our never-ending bounty

from about july through september, it would be absolutely impossible to go hungry around here. from squash, to zucchini, to corn, to a variety of different peppers, to watermelons, to okra... okay, you get the point, we grow a lot of stuff. in addition to a garden large enough to feed three families for a year, we also have bees. a few weeks ago chris and i spent about seven hours stealing honey from the bees, straining it to remove little pieces of the comb, and then pouring it in jars. in the end, we'd taken off about 130 pounds of honey which translates to several boxes of honey in two closets. and you wanna know a secret? i don't even like honey! it's still neat to know that the honey in our cabinet isn't from the grocery store!

last night chris and i took a walk to the garden to get some green bell peppers to use with dinner and also came home with a lot of tomatoes and a few ears of sweet corn. luckily, i do like what we pick from the garden, so i don't mind smelling like an armpit for that work. most all of the tomatoes are regular and round, but occasionally one will be kind of wonky, or even heart-shaped like this one!

although my summer has been fun, it's also been work. but at least it's yielded some pretty good rewards (with the exception of honey, of course). gardening aside, i've spent my morning sewing, and i'll spend my evening talking about mudbound! that's right, it's book club night again! i was a little nervous about mudbound as it's hillary jordan's first novel, and sometimes firsts aren't the best, but this book was great. i'll say though, if you're considering it, the accuracy with which she portrays racism in 1940's mississippi is kind of disturbaing and upsetting, but it's a part of history, and she does an amazing job of story-telling. have you read any good books lately?

13 comments:

  1. That honey looks delicious. I wish I knew how to do that stuff with the honey. I also think it is awesome you guys grow a lot of stuff. I wish I had nice fertile soil where I live so that I could have a lush green garden. My dad would always grow stuff and I really miss going to the garden and picking fruits and vegetables. I miss picking a nectarine from the tree and eating it right away.

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  2. wow i want to come play in your garden! it sounds so fantastic! do you have chickens too? i want chickens so bad and a little raised garden to grow the veggies i love. some day i know it will all come together <3 i love fresh honey, on some toast..hmmm!
    xo,
    cb

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  3. Mmm that honey would be gone in a flash in this household. You should try it with feta. Sweet and salty for the win!

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  4. that's so fun! I would love to have a garden like that! My grandfather always did. Unfortunately, a 2nd story 1 bedroom apartment only allows for a tiny tomato plant that won't even bloom... maybe my thumb isn't so green!?!? ;-) Love your blog!

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  5. I want a garden with fresh fruits & veggies & bees that produce honey! You're so awesome. Wanna be my friend?

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  6. That honey looks amazing! I wish we had a garden and grew our own food, I'm super jealous and totally in awe of your skills :)

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  7. That honey looks amazing! I wish we had a garden and grew our own food, I'm super jealous and totally in awe of your skills :)

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  8. so jealous of your honey! i want to get bees so badly!!! one day... sounds like you've been busy! yay for gardens!

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  9. I love honey and I love these photos!

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  10. what a great variety of food you grow! The honey looks goooood. We've got tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant in my yard. mmmM!

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  11. I love that you grow your own food! I wish I had a space to do that! One day!
    I just finished reading Stephen King's Misery (kind of terrifying) and have just started Warm Bodies, which is told from a zombies point-of-view. It's kind of hilarious and really interesting.

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  12. That is awesome!!!! how cool is that! I love honey! pb and honey sandwhich's and honey in my coffee! Texas Honey has helped get rid of my allergies! Praise God!
    You are blessed!
    :)
    B

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  13. i'm going to come live in your garden, ok thanks? i'd offer to help with it in exchange but compared to my yield, i think you have the greener thumb!! :) love your heart shaped tomato! are you going to do fall/winter crops?

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I'd love to hear what you think!