Peanuts are way cool! Back in 2004, a friend was growing them and gave us a few seeds to try out. Boy, those few seeds yielded more peanuts than we knew what to do with. Cleaning them was a bear though, and dh decided that as little as we eat peanuts, we won't grow them again until we find a good method to extract the peanut off the plants and clean them with less effort. How does your father do it, Abby?
Here are the guys yanking the peanuts off the plants.
Ds#1 with a box of picked-off peanuts (still muddy though).
We usually give homemade cookies and other baked goods for the holidays. I feel like we should buy Organic Valley stock given how much of their butter I use in the winter months. We've also given away our own sun-dried tomatoes, salsa, and chili sauce as gifts. Dh has thought many times about having our own bee hives, but until he can quit his day job, he doesn't have the time to do more than the intensive gardening he does right now.
I've been trying to go more paperless, but when I do send correspondence, I like to use my handmade paper cards, or those crafted with our own dried flowers, some wild, some cultivated.
I love giving and receiving hand/home-made things! Some of the best gifts we've gotten from friends are Carol's home-made pickle relish, Blossoms quilted wall hanging, and John and Grace's stollen (John makes his own candied fruits for this amazing bread).
And, two of the best gifts I've ever made (not sure if Laura agrees with me or not) are the blanket and socks for Rosa (for Laura's shower).
"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge." ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
