Pumpkins, Carrots and A Horse

While I was out taking laundry down, I thought I better double check the garden.  It's been raining here and everything is a soggy mess.

I pulled on my mucking boots, and slushed out to the back squash garden.  I found a few more pumpkins, and believe it or not, 3 carrots.  I thought for sure I pulled all of them.

I washed off those tasty carrots and blessed Peanut (our goat in milk) a treat.  She gobbled them down.  The younger goats are not interested in that type of food just yet, but our goat in milk, and our billy goat, love veggies.

I roasted several of the pie pumpkins, pureed them and they have blessed the freezer "pantry" now.  I can take out what I need for future baking.

Tiger, came right out to the kitchen when I sliced the first pumpkin.  I think he can smell squash a mile away.  We gave him the nickname "squash boy."  He looooves veggies, especially squash.  He's nibbling on some pumpkin in the photo.

The freezer was blessed with 12 1/2 cups of pureed pumpkin.  I appreciate my pumpkin a lot more now.  It's now easy cutting all of them, cutting out the seeds, roasting, skinning and then making puree.  It took all morning, and in between the roasting time, I was able to do a bit of bathroom cleaning.  Phew!  Now if I can just get my writing done.

The pantry was also blessed with a 1/2 pint jar full of dried rosemary, and about 1/4 cup of dried oregano.  With all this rain, I was able to cut several more stalks of rosemary to dry.  I may even cut some more thyme and oregano today.

Now for the horse part of the post.  Last night my daughter went to the stable.  She arrived right when her horse was having a "small episode of colic" and I had no clue what it was.  Later I found out, and it's a very bad thing to happen to a horse, considering they can not throw up.  Ugh. We found out the stable has sand, and sand can't be digested.  

Luckily, with my daughter's timing, and some medication, the horse is okay.  Phew!  There are so many things I have yet to learn.

Because.....

. . . an unexpected baking/cooking day.

Because I had a 1/2 jar of canned sweet pickle relish that needed to be eaten. . .

I used it to make a pasta salad.  I found veggie spirals on sale for $1.00 a bag.

Because I had pear butter that needed eaten . . .

I used a portion of it, cutting the oil in half, to make 2 loaves of Pumpkin bread.


Because I had 3 quarts of goat's milk . . .

I made another crock pot full of cooked steel cut oats.  The kids eat this for after school snacks now.

Because I still have more of that fresh goat's milk, fresh green peppers producing in the garden, and a few last carrots . . .

I made a double batch of Confetti Corn Muffins. Yum!

Because I had extra cranberries in my freezer . . .

I made a big pot of hot cranberry punch.  The kids will be excited to see it when they get home today.  It's raining and cold and miserable here today.  It will perk them up and put a little sunshine in their day.  I like to stock up on fresh cranberries when they get marked down at the end of each season.  I put them in the freezer and use them for punch and baking.

Because it's raining. . .

The towels are getting dried inside on drying racks.

and......because our camping trip was an affordable $18.00/night, we may take the girls canoeing/camping one more time this year.  The older kids can drive out and meet up with us for canoeing.  Because Pampered Chef sells the thickest hot pad mitts I know of, I am passing mine onto the camping tote for my hubby.  He burned his fingers with the hot pads (cheap, old, and store bought) ones that were already in my camping tote.  I will put some of my own crocheted ones in my kitchen to replace them (or save up to buy new mitts, he he!).


All this, just because.

One more "because"

Because it was only $1.00, I bought this book and absolutely love reading the real stories of real people.

Got Books?