Lehman's Country Life

How does your garden grow? If you are harvesting more than you can eat right now, why not put some away to enjoy when the season is past?

When freezing vegetables choose fresh produce (for best results 2-3 hours from harvest to freezing.) To prevent freezer burn, use moisture-proof, vapor-proof packaging designed for freezing. Pack blanched vegetables tightly in freezer bags or rigid containers. Squeeze air from bags before sealing. Leave ½ inch space for expansion. For a loose pack, freeze items in a single layer on a cookie sheet until nearly solid. Package at once. Label, seal and freeze – and remember to date all of your packages.

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My name is Sue Steiner.  I am an animal artist and for the last couple years I’ve been painting farm animal murals in the Buggy Barn at Lehman’s.   I also help with scheduling arts and crafts demos at the store.   I wanted to share with you some photos taken at Lehman’s during the second annual Local Artisan Festival on July 11th.   By the looks of the crowd and the smiles on people’s faces this is the beginning of a really interesting and enjoyable regular yearly event!   The visitors to the store not only enjoyed the arts and crafts demos but also lively music, good food, good company and gardening advise !  What’s not to love about that? 

During this event we gathered together local artists and crafters thru the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild to put on demonstrations and offer hands on activities for all ages.  Our goal is to have demos that are informative as well as entertaining and also tie into the unique flavor of the store. 

 The Art Festival was an extension of what happens every week in the ‘Buggy Barn’ for most of the year.  A few times a week you can see many of these same artists and crafters doing individual demos that range from fiber arts to pottery to farm animal mural painting to gourd birdhouses to wool rug hooking to garden crafts using recycled materials and many more.   

To see what demos are scheduled in the Buggy Barn go to the Events Calendar at the top of this page. 

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Last week I did one of the toughest things I have to do all year. I pulled perfectly good fruit from most of my nine fruit trees and threw it out.

The tiny fruits, which are about 1/4 to 1/3 their final size, held the promise of future goodness. Even though they were still small, hard and sour, my mouth watered as I handled each one.

So, why would I do such a hard-hearted, mean-spirited and cruel thing?
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Scenes like this may be rare before too long.

Good arable farmland is disappearing. All you have to do is look at the suburban sprawl that has gobbled up all the farmland around every major city in America to know that this is true. But, it’s not just an American problem. It’s a worldwide problem.

- Current food reserves are the lowest they have been in 40-years
- The amount of cropland per person has fallen from 1.1 acres (in 1960) to less than 6/10 of an acre today.
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As promised, here are several of our favorite responses to last month’s query, “What are YOU Growing?” …

I am a 66 year old disabled woman. I have loved gardening all my life. Every place I lived I was able to find a way to garden. I am now unable to work and I am still determined to garden. I live in an apartment in a large Federal style house. The owners have generously allowed me to do my gardening in their yard. I have been here three years and each year I have extended my gardens. I have a huge vegetable garden and two herb beds and three flowerbeds. I do all of the work from a lawn chair.
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If April showers bring May flowers, then what do May flowers bring? Weddings!Every little girl dreams of a storybook summer wedding with beautiful flowers and “The” dress. As we get older, some of us realize that to make our dream a reality we have to downsize. Flowers and bouquets can be one of the most expensive things in a wedding. Cut the price and add some of your own individuality by making your own bouquets.

Roses are associated with romance, and therefore they are always associated with weddings. Many brides have begun to steer away from the “traditional” rose bouquet for more modern or unusual looking flowers, but a simple rose bouquet can still fit into many themes and styles. The introduction of hybrid roses has made it possible to have roses available year round and in many, many different colors. To make this simple bouquet you will need: long stemmed roses, snips, string, water, vase, wide ribbon, and green foliage.
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There are many foods that can be prepared all at one time then show back up on your family’s menu as totally different dishes.

My first thoughts are always what is in season from our large family garden and what is on special at the market. Before I know it, a menu is forming. I make some notes to take with me for the shopping trip. Your list of purchases may include things such as eggs and produce; we are blessed to have those here on the farm. The final menu would be determined on how some of the meats looked and such. Always make a quick look through the pantry to be sure you have all the ingredients needed – you do not want to get in the middle of making potato salad to realize you are out of mustard.
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Are you bugged by pests in your garden? Hopping mad because the rabbits ate your lettuce crop for lunch? Deerly regretting planting raspberry bushes because the…you know where I am going with this, right. Sorry, I just love a good pun. Or a pun, at any rate.

But if, like me, you live in a rural area because you enjoy nature, you are faced with the age-old struggle of man vs. beast. Or in my case, woman vs. bunny. And if, like me, you prefer not to use poisons and pesticides in your yard and garden, let me offer a few suggestions. Some are tried and true and some, well, are just tried. You be the judge. And let me know how they work for you!
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The flowerbeds are bright with colors that paint a pallet of brilliance for us to enjoy as we rush hither, thither and beyond.  Just for a moment, stop and absorb the beauty around and may it nourish your soul.

As the colors may revive our spirits, the vegetables that are planted will soon be ready to nourish our bodies.  Be sure to check out the web site at the University of Georgia to see the National Center for Home Food Preservation (www.ugs.edu/nchfp ).  They have many tested recipes and answers to commonly asked questions.  If you have a gauge style pressure canner, check with your local Extension Office to see if they will be doing any classes or testing calibration this season.  Canners need to be checked on a yearly bases to assure their accuracy as you are doing home canning.

How’s your food budget doing, during these difficult times?  Growing a few things might be a way to stretch your food dollars and encourage children to learn in the process.  Patio and container gardens can easily provide lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and even zucchini or cucumbers if you desire.  These gardens are easy to grow and provide great learning opportunities for children.
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Did you know a typical family of four can reduce its amount of organic waste by an average of 85% with home composting?

When you read about composting, one of the first facts you’ll read is how one-third of all the trash we throw away in the United States is food waste, and 97 percent of these food scraps end up in landfills. Most people think that food waste in land fills isn’t a problem. It’s food, right? And food breaks down and certainly must break down faster than any other material in the landfill… right? Yes, but at an alarmingly slow rate and not without environmental consequences.
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