I had to do it - stewed tomatoes

Based on the performance of the tomatoes in my garden over the last several years, I did not expect to have a big harvest this year. And that was fine with me. My late husband was a big fan of seasonal bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches if the tomatoes were fresh from the garden. Enough was produced to keep him happily munching on BLTs and not much beyond that. This year is different.

First off, I only planted five plants. At this point, I'm saying thank God! Those five Roma plants are really outdoing themselves. Based on the last several seasons, I figured I'd get enough for the table but not enough to process. 

Wrong. This morning I processed eight three-quarter-pints of stewed tomatoes, and I expect I'll have enough to do another batch before the season ends. 

I do love those three-quarter-pint jars. I wish they were more readily available. I think each jar will be just enough for me to get two servings. That's perfect. I may even try a few half-pint jars since I have a lot of those empty at the moment. 

I'm wondering if the addition of potash to the raised bed I planted the tomatoes in has made the difference. There has not been even one instance of blossom end rot this year, and that is my tomato nemesis. 

The heat this summer has been brutal, and it has effected the garden. But I will persist and be happy for all that I did get. It's also time to plant for late fall harvest, something I've rarely done. Maybe I'll have success with that in 2025. We plant in hope. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, gardening, home food preservation, tomatoes, blossom end rot, rural living, a writer's life, fall planting

Update over at BTK

 

There's a bit of an update over at Between the Keys. It's one of those posts that has a bit about writing, gardening, and life. Yeah, I may have rambled all over the place. 

Check it out at https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/2025/08/i-didnt-expect-this.html

Seeing is believing!

Have you ever started something and then wondered why you did? I'm sort of at that point with the recent spate of videos I've posted at https://youtube.com/kckendricks. I'm having fun (sort of) learning to edit a cohesive video so that's a good thing. I've joked I'm going to be ninety years old in the nursing home and pulling up these vids to prove to the old codgers I really did operate a John Deere tractor and I really did use a chainsaw. Ha ha. 

But seriously, a conversation with some friends got me to thinking. Myself and another member of our "dinner group" live alone, and we are not afraid to cut down a tree and chop firewood for ourselves. Several other group members have no clue about how to garden, how to can food, how to take their car in for service. They just don't know where to start. I want these videos to show women in my age group that they can do it. 

So what have I been recording?

Using the Brush Crusher on the John Deere tractor to remove fallen tree limbs, brush, to aid cutting firewood, and using the backhoe attachment to dig out stumps and a clothesline post among other things. I'm going to run out of ambition to keep making videos long before I run out of projects. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUYFmD6rG3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZLTCa_x19g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVIhb51F6hE

Of course, I manage to get video-bombed by Deuce at least once per video. 

I try hard to not allow myself to get annoyed by women who think they can't do for themselves. So many times it's conditioning from their parents. You can take care of yourself. I'm walking proof of that. I had good examples of strong, self-sufficient women to guide me. I had a husband who believed it was part of his duty as a husband to teach me all that he could. His life was my biggest blessing. 

Sooooo, if you'd like to see me in action, visit the YouTube channel. If nothing else, you'll get a laugh or three as I blunder my way through projects here at Holly Tree Manor.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, John Deere 1023, strong women, self-sufficient, tractors, chainsaws, gardening, cooking, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, greenhouse, YouTube channel

Tree topping in Triple H weather - not advised

I've been a bit MIA lately, and that's because I've been working with the cousin in Triple H weather. That's hazy, hot, and humid in case you don't live in the Mid-Atlantic region and don't know. I can only work for a couple of hours at a time when I'm on my own. If I get heat stroke, I'll lie there and be dead before someone misses me. We don't want that to happen! 

My property is a three-acre lot and two of those acres are wooded. That's fine. I like trees. The only thing that beats shade in the summer is central air in the house. But I digress...

Back in 1981 the trees were not this big. They grew, and some of them became uncomfortable neighbors. Cousin Dave and I rented a "cherry picker" lift and topped out six of them. I'm in the midst of cleaning up the brush so we can cut firewood rounds. It's going to take many, many, many days to get it all finished, but in the end, our firewood rounds stockpile will be in good shape. 

Deuce has a bit to say about the lift we rented. He was not impressed. https://deucesday.blogspot.com/2025/07/whats-this-thing.html

Years ago, I began to post short videos so my husband could see what was happening around the manor in places he could no longer physically get to. There were also dog vids, and vids of walks and such, all posted in the hope he'd feel included. 

After he passed, I pondered whether or not to start a more intense video project, and to that end I've been recording my activities on the manor. My YouTube channel is called The Hideaway Between the Keys, and as with all things, Google knows where to find me. I think YouTube has changed up some things and it's now youtube.com/@KCKendricks. I think. I'm still figuring a lot of "stuff" out. 

I'll have upcoming videos of the tree trimming and cleanup, as well as some general gardening and general manor activity vids. It really is my life unscripted. 

But back to the Triple H weather, I'm pretty much done for the day with outside work. I grabbed the chainsaw around 7:15 AM and worked clearing the brush from the top of one of the downed maples until the sunshine stole the shade from me. I'll go at it again tomorrow morning. Once I have the smaller, lighter brush removed, the cousin will return with his big saw and finish the heavier work. Sooner of later, it'll all get done and I'm fine with that. My plan is to get to the end goal without giving myself a heat stroke. 

Good plan!

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, KC Kendricks, YouTube, country lifestyle, rural living, tree trimming, firewood, weather, heat stroke, Milwaukee chainsaw, John Deere 1023

The 10-day forecast is ugly

It's like living in a tomb. 

It's not unusual for the weather in June to turn hot after the summer solstice. Of course, it's not usually THIS hot, but old Sol is doing some crazy things at the moment. Solar cycle 25 and all that. And it's not crap - it's science. 

Deuce and I walked down the creek earlier this morning. It was already 85F at nine o'clock, but I worry about my best boy so I wanted to help him cool down. The creek is spring-fed and the water is cold, and he enjoys getting his paws wet. He's getting older and that little excursion apparently required him to come home and take a nap. 

There's a short video of him walking in the creek below. 

Why do I say it's like living in a tomb? Over the course of the last several years I upgraded all the curtains/drapes to blackouts. I got them from Amazon and they not only keep out the light, but they really help keep the interior of the house cooler (and warmer on cold winter nights). I've been outside with Deuce after dark and if the curtains are closed, no light shows at the windows. They work.

My cousin and I had planned to work outside this week, but that's off the table. With age comes smarts and we're smart enough to know to avoid the heat when possible. It's indoor pursuits for both of us for at least the next ten days. 

Our grandmother had a saying: "This, too, shall pass."  And so it shall.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, KC Kendricks, rural living, heat wave, tree trimming, country lifestyle, black Labrador Retriever

A good muffin recipe is a good buttermilk muffin recipe!

I have a basic muffin recipe I got from... I have no clue where I got. It's been too long ago.  It's the kind of recipe where once you have the batter made you can add whatever you want to it. I like to add one of the following:

• cranberries
• cranberries and white chocolate chips
• almonds
• blueberries
• chocolate chips
• mint chocolate chips
• butterscotch chips

These are easy to make, too. 

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or plain milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon baking POWDER
• 2 cups flour
• your choice of goodies

Get the batter into the muffin tins, bake at 425F for 7 minutes, then turn the heat back to 350F and bake for another 13 - 15 minutes. You know your oven. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR until the time is up. Cool, eat, or freeze. 

I like to make two batches and freeze them, and they freeze perfectly. A muffin is a good breakfast or late night snack (sometimes). 

There you have it. It's time to get the second batch out of the oven. Enjoy!

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rural living, baking, muffins, country lifestyle, convenience food, recipes, a writer's life, chocolate chips

Sometimes you have to make a purchase

I love to home process (can) foods. Can it be a bit of work? Yes, but to my way of thinking nothing beats being able to go to the pantry and grab a jar of food when you want it. 

This is the year I wanted to can cherries. I'd love to have a cherry tree that produces fruit, but the cherry trees I have are wild and don't fruit. I started calling around to the various orchards in my area and what a shock! If they had cherries available, it was at an astronomical price - $5.00 for a PINT. You'd need four pints to make one cherry pie!  I hated to do it, but I went to a grocery and got frozen cherries for my project - Spirited Cherries. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. My preference was for local produce, but it was time to be financially responsible to my budget. 

Spirited Cherries is a recipe found in the big Ball Book. It's very simply a tablespoon and a half of "spirits" (alcoholic beverage) per half-pint jar. And while I was in the frozen section, I got a big bag of blueberries and made Spirited Blueberries. 

The finished product cost about $1.00 per jar. That's a little high, but it shakes out to $.50 a serving. I'll be putting the fruit over ice cream or even yogurt if I have that in the evening instead of ice cream. That's thirty-six times I won't have to prepare anything. Open a jar, or the fridge, and enjoy. 

I think it's well worth the three hours it took to can both fruits. And considering the cost differential to local fresh, I don't even feel bad about that. I may even get more and make a second batch. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, home canning, cherries, blueberries, rural living, country lifestyle, budgeting, buy local, Ball Book

A most unusual visitor

Living on the side of a mountain means I share my space with a host of critters. There are deer, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, possums, turkey, numerous birds including hawks and owls, the occasional coyote, snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, and salamanders. And yes, there are fish and such in the creek. But this morning there was a first - a SNAPPING turtle in the yard. Box turtles are the norm.

Being that there is a creek nearby, seeing the occasional snapper isn't too rare. Seeing one strolling (?) through my yard is something else. 

It came across the front yard, through the west forty (where the wood yard is) and down over the hill. I think it was lost. The creek is in the exact opposite direction. 

Speaking of directions, I tried to tell it to turn around and go back, but it didn't listen to me. It must be a male. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, snapping turtles, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, wildlife, KC Kendricks, unusual sightings, reptiles

Another one bites the dust

For no apparent reason, one of the trees along the lower stone fence uprooted and fell behind the leaning cherry tree. It's safe to say the fun never ends! 

It's a bit of a mess, but just like every "project," if I take it one step at a time, it's manageable. It also means more firewood.

My cousin and I already had the leaning cherry on the agenda to harvest. The tree is leaning, sure, but it's not a threat to my house so there's no hurry. Now that this other tree is behind it and applying pressure, it may come down on its own. It's okay if it does. 

Hopefully, before that happens, we'll be able to cut the uprooted tree in such a way to relieve the pressure. I certainly wouldn't want the cherry coming down on top of me while I'm mowing the front yard. 

The downside is we're both well-stocked with 

firewood for the 2025-26 season. My cousin has a space problem.  I don't. I can store a lot more split wood than he can. I'm pretty sure we'll cut the rounds now and split later.  And if we need to store all the rounds here on the manor, that's fine. He'll know where it is when the time comes. 

While I have enough trees to keep us both in firewood for as long as we both live, I do worry about the condition of the trees. I don't think our forests are as healthy as they used to be. We have several non-native insects causing damage and there is no way for me to protect the trees on my property. A homeowner can't spray an oak that is one-hundred feet tall. 

But that's a worry for another time and another person. I'll do the best I can do for the years left to me. That's all any of us can do. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, forests, trees, firewood, property management, insect damage, oak tree, cherry tree, rural living, country lifestyle

The Old Spring

I grew up in my maternal grandparent's house. My parents lived with them until I was eight, and then they bought their own house about a mile away. I don't know why because I swear all we did was sleep there. Weekends were spent at the grandparent's place. After school, I rode my bike to my grandparent's house. When we cousins wanted to "camp out," it was in our grandparent's meadow. That's where the action was. 

Growing up, I didn't think it was odd that my grandparent's water came from a spring. I just know that a lot of family members would bring a jug and take some spring water home with them to make iced tea, my mother included. These days, heaven only knows what has leached into the water, and we don't drink it. There are houses above it now. Back then, there was only forest. 

The picture is the inside of the spring. My grandfather walled it up, dug out the bottom for a reservoir, and eventually installed a reinforced concrete roof. This is how the spring looks today. 

I'm very glad that the cousin who got the homeplace didn't fill in the spring. Pop's roof is still intact and the water still flows into the spring branch and down to the creek. We don't use it any longer, but it's there if my cousin wants to water his grass. 

I suppose it's rather unremarkable, but it's a memory from my youth. I thought I'd share.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rural living, country lifestyle, KC Kendricks, grandparents, old ways, spring water, changing times, safe drinking water