UNDER HIS (or her:-) WING

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4

New Peepies

About 3 weeks ago, one our Henny Pennies went broody! At first, she was laying on 9 eggs that she had collected. The next time I checked she had 17, and next time.. 21! Evidently, her girlfriends were helping her out! So we moved Miss Henny Penny to the tractor coop where she could cozy up in a nest box and have some privacy. Yesterday the chicks began hatching. So far....2 brown chickies and a white one. And at last check, a white leghorn was beginning to hatch. Let's just hope that none of them are roosters. My record on roosters isn't too hot. The last batch of chickies were about 50% roosters...UGH!

FOTO FRIDAY- Watermelon Jack

Enjoying the taste of SUMMER!

Cumberland Valley Co-op

Last week we went to a local co-op where the Amish bring their goods for a produce auction. Our mission for the day-CANTALOUPE! Now that we are deep into the summer season, we were able to purchase 2 huge bins for $10.00 each. One bin was for my folks, the other for us. And we of course, shared the bounty with others! Here are just a few of the sights that afternoon I'd like to share with you. (Since I can't share the cantaloupe;)

Notice the little boy hiding on the other side of the bins. He was throwing random pieces of cantaloupe to the ground just to watch them smash.

Notice the steel wheels....I thought this was a cute shot of this little fellow. I think he was trying to put the pin in the hitch.

Horse and buggies waiting for their drivers and a great view of the Cumberland Valley in the distance.

Here come the lopes!

Happy Summer!!!!!!!!!! I hope you're enjoying the tastes of the season..............they won't last long.

Beautiful

Sweet

Corn!!

Freezing sweet corn today!

PRESERVING-Dill Pickles

ith all the extreme heat this summer, my dill has gone CRAZY! However it seems that the dill that seeds itself from the year before is always ready for a cutting before the pickles are ready for pickling, and the dill that I plant is not ready in time. So to fix this problem, I just dry my dill if it cannot be used immediately. Any leftovers can be used the following year. The same is also true for my cayenne peppers. (used in this particular recipe) I just dry them in the dehydrator and use them as I need them. They will keep for a long time if kept in an air tight container.

Check out this HUGE head of dill. It is the same size as the dehydrator.

I use this simple recipe for my pickles. I don't can pickles in the traditional way, but rather jar them, uncooked, and store them in our extra fridge. To date, the jars are piling up and I'm running out room to store them- the one drawback to making these claussen style pickles.

My Favorite Dill Pickle Recipe

4 qts med sized cucumbers

4 c. vinegar

1 c. salt

3 qt water

For each quart:

2 sprays dill

1 clove garlic

1 small hot red pepper

Wash cucumbers and let stand in cold water overnight. Pack cukes in jars. Combine other ing. And bring to boil. Fill jars with brine, and store in a cool dark place.

THE RED POPPY PRINT

Better late than never! I had promised details on my antique store find while junking in Lancaster County....... Here it is!

I know, I know, it doesn't look like much. It's a flour sifter for heavens sake. But for me, it tickled my funny bone. I've recently decided to add to my collection (of 2). So I've been keeping an eye open in search of this poppy print~that I LOVE~ when I'm out junkin'! My love for this print by Hall's Dinnerware, goes back to my childhood. We had a Halls drip jar. We didn't use it for grease drippings though; we used it as a candy dish on our coffee table. Hence, my adoration of the red poppy (and its connection to sweet stuff!)

Isn't it funny how things that take you back to your childhood can be comforting to the soul!

My Red Poppy collection~so far! If you have a piece you'd like to part with, let me know!