Shelle be shuken.  And shellin’.  And chopping, grinding, freezing, drying, and that’s all before the cookin’.and after the pickin’.  Wow, this is some serious work.  And for one, well it’s pretty absurd.  Only half the month are we two which means the dog and chickens eat very well around here.  I have to laugh.  I like doing it, but then there’s that point where I’m thinking it might be overkill.  What next? I keep repeating, but nothing really seems suitable.  Maybe it’s about time to think about taking some to the farmer’s market, there’s one not that far that’s just opened.  And then again . . .

So, below, that’s what’s on the coffee table.  On the counter are zucchini and varied squashes,  in the cupboard carrots and potatoes, in the fridge peppers, more squash and carrots, cabbage, melons, herbs all around, cucumbers everywhere.  Eggs everywhere, of course.  But I wonder, part of my desire to learn these skills of growing, cultivating, preserving, has been all about feeling more control — which means we better be seriously working on the water component of the equation, because this drought would create serious challenges to grow anything here, and with the cattle ranchers really suffering, it’s scary sometimes to consider how vulnerable we really are.

Get shellin' (that's one day!)