Friday, August 12, 2011

Time To Prep For Fall!

Green Bean Plants in August

I have been busy working on our food that has to be canned. Harvesting green and wax beans, then canning them. My husband will be pulling up the first bed of bean plants, today or tomorrow, as they have reached their production max. Hardly any beans on any of those plants in that bed. It was the first one I planted. Time to re-plow that bed and replant more beans.

Squash Is Producing!

The day before yesterday, I canned summer squash. Our plants are producing more and more squash, and I hate to be forced to eat it for every meal. So I canned it for some tasty winter squash casseroles! I know many people say not to can it. Even the canning books say not to can it. The reason they say that is because it gets very soft and mushy. But it doesn't matter if you are putting it into a casserole or soups. So I can it and we like it fine.

Fall 2010

As we get closer to fall, I start thinking and planning about winter. It is still summer, August, hot and humid. But not for long. September is the time when our weather turns and starts that feeling that winter will be here before we know it. So...........

 Canned Summer Squash!

I am making an effort to get as much food as possible canned and stored. Making sure my pantry is organized and all things labeled for easy access. Getting rid of all extra items that we do not use anymore. No sense taking up our precious space with something that is useless to us.

Gathering Kindling

I will be going out into the woods with my garden cart gathering kindling to store for the late fall and winter. Small wood can be gathered for cook stove wood. I am always on the look out for extra firewood. After food, our next biggest prep is firewood for both wood stoves. After the winter we had last year, I want to be as prepared as possible for the upcoming winter season. Food and warmth.

 Maple leaves will be the first to turn color!

What about you? How do you prepare for winter? Are you preparing now or are you already prepared? If you are, lucky you! I realize though, it is not luck that prepares, it is organizing skills and plain good hard work that does that job.



Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

5 comments:

Mrs. Lefler said...

I just gave you The Versatile Blogger award on my blog Saving Your Green ! I hope you will accept it!

Tiffany said...

Your squash have done beautifully...ours not so great. Apparently they don't like shallow beds but no one ever filled me in on that before. :)

Would love to have you drop by my blog one Friday and link up to my Garden Life linky -- this post is exactly what it's all about; finding out what others are up to in their own gardens and learning from each other!

katlupe said...

Terre, thank you very much! I appreciate it.

katlupe said...

Tiffany, I don't think our squash beds are really deep, but they do like the composted horse manure.

Thank you for the invitation to your linky, I will take a look.

Kateri said...

Your yellow squash is so pretty in those jars. Because of this post I am cooking and freezing my extra yellow crooknecks for winter soups. I freeze grated zuchini for bread, but never considered that I can do something with the yellow squash.