The Generosity of Neighbors

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We were truly blessed this week by neighbors who have bountiful harvests.  The garden goodies just kept coming through the door to our surprise.

Our neighbors knew how our summer went and have been so generous and we are ever so thankful.

Onions, snap beans and zucchini from neighbor Dave who in my opinion is one of the best gardeners I know.  This was the third time he has brought us goodies...he mentioned next will be acorn squash as he has waaaay too many for Liz his wife and himself to eat.  Yummy!  The zucchini has been frozen, the snap beans have been eaten and the onions will be used unless we get more which I will then dehydrate them.  I love using dehydrated onions in stews, soups and chili.

Next up was the 5 gallon pail of potatoes...are they not just beautiful?  Our neighbor Bill did a wonderful job this year!  He also mentioned there would be many more to come....his crop is huge and he is a single man.  I have a batch of potato chips in the dehydrator as I type this....the first time I have attempted such a thing but the potatoes were so large, I couldn't resist trying.  If they turn out well, I will make more and dehydrate some more just plain for stews and soups which we eat in abundance during the winter.  

Can you see the apples in the background?  Our neighbor John brought a bushel...they are not crab apples...regular apples which are surprisingly very sweet.  I have already made applesauce with them and it is oh so delicious!

Then neighbor Brian and his father Larry carried in buttercup squash, crooked neck squash and cucumbers!  I had never tried either type of squash so off to the Internet to check to see how they were to be cooked and boy oh boy are they delectable!  Now one of my favorites and they will be added to the seed list for next summer.  

Funny how things work out isn't it?  I was thinking that we would not be enjoying garden fresh veggies except through a farmer's market but here we are munching and loving the generosity of such good neighbors and friends.,,,for this we are truly thankful.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Linking up with Amy over at Homestead Revival

Fact or Folklore?

Pin It Last week, I received a copy of this magazine in the mail on a trial basis.

It is a lovely magazine that captures the true heart of a farm girl. It has so many wonderful sections such as crafting, cooking, gardening and general work that is done around a farm. It also has a lovely website that can be found here.... http://maryjanesfarm.org

There was an article in the February/March issue that I received which I found very interesting.

Here is an excerpt from it...

...When the 1918 flu pandemic killed 50-100 million people between 1918-1920, there was said to be a doctor who visited many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. The doctor came upon one household where everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the family was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed a dish of unpeeled onions in each room of the home. The doctor asked if he could have one of the onions to observe under a microscope. When he did, he found traces of the flu virus in the onion. It had absorbed the infection, keeping the family healthy.....

The article continues on to explain that many small businesses are doing the same. They are placing onions around the workplace and have very few to no employees with any illnesses.

At the time when I read this article, I had been suffering with a very bad toothache. Nothing seemed to help the pain subside. After reading this article I thought 'why not try it?'.

That evening I cut off both ends of the onion as described in the article, placed it in a bowl next to my bed on my beside table. I could faintly smell the odor of the onion but nothing that was too unpleasant.

To my surprise by morning, the onion was black. My toothache was gone and has not returned since that night! Now, I don't know if it was the onion or a coincidence but I will definitely be trying it again when needed!

The article also states that it will work on individuals that are suffering with such things as pneumonia and colds.

Amazing! Fact or folklore? I don't know but I believe it!