'Ear, 'Ear!
Victoria and Matt are here for a day... Her last "time off" before school starts this week...
She decided to participate in our local food co-op this week, so we blasted into town first thing this morning and picked up our "baskets".
This co-op has just started at the beginning of summer... but you can tell, Ten Sleep residents are fond of it! Although most of us grow our own gardens, contents of our baskets usually contain items we can't grow! Half are vegetables and half are fruit... so we're thrilled when we get mangoes, bananas, blueberries, cantelope, grapefruit, and peaches. We never really know what we're going to receive... It's like a vegetarian/fruititarian Christmas every two weeks!
It's wonderful.
You get two baskets for $15.
Plus I only have to drive into Ten Sleep to pick them up! That saves me mileage and gas on top of this price. We're getting better at eating fruit too! This gives our local supermarket a run for their money. The quality of produce has been great... and it's been kinda fun. We had to figure out how to cook some veggies... and research how to open a fresh coconut!
My plan was to also buy 2 cases of corn to freeze... with Victoria's help.
When we got back home, Vernon was headed to the mountain to do some cowboying and I sent Victoria and Matt with him. More bodies up there are necessary!
Then Brandon showed up, and asked for help packing. He was leaving for his senior year at the University of Wyoming, and was hauling a bumper he had welded for a friend back down there. I helped pack a few boxes and lash down the bumper... built him a little lunch... and he was off!
I'm gonna miss him... he is my "baby".
That left me and two cases of corn alone with each other.
Eye to eye.
Ear to ear.
Whatever.
UGH.
96 ears of corn.
and me.
I turned on Pandora, dialed up some Chris LeDoux...
and the game was ON!
First I shucked...
Then I boiled...
Then I blanched at this sight...
Get it?
Blanched!
Hardyharharhar... ummm...
Well, *I* thought it was funny...
Then came the messy part...
Slicing those little kernels off the cob.
Then I packed them in freezer bags.
I used to reuse plastic containers...
But I need all the space I can get in my freezer...
When we butcher a beef, it takes up 99% of my space, so these little bags are the best way for me to have frozen corn!
Since I was in the kitchen, I whipped up pork chops on the grill, baked beans, MORE corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes (from MY garden), fresh cucumber in rice vinegar (Co-op cuke!), and fried zucchini (Co-op!).
Whew.
A couple glasses of white wine ('ere, 'ere! or 'ear, 'ear!)... and I'm DONE!
Victoria gave me a disc with wedding pics on it...
and we cowboy tomorrow...
So we'll just have to see which one wins for tomorrow's entry...
but now...
I'm bushed.
I sure hope that Kitchen Fairy does my dishes while I sleep tonight... She's been slacking lately and I'd fire her... if I could catch the little twink!
Night all...
I'm OUTTA 'EAR!
<yuk yuk... I'm funny when it's late and I'm tired!>
Those food baskets look wonderful!!. Had no idea anything like this made it to Ten Sleep. Sure would like that is Missouri, na, rather would be in Ten Sleep. Where has the summer gone that school is starting? Of course we started the 12th here.
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Loved this entry. It was like deja vu. My Tuesday happening all over again. With the exception of helping a son pack. Thanks for providing us with such great stories of life on a ranch-
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Ha I remember those baskets. Different stuff in there. Hey the way we do our corn is cut it off the ears first, like to scape them clean then you get a little more like creamed corn. Then put it on a baking sheet with just a tad of water to help keep it moist. pop it in the oven at 350 for about 15 to 20 min. Half way through go ahead and stir it arouns some. Cool it down some and put it in the bags and freeze.
Can't wait for tomorrows entry. Got my fingers crossed on what I want.
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Hi, I was introduced to your web blog through Shreve when she mentioned the wedding pictures. Maybe that accounts for some of your increased popularity. I live in an apartment in Toronto, Canada, and used to live in the country. I love reading your blogs and 'blanching' at the corn was really funny. Glad your dog returned.
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Carol... oh, I know when Shreve mentions me... I easily receive 1200-3000 hits!... It's just that falls away pretty sharply! I can't seem to keep the majority of them, so I'm happy you've stuck around! Glad you like this Red Dirt... it's just a tad different than Toronto...
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I *love* fresh frozen corn. Yummm!!!
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This brings back memories of helping my parents do corn. I was always in charge of shucking, my mom did the blanching, and my dad removed the corn from the cob. He always used a corn cob cutter, which looks much easier than using a knife. Makes me wish I had a few ears (not 96!) from the farm to prepare for the freezer right now.
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Wow! those co-op baskets look wonderful. And you sure can't beat the price! I hope your "one-girl-husking-bee" pays off this winter!
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I am one of Shreve's pass-ons and no worries- you are safely bookmarked and on the "daily-read" list. I, too love corn, hate the mess, and fortunately have an 11 year old who hasn't grown tired of the process yet. Cheers.
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