What better way to celebrate Fall than getting together to make fresh apple cider?!
Last Friday night our church did just that. We got together for a big evening of pressing apples. There were truckloads and many buckets filled with apples! The weather was crisp and clear, making it perfect for the event!
There isn’t a recipe or scientific method for making the cider. Each family simply makes it a point to gather up apples the week leading up to the event. Many of us scavenge our neighborhoods gleaning from old neglected apple trees. There does seem to be an abundance of them around here and most of the old homesteads will have upwards of 8 trees. Our next-door neighbor has over 10 trees that he graciously let us pick from! One of the locals told Jerald that this corner of Nebraska was widely known for its apple orchards in the early 1900s.
Norman and Kathryn Farmwald graciously allowed the use of their shop area for making cider. It’s an ideal place because they have a sloped concrete pad out front where all the excess water can run off. Then they have a sink and a bit of seating area in the shop too.
Mrs. Farmwald, our cheerful host 😍
So back to the recipe (or lack of)- we all bring apples of all shapes, colors, and varieties and they inadvertently get mixed as they are quartered and ran through the chopper and press. The resulting cider can be summed up in one word- luscious!
There’s always a hubbub of working people all around. Even a bunch of the men were snagged into washing and cutting spots off the apples, because there were not enough men type of jobs for them all. Then there’s also the kind of people- (some little and some big!) who need to hold down chairs, sample hot drinks and exercise their vocal cords. (And we need them too!)
Drink sampling!These two young men were in charge of dumping apples in the chopper. (Some people aren’t afraid of work- they’ll put their hands in their pocket and stand right beside it! 😆)I wonder how many bucket loads of pressed apples were dumped out that night!
I started out filling jugs, but then actually spent the evening simply organizing everybody’s jugs, while two other ladies filled them. It kept me hopping for sure! I found out the amount each family wanted, unlidded (is that a word?!) their jugs, and kept their jugs separate from the next person’s. Also wiped down the jugs and capped them. As soon as one person’s were filled, I marked down their amount of gallons, and told that person their jugs were ready to be hauled out to their vehicle, so as not to get confused with the next person’s. Most everybody brings their own used jugs, so there is one grand conglomeration of jugs to be filled and kept straight. I absolutely love to organize, so I was in my element doing my job!
Please notice the jug situation. And this doesn’t begin to show the whole! We made over 200 gallons in 3 hours!
Jerald and I got this idea that we’d like to make a vegetable stew over the fire for supper that night. It’s something he grew up with on the Schrock side of the family. Every October, they’d get together to cook apple butter over the fire, then they’d cook this stew over the fire for lunch. He had been wanting to try it sometime and this was the prefect opportunity!
So Thursday I hauled off to town to fetch the vegetables and Jerald ordered in and picked up the stew meat and beef bones. Friday morning I spent about 3 hours peeling, and dicing vegetables and frying up the meat. I must say I felt like I’d nearly done a day’s work by the time that was accomplished. After all my hustling with the cider jugs that night, I was completely exhausted. I didn’t actually feel that bad because I was running on adrenalin. It was midnight till we dropped into bed!
The ingredients that needed prepped for the stew. There was 10 lbs. potatoes, 4 lbs of carrots, 2 lbs. onions, 2 bunches celery and 20 lbs meat. I also soaked 4 cups of navy beans in preparation for the stew. Jerald isn’t much for cooking, but he did a good job mixing up this delicious stew. And thanks to Fred Halteman for allowing us to use his cast iron cooking kettle. The rest of our Supper The fire was a hot attraction with the chilly temperatures
I feel blessed to be part of a good church family, where we are able to spend an enjoyable evening working together like this! In this day and age of independancy and loss of love for God and our brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a definite privilege!
Photo credits- Drusilla Halteman, Kathryn Farmwald, and Jerald Rhodes
Here we are, already well into the month of September! With it comes the arrival of school and lunch boxes. What you pack, impacts your child’s brain and health. And what a job it is to pack nutrition instead of prepackaged foods! It definitely takes intentionality and a good deal of preparation.
I want to share some ideas and recipes to inspire those lunch boxes. Some of these ideas will not likely be new, but maybe it can be a twist of inspiration one way or another.
Be Organized
Here is how I feel most prepared for the daily packing: I keep my freezer compartment of the fridge well stocked with healthy baked goods/protein bars/leftovers/homemade pizza or pizza cups etc. I like keeping a variety of cookies and bars pre-bagged and ready to grab. I then slide all these into a gallon ziploc bag. Some days I’m also packing for Jerald and am always grateful for my supply stash.
I keep a clear organizer on a low shelf in my fridge, stocked with fresh fruit. Often things like apples, grapes, small oranges and the like. Another clear organizer holds cheese and cheese sticks. This makes for easy access for snacks or lunch packing, plus, the children can help themselves. I’d much rather they see fruit, cheese sticks or yogurt cups when they need snacks than going to the pantry looking for snacky things! Not that I keep many snacky things around, but even healthy cookies don’t need to be the first option when they’re hungry!
A couple years ago, I took out 2 of my fridge drawers and use the lower shelves for my Tupperware Fridge Smart containers and the fruit/cheese organizer bins. I like this so much better than drawers! I like the easy access for already washed veggies options. Pepper or cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks are the most frequent vegetables I pack. Sometimes I’ll do celery with peanut butter. Or for a different twist, fill celery with cream cheese and sprinkle with Nutritional yeast. I happen to like the last option better than my daughter. 😉
Most times I pack leftovers for Josie’s main dish, which they heat in the oven at school. (I don’t advocate microwave use) I also do this for the days I pack Jerald’s lunch. I find this much more simple and healthy than constantly packing sandwiches. I rarely have boughten deli meats on hand, simply because they are not good for you! They are filled with nitrates, flavorings, or other carcinogens.
6 Lunchbox Recipes
Ham or Egg Salad
We are blessed to raise our own organic hogs. A local friend from church butchers them for us and we get lunch meat ham from that. Totally cured but without those harmful additives! What I most often make with that ham instead of a plain sandwich, is ham salad. I dice the ham very small, add homemade mayonnaise and presto- delicious ham salad! Josie loves this with crackers. Sometimes I also make egg or chicken salad. Same idea- shred the cooked chicken or boiled eggs, add mayonnaise and salt. Super simple! Occasionally she eats these ‘salads’ on sourdough bread instead of crackers. When I have no leftovers or nothing else around, I resort to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which she enjoys, but I don’t like to do it often.
Ham salad
Homemade Mayonnaise
This takes so little time and is so much better for you than the store bought stuff!
In a wide mouth quart jar, break 2 room temperature eggs (I often set the eggs in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. This helps them dissolve into the oil better)
Add: 2 teaspoons white vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, ¹/² teaspoon mustard and 2 cups oil. Avocado oil makes the best but since it’s s so pricey, I sometimes use a mix of avocado and olive oil. Using only olive oil makes for a really strong tasting flavor, which I don’t care for. I use an immersion blender until it’s well combined and emulsified. Throw on a lid, add the date and refrigerate. Remember, this has no preservatives. But that’s OK! This is real, unprocessed food! Using fresh eggs will help it to last longer.
You can also make this in a regular blender. Just blend everything else while drizzling in the oil. I hate the greasy mess to clean up though. Absolutely recommend the immersion blender!
Pizza Cups
Use your choice of biscuits, bisquick mix or homemade dough. Press into well greased muffin tins. (I make a gluten free version for my crust.)
Fry 1 lb. Sausage. Drain and cool, then stir in 1 pint pizza sauce and 1 cup shredded cheese. Fill dough lined muffins. Bake at 350* for about 20 minutes or until crust is baked. This amount of meat mixture makes 2 dozen pizza cups. These are delicious and freeze well! My family loves them.
In this picture I had forgotten to stir in the cheese. But I hate how the cheese sticks to the pan when I sprinkle it on top! So I’ve discovered it works much better to stir it into the meat mixture.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Beat together: 1 C. peanut butter, 1/2 C maple syrup or honey, 1 Tablespoon vanilla. Then add: 1 C. oatmeal, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Beat well. Very last stir in 3/4 c. chocolate chips. Drop on greased or lined baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Super delicious and easy!
Chocolate Protein bars
Melt together: 1 C. Peanut butter, 1/2 C. Coconut oil, 1 C. maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 ¹/² C. collagen powder and ¹/² C. Cocoa powder. Whisk to dissolve. Pour over 8 C. Rice Krispies. Stir well. Press into a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Set in freezer to chill. Cut into bars and keep refrigerated or frozen.
My family loves these bars! Credit to my friend Valerie for giving me the idea to swap out protein powder in the original recipe, for collagen. I have learned some things about protein powder that make me skeptical about using it.
Protein Finger Jello
In a saucepan, pour in 2 C. 100% Juice. (We love grape sweetened with stevia) Sprinkle 4 Tablespoons beef gelatin (grass-fed pasture raised) over the juice and let bloom for about 5 minutes. Whisk, and heat on medium until completely dissolved. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 C. Heavy whipping creme. Remove from heat and Whisk well. Pour into lightly greased medium sized glass dish. Set in fridge to chill until set, then cut into squares.
Healthy finger jello without loads of sugar and food coloring. Plus, it’s got a protein punch! It’s a win-win!
Additional Lunch Ideas
If you buy bushels of peaches to freeze, reserve some to fill small disposable cups with lids, for a handy lunch option. I like the ones from Walmart. You can find them in the aisle of disposable tableware.
Or make a large batch fruit slush and do the same thing. I’ve done both of these, plus last year I froze applesauce in these cups for another option. But so often, the slush or peaches came home again simply because Josie was tired of it. So this year I decided I’m not going to bother with doing that.
A side note on a delicious way to freeze peaches with out sugar is this. Use straight orange juice concentrate to stir over the peaches. I use 1 12 oz. concentrate to about 10-11 quarts peaches. The orange juice keeps the peaches from turning brown. When I pull a pint out of the freezer, I sprinkle with stevia to taste.
Yogurt is often a lunch option, but don’t be fooled thinking all yogurt is healthy. It can be, but you must be careful when purchasing yogurt or you will easily be consuming way too much sugar and/or food colorings, carrageenan, aspartame or sucralose. I usually buy a plain yogurt with a very low sugar content, then I sweeten it with stevia. Oikos and Chobani are good brands of Greek yogurt with a better ingredient list. But I still recommend checking the label, because it will vary depending on flavors or some contain a topping of sorts that may not be of the best ingredients. There’s been many times I have stood at the yogurt cooler studying ingredients, puffing with disgust! Of course, making your own homemade yogurt would be a great option too!
Another delicious recipe are these peanut butter banana muffins! I often make a double batch and fill a large cookie sheet instead of muffins. I like efficiency!
I’m sure there are more good ideas out there! Tell me what your healthy favorites are.
Is there anyone else frantically savoring the fragments that remain of sweet summer days? Maybe there’s no such thing as frantically savoring. But I’ve been doing something of the sort…
I used to get peeved at people who roared loud and long about all the glories of summer. I mean, summer also means sweltering heat, and ugly things like ticks and weeds. But I’ve come to appreciate summer. (If the heat stays in moderation.) My mental health needs the warmth and light of sunshine! The coming winter and all its grayness can look a tad intimidating. But as I say goodbye to summer, I’ll anticipate basking in the autumn sunshine and crunching orchard fresh apples before I meditate on the harshness of winter.
Here are some highlights of our Summer:
The first part of June we made a trip to KY for my family’s reunion. Enroute, we stopped at the Ark Encounter. A first for our little family. The first evening at the reunion we had supper at my sister Geneva and Paul Peachey’s back patio.My sister Faith and my mom are on the glider. Otherwise, it’s all neices and in-laws on the picture 🥰 Low country boil supper one night at the reunion We were happy to get our Grain Bin gazebo finished out with a custom made sign and a clock. (Jerald sells grainbin gazebo kits if any one is interested) The children have spent many hours in this cow tank turned pool! Sometimes mom joins them. We enjoyed having my brother Millard and Carolyn Yoder and family stop in the first part of July on their way out to Montana. We had a grilled supper in our grain bin, then finished off with smores. The little ones made good use of the pool. We were blessed with pleasant temperatures in July, so that our church was able to enjoy a hymn singing out in the Halteman’s back pasture one Sunday evening. Kettle corn and other snacks were served afterward. For my birthday we ate at this wonderful place. They have the best food!! This southwest chicken salad was my choice and it is over the board delicious! The owner of The Bread Bowl tore down multiple old barns/houses to build his restaurant. Unique indeed. If you’re going through Hiawatha KS be sure to check it out!
Late July, we were back to Southern Indiana for Jerald’s brother’s wedding. The four wedding pictures are credits of Jamie Lynn Photography.
Roger and Janet Luke and Arlene Rhodes familyThe Rhodes siblings. And yes, in case your curious, Roger has a twin. Rodney is on the other side of their only sister Kaylene The bride’s family- Darrell and Becky Wagler Some Greene Co. Indiana beautyWe celebrated Reece’s 4th birthday July 27The children on top of their makeshift playhouse in the pines Inside the playhouse. I love seeing their creativity come out as they make stews and soups with all manner of greens, pines, mud and sticks. Jerald has experimented with smoking cream cheese a couple times. It is delightful served with a raspberry chipotle sauce and crackers!We were blessed this summer with rain and thunderstorms in abundance. These tube roses are my favorite flowers around the house. Their delicacy and scent fills me with nostalgia of late summer evenings.We celebrated Josie’s 8th birthday on August 22nd. She told me what kind of cake she wants, but wanted me to decorate it when she’s not around “so it’s a surprise“, she said. 🤩 She also had her best friend over for supper and a sleep over. Josie is becoming my right hand laundry girl. When she can’t reach the bottom, little brother comes to the rescue. And for the curious, the silver machine on the right is our Waterwise distiller. We are quite partial to distilled drinking water! This one has served us well for 9 years. These are the days I will miss all too soon.Sunset in our backyard
Intentionally pick yourself a bouquet of summer flowers, sit outside in the gathering dusk and remember the day’s blessings. Just because summer brings bountiful blessings, does not mean the next season won’t. God’s gifts are always abundant, no matter what season we’re in. When we choose to pause and reflect, we will be sure to find the blessings! 🤍
Does your life feel like an overload of disappointments? Are you burdened down with life’s perplexities and responsibilities? Is the tension of strained relationships beating grooves of anxiety in your brain?
We don’t need to look far to see the turmoil in the world around us. But sometimes it goes on inside of us, almost without us realizing, because we are so immune to it. We know God is good, but sometimes it absolutely doesn’t make a stitch of sense to our bumfuzzled little brains. If our hearts don’t fully experience the depths of Jesus’ love, the hardships of life can swiftly overtake our mindset. For most of us, it takes much more effort to see the positive than the negative.
Here is proof that we are bent on negativaty. Recently, someone told me this story: A speaker was telling his audience that he’s going to make 3 statements about the group. He then proceeded to give two positives and one negative about them. After some time, he asked them if they can remember the positive statements he had made. No one did. But when he asked what the negative statement was, they certainly remembered!
I’d like to encourage you to bring your distressed heart to Jesus. Truly believing in His caring heart. For years, I had a head knowledge of Jesus’ care but not a heart knowledge. My heart was hurting from some painful things I had experienced in my childhood. Even though I knew Jesus cared for me, for many years, my heart did not fully grasp His deep love and compassion for my aching heart. It’s a bit hard to explain. If you’ve never experienced this, you may not understand. But if you have, and were made aware of it, you’ll know what I mean.
Through a series of events a some weeks ago, God showed me things about my heart I was unaware of. It was an intense, yet such a beautiful time of connecting in deeper levels with Jesus, as well as my spouse.
One of those nights, I lay awake for a couple hours. This in itself is not unusual for me. But this night, my mind was mulling over the day’s discussions and things I was learning. And God so clearly brought a song to my mind. First, it was just in my subconscious mind, but as I thought about it more and more, I realized the depths of the words. I don’t know when I last heard or sang this song- definitely not for a long time! I couldn’t even recall the remainder of the song. Only the chorus floated through my mind over and over, bringing a peaceful aura to my soul. Here is the chorus:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the Light of His glory and grace.
You may be feeling painful hurts of the past or pressures to perform in the present. Perhaps your heart is grieving the loss of someone precious. Or maybe you carry the silent grief of depression and mental health challenges like I did. Can you read this chorus with a new set of eyes? Jesus carries you and hurts right along with you. He’s wiping those tears that no one else sees. Will you lift your eyes and not only look but gaze in His wonderful face? Not a hurried glance, fearful of meeting an angry face. He loves you with the most compassionate love possible, no matter what your track record is. There is no need to perform to be able to receive His amazing love. ❤️ His face is only beautiful!
Jesus is not scowling at you for your latest misdeeds. He’s not glaring at you for missing your morning Bible reading. His face is full of tender love for you and your heart’s needs. As you fully grasp His beautiful face, the Light of Him will cause all these plaguing earthly trials to grow strangely dim, because He is FULL OF GLORY AND GRACE. And when we catch that glory and grace His heart is made of, we are moved to LOVE this compassionate Savior of ours. Truly loving Him. Not serving Him out of duty.
Here are the verses for Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. This song was written by Helen H. Lemmel in 1922. It was inspired by the life of a missionary, Lilias Trotter, and based off a poem she had written.
Verse 1- O soul are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Saviour, And life more abundant and free!
Verse 2- Thru death into life everlasting He passed and we follow Him there; Over us sin no more hath dominion- For more than conquerors we are!
Verse 3- His word shall not fail you- He promised; Believe Him and all will be well; Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
When our hearts experience the depths of Jesus’ compassionionate heart, there is an ocean of His grace and love and power lying all around us. We can live focused lives intent on one aim- Jesus Christ! May your heart’s needs be met today as you look full in His wonderful face! 🤍
Are you one of those churchgoers, who, like me, know the struggle of dealing with a rumbling, Sunday stomach? Food for famishing bellies becomes high priority come dinner time. We as Mennonites call it Sunday dinner, but we’re talking about the mid day meal here, not an evening dinner.
Seriously, what is it about sitting through a sermon that makes for ravenous appetites? Social stress of being around people? I realize this is not an issue for some folks but I can identify with this idea. Or maybe it’s only because we’re eating later than on weekdays? Either way, we Moms know the necessity of having food prepared to feed our starving tribe.
Some folks are perfectly content to arrive home from church and fry up pancakes and eggs, or consume a sad bowl of cold cereal. Hey, if that’s your jam, more power to you. But I’ll assure you, my family and I are far from that stripe of Sunday dinner folk.
Both my husband and I grew up with the Sunday dinner tradition. The classic meat and potatoes affair, complete with veggies/salads and often a dessert. And that’s how I cook for us now too. I don’t mean a holiday feast, but a well prepared meal. The catch is, I don’t like to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen on Saturday. Been there, done that!
Sunday is a day of rest; in order to honor that, I don’t like to get up and spin around my kitchen for 3 hours, feeling like I’ve done a day’s work before we ever step foot in church. My Sunday mornings vanish like foam anyway.
About February or March of this year, I had an epiphany. I started making basically the same menu every Sunday. I was looking for ways to cut back on Saturday food prep, yet still be able to arrive home to a tasty dinner.
Remember, we don’t like pancakes and eggs for Sunday dinner? Sure, that doesn’t take any Saturday preparation, but it’s not our style. Here are a couple of theories why I don’t like that method. You don’t have to agree with me.
1) Who in their right mind feels like stirring up pancake batter or frying eggs and bacon after your home from church? When the whole gang is an hungered and nigh grouchy from empty tummies?! Efficiency and time are of utmost importance when we arrive home- we don’t want to wait yet another half hour or more, fixing food!
2) Sunday is a special day of the week. It’s nice to honor that day with some extra special food. We don’t always have dessert with our everyday meals, but I like to have a dessert around for the weekend. It doesn’t always happen, but my hubby appreciates it when it does. Sometimes I manage his favorite custard, or a gluten free cake or bars. Other times it’s simply ice cream from the freezer.
Some people may feel they don’t want to eat much on Sunday because they’re not working hard physically. Maybe they’d rather settle for cold sandwiches for Sunday dinner. There’s nothing wrong with that. But for myself, I’m next to ravenous when we get home and needing something more substantial to fill up on; not empty calories.
So let’s dive into our Sunday dinner menu. It doesn’t require any Saturday preparation (unless you make a dessert or prep salad ingredients/ dressing, etc).
Every spring and fall, we raise our own pastured broilers. A freezer stocked with homegrown chickens feels rich indeed! Every Saturday night before going to bed, we pull one of these whole chickens from the freezer and set it in the kitchen sink to thaw. The next morning, I pop it into my Princess House miracle dish, add water for plenty of broth and slide it in the oven. I bake it at 350 for about an hour, then at 9:00 when we leave for church, I turn it down to about 225*. It’s tender and pull-apart delicious when we arrive home around 12:45.
I don’t worry a thing about all those fancy roasting recipes. Rubbing it up with seasonings, squeezing it with lemon juice or filling the cavity with onions. Our chickens still have the skin on, so I find the flavor doesn’t go into the meat anyway. I save myself time and energy and bake it plain as day. Then we serve it with a sprinkling of Nature’s Seasoning or whatever strikes our current streak. And by the way, the skin is a coveted delicacy at our table. Crunchy goodness, dripping with healthy fat vibes!
After feasting on that succulent chicken, I immediately de-bone it. Then we’re left with a treasure trove of cooked chicken to use for another meal. Hallelujah for leftovers.
Now on to the potatoes. Mashed potatoes was something I did not make often, simply because of the effort it took. You can be sure my family is thrilled to have a weekly dose of creamy potato goodness! Nobody has tired yet of eating these every Sunday.
Here’s my secret. Once a month, I make a super size batch of instant mashed potatoes and freeze them in 3 meal sized portions. (We have potluck at church every 3rd Sunday so I can get by with making enough for the remaining 3 Sundays of the month.) I like using foil pans so I’m not holding up my casserole dishes in the freezer. On Saturday, all I have to do is pull a pan from the freezer and let it thaw all day. I cover it with foil, then refrigerate overnight. About 8:50 A.M, Jerald takes the potatoes to the downstairs oven and puts it in at 175 degrees. It’s such a routine by now, I no longer even remind him to do that or even specify the temperature! With the potatoes being cold from the fridge, this time frame and temperature is perfect to have them thoroughly heated, but not dark around the edges. I love the convenience of two ovens for differing temperatures.
Now I hear what your thinking: instant mashed potatoes?! That’s not healthy! I admit, they’re not the epitome of wholesome food, but I’ve finally concluded, for convenience sake and for my happy family’s sake, we can surely eat this once a week without spiraling into a health apocalypse. Instant potatoes are soooo much easier than peeling aaalllll those potatoes! Plus, these freeze so well! Now back to the potato method….
I hesitate to share my recipe because it’s never exactly same from one time to the next. But here’s my estimates:
Instant mashed potatoes
7 cups milk/ water. I use milk but sometimes add in water to stretch it. Add a couple Tablespoons butter while heating.
3 ¹/² – 4 cups Idahoan potato flakes
1- 1 ¹/² blocks cream cheese- 8 oz. size
1 large scoop sourcream- probably about 1 cup
1 good teaspoon salt
A good sprinkling of ranch dressing mix- probably 2 Tablespoons or so. (I use a different version of ranch mix because I like to avoid the MSG in the Hidden Valley Ranch stuff.
I get this mix from Nature’s Warehouse I keep a big box like this on hand. It feels safest to not study the ingredient list.
Heat the milk to warm but not scalding. Pour in abouthalf of the potatoe flakes and beat well. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat again. Last, add in the remaining flakes as needed. This can vary quite a bit. I’ve learned it’s best to keep them pretty runny! So if in doubt, go for the runnier side rather than too thick. They will thicken right up as they heat. So if you get them to the right consistency while making them, they will end up too thick once heated. Always do taste testing to check about salt,ranch mix, or the desired taste of cream cheese.
Every Sunday, my family raves about my potatoes. It makes me feel like I’ve aquired a Master’s degree in Culinary Arts.
Now, let’s get on to the veggies. The first 6 or 8 weeks, our vegetable was green beans fried with bacon. We’ve discovered we like them blanched and frozen better than canned. Plus, the long beans look so dressy fried up with bacon. Not to mention delicious! But I’ve changed it up lately, with a variety of hot vegetables. Partly because the green beans took too long to cook after we got home. Although I did discover it works to put the frozen beans in the oven, covered, with a little water, just before leaving for church. (Same temperature as the chicken) Then they’re ready when we come home. If I want to fry bacon for the beans, I’ll have it diced and frozen, then dump it in the frying pan just as we leave. It can thaw all morning. All you need to do is turn on the burner as soon as you get in the door. Better yet is fry it ahead of time and you’ll only need to reheat it.
As soon as we’re home, I drain the broth off the chicken and make gravy. At first I didn’t even bother making gravy, (because of the time factor,of course) but we’ve got onto it now. And I can do it real swift like! In the morning I put my gravy shaker with water and pan for the gravy right by the stove. The pan is ready to grab when I drain the broth. The shaker is ready to add my thickner.
If I need water to cook veggies, I fill the kettle half full in the morning and set that on the stove top too. Just before going out the door, I grab a bag of frozen veggies and throw them in the sink to thaw while we’re at church.
If I make a lettuce salad, I like to have it prepared ahead of time. I don’t add soggy things like cheese or cucumbers until we’re ready to eat. But sometimes I make it after we get home while I’m cooking the veggies and stirring gravy. Or if it’s a salad witha dressing to stir in, I’ll have all my ingredients prepared ahead of time. When you get home, grab, dump and stir and it’s ready to eat. Pulling a prepared bowl of salad out of the fridge not only feels efficient; it is efficient!
As for the dessert, I will generally make it on Saturday. Unless I have something I can pull from the freezer.
Our Sunday dinner often includes sweet tea. And to satisfy your curiosity about the leaves in the jar, this time I was drinking chilled mint water.
And that’s it! There’s no energy spent every week, figuring out what to have for Sunday dinner. It’s speedy and not much time spent cooking. It’s all routine. All it takes is some fore thought and preparation. Did you ever think of it that waiting until the last minute to decide a menu really cuts down on options? It does! Just pause a moment and think about it now if you’ve never done so.
Figure out what your family loves and work ahead to make that menu happen. Maybe your method is a crockpot meal thrown together Sunday morning. Or maybe you like putting a roast in the oven on low heat all night. Plan ahead; you will love the convenience of being prepared! And you’ll get to relish a satisfying Sunday dinner without sacrificing your precious Saturday. Bon Appétit! May your Sundays be filled with a delicious helping of joy!
It’s been over a decade since my husband and I have said “I do.” That basically makes us ancient, right? There are more indicators of antique vibes popping out on my head that would agree with the thought. So with my advanced knowledge of married life and its unexpected twists, here’s a glimpse of adventures we’ve had along the way.
What newly weds don’t thrill with delight at setting up their very own house?! The joy of dispersing all the things to their designated stations, scrubbing off sticky tags and liberating everything from its cardboard prison. Who knew there could be so many strings and tags to cut through?! Oh, and the not so pleasant surprise of those fuzzies floating around whenever you wash the new towels! I remember the flinging and winging and flapping of those towels! In vain I tried to rid those flying fuzzies. Time and wear were the only solution to eradicate the stubborn fuzz.
As the years go by, the wear and tear on everything becomes more evident. The rags get frazzled and stained. The sheets fade and tear. The knives, once sharp and reliable, transform into dull cutlery. The pans have lost their shine; the dish rags begin to stink….
The bride and groom settle into routines. Real life slowly but surely starts to chip away at the initial shiny glow of new love. The feelings start to fade. Ordinary life gets a bit dull. The wife gets frazzled and worn, dealing with the challenges of keeping mini people alive and a house in order. The husband’s cologne is not as enticing as it once was, and now his feet begin to stink. Somehow, as the years go by, it’s like a symphony of fraying nerves and housewares…..Welcome to the reality of married life.
Any well seasoned marriage partner knows, it takes effort to keep the sparkles in romance alive and glowing. But it is worth the effort! Our love is better now than it was when we began. And if it keeps getting better, I don’t know how we’ll manage at 40 or 50 years! Married for 12 years, it’s not like we’re overly seasoned, but I’d say we’ve aquired the salt and pepper.
Real life throws setbacks of all sorts. It not only requires effort to keep the marriage in shape, but it also takes effort to keep the house in shape and flowing. If you’ve been married for 5 years or longer, you know what I mean. The wedding gifts and new housewares begin to wear out. Particularly around the 10 -12 year mark. They ought to do showers for couples at every 10 year increment. That’s when things really start giving out- the linens, the appliances, the nerves, the health. At least that’s been our experience.
Nowadays, it seems like many couples have every need supplied before they ever leave for the honeymoon. Even if they can afford it, how good is it for young couples to buy all things brand new? A freshly renovated house complete with all new furniture, a whole bedroom set, and new appliances. Can they learn the value of waiting and doing without, if they never have to do without? It doesn’t hurt anybody to sit on used furniture or at an 80 dollar kitchen table.
I’m going to risk sounding like a complete old timer, but when my husband and I got married, we were broke as a joke. We didn’t have much but we had love. Don’t get me wrong- we had our needs well supplied but we certainly couldn’t afford all things new! The house we were able to purchase after 6 months of renting a humble abode, came with a refrigerator and stove. The stove was nice, but the fridge clattered louder than a leaf in a hurricane with the ending of every cooling cycle. But hey, it kept our food cold, why should we complain?! Our washer and dryer were lightly used, purchased at an auction for a good price. I was tickled how clean they were and hubby was tickled with the bargain.
I was pumped to find a small kitchen table with seating for 6, at a yardsale just a week or two before the wedding. It was oak with white legs. Adorable! Only paid about 75 dollars for it. It worked great for us, but whenever we had more than 4 other people over, we needed to set up a 6 foot plastic table to accommodate the extras. Didn’t hurt us a thing. We did this for about 10 years. Then we found a used, bigger table for a very good price. It still wasn’t quite as big as we’d like but we decided to go for it. Sure enough. Right at about 12 years of marriage, we finally had the funds to buy a new kitchen table. It had a scratch and was returned, thus it was sold to us at a discounted price. This table stretches longer than we ever had before. We love the style, color and everything about it. But it was only after the good man of the house sold a portion of his toy tractor collection, that we felt like we could actually afford it. (I used to think his collection was a lame waste of money; now I see it was a quite profitable endeavor!)
Our living room furniture was a mishmash of bargain finds and auction treasures. I was thrilled the chair and love seat was new and still had the plastic over it because I’m extremely wary of hairy couches. It wasn’t until around 10 years of marriage that we bought a new matching set of recliners and sofa.
We didn’t have a big budget for themed rooms and extravagant purchases, but I had so much fun decorating our house! I used what I had brought from home, plus decor from our wedding and gifts. It thrilled my heart to walk through our cozy house with all the little lights and candles glowing…. romantic vibes indeed! It is still one of my favorite things- puttering around my house rearranging this and removing that, lighting a candle or arranging plants, all in the face of having a new look to my surroundings! And it doesn’t cost a cent.
Our bedroom set was from a college student looking to rid her apartment furniture. It worked, but the bed frame squeaked worse than a mouse on a cheese run. Since we never spent much on our bedroom set, we upgraded 7- 9 years later, but again stuck with used. Finally, right around 11 years of marriage, we sold the set we had, and upgraded to a minimalist type of frame. We still don’t have matching nightstands/dresser, but we’re fine with that. We like our room less crowded and don’t miss a big, bulky bedframe. Plus, less squeaking more sleeping!
Now let’s talk about appliances- the unsung heros of every household. I’d say investing in new appliances is better use of your money than splurging on fancy furniture. Appliances work hard and can take a knocking after 10 or 12 years. You need a stove and refrigerator but you don’t actually need a designer sofa to survive. And very possibly, if you buy a brand new refrigerator, you won’t go through them like we did!
Within a few months of moving into our house, we found a used refrigerator to replace the clattering one. It ran well for us, but we left it at the house when we moved to NE. We had a second fridge in our garage, ancient though it was, which we brought along on our move. Less than a year after its moving experience, it died on us. Providentially, it was on the coldest day of the year. I could merely place the items in baskets and stow them in the garage. That self same day, we found another used fridge but heaps newer than our old one, for only 400 dollars! This is what we’re running on yet. I expect it’s only a matter of time until it’s days are over. But maybe. Just maybe. When that day comes, we can afford a brand new refrigerator!
Now for the washer and dryer experience. They both ran faithful and steady for many years- a real bargain! Until one day last summer. I got my laundry started as usual and went to prepare breakfast. Suddenly, I became aware that the washer was filling for a very long time! Sure enough. It was an old top loader and this time it literally had no discipline to stop filling. There were rivers of water flowing over. Out of the laundry room, into the kitchen and down the register. It was like the love of Jesus- spilling over everywhere it went! I stopped the washer instantly; my elevated shrieking skills bringing my man around in short order. After the disaster response service, he was off on a quest to purchase a new washer. I stubbornly refused to embrace a front loading machine. I’ve had a good deal of battles with those when I used them at others’ houses. Just please give me a humble top loader. They’re so rare, we barely managed to find one. It’s still more advanced than I prefer, but it beats a front loader in my opinion. I don’t even care if that makes me old fashioned!
After this episode I reminded myself the dryer is the same age as its departed companion; I ought to prepare for its demise as well. What do you know. Not 8 months later it started giving fits and totally went kaplooih. There goes hundreds of dollars for another new appliance! I could’ve went without one a little longer, but this was in the dead of winter and who wants to embrace that chill?
God hasn’t blessed us with a quiver full of children like many couples, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have lots of expenses. I’ve accumulated more like a quiver full of health issues, which rapidly and vastly consume finances. But I thank God for providing us with income so that we’ve been able to doctor for my health. Otherwise, I don’t know if I’d be here writing this substantial post. And the Lord has surely blessed us! We’ve got two precious children, and my health seems to be slowly improving. There’s always something to be grateful for!
My advice to newly weds? You don’t have to buy it all now! Learn to save and do without. You’ll certainly want to save up for that 10-12 year mark. When life throws those curve balls, you’ll need that extra cushion of funds! Whether it’s for stalling appliances, the fraying nerves and linens, the Dr appointments or dentist visits. Life has a way of keeping the green backs from collecting dust. So be prepared. Embrace the quirks, the worn-out house wares, and unexpected expenses. It’s the journey together that truly matters. Buckle up and enjoy the ride! With a dash of humor and plenty of love, you’ll navigate the choppy waters of marriage with laughter in your hearts and a well-worn house to call home. Happy nesting!
It’s Summertime, folks! Regardless if the calendar hasn’t said so officially, it’s Summertime in our corner of the fields. I think June is one of the most beautiful months of the year! Trees are fully leafed and all nature has that lush, green look. Temperatures are moderate without the oppresive heat of late summer. Flower and vegetable rows stand stately- amidst freshly weeded or mulched pathways. Gardeners’ ambitions have not yet waned. All is fresh with new life and courage.
I want to show you a picture of our garden while it looks virtuous, because it will not look like this in August. As of now, I find it pleasant to gaze in it’s direction. The only exception is the unfinished mulching spots. I dislike those uneven surroundings.
You must remember though, it’s the man around here who loves to garden. Which undoubtedly makes me a stale, pallid housewife. Hey, I helped with part of the mulching when I mowed last week, can I get a mite of credit for that?!
Excuse me, I really got off on a bunny trail there. Bunnies like to hop around the garden if they get a chance and I obviously got sucked into their tracks. What I’m really here to talk about is recipes. Here are a few of our favorites for you to try this Summer. ⬇️
Melt butter, then stir in pecans. After they’ve browned a bit, remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips. Stir well until fully melted.
It works well to serve this topping in a small crockpot, because it must be kept warm to serve. It hardens over ice cream in a most delectable manner.
Back when I was a girl, we served this Chocolate Pecan topping at the Old Cookstove restaurant over homemade ice cream. It was and continues to be a favorite there. If you ever happen through northern Alabama on I-65, you really ought to swing into Danville, to try their good old southern, home cookin’! My Ma and Pa started this restaurant. It’s changed hands by now but it’s still the best eatin’ in town!
2.Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping
Melt together 1 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup butter. It’s as simple as that! Serve over a bowl of Schwan’s vanilla ice cream and don’t think about calories!
This too should be kept warm for serving. Or then reheated before serving.
3.Oven Fried Potatoes
I often make these with a grilled meat supper. A quick, easy but delicious way to fix potatoes.
6 large potatoes, diced into bite size. Drizzle with 1/2 cup melted butter.
Pour this over the buttered potatoes and stir to coat. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 400* for 30-40 minutes. Stir once during that time to help them crisp evenly.
Typically I use sorghum flour in this recipe to avoid the gluten. I think most GF flours could be used successfully, except I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour.
4. Mandarin Orange Pie
This would be a taste of Summer in one bite- We absolutely love this pie! You can find this luscious recipe in a previous post On Eating Out And Pie
5. Healthy Fruit Popsicles
I cannot approve of my children sucking on those plastic, store bought tubes of popsicles with ingredients that are 100% horrible. I shudder when I think of the consumption of sugar and food coloring!
But I don’t mind my children eating these homemade popsicles frequently. They are free of food coloring and have only natural sugar. (this will vary depending on the yogurt you use. I use an unsweetened, plain yogurt.) These could even be approved for breakfast because they’re really only yogurt and fruit. A popsicle for breakfast? What kind of Mom am I?!
2 to 2 ¹/² cups fruit- fresh or frozen, 3/4 cup yogurt/ liquid, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, stevia or honey/maple syrup to taste
Blend fruit until pureed. Add remaining ingredients and blend again. Pour into molds and freeze.
I used pints of my frozen strawberries/ peaches for the fruit and it worked great. I thawed them partially first, so they would blend better.
6. Blueberry Lemonade
Bring to boil 1 cup blueberries and 1cup of water. Boil for 8–10minutes. Strain, and add to 1 gallon of your favorite fresh lemonade.
I love the beautiful summery look of this lemonade. It’s extra delicious when I muse on the fact that it’s naturally colored!
7. And here’s my last one- a recipe for happy summer days. Barefoot little boy + puppy + wagon+ sunshine + green grass. 🌳🐶
This post is an account of something that happened to me last year on Mother’s day.
That Sunday’s message was on Mothers. I sat attentively and thoroughly soaked up the words.
We know Mom’s lives are filled with all manner of sacrifices. When you have a baby on your lap, you know the sacrifice of walking out be-times in one church service. This Sunday, I was musing how blessed I was, to be able to sit and enjoy this whole Mother’s day message without disturbances. No restless baby needed my attention. (Not that I would mind the sacrifice, coupled with the joy of another baby on my lap again!) But this year, my high tempered 2 year old sat with his Daddy. My daughter was old enough to sit quietly beside me while I focused on the message. Inwardly, I thanked and praised God for this special privilege. Not many minutes passed until I was interrupted. I had just thought today was about blessing; not sacrifice.
Jerald had taken Reece out for a potty stop. The little boy was also wrought with that typical church thirst, so they used the water fountain close to the kitchen. Suddenly, Jerald became aware of someone rooting through the kitchen cabinets. Definitely no one from church either! Unsure of what the best thing was to do, he walked over to the disheveled, rough looking woman and asked “Can I help you?” The starving vagabond kept right on searching the cabinets and curtly responds, “why do you ask?!” After a few more tries, Jerald realized she was oblivious of his presence. That’s when he decided maybe another woman would be able to help out this homeless lady. So it was, he enters the auditorium, taps me on the shoulder and asks me to come.
I was promptly alarmed when he proceeded to explain the situation. A bum off the street making herself at home in our church kitchen was not a normal occurrence! “She’s snappy,” he warned, “be careful!” He hung around to watch from a distance.
My fears and prayers ascended simultaneously as I approached the homeless woman. I proceeded with caution and tried to appear casual. “Hi,” I said, but received no response. I walked around the bar, stopped next to her and tried again. “Can I help you with something?” “No, I’m fine!” she snapped. She stirred tan colored liquid in a glass as she spoke. Empty creamer cups were scattered across the counter. She tipped her head back and drank a few more cups of creamer. I was dubious. What in the world should I do?! Will she lash out and give me a whop if I keep insisting on helping her? She was wearing men’s work boots and an army-green colored back pack. This was loaded to capacity with who knows what kind of paraphernalia.
I scanned the fridge and cabinets for snacks. I offered her monster bars that I had brought that morning to share with a friend. This lady needs the food far worse, I thought. But she turned it down. I offered her packets of instant oatmeal but got the same response.
I left the kitchen for a few moments. I was intimidated by her demeanor. “Lord, help me know what I should do,” I prayed desperately. “This woman needs help and she can’t just be left on her own destroying the kitchen.” With confidence from God, I reentered the kitchen and made myself in charge. While I was gone she had opened a packet of oatmeal and was stuffing it into the empty creamer cups, dumping it into her mouth, trying to eat the dry stuff! OK,this woman is for real starved! I decided.
Once more I asked if she wants oatmeal, to which she surprisingly agreed. Grateful to be busied, I set about making several packets. This hoodlum emitted a putrid oder that penetrated the whole kitchen! It wasn’t Jovan Musk either. But God supplied the grace I needed to not mind while I was right next to her. Soon, I noticed she was messing with a large coffee percolator. She definitely wanted coffee but had no clue how to run a 30 cup percolator. Neither did I want to see her attempts! I quickly got the 12 cup coffee maker over and said, “Here, let’s use this one.” I poured in about 8 cups of water- plenty for now and some to send with her, I thought. Next, I asked her how strong she wants it, because I myself am no coffee drinker. She opened a drawer, pulls out a cookie scoop- “About like this,” she says. “One?” I asked. “Yeah,” she muttered. And I laughed to myself! I don’t know much about coffee but I do know this is gonna be some weak stuff!
I sliced apples I found in the fridge and placed two monster bars on a plate. I was going to feed her as well as I could, despite the sparceness of food in a church kitchen.
By this time Jerald had got another church brother back there to help. (He was once homeless himself, so we felt like he knew better how to handle the situation). He had the homeless woman sit down at a table and tried visiting with her while I fixed her plate. He reminded me to pray with her when I take her the food. A good reminder for this flustered cook!
As soon as the coffee was ready, I took her a large cup along with plenty of creamers! As soon as the oatmeal was finished, I took her a big bowl of it along with the apples and bars. I set it down and asked if I could pray with her. She mumbled something incoherent. I took to praying and she took to eating. Whether she understood, I have my doubts. As she ate, I sat nearby, desperately racking my brain as to what I could converse with her about. I didn’t want to appear like I was feeding her, then wanting to get away from her as soon as possible. “Where are you headed?” I ventured. “I’m going that way,” she replied, with a nod of her head. I assumed she meant out of Auburn. My social attempts seemed dismally lame. She mumbled around and chuckled to herself. The doubtful person I am, I wondered if she was laughing at me. There was no sense in her talk and no eye contact. It was a one sided conversation with an abundance of offers for more food or coffee, to which she always accepted. I asked if she’d liked food to take with her. Her ready reply was “No.” I should’ve known by now to not even ask. Still, I packed up several apples, a partial pack of Saltines and half a dozen monster bars in a gallon ziploc. When I handed it over, she gave no recognition. But when she got up to leave, that bag was securely clutched in her arms.
As church dismissed, people came back trying to visit with her, but didn’t get anywhere. Repeatedly someone would ask her name. For this, she always responded “I’d rather not say.” Hmmmm, maybe she wasn’t as drugged as she appeared??
Our church ministers were trying to figure out how to best handle the situation on our hands. After some discussion among the brethren, they didn’t feel it was wise to take her into our homes unless she would provide legitimate information- i.e. clarify who she was, where she was from or what her mission was. People were leaving, and we couldn’t just let her sit at church. So two of the brethren offered to take her in the direction she was headed, to the next bigger town of Rockport MO. There they dropped her off at the McDonald’s/truck stop.
Besides the bulging pack on her back, she was pulling a red wagon heavily loaded with mishmash. As the men loaded her wagon into the back of their vehicle, they spied 3 deceased birds amongst the bags. We can only imagine what the motive was behind hauling that sort of carnage!
That was the last we saw of her, but definitely not the last time we thought of her. I prayed for her and kept thinking of her that night when we had a thunderstorm come through. Where was she? Huddled beneath the bridges? Did she get a ride on to the next town? I felt guilty that night as I crawled into my clean, soft bed. I was snug and dry. I had food to eat. I had family. I had love. Most importantly, I knew Jesus! So rich am I! How could I ever dare to complain?!
Questions still haunt me today. Where was she really going? Was she truly walking for weeks or months? Our small town is not a place we typically see tramps. We have no idea where she was coming from. It was all so mysterious. I have my doubts, but I’ve wondered if she could have been an angel unawares? (Hebrews 13:2)
While we felt she was heavily drugged, we certainly don’t know if this was the case. We have no way of knowing her true situation. For whatever reason, God brought her to church that very Sunday and asked me to serve. I’ve often wondered since then, why He chose me.
Maybe it was to teach me a thing or two. This is embarrassingly true but Jerald tells me I’m a little like that homeless lady…. Sometimes I’m in such a distressed state of mind, I act like I don’t need help. I even refuse help or at times make no comments when in reality I need help! (you know how we women sometimes think our men should know what we need or want without us asking?!) “Now you know what it’s like!” He tells me with that chuckle in his voice.
Maybe it was to teach me more about sacrifice. It was a sacrifice for me to miss the remainder of the message and especially the testimonies. That morning there was an extra lot of testimonies. I so much wanted to be in there listening.
It’s not often that we as stay at home Moms get to interact with the vagabond type of needy souls. Yet we’re surrounded by needy people in the form of our families. But I reminded myself, it’s not any more noble to feed a poor beggar than it is to feed my own family. They are both service for Jesus, just the same. When you feel you aren’t reaching out to those wandering mendicants behind the cardboard signs, remind yourself of this. You’re serving Jesus just as much by serving your own needy people. God calls Mothers to live a life of sacrifice. And He’s got significant variety of sacrifices to go around. Some days it comes in the most unexpected ways.
I don’t know about you, but I won’t be doing any hollering…… I get enormously weary of washing clothes. That’s why I have certain days of the week to complete the job, so I can have a break on the remaining days. But then accidents happen, or somebody needs jackets washed or who knows what, and I end up doing 3 loads of laundry when I wasn’t planning to do any! That’s when it really annoys me. But I’m grateful for raiment and more grateful for my family, so I’ll keep pluggin’ on that laundry. ♥️
What I do enjoy is the homey feeling of a laundry line filled with flapping garments. And the feeling of crisply dried sheets and towels! Some people hate stiff, sandpaper like towels for drying. I prefer those kinds because they dry better. Ever use those fuzzy, fluffy hotel towels and you still barely felt dry? Me too. I’ll take the sandpaper ones.
It feels like extra work to hang up laundry outside, but I like the feeling of saving energy. Well, let me clarify. It’s great saving electrical energy but it requires a good deal more physical energy! There’s plenty of times, fatigue, and low energy are big factors in my life. Then is when I show my dryer much appreciation by putting it to good use.
Then there’s days the wind is a exactly like a tall tale- It’s so windy you wouldn’t believe it unless you see/feel it. So let me tell you what I’ve come to believe is crucial to keeping those clothes hanging securely.
I bought a couple packages of PolyGrip clothespins in Ohio last summer. You know, there where they have all kinds of stores and places to buy anything a person could possibly need… Amish country? You’re covered!
I love these Poly clothespins!! No more twisting wooden marriages apart when the wind jerks fiercely on the innocent, bouncing clothes. No more match making of wooden divorcees dropped over the grass in rejected loneliness. No more running to fetch a fleeing sheet or towel hanging on by its last thread. Believe me, these clothespins are trustworthy!! These marriages will last! No more will I buy those pinsley little wooden clothespins.
These clothespins also make wonderful toys. I went out to hang up another load of clothes one day, to find Reece had hauled a pile of them up into the playhouse. He had them pinned together in neat rows. Making families, I suppose.
I prefer keeping my clothespins in this bucket for easy access, rather than a typical cloth hanger of sorts, because I like the easy access. It hangs on the line with the S hook. Although after hanging up clothes on windy days, I’ll set the bucket on the ground instead of on the line to prevent the risk of spillage.
You can purchase these PolyGrip clothespins on Amazon or from Georgetown Sales. You can contact them at 610-593-5193. Or if you live anywhere close to Amish country, I’m sure you could find them at their local stores.
Who is ready for summertime cookouts and backyard parties? There is something beautiful about enjoying food and friends in pleasant, outdoor surroundings. We’re looking forward to using our grain bin gazebo before long again!
I’m not a green thumb, so I feel rather disqualified to be writing about any sort of green, living plant! Nonetheless, I hope this post can be beneficial to somebody out there.
A few years ago, I started planting Kimberly Queen ferns for outdoor potted beauty. This is a lush, green plant with lovely vertical fronds. As with any ferns, they’ll need consistent heat and moisture. Watering at least every other day will help keep them happy.
We kept these ferns down around our grainbin last summer.
I credit my knowledge of these ferns to my oldest sister Geneva. For years, she has lined her front porch with Kimberly Queen ferns in hanging baskets every summer. A perfect description of summertime beauty! I would love to share a picture of her porch if I had one.
The main reason we prefer Kimberly Queen above the typical Boston fern is because the fronds are upright and grow vertically. Whereas the Boston fern grows it’s fronds in more of a sagging or drooping manner. Instead of bushing out, the Kimberly Queen grows in an upright fashion, yet is still a hearty fern.
This was taken on our back deck last summer, with a storm rolling in, hence the blowing fronds.
Kimberly Queen’s don’t seem to be quite as popular as the Bostons, so may be a little harder to locate. More so if you don’t get them bought early enough in season. But you should be able to purchase them at Menards or Lowes. Or check with your local lawn and garden center.
I’m not promoting a selfie here, but wanted to share this close up picture of a Kimberly Queen that we had last summer. We had to scrounge around for pictures of the ferns, since this was a very last minute blog idea. Credit for the idea goes to my good man. He keeps popping out surprising ideas for me to write about!
of windowsills and breezy hills 