Vineyards We Did Not Plant

It's been nearly 3 days with my "new" kitchen and we are all just loving it.  Oddly, my kitchen seems bigger and cleaner!  The times around the table are richer and more meaningful.  The little ones aren't even running off as much and the conversations go on and on.  I was worried I was losing an island for prep space, but I gained one that is probably nearly 3x as long!  It's even made homeschooling easier as I can walk around the table as they all work on their books, whereas before, when the table was up against the wall under one of the windows it was so limiting.  I was marking all the kids things upside down across the table, very awkward!  So, once again, so glad we made the effort.

Harvest time for grapes has definitely come if not passed.  We are trying to get a grape harvester in, but so is everyone around here, so we're finding it hard to get someone in.  Meanwhile, we pick the grapes ourselves and are enjoying them so much.  I had been so disappointed that we hadn't planted a garden this year, but as it turns out, we wouldn't have even been here when all the vegetables would need to be harvested.  The grapes have given me a big enough challenge as it is.  We've already canned some juice and jelly has been made.  Last night, I took on the challenge of grape pie.  Not for the faint of heart.  You have to separate all the seeds from the skins one at a time, there is no shortcut on that.  Then the pulp and seeds have to be boiled.  Then you have to separate the seeds from the pulp through a sieve.  Then mix all the pulp with the skins, sugar and lemon juice.  It is quite a process, but I think I have a few grape pie believers in the family now.  "To die for" were the words out of RM's mouth......

It got me thinking.  We make desserts all year.  Probably once a week, maybe more often.  All the ingredients for desserts are often very expensive.  I made a decision last night.  I think I'm going to try to process enough grapes for a year of desserts.  I started to think about how much work it would be, but it would save us so much money!  Yes, everyone would probably hate grape pie after a while, but I can mix it up a bit!  Grape crumble!  Or grape sauce on ice-cream!  Ha.  I'm not sure if they'll buy it, but who cares!  I'm trying to save us some money! 

The other blessing about the farm is that we also have a few apple trees on the property.  They aren't huge apples as we don't spray them or prune the trees.  They've been growing wild for years, but they still taste good.  So I think I'm also going to try to go nuts and process a ton of apples for pies and applesauce as well.  At this rate it doesn't sound like I'll be sleeping I suppose, and perhaps I've bitten off more than I can chew, pardon the pun, but I'm feeling quite determined!

I still marvel at the new life we have.  I would never have attempted any of these types of things when I was in the city.  It was almost as if I didn't know these ideas existed or that people even did canning.  I guess I just never thought about how things were done before.  Moving out here has really been the most stretching experience of our lives.

It also continues to bring scripture to life.  Joshua 24:13 says it so well...'

"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant."

I think that is so amazing that a verse like that even exists in the Bible.  It's as if it were written for me personally.  Ok, maybe we don't have olive groves, but we have apple groves!  We really are eating from our vineyard, not to mention living in a house we didn't build and enjoying all the barns that were here when we got here. 

So we see the blessing of the Lord in the fruitfulness of the farm.  It is also all the children's hard work come full circle from the Spring when they spent long hours in the vineyard pruning.  I wonder if we'll have them do that again.  I can't see why not!  Now they are literally enjoying the fruit of their labour and we didn't pay anyone to do it. 

Unfortunately, I can't rely on RM for much help getting the grapes off the vines as he injured his hand this week on his compound bow.  It was a freak accident that has left him with a hand looking like a muppet.  So, he's been trying to nurse it back to health, but it'll be a slow recovery!

I'll end on another verse similar to the Joshua 24 verse.  Deuteronomy 6:11, 12 says "...and houses full of good things you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant - and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."  We are still in the house of slavery perhaps, but we've been brought out of slavery in other ways and really are enjoying so much that we cannot take credit for.  The warning at the end of those verses is so key, "then take care lest you forget the Lord...".  We know it is nothing we've done, just His mercy towards us.