Gigi's Blog » Tales of the Mortician's Wife

‘Build houses and live in them;
and plant gardens and eat their produce.‘
Jeremiah 29:5

Bent low, my fingers searched the leafy green bean plant for the fruit of our labour… my young son, only 4, was helping me pick beans that morning.

“Don’t waste any beans – find them all,” I told him, encouragingly.

This year, we are growing Italian beans, bush beans (green and yellow) and scarlet runner beans. It is nice to have such a variety in beans.

Across the garden, several children were picking fat ripe peppers – which were to be cut up and used for salsa and spaghetti sauce, not to mention eating straight from the plant as a midday snack.

One daughter was also collecting seeds from a flower that had past its prime already. Last year, the same young lady saved trays of seeds from her flower collection — thus, expanding her garden section to her own physical garden, shared with her sister. It has been beautiful to see them work together to create their floral display.

We have saved our sunflower seeds from previous years  – why not save other flower seeds? This spring, there was a substantial seed shortage in some areas. It only seems prudent to save as many seeds as we can this year with anticipation of things to come for 2021.

{saving pea seeds}

My thoughts wandered to the previous years in the garden when I would encourage the girls to pick everything that we could eat.

“Pretend it is the Great Depression. We need every bean,” I would often say, as they picked through the bushes.

{bee balm; also called bergamot}

Never would I guess that we would be heading into such a year as 2020 has played out to be. Who would have thought this year would be such an uneasy and shaky season for North America? In fact, just this week, I was warned of a looming  food shortage for the fall and winter months. Is that possible? We surely live in unstable times right now … and I would not be prudent if I did not take extra care and caution to prepare our household for such a possibility. I have all the hundreds of jars I need, the food is growing just outside my door, I have the canning lids (pre-ordered earlier this year from a bulk company – I knew I would not want to go out to the dollar store to pick up canning lids), and I have all the equipment. This year, I know many friends have purchased canning equipment and are re-thinking the way they look at the food storage for their own family. I have offered my daughters and I to a few friends to help out their ‘putting up’ sessions. Despite a possible food shortage, it is always beneficial to learn how to preserve and store your own food for your family. It is a skill you need to pass on to the next generation and the younger mothers, who are just learning how to manage a family. {Friends, if there is anything I can do to help you out on this journey, let me know. I would be happy to help!}

While I don’t know what the future holds, I do know who holds the future.

{Any beans that are too big  for eating will be saved for seeds}

{Canning tip: put your canning jar on it’s side and you will find it a bit easier to place your beans inside.}

Truthfully, my  food preservation work load has not changed too much from previous years, as this is something we have always done since moving to the country. We grow our vegetables and we preserve them. It is good to be prudent and stock up on the food that I can grow or attain. Already we have put away so much into our Provision Room … canned beans, pickled beans, blueberries, jams and preserves, corn (frozen and canned), tomato sauce, pizza sauce, salsa, beef soup, taco soup, cucumber relish, strawberry jam …

 

There is more to come. The beets are bursting out of the soil and are crying to be picked. The beautiful heads of green leafy cabbages are ready to harvest. Potatoes are ready to be discovered hiding in their brown earthen beds.  The ruddy rutabagas are round and lovely – maybe they will wait a few more weeks before I will pick them. The onions are drying in the wood shed, along with hundreds of garlic bundled up and strung to dry. (My 16 year old is selling our organic garlic this year as her high school job – is anyone interested in purchasing locally grown garlic? Just send me a message.) We did struggle with the tomatoes this year and while there is a harvest coming and tomatoes ripening as we speak, I was afraid there would not be enough – we were blessed to purchase organic tomatoes from a farmer to help us fill out the extra need.

But still … the benefits of a garden are wonderful …

In our garden, we are growing rutabagas and turnips. I happened to go to the grocery store this week – (the first time in four months) – and noticed the price on rutabagas – $5 each! There are about 20 rutabagas (which is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip) growing in their row – that $100 in savings and also one rutabaga a week for our family to eat.

Once we pulled up our garlic patch, it made room for a second start up of seeds – so we replanted another row of rutabaga, carrots, beans and peas. I am praying it grows in time and I can harvest before the frost.

{New rows of vegetables – extending the growing season into phase 2 … a second ‘wave’  for our garden}

Tonight, we will have a vegetable-based dinner, with all food straight from the garden that is growing just outside my kitchen door. Tomorrow, I will be making a vegetable minestrone soup for pressure canning … yes, the soup making time has arrived, as well.

This winter, we will still be eating our own vegetables and will be so thankful for all that God provided in the garden harvest. Today, however, we have work to do.

Don’t waste the beans.

 

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world,
and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Hebrews 11:7 –

P.S.

Here is a link for you, giving great instructions for pressure canning beans. It is very simple to do, however you need a pressure canner.

How to pressure can beans: