I've noticed a few people have had problems leaving comments, so I had my daughter Miranda put together a little tutorial. The commenting is a bit tricky on blogger, but this guide should help you out!
The title almost sounds like a weather forecast. Ha!
Sorry for the bad humor. Now for the blog.
I want to apologize for not getting the photos and story to all of you waiting on the blackberry jam. I didn't realize I wasn't ready for canning on Sunday, so I opted to put this off until later this week. Stay tuned for the update.
This afternoon; however, I harvested more garden veggies for a summertime feast. I gathered a mess of beans and began stringing and breaking them to soak for dinner.
Winnie didn't think much of the whole 'stringing the green beans' process.
I slow cooked the green beans in fat bacon with baby red potatoes and corn on the cob. Dinner also consisted of pork roast and cornbread.
To top it all off, I definitely needed to use some of the berries we picked on Sunday, so it was blackberry cobbler and french vanilla ice cream for dessert. Yum!
After dinner, Kent headed for the sofa and I went back to the kitchen to start the process for freezing our abundance of tomatoes.
I finished up with the apples on Sunday, but our tomato plants are reproducing like rabbits this year. (Not that I'm complaining.) They are loving this Southwest Virginia soil. If they keep it up, we have decided to introduce them to our local farmer's market this coming Saturday. It's held here in our hometown of Big Stone Gap, VA. This is their first year working the market and it's slowly proving to be very productive for our area.
Local farms and farmers have been struggling and so I definitely want to get the word out about the importance of farmland protection for local food. With the new farm bill for the state of Virginia; it is a start to turn things around, but I am also cheering for a new "No Farms No Food" campaign spearheaded by the American Farmland Trust. You can find the link to their website under "I support" on the right side of my blog or by clicking on the American Farmland Trust link provided above.
I know how much all of you love finding fresh produce at the supermarket. Please know that you can make a difference by getting involved.
I've filled the last freezer bag of tomatoes and it's time to call it a night. Until next time...
Phew! Not sure where to begin here. Due to the heat wave and lack of rain, I realize I'm going to have to start picking apples, tomatoes, and berries to freeze and can for winter much earlier than anticipated.
So, today I'm going into my back yard to load up most of what I can still find on my June Apple Trees. Then I'm heading up the mountain on my 4-wheeler to pick blackberries along the roadside. I try not to venture into the woods this time of year. It's dangerous enough to pick berries on a mountain road. Keep in mind I will carry a firearm. That is something that just comes with the territory in these parts of the woods. And I'm quite glad that my Grandfather taught me to not only respect a handgun, but also how to shoot well. Black snakes are not my friends!
Later this evening I plan to pick the ripest of my tomatoes for freezing. Of course, I'll also be watering the garden, my ferns, flowers, plants, and puppies. They love the sprinkler in late afternoon to cool them off. They are so cute running and playing in the water as you may have seen on my blog before.
Keep in touch. I'll be back later this evening with photos.
Click their logo above to enter their website.
If you check out their website and menu items you will notice that they also have a seafood market. Everything is fresh......by plane, by boat or catch. The service is to die for and the people are warm and inviting. I can not tell you how much we love to dine here.
The above title was taken from my daughter, Mira's Flickr site. By now everyone should know she wears her camera around her neck 24/7. So it didn't surprise me when I found my pasta on the internet.
Now don't get too excited. The recipe is so easy my dog could make it..... well, close.
Since the garden has been booming this past month, we have been eating a lot of dishes based on these wonderfully colored veggies. I have had a sore throat and the sniffles all day......due in part to the fact that I rode my 4-wheeler in the rain Saturday night, but...... life goes on. So, I opted for a short cut dinner.
Italian Herb, Zucchini, Squash, and Tomato Pasta
* 2 medium garden sized squash
* 1 large garden zucchini
* 1 medium garden red tomato
* 1 medium garden banana pepper
* 1/2 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
* Black pepper to taste
* Fettuccini noodles (serving for 4)
* Dash of olive oil
Set water to boil for the pasta with a dash of olive oil.
Rinse and slice up the garden veggies to your liking and place in sauce pan heated to medium. Pour 1/2 bottle of Italian Dressing onto veggies and cover. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover and add black pepper to taste. Fettuccini noodles should be ready for the colander. Combine and commence eating. Yum!
Oh. We did add garlic bread to the menu as an afterthought. Super Yum!
I just took two Tylenol and I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow is always a better day.
G'night!
Although my blog is entitled "Writing in the Mountains", I have been asked by so many people about my life in the Arctic that I think I will take this opportunity to write about some of my wonderful adventures during the eight years that I lived at the "Top of the World."
It is difficult to know where to begin. I moved to the Arctic on July 1, 1997. Actually, a permanent move was not in my thoughts that day. I was having a difficult time with a separation and my friends decided I needed a break from my tears and heartache. So, I packed a couple of bags and flew myself and my daughter to Barrow, Alaska to get away from it all. This was going to be a new and wonderful adventure! And it was...
I was immediately introduced to the Native Culture and the children. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with those children. I had been teaching dance to children already for about 15 years, so it was just a natural thought that I should offer my talents here in Barrow. Now keep in mind that they still had their own cultural dances, but they also had very little outside influence in their culture; i.e., ballet, classical music, and the arts; except what little they were exposed to in school.
I opened "The Academy of Performing Arts" school of dance in September of 1997 in Barrow, Alaska to fulfill a dream to teach these children along with the desire to become a big part of their lives along with the community. I taught Kinderdance to very young children ages 3-5 to socialize them and teach them about ballet, tap, and tumbling. I also offered regular ballet classes to varied age groups along with tap, jazz, hip-hop, and gymnastics.
For the next eight years, I had the time of my life!
During these years, I had the wonderful distinction of becoming the Director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Arctic Slope. I not only planned, organized, managed, and directed the overall Unit/Branch programs, but I also helped to develop a cooperative relationship between our members and the public, through their involvement with civic groups, social agencies, and entertaining at community functions. They created and printed their own monthly newsletter and took pride in helping the elderly.
The City of Barrow was kind enough to provide us with a building; however, it was quite old and in heavy need of repairs. The water was either freezing or pipes were bursting which would shut us down quite often. Through my recent visits over the past two years, I have come to understand that the building is currently shut down for repairs and no one seems to know when it will be suitable to house the Boys & Girls Club again. It's a shame. These kids really enjoyed having somewhere to go every afternoon after school. Upon my visit again this coming Fall, I hope to find a much repaired building or maybe even a new one. I will be sure to update on that.
Note: the house pictured here on the left is not the Boys & Girls Club. (ha ha) This house is actually not that old and also the house I lived in while I was in Barrow. All houses are built up on pilings because of the constant freezing and thawing of the tundra.
Of course my personal life was filled with wonderful friends and weekly get-togethers. Due to the harsh climate and many months of darkness, we created our own fun to disuade the boredom. Most of my friends were either school teachers or research scientists. We broke up the week by spending Wednesday evenings having dinner together and then playing board games or cards for several hours. Then weekends, of course, were spent similarly. The host location might change, but we still tried to get together at least twice a week. Barrow, statistically, has the highest suicide rate in the US due to so many months of darkness; along with the fact that it is so far from the 'real' world. Socializing on a regular basis, laughing, joking, playing games, and having fun kept us all sane in such a harsh and difficult environment. I made some wonderful friends. Lifetime friends.
Since the Alaskan Arctic is also teeming with wildlife and beautiful scenery, I also took the opportunity to take thousands of photos over the course of those years. I can't possibly share all of them with you, but I do want to share some of my favorites. 
Keep in mind that the Inupiaq Eskimos still believe in subsistence living, and I, for one, have a great respect for their way of life. They do not abuse or neglect it. They not only eat the meat, but use every inch of each animal for their very existence, just as their ancestors did before them.
It was a very surreal experience. It may not be for everyone, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you get the chance to visit Barrow, I doubt you will regret it.
Footnote:
The Barrow Whaler's Football Team is now the most northern US High School football team in the world. It is also the most expensive piece of turf @ $1 million dollar price tag. They have no fancy scoreboard or seating for fans. This is just the cost of the field itself. It was a difficult project due to the fact that there is 'no' grass in Barrow and the weight of the turf made for a very spendy flight. This was built on dirt and sand.......not even tundra. But according to Barrow fans and ESPN, this was a fabulous and historic feat! (yes, that is me sitting on the 50 yard line........GO WHALERS!)
After a long day running errands, picking up around the yard, taking care of pups, weeding the garden, watering plants and the garden, etc. You get the picture. Our usual stuff. We got a little hungry. After a show of hands, grilled chicken won the vote.
As much as I love to eat, sometimes the preparation and cook times can be a little long on Southern foods, so I opted for a quick and easy method for grilling this evening. This is my quick and easy recipe for:
Italian Chicken and Veggie Kabobs
* 2 lbs. chicken tenders or breasts cut into strips
* 2 -8 oz. packages of portobello mushrooms
* 2 medium sized yellow squash
* 1 large zucchini
* 2 bell peppers (We chose orange and yellow to add color)
* 1 bottle of Zesty Italian dressing
* 1 dozen wooden skewers soaked in water (or metal if you have them)
* Basting brush
Pre-heat grill to medium heat.
Rinse the chicken and place in shallow dish. Add half bottle Italian dressing and let marinate in fridge for 15 minutes while cutting the veggies.
Rinse all veggies. Slice squash and zucchini into round, bite-sized pieces. Core and discard seeds of bell peppers and slice into nice sized pieces. Mushrooms remain whole with stems. Place veggies in any order on skewers for a beautiful colorful display or how you like. Baste each veggie skewer with the Italian dressing.
