Farm: July 2005 Archives

During the cold of winter nothing tastes better than a nice bowl of hot soup. But not just any soup. The best soup you can make comes from summer produce cooked in a giant stock pot and then hidden away in the freezer for those early dark nights of winter. I was taught to make this soup when I was about 13 years old. The lady who taught me to make it often let me free in her kitchen as her daughter, my best friend, had no interest in learning her kitchen secrets. Miss Rachel's husband was a truck driver. Mr. Luther was gone alot so for much of my early teen years it was Miss Rachel, Ann and me at their house in Augusta in the summer. In a very large stock pot: 2 quarts butter beans 2 quarts peas 6 strips streak-o-lean Water to cover Bring to a boil, turn down heat and gently simmer until the beans and peas are just tender. When cooked taste them and add just enough salt to season the beans. To this add: 1 large head fresh cabbage, chopped 2 large vidalia onions, chopped 1 quart fresh cut okra 12 ears of fresh corn, creamed 2 quarts fresh tomatoes, seeded and rough chopped Return to boil. At the point of boil you will see you need to add liquid. You can add vegetable stock but I find it is better to add tomato juice. It makes the stock much richer. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Allow soup to slow cook for a couple hours until the broth is rich. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into freezer containers, allow to cool. Then freeze. This soup is best served as the entree with fresh corn bread and butter. I promise, you will need nothing else to make a better meal -summer or winter. One thing about this soup. There is plenty of it. If you make a stock pot full you have to give some of it to a friend or neighbor. Share and share alike. It's the country folk way.

When Colby was in 6th grade I decided to homeschool. Several reasons factored into my decision: - She was reading on a 1st year college level but was restricted to completing class assignments using only books that were on a 9th grade level. - She scored 99.9% higher than any other student in the US on every nationwide skills test she was required to take in public school, yet the school saw no need to challenge her in any way shape or form beyond her current grade level. - The girls in her peer group were sexually advanced -in 6th grade!!! I overheard them talking one night at a sleep over and was so shocked I began looking for a way to get her out of that peer group completely. So, I got on the net researched homeschooling ordered the books I wanted her to learn from. We took the plunge head first into a world in which neither of us had any idea of what we were doing. The mail order structured classes did not appeal to me. We began to pick and choose text books from different areas. Most of the books we used came from Bob Jones University (excellent books) and I bought them used. Homeschooling is unconventional education and few colleges recognize it without a diploma from some mail order school program. Moving to Virginia every school here requires a GED if no diploma from said mail order school, regardless of testing scores. Colby took the GED two weeks ago. She recieved her diploma/certificate from the Commonwealth of Virginia today. When she took the test, in a VERY old, stuffy, out-in-the-woods tech school classroom there were several people taking the test also. Most much older people. One woman, bless her for trying, proudly told the entire testing group she had taken the test every month for the past two years and not yet passed. The snickery side of me says, OMG who is this person so dumb that the GED hasn't been passed in 2 years? The other side of me says, keep trying till you succeed. Anyway, Colby is filling out her college applications. Yayyyyyyy, Colby!!! I haven't shown you my garden in a while. This photo is what we are getting about every 2 - 3 days. We also have lovely heads of purple and green cabbage, red and green lettuce, broccoli, green and red bell peppers and 6 varieties of those tomatoes! On a sad note, the birds had a feast and ate the butterbeans, peas and okra. The kids pick the tomatoes just as they have turned orangey-red otherwise the birds peck every single one leaving us nothing. We have several green tomatoes nearly the size of softballs. We will be supping on fried green tomatoes in a few days. If you have never had a fried green tomato I promise you it is one of those southern delicacies that is a sin to miss out on in the summer time. Fried Green Tomatoes Choose large green tomatoes. Wash and slice 1/4 inch thick, leaving on the skin. Lay out on a baking sheet and salt and pepper both sides. Coat them in flour or equal parts flour and cornmeal. Shake off the excess. Fry them until golden brown in a frying pan with a tiny amount of oil. Keep the heat medium-low so as they don't scorch and turn black. You will have to add more oil to the pan as you cook. Remember don't over do the oil. They don't need to float or swim in it. You just want them to sizzle. Some people batter them and then fry. I do not. It is not the way my grandmother taught me. I prefer the light dredging in flour only. Updated - Cabbage and green tomatoes.

It has been an extremely busy long weekend. I am exausted. The bulk of my 'morning sickness' has moved itself to the afternoon and evening. It is all I can do to climb into bed and will myself to sleep. Sleeping through it seems to be the only option. Since a new month is upon us, this is my house in July. I picked my first vine ripe tomato Saturday morning. Isn't it gorgeous? It tasted like heaven! We grilled big fat juicy burgers sunday evening and ate them with lettuce and tomato from the garden. It was a feast! I have been in Fairfax all day. I went with the intentions of only looking. We struck a deal and Friday I pick up this SUV. Ford Excursion, V10 Triton engine, 4x4, Eddie Bauer, DVD player hulking monster of a truck. We had seriously considered buying the new Explorer but the 3rd row backseat is shabby by my standards. It is a very flimsy looking seat and cramped. Our new truck seats 8. We should have plenty of room when baby makes 6. I need to go to bed now. :-/