Last night, it dropped to 19 degrees. Holy cow, and it’s not Halloween yet! It is supposed to warm up again later this week, but I’ll be gone, again taking our friend, Tom, down to the Mayo Clinic. Please keep him in your prayers for healing. After two inches of wet snow and cold, we doubled down on processing melons (which don’t keep long!) for seed, as well as working on more beans and squash. We just had to eat some of those melons as we took out their seeds. (Yep, I made a real pig of myself!) But those melons are SOoooo good! I gobbled down Oka muskmelons as well as Bozeman and Early Polish, trying to figure which were my favorites. How about all of them? And I haven’t even started on our Leelanau Sweetglo yet. Gee life is so tough.
Yesterday, I shelled out some beautiful Navajo Robin’s Egg Blue flour corn. It is a later season corn, which must be started inside, here in the northland. But boy was it worth it! This corn is just so beautiful (and tasty as cornmeal too), besides being extremely rare. We’ll grow it forever, even if it does take more work. The blue kernels are speckled with white and darker blue, making it very unusual. Besides doing that, I worked nearly all day, hand shelling out a crate of Six Nation Iroquois dry beans. These, too, are quite rare. We grew them for the first time this year and found them quite early to dry down and hugely productive. Out of two 40-foot rows, we harvested three crates of dry bean pods. Grown by the Iroquois Nation, who really knows their tasty beans, now they’ve moved to Ojibwe country! We can’t save the world, but we can plant more beans.
— Jackie
We just got our first decent cold snap. Lows in low 50s. really enjoying it after summer heat. It won’t last long, though. Butternut squash is about ready to harvest. Counted 14, but probably missed some. Lots of Seminole pumpkins, too, but they are still green. Sweet potatoes are everywhere, but still a month out. No idea how I’ll store all of them, as it’s too warm for proper root cellar temps. Just now getting green beans. Still planting everything else.
I can sure tell you don’t live in Minnesota! :)
We hit 26 so not quite as cold. Going to get up into the 70s this weekend but night temps the next week won’t hit freezing.
I’m surprised you don’t have bean pods all over the house. Newbie #2 finds all things to be toys and thank your lucky stars she and Buffy aren’t together. I never know what I’m going to find that she’s found lol.
I have not doubt the Navajo Robin’s Egg Blue cornmeal is quite tasty. While GMO is edible, it just lacks the flavor of heirloom, not matter what one is growing.
Heads up on RSV and Delilah – I remember a bad breakout back in the early 90s, thankfully my kiddos didn’t get it.
But we DO have bean pods all over the house. Our cats both think they’re so much better than cat toys from the store. The beans that hit the floor are also favorites of theirs.
Is Tom the guy that helped you build the log home?
Prayers for what is ailing him, and glad you can help him out these days.
Had a couple nights of high 20’s here in mid-Iowa, and with Indian summer coming in a few days, the last of the tilling of garden, planting garlic and digging up horseradish can be done in short sleeves. Our entire state is in some form of drought; the dust flies from the tiller!
Should plum pits be in pots for a year or so, to get a good start? If so, pots outdoors or in cool garage?
Always enjoy your blogs, thanks for being so informative.
Yes, Tom’s the carpenter who helped build the house while I was undergoing surgery, chemo and radiation. I owe him a whole lot!! So I’m happy to help in any way I can. Plum pits should be planted in the ground this fall as nature intended. Or you can put them in damp sphagnum moss, in a plastic bag, in the fridge until they sprout, then pot them up until you can plant in the spring.
Thank God that folks like you are saving the ancient things our children will know nothing about otherwise!! Here in Ohio had lack-luster crop of green beans but beautiful show of the “naked pumpkins”. Suddenly dead…caught powdery mildew from other plots in the community garden. So sad.
Aww, that’s awful. Better luck next year. We seem to always have challenges.
Are those beans in the mix of dry beans you have? I have been shelling some of my dry beans and I think some look like that?
It’s been cold here too, but somehow I’ve gotten my peppers to survive! I just keep praying they’ll make it through to the weekend when it’s warm so I can harvest the last of my beautiful peppers.
Are you going to have Marvel of Venice seeds next year? Those are my absolute favorite beans I’ve ever had!
The Six Nation Iroquois weren’t in the 2022 Bush Bean Party Mix but I’m adding them to the new Mix. Good luck with your peppers. I sure know how that is!
Yes, we’ll have Marvel of Venice beans as they’re so very nice!!
Like I said earlier, keep the snow over there! It hit 70 degrees today!
We’ve got 66 today so what crazy weather!!!
Reading your blog is like getting a letter from a friend. Like getting excited because you found a letter in the mailbox. I often pray for you, your family, and, of course, whoever you mention. I don’t wait because I will forget. A lot of prople are too busy to pray. I’m glad I’m older and have time. I think the Lord thinks it is very important. Sure like your pictures. How close are David/Elizabeth to moving into there log cabin?
Heck, I pray while driving to town as it’s the only free time I have. Before bed, I’m lucky if I even make sense! They’re working like mad now but there’s still a lot of finish work to do before they can live in it. Like putting in the toilet and water lines, not to mention taping and mudding the sheetrock.
Those beans remind me of the anasasi beans, do they taste like anasasi?
They are sweet and rich beany flavored. That’s why they’ve survived so long!
Those beans and corn are really pretty!! I imagine they taste good too.
So what are the beavers saying about our strange weather?
So far, they’re indicating a relatively mild winter. We’re still waiting to see if it changes, as indicated by how much brush they stick in the mud to eat over winter. So far, it’s just a relatively small patch.
Blessings to Tom as he follows the path to healing. Safe journey.
Your prayers have been heard. He’s seeing a cardiologist who has pioneered a new method of repairing a previously un-repairable heart. Before, he was told he needed a transplant but now he’s scheduled for that minimally invasive procedure for the repairs, and he’ll be able to go home in a day! That’s such great news!!!
Here in the Copper Basin Alaska we had 17 inches of snow the end of last week followed by 3 degrees followed by a thaw over the weekend with 1/4 inch ice and 2 inches of sleet and hail before it got to 40 yesterday. Last night it hit 29 and everything that wasn’t shoveled or plowed yesterday is frozen down. Oh well at least we don’t have to go to the woods which have numerous ice broken trees because we have 11 cords of wood in the shed! Time to think about buying onion plants (they will ship them in May) and bulk seeds?
Do you garden? Man, such a short grow season. Would you consider growing in a high tunnel? It’s still in the 90s, here in far north California. I’m still canning cucumbers (pickles) and bell peppers still producing a lot, even though my fall garden is up and growing.
I have two 12 x 24 hoop houses and a 12 x 24 green house. I usually move tomato’s and peppers into the green house by May 10 which I can heat with a wood stove and get some sleep using a tank top propane heater. It depends on the year when I can get on the outside ground but we have nearly 24 hours light in June and July. I had my 560 feet of potato’s in by first week in June with a good yield in the cellar by September 20! I do green beans and squash in the same hoop house so I cam put a tank top propane heater in if frost threatens. Early cole crops in hoop hose and early carrots. Peas and beets, late carrots and cole outside.
Boy, that’s getting hammered early on!! I’m glad you have that wood in the shed. Will’s working like mad to get our shed packed full, as usual.
Are you going to offer the Navajo Blue Corn in Seed Treasures? I typically don’t grow corn not because I don’t like it. I love sweet corn but it doesn’t like me too well. I can however use cornmeal so growing flour corn might be a good thing to do.
Yes, we’ll be having Navajo Robin’s Egg Blue listed soon. We LOVE our traditional cornmeals. There’s so much more flavor than store-bought and a whole lot more nutrition, too.
Here in mid Missouri we got down to 21 last night. Today is in the low 40s. By the weekend it is supposed to be up to 80 degrees. That is Missouri weather for you.
Have you tried freezing melon puree? I’m sure it would be used for a lot of different things
Beautiful corn and beans! We had snow 10/17 which didn’t stay. That’s the earliest I’ve seen snow in southern Wisconsin. Time to finish garden clean up and soon the wood stove to start. How do like to cook up the beans? Prayers for your friend Tom.
Our snow went, thank God. Now it’s warm and we’re working like mad, trying to get caught up. I love beans just about any way, from refried to baked. Thanks for your prayers. He’s much more optimistic about his coming surgery now.
Those are beautiful beans! I love the blue colors of the Navajo Robin’s Egg Blue Corn!!
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