Another Week Of No Wheat Harvested

Another week had passed without any wheat being harvested. Unfortunately, there’s still more rain in the forecast. Granted, only small amounts are forecast, but it’s just enough to keep things from drying enough to go after our wheat. The humidity is so high there’s a heavy dew even on the dry days. It’s very frustrating to see your year’s work (and income) going bad in the fields and there isn’t anything you can do about it. As a friend who works in the weather service said to me, “Farmers! You all want rain until you don’t.”

The garden is still producing nicely. I’ll soon be making more tomato sauce to can. The last batch of marinara sauce was used for spaghetti and meatballs. I could have canned three pints, but instead froze some (quicker and easier than getting the canner going), and used the remaining pint for fettuccini with polish sausage.

A Facebook friend shared a recipe for zucchini scones that sounded really good. I didn’t have any zucchini (have learned to not plant that squash), so I subbed in a different summer squash. The patty-pan squash has a yellow skin instead of green, and that’s what I used. I thought the scones should be a bit more savory, so I’m sprinkling them with garlic salt when I warm them up. Next time I’ll go ahead and just use garlic salt in the mix instead of regular salt. I’m also going to add parsley flakes and maybe some oregano leaves.

Zucchini/Cheddar Scones

2/3 C grated, drained zucchini

1 large egg

2 1/2 C + 1 TBL flour

1 Tbl baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 C sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C butter

3/4 C shredded sharp cheddar, divided

1/2 C full fat sour cream

Heat oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix 2 1/2 cups flour with the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and work it into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk the egg and sour cream together, then add that to the flour mixture. Combine the tablespoon of flour to the drained zucchini, add 1/2 cup of the cheese, then fold it into the batter. Work the dough on a floured surface into an 8” circle. Cut that into eight wedges, and carefully transfer the wedges onto the parchment. Leave at least an inch between the wedges as they’ll rise during baking. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, pressing in lightly. Bake 22-24 minutes, until cooked through and the tops are golden brown.

Store airtight for up to three days, or freeze.

I’ve started gathering up my many houseplants that have spent the summer enjoying the great outdoors. They’re grouped on my front deck where I can quickly cover them with sheets or blankets should a frost threaten. I’m going to spray them with insecticides before bringing them inside, which I hope will prevent insects and spiders from moving in as well. I plan to do that spraying on smaller groups of plants, starting with the more tender succulents. I can put them under the table out there, enclosing them with a sheet draped over the table, a la the “tents” or “forts” we constructed that way as children, repeating the process with each group of plants. That should keep the spray contained and concentrated on each grouping of plants. Doing them in smaller batches also keeps me from overdoing, and hauling in too many at once. The geraniums still need to be dug up and repotted. I know I have too many houseplants, but I can’t bear to just let them die.

All this rain means I get to mow the yard again. That’s on the agenda for this afternoon (before it rains again tomorrow). The edges of the driveway (we have a nice “U”-shaped driveway) need to have the weeds whacked down again. If I don’t get that done, the winter snows drift behind the weeds, building up until the driveway gets blocked.

The mosquitoes are loving the rain, and swarming again. I hope it’s their last hurrah. Dragonflies are also swarming. Immature dragonflies feast on mosquito larvae, so they are a very beneficial insect0. I like them a lot. I also like the ladybugs that eat aphids.

Dennis’ baby sister and her daughter had been here but have now returned to Washington. They had hoped to see wheat being harvested, but instead saw lots of rain. They took back with them several things from my yard and garden. Our niece was thrilled to have seeds from my husk cherries. I’ll mail her seeds from the moon flowers. She also loved the blue fingerlings and purple potatoes, so took a bag of each, with mud. I’d started a few aloe vera plants, and a couple hoya vines. Those went off to live in another state. I’d also started a philodendron (Shyla says it’s also called a money plant) from one of the plants sent to her dad’s funeral. So, like the kaffir lily I have that reminds me of my mom, she now has a plant to remind her of her dad.

I still have sweet corn in the garden. I’m amazed I haven’t lost any to the raccoons this year. The live trap remains empty after only catching two of the foxes (there are three romping through my yard periodically). The corn is getting over-ripe. I brought in eight ears this morning, along with a bucketful of tomatoes. I plan to make a corn and tomato salad, but only a half-sized bowl using this recipe. None of my peppers are red, so I’ll use one of the pale yellow gypsy peppers instead. The tomatoes will give the salad plenty of color.

Sweet Corn & Tomato Salad

8 medium ears of sweet corn

1 large sweet red pepper, chopped

2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/4 C chopped fresh basil

Dressing

1/2 C canola oil

1/4 C rice vinegar

2 Tbl lime juice

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp grated lime zest

1/4 tsp pepper

Cook the corn, then cool slightly and cut from the cobs. Place in a bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl, then pour over the salad. Toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least one hour for flavors to develop.