[Diana in Wisconsin]

Got a basket of green beans picked, but I'm just going to blanch and freeze them. Need a break from canning for now.

Found two nice zucchini and four (2 of each kind I planted) cucumbers just for slicing or a cucumber and tomato salad to go with supper.

Mom and her 'Girl Gang' are coming out on Sunday to see what they can raid - Kale, for sure, maybe some cukes, beans and Zinnia and Dahlia for bouquets. I told her not to get her hopes up for tomatoes, but there may be a few by Sunday. We can try the Bread & Butter Pickles she and I made last time she was out to the farm.

This week, Sunday thru Thursday, she is doing all the cooking for Vacation Bible School. She has been feeding 80 adults and kids on average each day so far! The woman is a dynamo..but I hear the tiredness in her voice now, when we talk. Not liking that. :(

I picked a few pears as 'experimental' to see if they'll ripen on the counter, as they are SUPPOSED to. The peaches I picked went straight to rot even before ripening. They got way too much water this season. Not hopeful for the peach crop this season, either. :(

Anyone else besides ME getting tired of all of my complaining? LOL! Glad I don't depend upon myself 100% to feed us.

Bear Training Camp is going well. Comanche (pup from this last litter) is getting the hang of things, but Little Sister Blackfoot is lagging. Beau is not giving up hope, yet. She's a tiny little thing, so I can see how a black bear (even on the small side) would be intimidating. He has promised me he won't sell her if she doesn't work out and I can have her as a House Dog - if I can keep her from eating my cats, LOL! He can always down-size her training and turn her into a Raccoon Hound - which is what Walker Dogs were initially bred for.

Had a crazy dream the other night that I left the kitchen door open and I had already gone to bed. There was a pot of stewing tomatoes on the stove for some reason, and a bear got into my kitchen and raised holy heck - tomatoes from one end of the kitchen to the other! What a mess! Never been so GRATEFUL to wake up from a dream! I don't know what happened to the bear. ;)

[Qiviut]

Bears DO make one heck of a mess when they get into a house! No personal experience, but when you see scenes on TV (like in AK), there is stuff everywhere, looks like a bomb went off!

[Paul R.]

Speaking of green beans, house brand canned green beans just jumped up 20 cents at our local Wally World and Aldi. Ditto for corn. Anybody have a clue what’s up with that?

Pork steaks and chicken are up too. Fish is almost as expensive now as shrimp, and beef is totally out of sight, except for an occasional closeout deal on frozen patties or the like. Often those patties are not that great...

Maybe I need to go fishing more...

I eat a lot of plain ol’ canned green beans. They go well, unseasoned except what’s in the can, with a lot of dishes my wife cooks. I’ve tried planting a couple varieties of beans, but without much success, and prep time is an issue too. :-(

If I could sustain my 1st year’s success with Opo, that would be a potential substitute “filler” (or “fill me up”) veggie. It’s neutral, and when successful, the fruits are huge, and will sometimes keep a few months, at the expense of needing to remove the skin and seeds. Young fruits — one can basically just chop up or slice the whole thing, sort of like cucumbers.