?  Yep.  I'll be going thru all of my crafted items leftover, and sending those bookmarks into their new homes soon.  I may even have a few unfinished crocheted bookmarks too.  It's on my charity list, as well as getting back to crocheting more lap afghans this next fall.

Rain is back again this week, but the mornings are in the low 70's, making outdoor work much more comfortable.

I'm on the lookout for seeds to plant yellow cone flowers in the flower beds next year.  The type that grows 3-5 feet.  We used to have them growing here, and we do miss them.

I tried a new pumpkin pancake recipe and loved it.  It used organic Greek yogurt, pumpkin from the freezer (last year's garden), a very small bit of flour (I swapped it for Einkorn flour), and we loved them.  It was a small batch recipe too, which is a win-win for us. Oh, it used some old fashioned oats too in the recipe.

Until next time. . .

Whirlwind  ©  July 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

I hope your July 4th was an enjoyable holiday.  We spent it by ourselves.   One weekend night we were able to watch fireworks from our front porch at night, and there were about 5-6 different towns or people setting them off (one was spectacular).  

The break in rain finally gave us (I mean "me") a chance to weed the garden, re-tie up the tomatoes (they grew another foot), hill potatoes, harvest some Red Russian Kale and more radishes.  Boy it's still hot here. Sunday it was 94°F with a heat index of (feels like) 97°F (not as hot as it has been).

My homemade bug spray is working great other than it does not work to deter the teeny tiny gnat type bugs flying around.  They seem to be attracted to the body sweat while working in the hot sun (so annoying).

There is not enough work being done in the gardens, in one day, due to the heat, the humidity, the rain, or a combination of these issues.

Overwhelmed.  Frustrated.  Those are few words to describe the current season here (everyone in the area with any type of garden is dealing with it).  I get negative feedback from my full-time working husband, who thinks the garden should be spic-n-span weed free on a constant basis.  In this heat, a person has to be smart, and just show up when you can.

Despite being haggled about what's not getting done (cut me some slack please), I have harvested more kale and radishes, and hopefully more soon.

In the meantime, the rabbits have dug under the garden fence (rabbit dinner?  Get a dog?  Maybe 4? And a donkey?).  On a good note, we have not seen one ground hog in the last few weeks.  Or a deer for that matter.

It's definitely been a week of weeding, and more to do.  I am tired.

The suggestion to plant rosemary and borage in the squash plants, has been questionable.  One day I saw squash bugs, and then weeded out the borage and rosemary plants.  The next day I saw zero.  Not sure if the plants aroma could spread easier after being unburied in the weeds or not.  Time will tell as I check daily.

I also planted collards next to the thyme and green onions (again to deter the bugs).  Something ate it to the ground.  No collards this year.

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Will link up when she posts.

The weather . . . 

Hot. Rain is back after a week of drying up.  Possibly rain every other day or so this week.  Say a prayer for my sanity vs. weeds (ha ha!).

As I look outside my window . . .

Sun is coming up and the rain is giving us a break.

Right now I am . . .

Writing this post of course.

Something fun to share . . .

I have zero today.

Thinking and pondering. . . 

What crazy person thought it would be a great idea to plant a garden this year????

On my bedside table . . .

I have no idea.  I'm too lazy (tired) to go look.

On my reading pile . . .

Finally off my "bucket" list (I don't really have one).  Another "first" this year - read a real, paper copy of the New York Times.   I won't be subscribing to it, ha ha!  I can read the digital copies for free with my library (for the recipes only).

I forgot to take a photo of my current book, but if you scroll down to the "what are you creating" prompt, you'll see all the latest books I have finished, and matching book blanket granny squares (yes, I'm behind in attaching some, but caught up with making them).

On my TV . . .

Literally, whatever looks interesting.  We liked Miracles from Heaven (movie on Netflix).

Listening to . . .

Nothing.  Hum of the white noise around here.  Some days the radio if I am actually cooking after a long garden day. Depends on where I am and what I'm/we are doing.

On the menu this week . . . 

-ice cream cones? ha ha ha!

-have no idea, we do have more stuffed bell peppers in the freezer however

On my to do list . . .

-garden work 

-anything after that is pure chance (literally), you know like overdue errands, housework, food preserving, making hand lotion and so forth.

-dehydrate more oregano when the rain stops again

-start oregano infused oil (by the way this is fantastic for cooking anything you love oregano in, not just medicinal).

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting, or creating . . .

ebook

. . .from the box of 18 something Christmas books I bought early in the year at an antique store (gulp!).

My first "blind" date with a book from a coffee store/bookshop.

Bought this several years ago at a flea market in Amish country.  Put it on a shelf and forgot I had it until last winter.  I loved this book, and looked forward to reading one every morning.

Most recent books finished with a matching granny square for my crocheted "book" blanket this year.  Matched the yarn the best I could, and with all yarn from my stash (it was the point to use up small balls in the stash).

I'm still crocheting the pink and white baby blanket (slow going).

My simple pleasure . . .

Lately?  Reading a book. Writing my blog.  Simply resting, ha ha!

Looking around the house . . .

Well, it's as it should look, when the garden work calls.

From the camera . . .

New current blooms (Rose of Sharon), and one about to bloom (forgot what it's called). I think the blue one may be called balloon flowers.  Our bluebells that I dug up and moved from our last home, lived about 16 years, then died off (never found them again).

Bible Verse, Prayer, Devotional . . .

"God, bring me friends who love You so we can encourage one another!  In Jesus's name.  Amen." (from 180 Devotions for Your Best Day)

Happy Homemaker Monday ©  July 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

What's blooming? Foraging ~ New Gadget

 A few snippets from the flower beds.  It's not everything, but some beauties right now.  I took these on my phone, so the photos are not that great.  I have yet to replace my actual camera (soon I hope).

One of our regular's from the herb garden - two types of sage.

We have  had this one for over 20-some years, and moved it twice.  Love it!  It already bloomed this season.

Added this sage about three years ago.  I believe it is called Greek Sage.  We love sage in homemade breakfast sausage, teas, medicinal teas, and tincture.  Sage tea (as well as ginger tea), is great for a sore throat.

The heat index was not as bad yesterday, as the day before, but we did get up to 96°F.  All  of the seeds, that I replanted in the vegetable garden, are sprouting but a scant few.  It will be hot again today, and then possible rain moving back in (we need it too).

I found a wild growing mullein plant growing in the yard, so I dug it  up and moved it.  It's bad timing the heat, but I took a chance. It was growing where we mow.

Oregano is definitely the "star" of the herb garden this year, but I do have new plans to try with lemon balm, and if we get more chickweed in the fall.

First picking this season - wild black raspberries and mulberries.  Not enough to make a jam, but enough to enjoy or use in an oat breakfast bake.

There is a lot more going on in the summer months, and I tend to let my coffee go cold.  I was out looking for canning labels, and found these wide mouth screw on lids.  I bought them for salad dressings, but found another use for one.  Cold coffee.  Not to waste that brewed coffee, it works great.

By the way, after 4 stores I finally found the dissolvable labels for canning.  I could not find a shelf label for them.  The 60 count box is now $6.47!!!   I could not believe it!  Even more expensive on Amazon.  Although they make storing so much  easier, I'll be using a sharpie marker on the lids when our current supply runs out.  The labels would be great for when one is gifting a canned item, or labeling tinctures, oils, vinegars (when using a lid that cannot be written on).

What's blooming?  Foraging ~ New Gadget  ©  June 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

The Garden, Weather and Sun

Sunrises have been murky with smoke this summer.  Definitely not as beautiful as last year.  It has taken a toll on our eyes here at the homestead, not to mention throats.  Like I say, "I have a tea for that."

The garden is growing, thanks to more rain here, as well as somewhat warm days.  There is a bad storm forecasted later today.  Just about everything is coming up now, and I may even plant a few more borage seeds.  My feverfew seeds are not sprouting very well, and I am concerned there will be no harvest.  I will look into other seed sources just in case.

The seeds that sprouted the quickest were the mashed potato squash seeds I saved from last year's garden (originally from Territorial Seeds).  There is one new winter squash, that was planted, that has not sprouted anything yet (and I bought a very small amount to try).  

I will be doing a lot more seed saving, but not from anything I grew from High Mowing Seeds.  Last year, and this year, I've had to replant most of any seeds we bought from there.  We had a bad garden year last year, so not many seeds could be saved.  I have also learned to save enough seeds for two garden years.  You never know when you might need to re-plant something (for any reason, including weather).

With that said about the quality of High Mowing seeds, we are looking into a new resource to buy new seeds next garden season for a few garden goodies, like green beans/wax beans, zucchini and yellow squash.  Also, marketmore 76 cucumbers, and maybe pickling cucumbers.

Garden is being hand hoed for now.  The tomato patch looks better than I thought it would by now.  As presumed, a few smallish tomato plants did not make it.  If I read it correctly, you can burn up to 200-400+ calories an hour hand hoeing an hour.  I am pretty sure I burned up some calories this week.  A lot of calories.  

Planted. . .

-Sorrel (not sure the seeds will sprout this late)

Harvested . . .

-oregano

-more garlic scapes

-chickweed

-more wood sorrel if the dehydrator is done early today

We are done trying to grow blueberries at the homestead.  We planted two in very large pots (last year, and we got blueberries) due to the lime stone in our ground.  Both have died this year sadly.  We will yank the plants and re-purpose the pots, but not until next spring.  It's too late to be planting annual flowers (many greenhouses close after planting season here).

AC is not on yet.  Not really a big deal yet, but we could hit the 90's in 3 or 4 days.  Our electric bill is $97, but normally this time of year going from heat off and air on, is around $50 (doubled in cost now).

Not much reading is happening, but that is hand in hand with gardening.  It was way too humid outside to read on the porch in the evening.  Handiwork has been very minimal.  I'm just too exhausted by evening to pick up a hook or needle.

We are still enjoying meals from our efforts to store up last year's garden (and a few produce purchases).

Green bean and ground beef baked casserole with last year's garden green/wax beans, some frozen jalapenos, jalapeno salt, garlic and some powdered green bell pepper (this is made with a bit of milk and cream cheese, and so good).

The last of the corn we froze on the cob last year (produce stand purchase).  We have planted sweet corn this year in the garden.  Most have sprouted.  The only thing that will be in issue is raccoons.  They can climb fences.  I have planted some squash in the corn to deter the critters, but not one has sprouted in there either (at this point anyway).  I do have noise makers, but crossing our fingers the buggers find food elsewhere.  

The Garden, Weather, and Sun  ©  June 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart