Dilly Bean Recipe

     I'm taking a risk posting this on my blog because as soon as my daughter and son-in-law see that I've made them, they will be hollering "where's mine!"
These dilled beans are yummy and the longer they sit the better they get.

    We grow green beans in our garden, I like Slenderette. I can some for regular eating and I also make the Dilly Beans. Last year I made the mistake of not planting enough so I didn't make the dilled beans.

This year I made sure I had plenty for both kinds of beans.

This is what you'll need to make the Dilly beans. Along with canning jars, lids and a pot for a water bath.

Dilly Beans

4 pounds green beans

5 cups distilled vinegar

5 cups water

1/2 cup salt

Mustard seed, dill seed, garlic cloves (halved), crushed hot red pepper.

Combine vinegar, water and salt in pan, heat to boiling. Cut beans to fit into pint jars. For each pint add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed, 1/2 teaspoon dill seed, 1 clove garlic (cut in two), 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Fill jars with green beans. Pour vinegar solution over beans to within 1/2 inch of top. Put on lids and process in water bath 5 minutes.

I find it easiest to put the jar on it's side to fill with beans.

It's hard to wait for these tasty beans but they get better with time. Store in refrigerator after opening, that is if there are any left.

A thought to ponder: "If you've never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden."                         Robert Brault

Participating in: Nature Notes, Grand Social, Seasons, Share Your Cup, Share The Joy

The Zen of Gardening

     With the growing season starting to wind down I was thinking about how much I enjoy gardening. If your a gardener you get it, if your not you don't. The IT I'm talking about is in the title of this post. The technical term for Zen is: a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition.  

     Another way to look at it is a total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. I think probably most westerners view it as feeling peaceful and relaxed. I know I certainly feel that way when I walk around my garden. But as you know a garden doesn't BECOME all by itself.

     Many people view yard work as just that, work. I consider it a form of creating. To take dirt and make something of beauty. I have numerous posts on my blog about different areas of our yard that we have transformed.  Was it a lot of work, yes, but for me the pleasure I derive from my garden far out weighs the work that went into it. 

     What started out as nothing but dirt and weeds is now an oasis. With over thirty trees where there were none.  Flowers, shrubs, fruits and vegetables to delight all the senses.

     We get lots of compliments on our yard. Everyone marvels at how large it is and how beautiful. But the majority of people say the same thing; "I'd love this yard but it looks like too much work." Yes it is probably more work then most people would like, but it isn't near as much as you might think. My husband has a riding lawn mower which cuts down on mowing time. We use mulch to reduce weeds and retain moisture. We don't work in the garden everyday, depending on the time of year maybe 2 -3 times a week. Probably our busiest time is early spring; cutting back and cleaning beds to get ready for the new growing season.

Spring time in our yard

     Most of our plants are shrubs or perennials so the only planting we do in the spring are some annuals in pots and our vegetable garden.

     And of course at the end of summer what is better then the harvest. 

     Gardening can be good exercise. You can burn 150 to 200 calories in 30 minutes. Volley ball is 93, tennis 260, basketball 258, jogging 300-450. I was never very good at sports so I never became attached to playing any.  I do enjoy swimming (250) and bike riding (150). But mostly I walk (150-200) and garden for exercise. But what I like most about gardening is how I can get lost in the moment of whatever I'm doing; whether it's planting, weeding or pruning. It truly is a togetherness of body and mind.  

     Fall brings the beauty of changing colors but also the work (exercise of raking leaves).  And then winter covers everything with a blanket of snow giving the garden a quite beauty.

     Then it all starts over again when the daffodils tell me it is officially spring.

     If you feel the need to garden, not just work in the yard, then you feel       the zen.

A thought to ponder: "The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul."                                                                                       Alfred Austin

Participating in:Share the Joy, Through My Lens, Nature Notes, Share Your Cup, Grand Social

Garden Therapy: Evolution

     A garden is a living thing, therefore it will change and evolve over time. In this post I thought I would share another area of our garden that has changed over the twenty plus years we have lived in our home. Because our yard is so large and has many different areas we have given these spaces names. This helps us when we are talking about doing something to a certain spot. The area I'm sharing today we call "the mound".

1994

     This started out as a pile of dirt that was left over from the building of our house when they dug the foundation. We decided to leave it and plant flowers and shrubs on it, also a couple trees behind.

1995

2001

     This was fine for several years, but over time we were having problems with grass growing in among the plants. It was becoming difficult to maintain. So we thought about what we could do to make maintenance easier. The following photos show the changes we made in 2008.

     As you can see we decided to build a block wall. We were able to buy the concrete blocks cheaply, they came from a building that had been torn down.

The wall is starting to take shape. My husband used rebar and concrete inside the blocks to help hold them in place.

Here is the wall the following year in 2009. We faced the block with lattice and topped it with rustic tiles. The back part of the mound just slopes down to meet the ground behind.

     The following photos show what the area looks like today. As you can see the plants have filled in nicely. We put down weed barrier cloth and then covered that with rocks. It is now pretty low maintenance. 

And a few little embellishments for fun.

I have three different ones that glow at night

     It is fun to look back at the old photos and see the transformation that has taken place over the years. Gardening is certainly not for the impatient.

A thought to ponder: " To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

                                                                                     Audrey Hepburn 

Participating in:Grand Social, Amaze Me Monday, Seasons, Wednesday Around the World, Share Your Cup