Progress of our raised bed garden

Good morning and welcome back to Miz Judi’s Kitchen. I hope this finds all happy and healthy.

As you all know, for the last two weeks we have been working in our garden, and also our raised bed garden. We’d never had a raised bed garden before.

Now, I do believe, I’m really going to enjoy the raised bed garden, because for one thing it’s not too far from the house. I’ll be able to walk out into the back yard and pick some peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, also onions, and be back inside before I could have walked to the big garden.

It’s also growing fast! I can’t believe how fast things are growing out there, and it makes such a pretty bed, the way Dub and the guys put the fence around it. It just looks like it belongs there now.

I can’t wait to pick a few bell peppers off the bush, because they make the best stuffed peppers, they’re just so good right off the bush.

I’m glad we put the beds in, now. At first I didn’t think I’d like them, but like I said, it looks like it literally belongs there now, and the fence just dresses it off! I told Dub when we get through with the vegetables, I was going to turn it into a rose bed, and Dub said, “Deb…you cain’t eat roses?” I don’t think he likes that idea, but he may have to get used to it, or he shouldn’t have made it so pretty.

Now in our big garden, we just put out seeds, and I can’t believe they’re coming up all ready! We were out there one day and nothing, then the next day, little beans and corn were coming up everywhere.

It seems like a lot of work, and I am not saying that it’s not, but too me it’s well worth it. When everything starts coming in, it gives Dub and I some close, and I do mean close times together. By the time we’re through though, we’ll be needing need some time apart, because in regards to our gardening, we do it together.

As much as we love our gardens, shelling peas, canning vegetables, and just being able to come in, sit down, and eat our fresh vegetables, once it’s done, I’m ready for some Deb time! Sittin’ on the porch, puttin’ my feet up, grabbing a good book, and some ice cold tea! At that point, I’m happy with whatever Dub finds that Dub needs to be doing, cause I’m gonna just turn some pages for a few days!

Like the other night we canned some cakes. We like doing it, and we had a good time, but that didn’t take too long. When we start canning the vegetables though, that’s a once you start you can’t stop often, because when the vegetables start coming in, you have to get them while the getting’s good!

Last fall, Dub and I put up, right at 200 quarts of peas, and we shelled every one of them by hand. We like to pick them, and then sit around at night watching TV and shelling peas. Many times we don’t even turn the TV on, and just talk. It’s really good quality time, because nothing else is going on around you.

I was talking to one of my sisters the other day, and she asked me, who helps us shell that many peas? I told her no one helps us, and she says, “Oh, you ought to get you a pea sheller,” and I said we have two already…me and Dub! She couldn’t believe that we shelled that many all by ourselves. Honestly though, we enjoy it!

Now with me being the baby of the bunch, they think I don’t do anything, I guess because Daddy spoiled me so bad when we were younger, and I do have to admit there was some of that going on back then. But shoot, it wasn’t like I’d asked to be the baby, that’s just the luck of the draw type of stuff there! LOL, sisters!

They tease me all the time that Dub does all the cooking around here, because when they come for a visit he usually will cook for them, at least once. Then I think he got to catching on when they’d come down to stay a few days, and I’d be telling him, “Dub, they just loved that meal you fixed them last night. You ought to surprise them, and fix supper again tonight, they’d love it!”

Just between us, I think I wore that one out, but boy, he’d fall for it every time, for the longest! He’d be in there cooking away, while sisters and I’d be out on the porch talking. They’d be telling me, “I sure wish I could get J.H. to cook for me like that!” I’d just tell them, “It’s all in how you start your menfolk off, you cain’t cut em’ no slack, right off the bat! Oh, we’d sit out there and cackle, just like a bunch of old hens…and Dub in there on the cook stove!

We were talking the last time they came down, and I told them we should have a cooking contest, and I bet I’d win. They just laughed and said, you can’t win…if you ain’t cooking! It’d be Dub, we’d be cooking off against!

I guess sisters are like that. We like to brag to each other, and see who can out do the other, all in good fun, of course. It’s about time for all of us to get together again, and have some sister time. Look out Dub, I just had a thought, you might want to get your apron out, cause I’m fixing to see if the whole bunch wants to come down again!

Thank you for dropping by, and until next time, keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart.

May God Bless each and every one of you!

Deb