Spring is here yall!

Hey y’all!  I hope everyone is doing well.  Spring is finally here and everything is blooming and growing here in the south.  I have so much that I want to do and write about.  My great hubby tilled the dirt for my garden yesterday afternoon and I cannot wait to get in it.  Our soil at home is not the best soil; it is sandy and loamy.  This will be the third year that we have planted a garden.  The first year all of the plants produced mini-veggies.  The second year did better and we were able to harvest from our garden, but the garden still did not exceed my expectations.  Gardening is hard work I tell you, especially when it is hot out and the humidity is 100%.  My plans this weekend for my garden is to weed, weed, and weed it until there are no weeds.  Then, I am going to till cow poop into my dirt and water and wait another week before I plant.  I am going to plant bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, green onions, banana peppers, cucumbers and corn.  These are the type of veggies that we eat the most.

With the cost of everything going up, I thought that it would be good to plant a garden and can my pickings.  With that being said, I am going to write about canning your own pickings and give you ideas on gifting canned pickings.  Last week my hubby brought home a can of green tomato relish and this was by far the best relish I have ever put in my tummy.

I have also been doing research on the Mayhaw berry.  Mayhaws grow best in moist soil near creek bottoms and river banks.  The fruit ripens in late April through May and this is why the tree got the name Mayhaw.  This berry is most commonly used to make jellies, jams and syrup.  The taste of the Mayhaw berry has been compared to a crab apple.  This weekend, Deb-Jean and I are going to set out on foot to find this delicate berry so we can make jelly, jams and syrup.  As soon as we locate these trees, I will post pictures and recipes on making your own yummies!

Happy Spring!

Backwoods belle

The legend of the Dogwood tree.

Have you ever been driving through the country and noticed a Dogwood in the spring time? If you have, then you know why I am writing this as they are so beautiful this time of the year. What you may not have heard of is the legend of the Dogwood. In this article I am going to share this legend with you and also share some pictures of this beautiful tree. After reading this I hope that you fall in love with them as I have.

The history behind the Dogwood is that the name Dogwood came from Dagwood because the stems of the tree are very hard and was used to make daggers and arrows. You can find the Dogwood almost anywhere in the United States other than places that are too hot and too dry. It is to be said, that the pioneers used the Dogwoods limbs as a tooth brush. The pioneers would remove the bark and fray the end of the stick using it to brush teeth. The berries that form in early spring are mild toxic to humans.

Inshore Slam

The alarm went off on a summer morning at 4:30 am, as I rolled over I thought how nice it would be to stay in the bed. Then the plans for the day had me up and moving. You see, today was the perfect day to catch the big one. The marine forecast was perfect; 1-2 foot seas out of the south, turning to a light chop in the afternoon and zero percent chance of rain. Where were we headed? We were headed due south to the La marsh.

As we drove south, the sun was barely peaking up from the horizon. Once we were in the boat, the sea spray woke my senses and the smell of the gulf relaxed me. The gulf that morning was like glass and the water turkeys were everywhere. The bait fish looked like rain drops on the water. The birds were working and filling there bellies. I thought to myself "this is a day I pray for all year"!

As we approached the marsh it was obvious that the wildlife that calls the marsh home was awake. My hubby decided that it would be best to run to Isle Au Pitre, and it was a good thing he did. After working my line for what seemed like hours, there was finally a fish on it! I was after flounder and letting your bait sink to the bottom and slightly bumping it was the best way to catch a yummy flounder. As I reeled my line in, the fish was not giving up and put up a fight. My heart was pumping and my adrenaline was in full force! As the fish started to show his self, it was obvious that I scored on that yummy flounder. After this catch, my good luck turned off as fast as it turned on. 

We set out a little further north to Creole Gap and this was going to be our last drift of the day. “The specks are on the bar!” my hubby yelled. The heat was on to catch one of these delicate fish. As soon as my DOA hit the water, it went straight down, and it was on! As I fought this speck to the boat, he was jumping out of the water and showing his will to live. Once to the boat, it was clear this was a keeper! 

My husband yelled from the front of the boat “Bae you should go for an inshore slam!” An inshore slam is where you catch a flounder, speckled trout, and a red fish all in one day. Immediately, I made this my goal. I changed my fishing lure and started fishing for the monster red fish. The afternoon went by as we drifted north and once again the fish turned off. While I was taking a break, I looked up to the blue cloudless sky and prayed “Dear God, please bless me with a red fish.” As soon as I was done praying, I went back to fishing, working my bait perfect, and as hard as I could. Then, I noticed my line was very heavy. Could it be an oyster, crab, or a sting ray? My mind wondered off on all the possibilities of what was on the other end of the line. To my surprise it was a stick! Yep, a stick! Boy did I feel like a joke was being played on me!

After catching the stick we decided to make this our last cast as the sunset was not far away. As my bait hit the water, I prayed once again that I would be blessed with my inshore slam. I worked the bait slowly and avoided getting tangled in the grass bed that I was fishing on top of. Then, out of nowhere, a fin to “the” red fish appeared. The red fish was after a crab and this was my last opportunity to get him in the boat. I reeled as fast as I have ever reeled before and casted right in his path. The red fish was on my line and this was it. I’m finally going to have my inshore slam that I have worked so hard for over the past seven hours.

         As we packed up for the ride back to the inland, I was excited to get home and take my picture with all three of my fish. The ride back to the boat dock was a smooth ride and the dolphins were out playing in the surf from the boat.  The ride was so peaceful and I was so exhausted from being in the sun that I laid my head back on the center console and thought to myself, just how powerful prayer really was. He was on my side the whole time and it was already planned for me to get out of the bed at 4:30 am on that summer Saturday morning.