Purple thums and a stinky house...

Why might I have purple thums and a stinky house,you may be wondering?Its all my mother in laws {MIL} fault.ANd Samantha's...
The other night I cooked a bag of frozen purple hull peas with supper.For you non pea eaters,youre missing out.This small beady pea is divine!The ones I had in the freezer were already,grown,hulled,blanched,bagged and frozen.they came from Sam via her MIL.Man they were good.Levi and I tore them up.Neil and Jake ate their normal portions.I added a bit of smoked hawg jowl and salt and let em rip.mmmmm.
So,yesterday,while visiting the Grands {neils grandpartnes,I've shortend their names},my MIL and FIL met us there to see the boys.{neil was sleeping}.I commented to her about the peas i had cooked the night before and asked her if she had anymore in the garden.SHe has a HUGE one behind the other Grands house,across the road from them.She said there were a few,and I was wlecome to come pick them.Ok,fair enough,I thought.Free food,we'll eat!mmm.She taught me a few weeks ago how to blanch and bag,so I wasnt scared.Thinking there would be enought for a "mess".We set out for the grands.There was a ton of peas in my mind,but she informed me they had already been pretty much picked over.We got to pickin'.Its 90 degrees,finally cooling off around here,and nary a breeze for a while.I didnt care.I was on a mission to further become the ultimate domestic godess.If that ment pickin peas for my men then so be it.
After picking them,we sat down on the shady back porch to enjoy a glass of water and a smoke.I was talking to Nanny about Vicksburg.{thats where I was born,and still have various family members there}.I was telling ehr some of what I knew about the seige and about Fort Hill.And that I cant wait to share it with Neil in about 6 weeks when we head that way.We were just chattering when MIL pops up with hmmmmm.
When she says hmmmmm,aint no telling what she might say.She is one of the smarted women I know.I swear she could build a house with a tooth pick and a tarp.If she puts her mind to do it,then dangit it gets done.NOW,most of the time.She and my FIL have a neat dynamic.they are eqaul in their 30 year marriage and treat each other with the ultimate respect.I dont see them get gooshy too much,but Hell I guess when Ive been married that long,Neil will know how i feel with out too much petting.lol.They are a great team.Anyway....
HMMMMM,after much face scrinching and eyebrow lifting trying to figure out how to read the farmers almanac,she informs us that it said TODAY was the day to plant late beans.I asked her where exactly she planned to plant them,she siad we'd have to dig up the purple hulls.Theyve played out pretty much anyway....
I should have kept my mouth shut then and there and simply nodded.Like I said I have a bog mouth...So I said,Ok,lets do it.She hemed and hawed about pullin the phulls and tilling it up and finding the seeds and just what seeds....Not to be detried when I had readily avaliable ppl to babysit,I volunteered for the job.During a breif stint in the Army,I learned to not volunteer for anything.dammit if I had chosen that moment to let the pot Id smoke use those brain cells.So next thing I know,she and I are pullin up plants.Im talking 4 long rows of dense foliage.It came up rather quickly to my novice garndener suprise.Then FIL tilled.Man the boys had a ball rolling around like pigs in poo.the dirt was soooo soft and flaky like a buscuit.Levi even put his little face in it a few times.blekkkkkkk.
then it got time for us to plant.she has an effective but redneck rigged way to do this.Sher has a sting tied to 2 tomato sticks and you walk a straight line and unravel it.I told her i couldnt walk a straight line sober,but then was reminded this was MY idea.No point in arguing the truth.So I learned how to make a straight line.then came the ingenious was to dig a hole.You rake the sharp edge of the hole along the still strung line.Easy Peasy.Then you plant,2 seeds at a time a hoe witdth apart.Wha La,I am a gardener.But I tell you what,and told her too,that if I had been in the garden all summer I just might get sexy again.SHe told me she HAD been in it all summer to no avail.lol.
Then came okra and cucumber picking.I dont care for okra unless pickled { i know not southern!}.She picked it and just tossed it into a bucket.After the 3rd and final attmept to get me to take home cukes to Sam I gave in and agreed to bring them to her.Then MIL said a wonderful thing...theres enough to make a small batch of dills and I have just the stuff.Yay!It hought my own pickles.My Mama and memaw have never had any dill luck.I was determined!
So along with the [peas,I brought home cucumbers,tomato's and some squash.and some basil and dill and sage.All grown in MIL's garden.
THis morning I made my first batch of pickles ever.She had givne me a bag fo DP mix,but i noticed it was not enough.Being the Domestic godess that I am,I had all the ingrediants listed on the bag,including tumeric.Who has freaking tumeric and ground dired mustard?I DO!So I added to my recntly pickling lime soaked cukes.they were crucnhy and colorful since i had added food coloring to the soak.Into the jar they went while the mix simmered.the okra too since crystal freaking loves pickeld okra and its about the only way I eat it.I now have 11 jars sitting on my counter.They are sitting in a brine that is yellow.not gonna tell you what THat looks like,lol.
Then came the peas.I shelled about half the freds sack i have of them before Levi got too curious and I had to put them up for now.But bed time is soon.
This quest Ive been on has truly made me feel connected to my sisters of the past.They HAD to do this for their families.Im jsut trying to save a dollar.Which is about what you save per jar if you break it all down.But to me theres nothing better than homeade.Grandad like the preserves I made him too,btw.Good thing he aint go not teeth,b/c they would have for sure jerked them out.Poildent be dammed.Theres still so much to learn,and Im trying to be a willing pupil.