From Slimy to Wormy #44

Okra slime

What a week it was on Tortuga Flats Farm. The wind blew harder than ever, the rain came hard, there were worms in the corn, the baby's heartbeat pattered, the love of friends renewed and I had to write a synopsis for a book.

It's windy here most days at least by mid-morning. But one evening the wind blew so hard we feared for the veggies. Then the rain came. It was coming down at such a slant, everything on the back patio got drenched. And there was some damage. The tomato plants are so tangled together we might have to leave them that way. The tomatillos are in serious need of staking, if we can untangle them from the row next to them. Not sure how the corn will survive. I'd already picked the first twenty or so but have tons more not ripe yet and many stalks are falling over.

Cornstalks battling the wind

And speaking of corn, I think of worms. Every single ear I picked had a worm at the top that had mushed the silk and eaten some of the corn. So gross. I had to hack off the top and save as much of the cob as I could. This is a common problem here and not easily prevented. My neighbor said very casually - oh just ignore the worms. Yeah, right.

Bags of peppers

Meanwhile, several things are ready to harvest and we're getting overrun with veggies. I think about our little plot and the amount of food we have, and I wonder how there are people starving in this country. And are farmers still being paid to NOT plant? That's a whole different blog. Anyway, those nine bags I wrote about last time are frozen and we have fourteen more grocery bags of peppers, patty pan, and zucchini sitting in the kitchen waiting to be blanched and frozen. In the fridge, there are bags of purple green beans and okra waiting for the same fate. (side note here: I love okra, the slime factor when blanching it to freeze can make me gag)

And there is more to harvest but both the fridge freezer and chest freezer are full.

Which brings me to friends renewed. We reconnected with some long time friends, John and Karen Daniel, a few weeks back. Yesterday, we threw up our hands and decided to use the emergency fund to buy a freezer at Costco. We've given veggies away and frozen some. We need more to get us through the winter and knew this day would come when we needed another freezer. Couldn't stall any longer. Then John and Karen show up unannounced on our doorstep. As it turns out, they have a freezer to give us. They don't use it. Can you believe the timing? And they're refusing payment. We'll keep giving them veggies!

I did get the synopsis written and rewritten and still another writing to do. Pulling my hair out? Yeah, I hate them but one of those necessary evils.

The best thing that happened this week - Lance and Christie heard the heartbeat of my grandchild. At 162 beats, the child is coming along perfectly! I'm so looking forward to February...