There is nothing like it! Those first mouthwatering ears of corn, plucked at just the right time, made dripping with butter and seasoning … AAHHHH, YUM!

I just finished freezing the last of our corn for the year. It is nice to finally be done with it. As with all the foods I “put up,” as my Grandma might say, I get great satisfaction out of looking in the freezer, or pantry, and seeing our own food that we grew. I know what went into it, and I don’t have to worry about what sprays or pesticides it might have had on it. It’s also nice to think of the money that will be saved at the grocery store!

As a child, I remember helping to “do the corn.” I never minded the husking, but I hated trying to pull all that silk off of the ears! It reminded me of Barbie Doll hair for some reason! The best part was after mom was finished cutting the corn from the cob, she would put butter on the cob, and let my brother and me suck what was left of the corn and the buttery yummyness out of it! We took this job seriously! After all, nothing should go to waste, right? Till we were finished, there was not one kernel of corn left on that cob!

Back then, corn was as much of a staple at our table as meat and potatoes. I know that we had lots of other veggies, but in my memory, none quite so often as the corn.

I found a wonderful cookbook last year called Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking by Mary Emma Showalter. It has a great recipe for "Scalloped Corn" that our family loves!

The recipe is as follows:

2 cups cooked or canned corn
1 cup milk
2/3 cup cracker or bread crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon minced onion

Beat the eggs and add milk and crumbs.
Add the corn, onion, seasoning, and melted butter.
Mix together well and pour in a greased casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. (Serves 6.)

ENJOY! ;^)

There is only one rule when it comes to stir-fry, and that is there are no rules!! I love stir-fry! I go a little crazy when this time of year rolls around.  When my garden is giving me all kinds of fresh goodies to work with, I try all sorts of stir-fry combinations! Simply put a little olive oil in the bottom of your pan, and start adding whatever you like. I have one staple ingredient. Onions are usually the first things that make their way into my pan. Then, perhaps a lovely pepper, an eight ball zucchini, and a couple carrots. Throw in a few green beans, and some chopped tomato and voila, a healthy and yummy meal! There are so many variations to try, and no two of mine are exactly the same! Earlier in the season, I love to use sugar peas. Turnips and potatoes are also good, and I love to cut up a head of cabbage and stir fry with a little bacon crumbled into it!

You can also add any kind of meat you like, although I usually cook it separately, and then add it to my veggies. We love venison, and when we process our deer (if we have been fortunate enough to harvest one), we’re always sure to cut some stir fry steak pieces. This is wonderful in stir fry. Chicken, fish, crab meat, and tuna are also great additions. It’s a great way to use up leftover turkey or ham too.

When it comes to seasonings, I try to be creative. I use soy sauce, but I try lots of other things as well. I have wine vinegar with garlic that is good. A couple splashes of your favorite marinade give some interesting flavors, and taco seasoning or steak rub seasoning is an interesting twist too!

I also use some kind of filler. Any kind of rice or pasta, or lo mien noodles are a great addition.

Try your own stir fry, and be creative. You won’t be sorry!

It’s almost 6:30 in the morning. My husband is getting ready to leave for work. I am stylin' in a tee-shirt and a comfy pair of shorts. You know, the kind that you would be perfectly happy to live in and never have to change. I slide on my brown furry lined clogs that look especially good with my current outfit, and head out to feed the chickens and ducks who are becoming very vocal and demanding about their hunger pangs! I go down the steps, looking at the containers of growing things I have setting all over my porch and steps. I notice something has been munching at my parsley, and make a mental note to check it when I’m finished feeding the animals.

I’m now finished with the animals and back in the house. Apparently, that mental note was not written in bold print! I’m thinking about taking the camera out on the porch. There are some really cool looking moths sitting on the siding that I would like to get some pictures of.

Out I go with the camera, snapping away, when I remember the parsley. As I pick up the pot for closer inspection, I see the parsley eating culprits. Now, most people would be upset that their parsley was being eaten up, but I am thrilled! The parsley bandits turn out to be Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars.

After taking lots of photos, I set the pot back in its place, caterpillars and all. I’m hoping when they cocoon, I can get more photos, and maybe I can even see them emerge from those cocoons! Yea, Yea, I know what an exciting life! Watching caterpillars! But to someone such as I, the nature-loving photographer, this is an exciting prospect!

– Lori Dunn is a freelance photographer specializing in rural subjects and nature. Contact her at chickadeezl@yahoo.com.

I’m standing at the landing with my camera in hand, reveling in the cool, refreshing mist as it hits my already damp skin. It was quite a hike to get to this point and, oh, so worth it. The cold, clear water tumbling over the cliff’s edge looks like an icy ribbon before it explodes onto the rocks below. The explosion has created this refreshing mist. I just stare at the waterfall in awe, and I feel lucky to have the chance to stand where I’m standing right now! I dream of falling asleep in this place. Surely it would offer the best night’s sleep I have ever experienced! This gift from God soothes and replenishes like no other elixir.

This waterfall is one of more than 20 my husband and I encountered on a day trip to Ricketts Glen State Park, located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. We were on the Falls Trail that day. Although the trail is relatively short (approximately 3 miles in length), it is classified as difficult because of the elevation changes and wet slippery rocks – the rewards are worth all the effort.

I have never experienced this many spectacular waterfalls so close together. We are planning another trip in the fall. I’m sure when the leaves start turning to all shades of red, orange and yellow, the resulting frame they create around these falls will be breathtaking!

Ricketts Glen State Park has many miles of additional trails. If you are ever in northeast Pennsylvania near Bloomsburg, I highly recommend this detour. Take a hike and you won’t be disappointed.

– Lori Dunn is a freelance photographer specializing in rural subjects and nature. Contact her at chickadeezl@yahoo.com.

My husband and I decided we were going to start a small flock of chickens. We wanted to be able to raise our own meat and get our own eggs for economic reasons, and also because we like knowing exactly what is in the food we eat. We decided we would choose two different breeds to start this flock. AND SO IT BEGAN!

Foolish people that we are, we figured we would simply page through one of our hatchery catalogs, choose two breeds, and place the order. WRONG! Of course we each liked something different, but we did have a few standards to go by to narrow the search. We wanted to get breeds that were rare, or not as common as some chickens such as Leghorns or Rhode Island Reds. (Not that there is anything wrong with those breeds. In fact, if you are looking for egg production in a chicken, those are some of the best breeds to get.) We wanted something different. We also needed dual purpose birds that would be good for eggs and meat on the table. Medium to dark brown large egg layers was another item on our list, and, of course, we wanted chickens that were friendly and easy to work with.

Now, you would think that this would narrow the field down to just a few choices, and it did narrow it considerably. However, there are still a lot of breeds that meet all of these criteria. We spent days looking through catalogs and visited numerous hatchery and poultry Web sites. Let me just say here that anyone interested in info on chickens should visit Barry Koffler at FeatherSite. I highly recommend this site! He has lots of info on all the different chicken breeds as well as photos and links to numerous hatcheries.

Finally, my husband and I agreed on two breeds. Our choices were Barnevelders, developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Holland for laying dark eggs, and Delawares, developed in 1940 in Delaware.

We wanted to get both breeds from the same hatchery but at the one that both breeds, the Barnevelders were sold out until 2009. Needless to say, we were not willing to wait that long, so we went to our third breed choice which was Welsummer. This breed was also developed in Holland in the 20th century, and they lay dark terracotta brown eggs.

So far, I am very pleased with both breeds. They have been great to work with. The Delawares have been particularly rewarding because they are incredibly friendly and enjoy human contact. I highly recommend them.

I would love to hear about your experiences with any other chicken breeds. If you are thinking about starting your own flock, have fun choosing and be sure to visit FeatherSite and take a look at GRIT's guide to chicken breeds!

– Lori Dunn is a freelance photographer specializing in rural subjects and nature. Contact her at chickadeezl@yahoo.com.