For the love of pumpkin… and happy harvest with Foodgrains bank

CHOICE wheat harvest

Technically it isn’t fall yet but the marketing gurus that be have helped us make the leap (and perhaps make the segue into fall a little easier) in the form of pumpkin spice lattes. Yummmm. It’s fall in a cup, travel-sized, ready to adventure with you and always heart-warming. Clearly, I associate good memories with this-side-of-heaven in a cup. I’m not ready for summer to end but hey, a pumpkin spice latte is a good way to go. I may have also invested in a pair of really cute, ready for fall ankle boots. Just to make sure I’m ready for fall weather. But it might have also been my hub’s visa paying penance for his little grassfire debacle. 

Grassfire aside, we are extremely blessed to not have had a major disaster such as the forest fires burning in the US and across Canada. Or the deluges of storms across the hurricane-battered states and islands. I’d like to say we’re in the happy middle, not too dry nor too wet. Unfortunately we’re leaning perilously close to super dry. Being this dry means harvest has been rumbling right along and surprisingly, yields have been good. 

Happy pup in the beans 10 days ago

Well, the soybeans will do the expected average for a dry season (33-40 bushels/acre) here in Canuckland. Based on the acres that have been harvested already; I mean, we’re in the soybeans already! Harvest is screaming by, well, at four miles per hour. Our field of edibles (pinto beans) came out at approximately 2400 pounds/acre (2000 pounds is what everyone hopes for and everything over that is the ‘whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top’ in the crop).

Combining pintos

 Besides shopping and drinking coffee (I go for chiro and then that happened, how could I resist?), where have I been? The combine calls my name like a siren so I’ve been out in the field with the pintos, rumbling my way through swaths. I have attempted to take a decent video of the bean cutter undercutting the edibles; which hasn’t worked out too well for me since I can only get so close for safety. (Who knew edibles were undercut? I didn’t until I came to Canuckland.)  I may have to tap hubs for a short clip. 

Where the action happens

The last week(s) have shown me what a hamster must feel like on his wheel. Running, running and the wheel only goes so fast and you can only get so much done in one day. Although I have tried, almost every day, to see if one can possibly eek out an extra hour or two to make that the 24-hour day a 25 or 26-hour day.

The latest adventures in canning this week were made in the form of salsa! I know some people probably think food all the time when they hear ‘salsa’ but I can’t help thinking of it as a dance first then food. Uff da. I helped my sister in-law do a batch of salsa while her mom babysat my uber cute, little niece. Her house smelled like it should be spicy, Mexican-themed food for supper (or all week!).

Then I was onto prepping for the next round of canning by making gallons of apple sauce. And I’ve only processed three and a third bags of apples so far. One and two thirds to go yet; they’re big bags so it takes about three hours to peel and core my way through. Thank goodness for the thick, foamy kitchen rug. I should mention that a few of these apples are being dehydrated down into apple chips, a tasty snack! Hubs is sneaking some into his lunch bag. Or at least he thinks it’s sneaking but I see all things! Mwuhahaha! (But I won’t say anything.)

Perhaps the highlight of the week, okay, second to the pumpkin latte, was seeing the CHOICE growing project come to a close with the harvest. CHOICE (Conquering Hunger Overseas Is a Community Endeavor) is a growing project for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a Christian response to hunger, of which there are over two hundred and fifty of them across Canada (over thirty-five are located in Manitoba).

A growing project is where the local community comes together and sources land, seed, fertilizer, and spray to grow wheat (in this instance), most of which is donated by local businesses. The farmers of the area work with their local board like CHOICE to look after the crop during the year and for harvest, to determine how many combines, trucks and grain carts are needed to get the harvested. Harvest was done under two hours with six combines and two grain carts. Numerous semis hauled the grain to a nearby elevator. The wheat averaged 87 bushels/acre and raised over $40,000 for the Canadian Foodgrains bank from the CHOICE growing project. The raised funds are matched by the government. The goal of the Foodgrains Bank is to end global hunger and they work with their member agencies across the world implementing three different programs: food assistance, agriculture and livelihood, and nutrition. In addition to that, they also work to advocate and help shape national and international policies to end world hunger as well as raising awareness locally within Canada

It’s exciting and rewarding to be a part of agriculture. Farmers feed the world but then with the Foodgrains bank it’s taken to the next level. Feeding those that can’t afford food. We look after our communities and our countries but we should always have a heart for those in less fortunate circumstances.

May we never forget 9/11, our communities and to always have a heart for those in need. 

PS Check out my Insta or Facebook to see videos of edibles being undercut :)