I’ve enjoyed sitting in the garden so much this year. With Miss Cindy being sick last summer I didn’t have time to enjoy the garden like I usually do.
I adore sitting and listening and watching.
I hear bees flitting from one plant to another. There’s always lizards scurrying here and there. And of course the air is filled with bird song, jar flies, and the hum of insects.
While I sit I admire the plants that are thriving and wonder what I could do for the plants that aren’t doing so good.
As my eyes drink in the beauty of the summer garden my heart is truly filled with joy. Pure joy for the blooms, for the varying shades of green, for the bounty that will feed my family.
Our rattlesnake beans are just beginning to come in. I love to be in the bean patch with the blooms and nourishing pods ready for the picking.
It’s been many years since I’ve been able to enjoy being in a corn patch. My favorite time is when the corn is tasseling and ears are beginning to develop. The very air if full of life. Pollinators are flitting here and there and causing the area to be filled with the hum of their busyness. Roastnears, the staff of life in the Appalachian mountains, are becoming full and filling for the bellies that await them. And if that isn’t enough beauty and delight, you can always see morning glories blooming here and there among the shady rows.
Last night’s video: YouTube Creator Q&A Part 4: Mean Comments, What if the Internet Goes Away, Where I Went to College.
Tipper
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I love seeing your gardens, Tipper. A bench sitting beside the garden is a perfect place to sit, think, dream—and marvel at the miracle of all that is growing. I also watched your video last night. It’s hard to believe that people could be so cruel saying mean things. You have an excellent attitude towards such folks. Life is too short to give them a second thought. There are too many people who love you, your whole family, and all the information and entertainment we enjoy on the Blind Pig, Celebrating Appalachia, and the Presley Girls Channel. I am thankful for you each day.
Tipper, In this busy, unsettled world, I find refuge in reading your blog.
There are days that I am dealing with so much on my plate that I skip through
my emails and casually delete them. However, many times, I come to yours and
stop to read it because I know that I will feel better, more relaxed and often
gently amused by your content. Thank you for this gift. You can’t imagine
what a blessing it is to me.
You paint such a lovely picture for us to enjoy! Thank you so very much! ❤️
When I was a kid, we had an annual community event in Antrim county, Michigan called Fireman’s Field Day. A huge bonfire was built in a park, and the local community would bring ears of corn wrapped in foil and cook them on the rim of the bonfire. For weeks, families would fish for perch, and everyone brought tons of them, all fried on grills or campfire rings. To top it off, everyone made homemade vanilla ice cream and strawberry shortcakes. Fireman’s Field Day drew several hundred people once all the kids were counted. It was an event to support the area volunteer fire department, but also to celebrate harvests, canned goods, fishing, and baking. The menu was always the same, and it was a beloved event. It still occurs in August but has become more of a tourist crafts fair with food brought in from vendors, but once it was a celebration of small groups of born and raised rural Northerners, their fishing and harvested gardens. The innocence and joy of those times are some of the most precious memories of my life.
Lovely post, Tipper. Thank you.
Tipper, just an old man’s advice to you, don’t worry about these people and their mean comments. When they are saying things about you, they are letting someone else rest. People like that are not happy unless they are running someone down. They ain’t worth worrying about. Take a survey and see how many like you and the BP&A just like it is right now and then compare the number to the number of mean comments by these people.
What good advice. Some are saying mean things! Whatever for? They truly are missing something in their lives to have to pull others down with their smallness. Prayers for them m.
I haven’t seen or heard of the word “roastnears” in many years. We use to call them “roastanears”. We use to boil up a batch of roastanears while we were sitting along the river bank fishing. Those were the good ole days.
We built our home 25 years ago on a part of my husband’s family farm. We have 8 acres, 7 of which a local farmer plants alfalfa. My husband plants native plants to support the birds and pollinators as well as our veggie garden. We have battled the deer ever since. We’ve downsized our veggie garden over the years mostly because we’re getting up in years, and we need to keep it manageable. I still work evenings at our local hospital and when I come home around midnight I have counted as many as 24 deer in our front and back field. Some are laying along the lane and others are grazing in the fields. They look up as if to say “oh you’re finally home”.
We have had to fence our veggies and some of our native plants to protect them. I think our property looks like a “plant prison”.
Then come hunting season…..they high tail it to the State Game Lands which are not far from our house.
Jess, from Roots and Refuge YouTube channel says “The best medicine for the gardener is the garden. The best medicine for the garden is the gardener.” I don’t know if she’s quoting someone else or not.
A garden is a pleasure with purpose and, for me, it’s proof that our longings can be fulfilled. I longed for a garden for years before we finally made it happen last year. Now, in the middle of this year’s work, I am planning and dreaming of next year’s garden.
I park my garden truck, AKA. golf cart, under my pecan tree by my garden. I take breaks , sit on my cart and watch God’s creations. it’s so peaceful and refreshing.
For deer I’ve tried many things. The only one I’ve found that works is putting up 3 strands of small 4mm wire around my garden. The theory is the deer are spooked by it when they walk into and can’t see it. I see tracks where deer walk up to it then turn and leave.
Tipper, I saw your video last night. Please don’t ever get discouraged by the mean people. The Pressley family is a great witness for Christ by the way yall deal with life. I consider your blog and videos a blessing.
Ron, I left it out in my comment but have heard of stringing very heavy weight – 100 lbs or more monofilament fishing line around your garden just like your did with the 4 mm wire. I have done this and along with the other things I have tried it didn’t seem to help. I think the best cure for the garden eating deer would be a good dose of lead poisoning administered by a rifle or shotgun.
Catherine Cooper, roastnears are whole corn on the cob roasted on a grill or in the oven. They are just awesome. Thank you, Tipper for your post on sitting and admiring your garden. I can’t get outside anymore to just walk around and admire Gods beautiful scenery. I wished that I could have a garden and plant some flowers to. Waiting on the birth of Corie’s little one. God bless everyone here on the Blind Pig and the Acorn.
I found myself calling fresh corn, “rostnears” when I had friends staying with me frrom Scotland a couple of weeks ago. They loved learning words from the mountains of the U.S. even through some of the older expressions are the same there, as so many of our ancestors came from Scotland.
I can almost hear my dad say, “Go on down younder and pull some roastnears, and take um out to the hog pen and throw the shucks in.” Nothing went to waste, and the hogs grew fat on all the bean hulls, corn shucks, and watermelon rinds.
And oh boy, the taste of that first ear of sweet corn about the first of July!
In this heat wave I have been waiting until after sunset to go out and enjoy the garden. It’s still active out there but the cooling after the sun goes down helps me to enjoy it more. We’re seeing a lot of deer this year too. Saw a yearling on our drive last night.
My small garden of squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers are thriving. I have to buy my rattlesnake beans but that’s ok!
Last year in one of your videos your Joe-Pye Weed was blooming and so pretty. I planted one last fall and it’s just about ready to bloom. That makes me happy!
Randy and Tricia I’m so sorry about the deer problem.
Really enjoyed the video last night.The other day someone mentioned Matt wearing shorts. My dad was a farmer ,born 1925, and he did not own a pair of shorts.Nor did a lot of the men his generation. He wore t-shirts topped with long sleeved shirts in the summer and said once he sweated thru the shirts,they would keep him cool . Nature’s air conditioning. Still think you should write a series of childrens books, I can picture a pig tailed Tipper playing in the creek or in the garden. Got some wisdom comments: people want to park in the shade but they dont plant trees. when you have one finger pointing at someone,there are four more pointing back at yourself. Do nothing you would not want to be doing when Jesus comes.Say nothing you would not want to be saying when Jesus comes.Go nowhere you would not want to be found when Jesus comes.
The garden is beautiful enough but you have the added bonus of the creek adding its beautiful music.
What are “jarflies?
Hazel-you can see and hear them here: https://blindpigandtheacorn.com/have-you-been-hearing-jar-flies/
I live in South Florida and the sunsets are amazing. There is a small lake behind our condo and all the wildlife is beautiful to watch as the sun goes down
It’s such a blessing to be able to sit back and enjoy the beauty of one’s garden. I’m glad you are able to enjoy your garden this year!
I love gardening too. Seeing the green plants develop and tomatoes, cukes, and other fruit coming on and ripening. But we haven’t had any rain for about three and one-half weeks and now we have deer eating everything. We tried to cover the plants , but they are eating our green tomatoes, cukes and squash. We put Sevin on them, but they eat them anyway. In the past several years we haven’t had a problem with the deer, but I think the drought has brought them to our house. My husband gets frustrated and chases them, but they stand and stare at him until he gets about six feet away and then run. We harvested one uneaten ripe tomato before the destroyers came.
Tricia-I’m so sorry. I know that is beyond frustrating and disappointing.
Tipper, you certainly have a way with words. I feel the same as you when I am in my garden.
I hope to meet you in August at Alexander’s and have you sign my cookbook. My late husband and I visited there many times when we lived in Blue Ridge in a log cabin with a lot so similar to yours that every time I watch you on YouTube I feel right at home.
I love gardening and watching the miracle that happens as it all starts to grow and the end product. I’m a faithful subscriber and love you and your family and all that you do.
Good morning Ms Tipper. I could hear and feel your garden experience. As devoted nature fan I love it so!
Now please tell me what roastnears are. I tried looking it up, but couldn’t find it.
Blessings to you and your family!
Good morning, Miss Cooper. I think roastnears is another name for corn on the cob. Have a blessed day.
Thank you! I appreciate your help. Have a blessed day.
If I may jump in, roastnears is Appalachian shorthand for roasting ears of corn. We never actually roasted ours over heat–we boiled the young, tender ears of sweet corn. I’m sure other families grill or roast theirs. All good!
Roastnears were originally corn that was still in its prime but hadn’t started to harden up and dried out yet (the milk was gone and most of the sugar had turned to starch). It was roasted over the fire or in the oven and basted with butter as it cooked until it almost began to char. This old time corn was just field corn. When sweet corn was developed it began to be called roastnears sometimes here in the mountains but wasn’t necessarily roasted.
In modern times any corn left on the cob, be it roasted the old time way, grilled, boiled, roasted in the shuck or out might be called roastnears but is not really the same. I have had it roasted both ways and the tastes are remarkably different. Both are really good but just different.
I rarely get to see morning glories in all their splendor. I try to pull them before they start to climb as they tend to be destructive and difficult to clean up after, after they die back. There are those of them though who make it past my weakened eyes. They I will pause to enjoy before I seek out their main stem and pluck out the roots that connect them to the soil. Then comes the process of unwinding them from the lattice work on which they grow.
How’d you like that “There are those of them though” there I made?
I am at that stage of life where the garden is my happy place too. Although, some birds must have a nest nearby now because they squawked the whole time I was sitting outside.
Our burning bushes are huge this year and give us a great block from our neighbors around us. It is like having our own piece of Heaven.
It’s and the new baby will have some great memories growing up in your garden. It won’t be no time and they will be plucking strawberries and tomatoes for a yard snack…in a couple years.
We share the love of so many of the same wonderful things!!!!!
Today’s post reminds me of lines 13-16 of a beautiful poem written in 1913 by Dorothy Frances Gurney entitled “God’s Garden”…see below:
“The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God’s Heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on Earth.”
I love being in our garden, working, listening, observing…….it’s relaxing, I’m away, but not away from my home. The sounds of the bugs doing their busy work, the birds singing their songs, it does a body and mind good.
You have a wonderful garden. I’m so glad you are able to take time to drink it all in this year. Enjoy!
The deer ate everything I had planted in my garden this year despite having a 6 ft high chicken wire fence around the garden, the beans and crowder peas dusted with Sevin dust and some stinky deer repellent stuff around the edges. The green beans were beginning to bloom. I do have a couple of rows of G90 corn (replacement for Merit corn) and 5 tomato plants in wire round cages that I am watering and the deer didn’t bother. We have not had any rain since having a little bit at the first of the month. Two farmers in my area have thousands of acres of field corn planted, the month of June was a critical time for their corn as it had began to tassel and put on ears. I noticed a field of the corn yesterday, the leaves were turning yellow and wilting. My sweet potato friend set out at least 25 thousand plants back at the beginning of the month and has had no rain on them since he set them out. Maybe we will get some in the next couple of days- 30% chance and a cold spell, only 90 degrees before turning back to the upper 90’s. It seems like for the last few years it will be this way every year, I have just about made my mind up to not try to have a garden anymore, just a few tomato plants.
Deer don’t eat tomatoes if they can find anything else. Squash and cucumbers are also not their preferred foods. Have you considered only planting vegetables that deer don’t especially care for and swapping with people who grow corn and beans and stuff that deer feast on.
Another option is another fence placed six feet outside of the one you already have. Deer can jump over a six foot fence both they are confused by a second one. It wouldn’t have to much, just enough that they can see it. Bird netting on bamboo poles might even work.
Papaw, my SC deer don’t know they are not suppose to eat squash and cucumbers, they ate them too. I do not plant any pepper, but a neighbor friend laughed and told me the only thing he has planted that they didn’t eat (one bite) was his hot (habanero or maybe even hotter) pepper plants. Some neighbors have as many as three fences around the gardens set back from one another like you described. For no more than I grow doing this would be cost prohibitive. My father in law would put stakes in his rows and run an electric wire down the top of each row of his plants, this seemed to work. I saw one person with a pretty garden that had a single strand of electric wire no higher than knee high set back about 4-5 feet from the edge around his garden, that seems to be working. I have thought about planting corn around all 4 edges and seeing if this will help. My son took a picture back during hunting season of 20 deer, maybe more, in a field he was hunting over. He said he thought there was more standing in the woods along the edge of the field. This field is only a few hundred yards from my garden spot. These hot and dry summers we have had for the last several years is also a problem . The temperature yesterday broke the record for the date. Except for a small amount of rain at the start of the June we have had no rain at all this month and above average temperatures and June is only the start of the summer.