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the amish cook

More bounty from the garden

It's 4 a.m. and there is a nice breeze coming in through the windows, although once the sun comes up I imagine we'll have another hot, muggy day. The children are all sleeping and my husband Joe is on his way to work.

Tomorrow is the wedding for our niece, Elizabeth Coblentz, and her groom, Paul Graber. We will attend the wedding and won't get back until late, but at least Joe won't have to leave for work early the next morning.

Last night Joe and Benjamin, 7, biked over to Jacob and Emma's to help get ready for church services that will be held there Sunday. Emma's 33rd birthday was yesterday. She is also busy sewing for the wedding Friday while preparing for church Sunday. Joe and Jacob have set out the benches for church already, so that is one task done already.

We did the laundry yesterday which, with eight children, accumulates in a hurry around here. Today, I decided to pull the onions out of the garden to dry out for winter use. Loretta, 6, volunteered right away to do it. She and Joseph, 3, put them on their little wagon and pulled them over to the new house. We laid them out on the porch of our new house to dry. That porch sure has come in handy already.

We didn't get too much more building accomplished on the new house this last week. There's so much to do and so little time to do it.

The girls and I made four batches of freezer pickles yesterday. Now the green beans are really producing, so we will probably have to put those up next week. We are enjoying fresh tomatoes from the garden now also. Susan, 10, loves tomatoes and she keeps checking the plants and bringing in the ripe ones. Our sweet corn should be ready in a week or so. It sure is nice to go out in the garden and pick these fresh vegetables.

One thing on our list today also is baking cookies for Emma for church services. I'd like to make sugar and peanut butter cookies. It is so nice to have the girls home to help this summer. School, though, will be here quickly as the summer flies by.

Also today we need to finish mowing the grass. I started last night, with all these nice rains the grass sure grows fast.

This is the time of year for cucumbers and pickles, try this good "freezer pickle" recipe.

Freezer Pickles

2 quart pickles (sliced)

2 tablespoons salt

1 large onion (sliced)

1 3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

Put ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours. Drain. Mix sugar and 1/2 cup vinegar and pour over pickles. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Take out of refrigerator or cellar and pack in freezer boxes. Pour syrup over pickles and freeze. These are really good and crisp.

L

ovina Eicher lives in rural Michigan with her husband and eight children. Readers with questions for Lovina can send them to: Oasis Newsfeatures, P.O. Box 2144, Middletown, OH 45042.