HARVEST TIME AND JULY 4TH

A week after we arrived back home, it was time for the havesting of our corn. Normally we plant it a little earlier but knowing we would be gone we tried to have it ready for harvesting after we returned. Even then, it was a little early. John & Melanie & Ella( pictures of Ella riding in the blue van and Meryn reading to Ella and then Ella exhausted as they traveled home) and Phil & Julie & family(Malia, Owen, & Meredith swimming with Mommy-Greg giving rides in wagon) were home the weekend of July 1st and on Saturday Melanie, Julie, and myself took the little girls and went to see Grandpa & Grandma Tucker(Malia, Meredith & Meryn pictured with great grandpa and Meryn & Ella pictured with great grandpa). John & Melanie were able to stay until Monday and help us get all the corn put into the freezer. John, Greg, and Rog went to the field Monday morning and brought home nearly 6 five gallon pails of corn that had been picked and husked. Melanie and I then began silking it so the ones cutting the corn off the cob could do their job. Rog, Greg, and Brendon(just learning and did a good job) cut it off the cob and then John & Susan blanched it and moved it to dishes to cool. Then we combined all of it into 3 large containers and placed them in the refrigerator for the night. First thing the next morning, I put it all in freezer bags(about 30 qts) and took them down to our freezer to enjoy all winter. We have been getting lots of cucumbers and now the tomatoes and green beans are producing well so we will be busy canning stewed tomatoes and salsa. We also have a lot of watermelon in our garden that the Lanker boys are watching - they want to have a watermelon stand and sell them. Looks like they should have a good crop.