Friday, June 4, 2021

the county sends out the big dog, weird donations, and summer harvest

I should be posting my spring reading list book reviews but I only have five books on it so I'm postponing it until I finish the book I'm almost done with.

The county was out on Wednesday with their tree killer heavy duty mower head on the crane arm cutting back all the overgrown trees and wild grape vine and all the other stuff that grows unrestrained around here, chopping it all back from the ditches and to the fence line on the east side of the shop property. The last time they came through with that thing they tore out part of the fence. Wish I could get them to come and do along the inside of that section of fence.



Minnie and I went out about 8 AM and you could hear the racket. I knew what that sound meant so we walked down to the end of the street and looked up the road and yep, there he was, coming our way. I sure hope he turns on my street and does the ditch in front of the shop on the other side of the driveway, I thought. That's the section I don't try and keep clear. And sure enough, he did and did a great job doing both sides and the bottom of the ditch and then he did the ditch on the other side of the drive in front of Pam's house and I was so glad about that too as it was already so high from all the rain and I haven't been able to do anything about it.



And Thursday was SHARE day. Thought I post some of the weird things that get donated. Today, we got boxes and boxes of sparkling cider. 



And this is how much of the candy we still have after giving it out for two weeks. And this is not cheap stuff, $20 or more per box.



This pancake mix, powdered everything.





What the hell is spent grain flour? I looked that one up...Spent grain, the leftover malt and adjuncts after the mash has extracted most of the sugars, proteins, and nutrients. And 'resistant corn starch'? Looked that one up too...Resistant starches are carbohydrates that do not break down into sugar and are not absorbed by the small intestine. Similar to insoluble fibre, they pass through most of the digestive system unchanged, usually fermenting in the colon. By decreasing the pH level in the colon and assisting the body in increasing its production of short-chain fatty acids, resistant starches help to create an environment in which beneficial bacteria thrive. So great if you want to eat the dregs of beer production and undigestible carbs.

And then there were these two salad dressings. Note the picture on the label and then the disclaimer on this one.





And again with the pickle flavored shit? Just eat a fucking pickle.



I saw earlier this week that the Peach Creek Market down the highway had their first delivery of Fredericksburg peaches, local from the hill country, so I went and got me some.



Now I have peaches and corn to put up so I guess I'll be busy the next few days which is fine because...it's fucking raining again! They also had tomatoes and I need to make some tomato sauce but I have to deal with the peaches and corn first.



23 comments:

  1. Dealing with peaches and corn is a good way to spend fleeting minutes of this life. That equipment with the scoop and cutters is an amazing rig! I should think it would make one hell of a racket! You are the busiest person I know- how you find time to mow through books is a mystery. Super powers!

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  2. I am laughing at "Does not contain artichokes"! And NO KIDDING about eating a pickle!

    That looks like a serious mower. I hope all your nesting birds have fledged by now!

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    1. oh. man, I never even thought about birds nesting. I hope so too.

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  3. Are the donated items just leftover stuff that no one wanted to buy? I hope you get some regular, decent food for your SHARE pantry also! Nice of you to give your time.

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    1. The cider came from Walmart. The candy came from the food bank in Victoria in the last order from there. We get deliveries from the HEB grocery store also. Jan orders from a list provided by the food bank once a month though they will throw in things they want to get rid of like the candy and I have no idea how the food bank got it. SHARE gets money donations from various groups some of it stipulating what it can be spent on, and then we get donations from the various local food drives as well as just individuals dropping off stuff. and yes, they get a lot of real food...an assortment of canned goods and packaged stuff, bread, eggs, milk, meat, dried beans and rice, peanut butter, cereal, etc...standard stuff we keep in stock and then whatever variety of oddball stuff that gets donated.

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  4. Hurray for those big, giant mowers! They get the job done, don't they?
    "Spent grain" sounds ridiculous. What in hell are we eating these days?
    You're right- eat a fucking pickle. Also? Make a fucking pancake.
    Now I do have a friend who has celiac disease and if she gets the tiniest bit of gluten she can end up in the hospital. It's no joke for her.
    Good for you for processing food!

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    1. yeah, that spent grain flour...a totally inert substance, no nutritional value. makes me want to eat it.

      and that mower, just splinters and shreds trees and branches. I wonder what the cutter looks like, the part you can't see.

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  5. I finally have worn a victory....not the war mind you but I'll take it as a win. My husband is so addicted to sugar. During house arrest, he has eaten one of everything. Slowly but surely I have turned him in a fasting 18 hours and eating just 8 hours. Now that we are back in the grocery stores and picking out our own stuff to eat. He taps his foot or moves on while I'm reading labels but the "be good to yourself" diet = small baby steps. Yay for us.

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    1. baby steps get you there. I would do that with the grandkids when they would come for their week visit. we'd go to the grocery store to stock up and they would pick something and I would read the label out loud ending with 'not food' and put it back. the oldest and the youngest learned nothing but the twins paid attention and they have good diets now as adults.

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  6. I cannot fathom that much rain... The last rainstorm I remember that would come close was back in the late 60's. We are really dry out here. I don't know that our hills even turned green this Spring. Surely, nothing like what you're seeing. Lush is a nice word for it!

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  7. Yum, new peaches! Ours come in August, from along Lake Erie. They come from lots of other places, too, but sun warmed Ashtabula peaches are it for me.
    We've had more than enough rain, but what if we don't get it this summer...?

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    1. that's the way I feel about the Fredricksburg peaches.

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  8. I was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic, so I've been reading all kinds of stuff on the internet about diabetic friendly diets. I keep coming across stuff about Keto this and Keto that. I have no idea what any of it is about. My condition is completely genetic-family-related. Definitely not diet. I literally weigh 100 pounds. Anyway, seeing that low-carb keto stuff just makes me crazy. I hope you get some nice sunshiny days.

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    1. we are so much alike. my blood sugar was high, 126, last December and my A1c was 5 point something I think. I'd have to look up the results again but just barely not pre-diabetic. my doctor just said to cut back on the carbohydrates since I don't drink soda or sweet tea or use white sugar at all or eat sweets very often. but yeah, I did the same thing, looked up diabetic friendly diets and foods. the keto thing did not inspire me. and it's genetic in my family too. maternal grandfather and maternal aunt were diabetic and my brother and both my kids are pre-diabetic. I'm small too. weighed 98 - 105 most of my adult life until I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and joined a gym and worked out for 7 years and the trainer made me eat more. I weigh about 122 now on my 5' 4' frame though I quit the gym scene about 10 years ago. now I just do yoga.

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    2. We really are so much alike it surprises me. I hope you don't mind, but I just sent you a friend request on Facebook. I'm as boring there as I am in the blog world. But I like keeping up with things. LOL. When you see the request you'll see my last name is Chanin.

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    3. happily accepted. I'm not very active on FB. it's mostly how I keep up with the glass art world.

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  9. Just so you know -- the sun is shining here, and it's raining. Apparently the spigot isn't quite ready to turn off. There was a localized storm near Bacliff and San Leon yesterday that flooded homes. It was only in a very small, localized area. I suppose it was the prototypical 'cloudburst.'

    I'm picking up peaches at our farmers' market this morning. I hope they're good, because I ordered a good number. Fresh cobbler, here we come! (And yes, I'll be in the kitchen freezing some, too.)

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    1. yeah, I know, we're taking a big chance but hopefully if it does rain it won't be hard or last very long. hahahahaha.

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  10. Your peach haul is a treat to the eyes.
    Spent grain sounds like left over bits. I initially thought it was a spelling mistake for spelt grain which is very popular here but that would be too much spelling of spent and spelt and I am lost now.

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    1. turns out that's what it is...the leftover, drained of all it's nutritional qualities, fiber. and people wonder where all these weird new diseases are coming from.

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  11. It's 9:00 on Saturday night & now all I can think about is peach cobbler. So thanks!

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  12. Mother would put up peaches with a little alcohol. :)

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.