Frankfort Field Trips

Posted by Cindy on July 3, 2009

In case you don’t know, Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky.  It’s also where I grew up and where my family still lives.  There is a wealth of field trip opportunity in Frankfort from government to history to museums and more.  We’ve been trying to make it a habit to go on a quick field trip or two when we’re in for an extended visit with my parents.

This week’s trips were finished before lunch, but both were great fun!

Fort Hill

Fort Hill is a Civil War battlefield where remnants of earthen forts remain.  Earthen forts are walls of dirt that were built to protect soldiers from the penetrating weapons of their enemies.

The soldiers didn’t always live inside the fort.  Their more permanent, albiet rustic “homes” were just outside the fort.  The soldiers only stayed inside when under attack.

Many remnants also remain of a rock wall where soldiers hid from oncoming bullets as they fired back at their enemies.

The fort was built on a hill that overlooked most of Frankfort at the time.  You can see just how far they could see from the main vantage point.

The parks department has been excavating in the fort recently.  There was an early 1900′s house on the property and they located the owner’s dump pile.  I included this picture because we have also located an early dump pile on our farm.  As we dig new garden space each year, we find new treasures like bits of old pottery, china, medicine bottles, jars and the like.  It’s very interesting!

We also found some unsually camera-friendly little friends on our way out!

Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory

So we could say we got in a little science (and because we wanted free candy samples) we headed downtown to the Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures on the tour, but it was great fun seeing how candy is made and packaged.  Is their chocolate worth the very expensive price tag?  Hmm…On some days I would say “YES!”  Most days, though, I think not.

The tour costs $2.00 for adults, but children are free.  It only lasts about 15 minutes, so it’s a very easy tour to fit into your schedule if you’re in Frankfort for other visits.  Oh, and you don’t need a reservation.  Just remember they don’t give tours during lunch hours.

An Abundance of Zucchini and Onions

Posted by Cindy on July 1, 2009

It’s garden time again!  I just love this time of year – even though it keeps me VERY busy.  I feel so productive caring for, harvesting and putting away things from the garden.  Two of the first crops to fill our home this summer have been zucchini and onions.

I haven’t had much experience putting either of these away, so I did a little internet research.  It seems as if the quickest and easiest way to save these veggies for later use is freezing them raw.  What could be simpler than that?

I grated the zucchini and placed it in freezer bags in two cup portions since most of my normal recipes call for about this much grated zucchini.  So far, I’ve frozen 20 cups!

With the onions, I sliced some and chopped some.  I didn’t worry about measuring since frozen onions come apart with a quick tap on the counter.  One website said to place the onions on cookie sheets and freeze before bagging, but I didn’t have time to fool with that. 

Both of these will need to be used in cooked recipes since they won’t hold their original texture.  For the zucchini, the directions said to add any liquid in the bag (after thawing) to the recipe since it will be the juices that are normally in the zucchini.

Mahayla and Caleb grew carrots this year.  They were able to can 10 quarts – and I only had to supervise!  Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the finished jars.

Looks like green bean canning will be next on the list!  Anybody have a really good idea for saving summer squash?  I have attempted to parboil and freeze, but it turned out way to mushy to use, even in cooked dishes.