Apple Heaven

We have a system in the family that if you get a bumper crop of produce, anyone who helps process the fruit gets to also share in the labors. Needless to say, I was thrilled to help my mom process some apples that she had been given. We made jars of sliced apple slices which can be used for pies or fruit salad. We also used my Ninja blender to turn a second batch into apple sauce.

A Pool Can Be Painful

So I know we are way late in getting a pool purchased and set up, but my husband was adamant he needed one, even if we only use it for like 4 weeks as the summer ends. Thankfully, a Kentucky summer can last into the end of September! So while others are closing theirs up Labor Day weekend, we will be praying for enough warm days to maximize our water bill for the 4500 gallons we filled it with! But with a pool can come some problems.

No.
Not a leak.
Not bugs.
Not algae.

Upcoming Reviews for July and August 2019

Well, it is official that we are in the HEAT of summer here on the farm! Wowza are we having a "real" Kentucky summer this year. But when you have fields and fields of hay, that's an excellent thing. LOL. Summer is my husband's favorite season because he can get the most down on the farm. I don't really mind it myself since I have the blessed invention of an Air Conditioner to help me manage! LOL. Because it is summer, we are technically on a summer school break. But if you have been readers for awhile, you know that we review homeschooling product all year long--which means there are still a few school items in house for us to dabble in over the summer. Today I'm going to catch you up with what we've got in house for July and August. It really is a mix of things, including some we most likely will continue into the new school year.

The links on this blog and in the posts may be affiliate links. 

Please see my disclosure policy for full details and thank you for your support!

UPCOMING REVIEWS FOR JULY 2019

1. Music and Creativity-Foundation Course, Simply Music
This is a program I was very curious about as soon as I heard about it. It's a completely online piano lesson program! As a former

Happy 4th of July!!

From our farm to yours-- Happy 4th of July!

We'll be spending it at a state park for the afternoon, and then come home for dinner, movie, chasing fireflies, playing tag, and lighting sparklers.  It's a wonderful day to be an American and able to celebrate our freedom! *****

Summer Break is Hay Season

Woot! It is hard to believe but we are in 100% summer mode now! Unlike some homeschoolers, summer doesn't necessarily mean freedom--we ARE a farm family. Summer means an increase of farm work! Remember when you learned that the old school years revolved around the agricultural cycle for the area? Yeah, that's basically us! We take a break from school when the hay season starts and then go back to school once the last cutting is in.

Everything we do here on the farm revolves around hay season during the summer. We have over 200 acres of hay to take care of. This means as soon as it is ready and there are several days in a row of rain-free days? We rev the tractors up and head on out!
So how does it work with still doing product reviews? That's easy. If we still have reviews to finish, we do them in the morning directly after breakfast. That's the best time as the men are still working out the plans for the day. By this point into our fifth year of being on the review crew, I know how much to ask for. This summer is working out to be perfect--only a couple things to review for each boy. Way less pressure to get stuff done, and more time to be out and farming!
I'll be sharing what we are reviewing for July and August in a few days...it's not much, but it is VERY good stuff! Until then--stay cool!

Random 5 for Saturday~ 7/18: Summer Words

It's been awhile, but I figured I would do a Random 5 on Friday post...on Saturday. This week I have picked words to describe the summer we are having so far.

Click image to add yours!

1. Busy. There have been activity after activity at church and it keeps me hopping! Throw in a couple trips and a visit from my family, not to mention normal farm busyness, and this summer is just flying by! Middle of July already? How is that even possible?
2. Rain. That pretty much describes this years summer. We had 2 straight weeks of storms and rain. We received around 9". And some of it came down so heavy our creeks rushed and the grass was flooded. Crazy amounts of rain this summer. So weird to think that on the other side of the country, they would happily take even a fraction of the rain we are having, because they are bone dry.
3. Green Tomatoes. My mom told me that the type of summer we are having here in Kentucky is what they called growing up a "green tomato summer". When you get more rain than sun and it seems like your tomatoes stay a perpetual green. Well that pretty much describes it here! We have quite a few tomatoes, but they just need more sun to ripen!
4. Humidity. Ugh. All that rain? Well the ground is saturated. And now we have HOOOOOOTTTTT weather. Put them together and there is 90%+ humidity which tacks on 5-10 degrees in "real feel" to our temperature. Today was 92, but tacking on the 95% humidity made it over 100 degrees. The kind that just covers you in sweat within seconds. Ew.
5. Flowers and Cucumbers. While the tomatoes might not be ripening, the flowers are loving the rain and sun, and so are my cucumbers. It's pickle season! Our cucumbers are growing fabulous and now it's time to make pickles. That's one thing about preserving your crops, when they are ready, you just have to do it, ready or not! Last night we had to put up corn because we discovered IT was ready. Soon it will be potatoes and melons. But right now it's cucumbers. 

Nine jars (pint-and-a-half) of pickles--whole and quartered

Fresh from the stalk corn-on-the-cob. Oh so delish!

The bees are loving my sunflowers this year!

Are you following me on Instagram yet? I love sharing snapshots of my life and hope you will come find me over there!
*****

Fresh From the Kitchen: Kickin' Up the Heat with Green-Chile Corn

Summer time means that your garden starts producing tasty things for you to start incorporating into your daily meals! Things like corn, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon...and much much more! We always harvest corn and peppers so I'm always seeking out ways to use our harvest. This recipe for Green-Chile Corn is definitely a way to use up some of that corn--and maybe even some home canned chiles! If you like Tex-Mex, you have got to try this recipe from today's guest blogger Lori of At Home: where life happens!

The links on this blog and in the posts may be affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy for full details and thank you for your support!

I am spoiled by having a fantastic grocery store that has fresh foods year round. And if they don't have it fresh, they probably have it frozen. We are spoiled for that year round freshness. However, there is almost nothing to beat fresh-from-the-garden corn. I love it!

I'll share a tid-bit with you, though. I like it even more when you add good, fresh New Mexico green chile. I am a NM girl, through and through. And there is a difference in taste to me when it comes to green chile. I want mine from Hatch or 505, if possible. If not, somewhere in NM.

Now, take those two amazing flavors and mix them together and you have my absolute, all-time favorite dish. Toss in a little cheese and it will be perfect. I have been known to eat that as my entire meal. And, I'll be completely satisfied. But, if that doesn't sound like a meal to you, try it as a side dish. It is just as good and complements any grilled main dish or roasted meat, such as chicken or fish, well.

Don't trust me, though. Try it for yourself!

Green-Chili Corn

Ingredients for 4 1/2 C servings:

*2 C fresh or frozen corn kernels

*1/4 C green chile **see note below**

*1/2 C grated cheddar cheese

Just mix these ingredients together, heat, and serve. You can add or reduce each ingredient to your liking. This is the combination that seems to please the most people, but the amount of heat in the green chile is known to vary widely.

**I prefer my green chile canned in a jar. It will be green chile, some lime, and maybe a little salt. That is all it needs. There are several brands from NM but I know that 505 will ship in the US and theirs is really good. You can get Hatch brand chile in a can in lots of places. There is also frozen green chile but that is a lot harder to find.

***

I am Lori and you can visit me: At Home: where life happens. I enjoy writing and share about the education of our three girls at home, product reviews, and life in general. We laugh, love, and have fun while striving to serve God. Please stop by to see what we are up to.

***

Oh my. Doesn't that just make you want to give it a try? I think it must be fabulous and I'm planning on trying it this summer as a side with some of our grilling meals! Speaking of grilling, now would be a great time for you to also check out my post with 5 Tasty Marinade and Rub Recipes! Or you could wash it down with a glass of Summer Fun Lemonade!

Fresh from the Kitchen: Lemonade (A Kid Made, Kid Approved Recipe)

Summer means hot weather. Hot weather means cool and refreshing drinks. Cool and refreshing drinks to me mean...FRESH MADE LEMONADE!! I adore lemonade during the summer, don't you? I am tickled to share a guest post today from a JUNIOR blogger, Miss L! Miss L's mom blogs over at At Home: where life happens, (one of my frequent blogs to read) and I was happy to have her daughter guest post with her favorite homemade summer yum, lemonade recipe today!

The links on this blog and in the posts may be affiliate links. 

Lemonade is a fun, easy drink to make, and a lot of the ingredients are either easy to find at the store, or you already have at home. It's easy to make, and I usually only take about five minutes to make it. It's really tasty, too. I prefer no ice in mine, but to some people it's better with. Either way, lemonade is great!

To make your lemonade:

1. Gather your ingredients. You will need a two cup measuring cup, a pitcher, water, sugar, a spoon, and lemon juice.

2. I usually put all the liquid stuff in first, but you can do it either way. Put in two cups of water and about half a cup of lemon juice.

3. Put in the sugar. I do about one cup but this part really depends on how sweet or sour you like your lemonade.

4. Mix it up real good, until you can't feel the spoon grinding the sugar.

5. Pour into glasses and enjoy! This recipe makes about four servings of lemonade. At this stage, you can add a little extra lemon juice if you want to. This makes it a little bit more sour.

I hope you enjoyed!

This recipe and how-to was written by the middle of the three giggly girls from their mom's blog At Home: where life happens. She is 9 years old and loves to dance, read, and be creative in a lot of different ways. You might find her writing poetry, creating doll sized items for her "girls", skating, scootering, or playing with her sisters. At any rate, lemonade is her favorite drink and she hopes you like it as much as she does.

***

Doesn't that look so refreshing? Her recipe is so simple, I bet your own children will enjoy making it! My boys love tossing in berries and smashing them in their glasses for an extra treat. We also pour our lemonade into our Popsicle holders for a frozen treat. However you make it, it will be a great summer treat!