The Peas Have Done Well:

Good morning. Thanks for droppin in to visit this morning!
Boy, you want to talk about a busy week? We’ve had one here at Dub and Deb’s lately. We apologize for no more posting than we have done this past week, but literally time was of very short supply.
First off our peas started coming in…with a vengeance. Those dern pea plants were putting peas on thicker than hair on a dog’s back! We have been very blessed by the number of peas our garden is providing for us.
We’ve been picking (started last Sunday), shelling, and canning peas through Friday night. We’ve been up until 12 or 12:30 each night by the time we would get our last pressure cooking done each evening.
We then thought we’d have a 2-3 day reprieve, but drove by the garden Saturday morning, looked, and saw we had more ready…5 more 5 gallon buckets worth! Looks like Monday is gonna be a big pick day as well??
Deb’s doing outstanding! She’s been right beside us picking the peas, and Dale just can’t figure out how she picks them so fast. Seriously, she can pick some peas in a hurry. Plus, when it comes to shelling them, I believe I’d put her up against most anyone!
There may be some out there that can “out shell” her, but I’d be willing to bet that they’re few and far between. That dern woman can put some shelled peas in a pan! Our crew, Red included, just can’t believe how fast she can pick and shell.
I knew all about her ability in this department already, as prior to marrying her, this was but one test she had to pass before I said…I do! You see, women are a lot like peas…you got to know when, and how, to pick em!
The second problem we had in regards to our posting this column was our internet service was down for a couple days. Said they were having problems with a satellite. By us living “off the beaten path,” we have to use satellite for our internet service…no cable anywhere near us.
No sweat though, we’d rather live out in the country than in town anyway, regardless of having high speed internet. To us, that choice is a “no brainer.”
Last year, Deb and I decided to plant our peas in the fall versus in the spring. It worked out so well, we did the same thing this year. Once again our pea crop is going to be a “good un!”
The reasons for them going in so late, we planted them two days before the full moon in August, are first, less bugs to try and control. Secondly, it isn’t so hot, plus we normally aren’t getting anywhere near the rainfall this time of year versus spring time.
This in itself helps out too because they don’t need as much moisture as it has begun to cool off some.
Yes, in August it’s still “cookin” temperature wise, but by the end of Sept. or early Oct. we see this beginning to lessen. As an example, this past week has been very nice in the evenings and first thing in the mornings. Almost perfect weather in my book!
Another biggie in this late pea planting is it is so much better on the pickers themselves. 100 degrees, bent over in a pea patch isn’t my idea of a good time. Deb’s either! You live and learn, huh?
Back in the day, things such as this didn’t bother me too much. If the going got tough, well, I just got tougher. Now if the going gets tough, I try to…get smarter, cause I sure ain’t getting any tougher!
Is it just me, or do our wives get tougher as they age? Shoot, I feel like I’m about 2/3 the man I used to be (on a good day, LOL), but ole Deb acts like that dad-gum bunny on the battery commercial. She just goes on, and on, and on! I’m just glad she doesn’t have a dern drum!
She’s got pretty “lippy” anymore too! I’ve noticed the same thing with my Mom. Poor ole Dad has basically become anymore…a “yes man??” I’d of never believed this outta him, cause when he was younger, that was one tough scoundrel.
The man never knew the word no. No matter what he was attempting, no was never in the equation! Today, Mom can say, No, Stewart,” and that guy is slammin on his brakes…no questions asked!
I’ve seen this man on numerous occasions, patty out raw hamburger, salt and pepper it down good, ball it up, and eat just like that. Raw hamburger! I never said he was real smart…just real tough, and my Mom has that guy literally “toeing the line these days!”
I’ve learned through being around Deb, and watching my Mom around my Dad, you gotta start “out thinking them.” This works well in all facets, and especially during pea-season, such as…
“Dad-gum Deb, you sure look nice this morning. Are you sure you want to be out here picking peas today? We can get them if you don’t feel up to it.”
All the while Dale and Red looking at me like I’ve lost my mind! They know that if Deb leaves the pea patch, this simply means we’ll be out there pickin em OURSELVES longer…much, much longer!
As Red gets older himself, he’ll learn more about my actions. As of right now though, he still believes he wears the britches is his family, and not his wife. One of life’s little lessons he’ll find out about at a later date. Poor ole Red!
Getting back to the peas though, all three varieties we’ve been picking are all doing well. These are the black-eyes, the purple hulls, and the cream 40’s.
The black-eyes were the first to come in, followed by the purple hulls, then the cream 40’s. Our crowders as I said earlier are gonna be the last coming in, but we did pick and shell about a one gallon ziplock bag full. We’ll hold these until we get our first good picking, then we’ll can the majority of these too.
The black-eyes are almost over with, and unless they attempt to come back out, they’ll be feeding the cows just directly. The purple hulls and cream 40’s are still chugging right along though.
This is another benefit the garden provides us…the cows love the “leftovers!”
Believe it or not we pull the plants that are finished producing, strip the leaves off them, drop them on the ground in the garden area to compost back into the soil, then take the stalks and feed them to the cows.
We do this until the last crop in the garden is about done, then we turn the cows into the garden area and let them eat right out of the garden. They are loving this, plus they supply us with manure while in the garden. Works for me!
You guys that don’t garden really ought to look at giving it a whirl. Don’t start off attempting a big garden area, but just ease off into it. Deb and I believe you’ll soon find it is worth the effort. The food quality is much better than store bought, the taste doesn’t even compare to store bought veggies, it’s much better tasting and better for you, and you know what has been put on your veggies for fertilize, bug control, etc…
Gardening is very rewarding, a great pastime, and supplies many hours of good, quality family time. It really is a win-win situation. I know it’s not for everybody, but I’m sure many that aren’t growing gardens would thoroughly enjoy this activity, on top off merely saving a nickel or two in regards to feeding your family.
You don’t need a huge garden to reap a good steady supply of fresh vegetables. Look into “square foot” gardening, or raised bed gardening. You can put your plants into tubs or buckets, and grow them there.
Living in a sub-division shouldn’t deter you from gardening either. You can designate a good sized garden area, do a little landscaping around it, and be surprised at how a garden actually enhances your property’s beauty.
A little imagination, a little time and effort, and you’re in business. By different crops growing at different times of the year, then this allows you to actually have entirely different landscapes in your backyard that are “eye friendly,” while putting some homegrown vegetables on the table. This in itself is very rewarding!
So step back, take a look into it, and you may very well discover that gardening is a lot of fun, and soon find out that you may be actually very good at doing so! Good luck!
We wish you all tons of happiness and good health to you and yours. Thank you for stopping back in to visit, and God Bless!
As always, Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!
Dub and Deb