Tutty Frutty & Veggie Mighty

It's been one of those weeks ... surrounded by peaches and produce ... what's one more fruit!!  I think I mentioned that I've been keeping tabs on the plums in the shelter belt of my in-laws' farmstead. 

My MIL checked earlier this week and thought they'd be ready for picking by Tuesday or Wednesday.  After school yesterday morning, the kids and I loaded up the van with buckets and ladders.  We only had to drive across the harvested wheat field alongside the house to find the plums (this pregnant mom wasn't going to cart everything and walk!!). 

Graham with most of the plum pickins'

Most of the plums were ripe, but I asked the kids to pick everything within reach because plums ripen well on the counter.  Dash and Zeke carted ladders to get at plums; Angelina, Graham and I kept our feet on the ground, satisfied with 'lower' pickings.  I'm sure by Monday most will be ready to be processed for jelly-making.  I was impressed with the number of plums, considering the trees are quite old.  Most have 'gone wild' and thus produce very small plums, but they add a wonderful tangy flavor to the jelly.

Dash - packing up to back to the house

Today's successes:

1.  Another 4 qts. of peaches were canned in the afternoon and 6 cups were sliced and frozen. 

2. I finally cleaned and snapped the beans from my garden.  After cutting and blanching, the yield was 13 cups for freezing.  The Food-saver is a wonderful product, IMHO!  Granted, mine is a much older model ... it still does the trick and prevents freezer burn.
3. The kids and Grandma Green Acres picked another load of sweet corn this afternoon.  I helped with the shucking, but decided that was enough doing for today.  It'll keep well in the frig until Monday when I'll have more time to cut, cook and eventually freeze.  Sweet corn for supper tonight and tomorrow!  Yummy!
4. The kids and I cleaned like crazy.  Some rooms (ie. kid bedrooms) were long overdue for a thorough clean/dust/vacuum.
5. Did a bit of food prep for tomorrow ... we're expecting company and are so excited to spend the day relaxing and visiting!