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Oregon Sugar Pod Peas

June 25th, 2010

This year I’m also growing ‘Oregon Sugar Pod II’ peas. I really like sugar pods, I always feel like they’re so much more productive than regular garden peas since you can eat the pods. I have some vines growing in pots, so we’ve been enjoying a few from the garden every week. I’ve grown a few different varieties of sugar snap peas and I think this variety is my favorite, they’re tender no matter how big you pick them and not even a hint of bitterness can be tasted.

I must remember to plant more next spring, since we like them so much. They’re so delicious lightly steamed with olive oil and salt & pepper. Every now and then we also drizzle them with balsamic or tamari. If I had to pick between these kind and podding peas, I’d have to pick podding peas. I do love them both, but there’s just something about having peas in beef and chicken stew.

Which kind of peas do you prefer, sugar pod or garden peas?

Peas in a Pod

June 24th, 2010

This year I planted a lot of peas in hopes of having lots in my freezer for winter stews. The groundhogs obliterated the patch here in my garden, but I still had some that I planted at my mom’s house. They started producing peas a week or two ago.

Last Thurs I picked all the ripe ones and ended up getting 6 cups of peas for the freezer. Peas are one of those vegetables that are deceptive, you pick and pick and end up with a big bowl of pods. Then you shell them and have a measly amount when you’re done, they’re so good though it’s worth all the work. I planted ‘Wando’ and ‘Alaska’ Peas, but because of the groundhogs I’m only harvesting ‘Wando’ peas.

Until this year, I’ve never had enough peas in the garden to freeze them. Thanks to my mom letting me grow stuff in her garden, I’ll have a few peas tucked away in the freezer for winter. I can’t wait to make a delicious venison stew this winter with Mr Chiot’s venison and homegrown peas.

Do grow peas in your garden?

Lucy is Loved

June 23rd, 2010

Lucy, the namesake of the gardens, is quite a loved chiots. Her cousins (our nieces & nephew) think she’s the greatest dog in the world. They love it when we take her to grandma & grandpa’s (my parents) for a family get together.

The kids have always had Lucy around, Hannah, our oldest niece was just a baby when we got Lucy. They’re almost the same age.



When Lucy got injured, she wasn’t able to visit the kids very much and she still doesn’t go with us every time we visit like she used to. They miss her and she misses them. Every time I talk to one of the kids they ask about Lucy and how she’s doing. Last week when we were at my parents our niece Heidi gave me this note to give to Lucy. How sweet is this? We hung it on the fridge at Lucy’s level so she could see it.


Lucy is a great dog around kids, gentle and fun. She lets them dress her up and she has a great time playing with them. How fun it must be to grow up with a dog like Lucy!

I have fond memories of all of our pets growing up, and I’m sure the kids will always have fond memories of Lucy.

Do you have any fond memories of specific family pets?

The First Canning of the Year

June 22nd, 2010

Yesterday morning I pulled out the canning jars and starting stocking my pantry for this coming winter. I canned half of my maraschino cherries, today I’ll be canning the rest. It’s a great feeling to start stocking the pantry again for winter. I like the comfort of seeing all the jars lined up on the shelves in the basement, things were looking a bit sparse down there.

I followed this recipe for half the cherries and this recipe for the other half. I also made one quart with sour cherries instead of sweet cherries. I thought it was interesting that the cherries were brined with salt water for a day before canning, much like many of the pickles I make.

I ended up making 4 gallons of maraschino cherries because I ran out of time to pit and dry all those cherries I picked last week. I can’t wait to try these dipped in chocolate or perhaps mixed in with some ice cream. Most of the cherries were dried and tucked away in the pantry as well. I didn’t freeze any since I want to keep the freezer space free for other things like black raspberries and peas.

Have you started stocking the pantry for this coming winter? Anything canned up in jars?

Something to Think About

June 21st, 2010

Every now and then I feel like sitting down with a good book, not just any good book, a good classic. My favorite author is John Steinbeck, I have never read a book of his that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. He has such a wonderful way of writing that is perfectly descriptive, yet not too wordy. I like that his stories are true to life, not always ending happily and not every story works out neatly in the end. They are at times very harsh, but that’s what I love about them. I love that his endings have a way of making you think.

Yesterday I finally found some time to sit down with a cup of coffee and one of his books I haven’t read before, The Red Pony. I especially love the last last little short story in this book titled: Julias Maltby. It’s a wonderful story that makes you wonder about happiness and cultural norms and whether poverty has anything to do with money. This is why I love his books, they usually give me something great to think about and contemplate while I’m out working in the garden.

I have a few other books from the library on my “to read” pile and I can’t wait to find some time for them.

Who’s your favorite author? Do you love any of the classics?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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