Zucchini season....cloudy... 67*

Today from our archives one of our favorite summer recipes...............

Everything season: The time of year (whenever it may be) when you realize EVERYTHING you make needs to have eggs, or milk, or zucchini, or tomatoes, or green beans in it.
 Because you just have  (insert current item here) coming out your ears?
There are lots of "everything" seasons on the farm, but summer is probably best known as 'everything zucchini season' so here's another great use for Zucchini:
Zucchini Blondie's With Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups grated zucchini

Cream together peanut butter, oil, apple sauce, vanilla and sugar. Add flour and baking soda, stir (mixture will be dry and crumbly) add zucchini and continue to stir. mixture will go from very stiff and dry to a thick moist batter as the zucchini is incorporated.
Spread into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350* (until a knife inserted in center comes out clean)

                                            Fudge Frosting
4 Tablespoons butter OR margarine
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1-3 Tablespoons milk

In small sauce pan melt butter, remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. In a large bowl and cocoa mixture to the sugar along with 1 Tablespoon of milk, beat, adding milk as needed to get a smooth spreadable consistency, (you want it thick, but spreadable)
Frost cooled Blondie's. Serve or refrigerate for later

Farm adventures...sunny... hotter..80's

I guess my post Thursday last, was prophetic. Here's more snake pics. While bouncing to the hay barn that night (I wasn't driving) I saw movement in a tree and  I jumped, even though inside the truck. What I thought was a huge snake hanging in the tree turned out to be his skin blowing in a breeze. So I took this picture, and then we carefully got it down so we could measure, and here is that pic. 5 feet long!!!!!  Now that's much bigger than the chicken cage snake, and I hope I don't come across HIM. The tree he used is a Honey Locust, also known as the thorny locust , which has thorns several inches long. That sure wouldn't be my choice for itching!!!!

Five FEET LONG!

Sunday Quotes...........Sunny....80's

And since all this loveliness cannot be Heaven, I know in my heart,it is June.

 --Abba Goold Woolson

              

Frozen Lemon Pie....Sunny and cooler (but still hot!)

With summer upon us, and the busy haying season here, I thought I'd share one of my favorite make-ahead summer desserts with you. Quick and easy to make with ingredients you most likely have in your pantry right now!
Hard to beat a piece of this at the end of a long hot summer day!

Refreshing Lemon Ice pie
1 large can( 12 oz.) evaporated milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup sugar
graham cracker crust

Place milk (Undiluted) in a large bowl and place in the freezer till just beginning to freeze around edges.
Beat with a stand or hand mixer until foamy, add sugar, continue to beat until soft peaks form, add lemon juice and extract, beat just to incorporated and spoon into a prepared graham cracker crust(will be quite high, just pile it in.)
Place immediately into the freezer and freeze for four hours or overnight.
Can be cut and eaten straight from the freezer for a refreshing summer treat!

Farm Adventures....partly cloudy...80's

And to conclude our Then and Now baby pictures here are Threadrick and Patches. They have been getting out of the pen since day 2 and have developed a habit of browsing their neighborhood. When I can't locate them I check Bandit's(the 3 year old wether) pen, that is their favorite place to take a nap. Here they're hurrying to get their share of the hay before I distribute it. These two are going to a sheep farm, to help with brush clearing. I'm happy to learn they will live with predator dogs that will keep them safe.

New born

Since the forecast is for perhaps showers today, I'm gratefully for  a rest from hay making. Wait till Monday when I show you what startled me while putting the last load of hay away last night!

escape artists!

2 months old

Snippets & Snatches..snakes and plants and summer...sunny... 90*

While heading over to feed the lonely Gander who lives with the lonely Drake (my 2 bachelors)  this morning I spotted movement and sure enough it was another snake! (or the same one!!) The trouble with not catching a snake when you see it is -  you're going to come across him again. Of course it could be his friend or relation too. I really think it was a Blue Racer, though, as it moved with great speed. Well that made me determined to drastically prune the Japanese Knotweed (Linda's Plant) today, because for the last week I've been making a detour to get to the door instead of putting my feet under it. The area outside our pantry door has never made it through a summer without at least one Copperhead sighting  and beside the door above a stone wall is where Linda's plant grows. 
So that accomplished I want to thank Elizabeth for identifying  this plant for us. My husband said he hates it too!, but I like it, just have a hard time keeping up with it. I'm going to try to thrill you all with more snake pictures this summer, as I think most of you don't get the frequent startle factor that we often do. I could write a whole short book on my life here with snakes. I lived 11 years on a few acres in N.H. before coming here and saw a garter snake ONCE. Anyway I have a hen sitting with 10 days to go still, so these snake sightings have taken my hopes for a special breed from her away. (especially after the snake in the 'snakeproof' cage earlier this week!) 
A couple years ago I said "no more" on trying to hatch and raise chicks, but when my poor dedicated bantams put so much effort into it I give in,,,, Maybe this will be the last time. 

Japanese Knotweed (Linda's Plant)

Snippets & Snatches and Elderberries.....Sunny...HOT,,,mid 90's

    Awhile back someone asked me for my Elderberry Syrup recipe, which led to the following post, As the Elderberry's are blooming now  I thought I would share this post again.....Do you have Elderberry's where you live???

Our Elderberries are blooming this year, after 4 years of being defoliated by a tiny unidentified  worm.
Never got around to taking them out and now this year they've recovered.
Let's hope we get berries, I'm running low on syrup!

                                             Snippets & Snatches
Don't recipes fall into that category!! Especially in my house. Why do I own so many Cook Books , if every time someone starts to say a recipe I run and grab a piece of paper and copy it. I spent a long time yesterday searching for one and a current theme was most of my Snippets were on bill envelopes. It's a wonder my bills get paid on time. 

Anyway, someone asked  - how do you make your Elderberry Syrup? and I couldn't find that one. However I'm pretty sure this is how I do it. By the way, every year is not a good Elderberry (or Peach or Blackberry or Blueberry, well you get the point) year so it has been awhile since I last was able to make some.
I use Sure-Jell and inside pkg. I use the cooked jelly recipe procedure.  Elderberries won't be offered so I use "Currant" directions instead. Prepare the fruit as instructed with 2 cups water instead of 1 1/2 . When measuring juice into pot (after straining) add 1/2 cup lemon juice. Now reduce the sugar to 3 cups and proceed with procedure. This will make a syrup instead of jelly. I also do this with other fruits, when there is an abundance, to have syrup in the winter for pancakes. We especially like wild plum and they don't produce enough very often. Speaking of "good years" for certain things, one year I decided to tackle the multitude of garlic that had spread throughout my garden. There was a new show on T.V. midafternoon, so every day I dug a quantity and sat at the kitchen table processing it, while watching this show.  
I came up with chopping it and putting in ice cube trays (which of course were rendered useless for ice) and when frozen put cubes in plastic bags. I worked on that project during the hottest part of summer, and was so happy to know now I could add garlic to everything come winter. Well guess what ----- we had a major ice storm that winter, and no electricity for 21 days. Can you imagine the aroma coming from my freezer as it thawed?   I'll close for now, keep smiling, it helps!

Farm adventures.....Sunny....90's*

Yesterday, I went out to see what the chickens were carrying on about and there was a big black snake in the "snakeproof cage" where I was raising my 2 chicks with their mother. They were too big to be swallowed but of course a snake tries anyway and the result is a smothered chick. I attempted to catch it without benefit of a nearby bucket and it got behind an un-removable tunnel thingy that the previous owner of this cage built into it. ( I never get a thing what ain't been used!) So I removed all three chickens to a cage, and had to keep them in the pantry overnight. Today I kept checking for the snake to emerge and when it did I tried again. With the help of my woodstove poker I "coaxed" it into the bucket ( I heard it slithering in ) and slapped the lid on. When I got the bucket out of the cage I couldn't resist a peek  - NO SNAKE- I had heard it slithering UNDER the bucket, and back into the tunnel thingy!  So after repeated trips to check all afternoon it was out in the cage again. This time I put the bucket over it upside down,Then slid the lid under. Yep I had it this time. Now I just had to drag the bucket toward me and out the door, and I'd be heading down the road to "Charlie's House" for yet another snake deposit. You can read about "Charlie's House HERE . 

When I dragged the bucket near the door the lid snagged on the wire, and in half a minute less than no time he dropped to the ground missing my feet and took off. I'm guessing he won't go back in that cage but I wish he had been relocated as he'll do other damage, no doubt. Since I couldn't leave him alone to go get the camera the first time and was too tired to think of bringing it all the other times ( did I mention it was over here 90 today?)

I'm showing you the pic we took last year.

Another year, Another snake story!

 

Snippets & Snatches....Sunny...75*

We thought we'd do some "then and now" pictures of our kids. So here's part two of that update!
Here are Stitches and Zigzag very newborn, (poor boy, I should have given him time to get his legs under him)  and now at 8 weeks. Of these 2, Stitches takes the lead and gives voice to their opinion. It was not peaceful here today listening to her ask to go back with mom. 
It's weaning time and I can't help but wonder if bottle feeding would be better, I know it would be quieter!

Sunday Quotes....Sunny...HOT...80's

"Eat what you can.............
         Can what you can't.........................

 

 

 

 

 

Blueberry dessert.......partly sunny...80's

Blueberry Dessert

 

1 package white cake mix

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts ( I use pecans )

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

2 1/2 cups  fresh blueberry pie filling (see note) (21 OZ. can  pie filling can be substituted)

1 cup sour cream (see note)

1 egg

Combine 1st 4 ingredients until crumbly. Save 1 1/2 cups for topping. Press remaining mix into buttered 9"x13" pan. Spread with pie filling. Mix sour cream and egg and pour over filling. Sprinkle saved crumbs over top  and bake at 350 30-40 minutes until top is golden.

Let cool completely  before serving.

 

*NOTE: to make pie filling from fresh blueberries

combine

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

 bring to a boil

in small bowl, whisk together

1/4 cup Clear Jell or Cornstarch

6 T. water

till smooth, add to boiling mixture and whisk till smooth and thickened

crush one cup of blueberries, stir into above mixture then fold in one cup whole blueberries

remove from heat and allow to cool

 

*NOTE: For a lower fat version that tastes equally as good substitute 1 cup fat-free yogurt cheese for sour cream, see how to make it HERE

 

 

 

Snippets & Snatches......rain...rain...rain...70*

Remember these jar rubbers? How many of us used these to can our vegetables with the bail type jars? Remember if they weren't very hot you couldn't stretch them over the jar? On the end flap of the wide mouth box, it's stamped .45 cents! When these were being phased out in the '70's I ordered a whole case from the local hardware store. I wonder if I'll find them in the attic. Anyway, while visiting in Virginia one year a lady showed me this craft. Crocheting around them and weaving the circles together to make a hot mat.
Did any of you out there ever do this?

Snippets & Snatches.....raining...69*

Well I hoped for a rainy spell to get me out of the hayfield, and we have one.
However my plans to dive into housework while I rested from the hay have been disappointing.
My "worn-out-ness" combined with this high humidity day after day have reduced me to accomplishing the minimums.
Yesterday I came up with what the Ozarks are good for  - PHOTOGRAPHS! I can usually find the energy for those. 

We want to see if anyone can Identify this plant for us: This is what we  know about it  - about 25 years ago a neighbor gave us a  start as a very small plant. It was brought to her place, by the former owner, from Iowa, probably in the mid 1970's. We don't know any more than that. I've looked in various catalogs and nursery's over the years and never seen another plant or picture like it.
As the person who gave it to us didn't know the name of it either, we've always just called it "Linda's Plant" after the neighbor that shared it with us. 

It is a perennial and dies completely away by winter. In the spring red cone shaped spears (similar to emerging asparagus) emerge and it grows rapidly, they shoot straight up to a foot or more before the leaves unfurl, leaves are bright green and waxy looking, and it continues to grow to a height of at least six feet each year before dying  back to the ground just  to start all over again the following years. 
It spreads underground and pokes up a few feet away, this planting from that original start is a large circle 10 feet in diameter and six feet tall, sometimes we mow it around the edges, so I think it would be much larger! Ours is on the north side of the house so it is definitely winter hardy, and having it survive all these years attests to that. By late fall just dead stalks are left which will not break off without considerable  human effort.
We will reward the  first person who can tell us what this plant is, with a small surprise  gift from our Etsy store!!! Since we don't know what it is please provide some source with your answer for us  to check it out!
Comment below or under this post on our FB page

Farm adventures....cloudy..70*

We thought we'd do some "then and now" pictures of our kids. All are sold and will be leaving soon. It is amazing how six kids could have six personalities, but they do! I so hate to see them go, and regret the lack of time to play with them and take pics, but  that has been the story this year!
Here are the oldest 2, Pearl and Gale. Pearl is the spokeswoman and the first to see how to get out, and Gale is as quiet and gentle as can be. I guess she decided Pearl could take the lead.

More from the Blueberry patch...Sunny and 70's

Many years ago, but not as far back as the strawberry era, quite a few folks put in blueberries, yet another fruit crop to be raised, harvested and sold in these hills.
Some would preclude making use of such hilly countryside with all the hardships included, but these folks know the climate here will usually yield enough if you're willing to work hard. Not far from my home there were acres and acres of Elberta peaches grown. 
There was even a peach canning factory established. Because there was rail service here then, quite an industry developed. But when as much timber as could be was hauled out, rail service was removed.
Well now the acres and acres  peaches and the strawberries are gone, and some have removed the blueberry orchards too. This is a picture of a packing shed at the edge of the patch. And a view of the blueberry bushes. Notice the sundries piled at the end bush of each row. Buckets to fill, jugs of water, perhaps snacks, ready for a long day in the patch.
How many pickers can you find?

Remember to stop by Saturday for one of our favorite blueberry dessert recipes!

Seven sisters roses....cloudy 74*

Help us choose our next photography download to list on E T S Y!!
Which Seven Sisters Rose picture is your favorite, 1, 2 or 3 ??

Read more about the history and folklore of these roses here:
http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/2015/06/june-rosessunny-and-hot.html

Sunday Quotes...Cloudy... 70's

"By appreciation we make excellence in others our own property." 
~Voltaire

Fresh Blueberry streusel coffee cake....cloudy....71*

Coffee Cake

1/2 cup Shortening
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
2/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

mix shortening, sugar, and eggs together, beat till smooth, add remaining ingredients except blueberries, stir well then gently fold in blueberries. Pour into a greased 9 x 9 pan sprinkle with streusel topping and bake at 350* for 45-50 minutes till tests done in center.

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tsp. lemon extract
Mix sugar and flour together, cut in butter till crumbly, add lemon extract and sprinkle over top of cake.

Custom orders....sunny 83*

Did you know that our ''seamstress'' that makes all the quilted and sewn items on our page will take custom orders???  Quilted wall hangings, baby quilts, memory pillows or throws, table runners, personalized taggies, rag purses made in your favorite color, notebook or bible covers, a personalized  fabric sign for your business or craft booth .............you name it!
Below are some pictures of  items she's made to order recently. If have something in mind you'd like made to order just send us a private message through our FB page, and see what she can make for you! https://www.facebook.com/jonquiljunction

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jonquiljunction?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Makin' Hay.......sunny 80*

               Still making hay, what more can I say ????????????


 Read last weeks post on hay making, including Haymakers Switchel recipe here:
http://jonquiljunction.blogspot.com/2015/06/makin-hay-while-sun-shinessunny-69.html

Photography collections, sunny hot....80*

Photography collections

As I've mentioned before we live in one of the prettiest places in the Ozark mountains,  & living on a farm with many feathered and furry (both domesticated and not) occupants, there always an opportunity to capture a priceless photograph, now whether I have the time (or the camera with me at the right time!) is another story!
I've always taken pictures, but when I began photographing seriously for this Blog and our FB page, I was pleasantly surprised with the images I was able to capture, and then when our photographs were so well received on FB and on the blog, I thought why not offer a bit of "JonquilJunction" to you? So we are happy to now offer them on Etsy as digital downloads!! For a low price and NO SHIPPING, you can instantly enjoy the pictures you've loved on our page  in your own home or office, on your desktop or printed and framed ect, ect, ect..... print as many times as you like for personal use!
We have several categories that we hope you'll enjoy. "Cat" collection, "Caprine" collection, "Country Nostalgia" collection, "Canine" collection , & "Chicken" collection for starters with  more collections coming along soon!
We hope you'll check out our ETSY page https://www.etsy.com/shop/Jonquiljunction?ref=hdr_shop_menu
 to see all the choices we have available now and follow us so you can keep up to date as we add new photographs.

We are choosing new photos to add soon, we'd love your input what is your favorite picture of ours
you'd like to see as a download??
Leave a comment below this post or drop up a line on our FB page! www.facebook.com/jonquiljunction

 



June Roses....Sunny and hot!

We dug these Roses from a county roadside before the county widened the road and the  grader removed them permanently, over 20 years ago. Now despite our goats, the neighbors cows and  one family member's attempts to remove them, they still flourish, and bloom reliably every June.

A little history about the "Seven Sisters" rose
Believed to be brought to this country from France around 1817, Seven Sisters  is a vigorous once-blooming climbing rose that is frequently found in old gardens and home sites throughout the southern United States. The effort that it took to transport them through the intervening miles, those early settlers have left their own testimony about the need for beauty in even the most rugged human existence.

 A rambler canes grow 15-20 feet long. The name origin is believed to come from the roses’ tendency to have multiple colors of flowers in a single cluster as the blooms change colors from deepest pink, to lighter pink, mauve and finally creamy white as they age, this suggested several roses growing together Hence, the name “Seven Sisters”