Sweet Harvest

This post drifts from quilting a bit, which I plan to do on this blog. Quilting is my number one interest, but I also have other things I enjoy, all a good part of my life.



Last year we decided we would plant a garden. We had dabbled in it a bit, but with little success.  We do eat a lot of fresh vegetables, so, we went all in.  We bought a tiller, put up a temporary fence, did all that we thought we were supposed to do.  However, I don't like hot weather at all, in fact, I could just skip summertime all together, and gardening is a HOT job.  In spite of that, we planted and weeded and picked some nice vegetables. But, when the harvest hit hard, I was having to work 10 and 12 hour days at my real job and was in no mood for gardening when I got home.  We finally cleaned it all up, sold the tiller and fence, and decided we liked supporting the Farmer's Market better.



We have had a compost bin for years and are diligent to throw everything in it, then in the spring of each year, my husband works this black gold in various flower beds and in the yard.  This year, we have tomatoes and squash coming up in two flower beds!  We are just letting them be and will have a little of our own produce after all.

We planted some thornless blackberries the first summer we lived here, in 2009. It took a few years before we started getting some berries.  Last year was pretty good, but this year they have exploded!   We are getting a great crop of really good, fat berries.  I've been putting some in the freezer, and we've been eating some, and we've been sharing them with our good neighbor who doesn't complain about the berries growing on the fence or that we go into their yard to pick them.  These are really good with some sugar and thick, canned coconut milk poured over them.  My husband has made himself a blackberry cobbler, and I suspect will be making another very soon.

We had potluck after church last Sunday, and though we are few in number, we have some great potlucks. We are blessed with good cooks among us.  I took some roasted vegetables that always seems to go over well.  So, if you like to find different ways to eat vegetables, here is the recipe.

Roasted Vegetables

1 butternut squash, cubed

3 or 4 white or gold potatoes

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 red onion, chopped in large chunks

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 to 1 teaspoon rosemary

about 1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

In a very large bowl, combine all of the vegetables. In a small bowl, combine the other ingredients.

Pour the contents of the small bowl over the vegetable and mix very well. Place in a very large roasting pan or baking dish.  Roast in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. 

When I take this for potluck, I get it all cut up and mixed together the day before and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Then, the next morning, all I have to do is dump it into the baking dish and roast.  After the dish is all cooked, I transfer it all to a crockpot and keep it on warm until we are ready to eat.

Proverbs 10:4-5   Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.