At Harvest Time

When the world is radiant,

Rich with summer hours,

Wood and field and garden

Gemmed with brightest flowers;

When the wheat is golden,

Gleaming in the sun,

And the scythe and sickle

Harvest have begun.

He who in the winter

Clad the ground with snow,

He who lit the springtime,

Caused the seed to grow;

He who sent the showers,

And the dew at morn,

Then the sunny hours,

Ripening fruit and corn—

May our thoughts turn often,

In our gratitude,

To the Lord of harvest—

Giver of all good.

He is Lord of harvest,

And to Him we raise

Songs of sweetest measure,

Thankful songs of praise.

George Weatherly

Psalm 104:10-14 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

Proverbs 25:13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

Jeremiah 8:20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended...

The Thousand Word Project - Hello, Punkin!

 

And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,

Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,

That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,

And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,

And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky

Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!

- excerpt from poem by John Greenleaf Whittier

Texas Memories - Okra

 
Okra - Enough said. :-)

My dad with is okra plants in 2012.
(Yes, I got the wrong year on the photos.)

Loquat Jam

My family got ahold of some loquats when we lived in Arizona years back and we made some jam with them. I remember them smelling something like Fruit Stripe gum when they were fresh, but the jam had a different taste to it. Most boxes of pectin in the U.S. will probably not include instruction for loquat jam, so here is a recipe to help you make it if you happen to have a source for them. Follow the canning instruction that comes with your pectin. I do not remember where this recipe came from.

Loquat Jam

5 cups loquats
1 box fruit pectin
7 cups sugar

Wash fruit well. Cut off both ends and remove seeds if desired. Place fruit in a saucepan with a small amount of water. Cook slowly and mash with a potato masher occasionally until well done. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add the pectin to the fruit and stir well. Let the mixture come to a rolling boil stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add sugar and boil to a rolling boil for 1 minute.

At this point you will be putting it into jars or containers for storage. If you are canning be sure to have your hot, sterilized jars and lids ready before the jam reaches this stage and then can it according to the usual procedure.