Fermentation

I've been fermenting a lot lately.  I made this fermented salsa, which I puree when it's done.  It's a big hit with Emry and Lydia. I started making it last year, and it's fast, easy, and tasty.

This next one is a mixture of turnips, beets, and dill.  It's from a fermentation book by Shannon Stonger, and I decided to try it since I had a lot of beets and turnips, and my dill is ready but my cucumbers are not. It's good, but I will probably be the only one eating it.

This last one was a bit of a whim.  I planted a pepperoncini plant for the first time, and several were ready at once. I decided to ferment them to use on salads and pizza. They turned out well. I will also be the only one eating them, but that's ok.

And Gyunay got new glasses:

He had to pick from the adult-sized ones this time. He was not as happy with the color choices, as the kids' sizes had more and brighter blue options, but he ended up happy with these glasses.  They are blue, of course.

 

Yum

I was thinking about whether or not to bother with corn next year, because I will not be getting much, and I had some germination problems.  Then I ate some.  We will be growing it again!

I got a load of mulch!!! I finally got a load through Chip Drop, so this lovely pile cost $40. It has mostly already been spred on the chicken yard and some in the garden, thanks to lots of help from Nathaniel, Elijah, Lydia, and Emry.

My cantaloupe patch is being visited by all the pollinators! I have a few tiny ones growing. There are some watermelons at the end, too, but you can't see them in this picture.

I have lots of green tomatoes, but I'm mostly just getting a handful of cherry ones every other day or so. I think they will all turn red while I'm on vacation.

 

Happy 4th of July

Emry wanted a silly picture:

Nathaniel decided to get patriotic for the fireworks tonight:

Gyunay likes taking pictures of the animals:

And his sister:

I got my first ripe tomato today, on the 4th of July!  Of course, it was a cherry tomato, specifically a yellow pear:

No full-size tomatoes are close for me yet, so I bought some at the farmer's market.

Yesterday we celebrated this 14-year-old:

And I harvested the rest of the potatoes, about 14 more pounds.

 

June Harvest Totals

The garden is looking good, but it is just starting to produce.  The chickens are laying well, except that we have a few that keep going broody, and therefore don't lay for a while. Still, there has been no shortage of eggs.  We've had plenty for us to eat and to share.

Beans, dragon - 2 oz

Carrots - 1 lb 7oz

Cucumber - 1

Eggs - 341

Garlic bulbs - 44

Garlic scapes - 42

Potatoes, Fingerling - 1 lb 10 oz

Potatoes, Kennebec - 1 lb 5 oz

Potatoes, Red - 7oz

Radishes - 2

Rutabagas - 8

Turnips - 4

Zuchini - 1

All in all, it's not too bad.  I made some delicious cheese and garlic scones with the garlic scapes a couple of times and still had some for stir-fry. The carrots are so delicious raw. The potatoes roasted up wonderfully. We will have lots more potatoes, and the zucchini and cucumbers are just getting started.  I have some green hot peppers and lots of green tomatoes. The cantaloupes are full of blooms.  Hopefully, we will have lots more to harvest.
 

Modifications

The garden is looking pretty good.  I have lots of blooms.  There are some small green tomatoes. I've harvested several carrots and potatoes, which were delicious. I'm making notes on changes for next year, but overall I am pleased with how it's going.

The chickens are doing well.

I have to get new bedding for their yard.  We had some torrential rains that flushed most of it downhill. I still have 2 broody hens, but I'm hoping they get over it soon. 

We have had a lot of modifications to our summer plans this year.  Emry needs some kind of physical challenge, and Gyunay has been avoiding the outdoors, so I made them go outside and shoot some hoops. 

Emry is not allowed out of the wheelchair, and Gyunay has to chase down the ball.  They take turns shooting. It works pretty well, for a short amount of time, anyway. 

 

Summer Time

Gyunay and Emry enjoyed a library program this week, where they made these guys.  They had a lot of fun. We are doing lots more arts and crafts, since Emry can't do any sports.  In the photo, you can also see some of the potatoes I harvested last night. Most of my potatoes are still in the ground, but I pulled up about 3lbs of red and fingerling potatoes.

I've been out and about in the garden this week, and I'm enjoying seeing all the growth. Summer is really here, and I've got blooms on my cantaloupes, watermelons, cucumbers, zucchini, etc.  My calendula started blooming on the deck cart:

Honestly, I never noticed before now how much the photo looks like a dandelion.  In person, it is a much larger bloom than a dandelion, but just as pretty. 

I am recovered from Bible school week, and although my iron is low again and I'll start infusions next week, I'm feeling pretty good.  The key is to not do too much in a row.  

 

Round Here

I am happy to see I have tomatoes growing.  Maybe I'll get a red one by the 4th of July!  That was always my Papaw's goal.  I have reached it here, but not often.

We have 3 broody hens.  This one is super sweet.  I'd let her hatch eggs, but they aren't fertilized.  We don't have a rooster now, for the first time in forever. 

These guys went golfing with their dad this weekend. They've been enjoying summer break from college, even if they are working 5 days a week.

And Emry and I completed a puzzle together:

We've been doing lots of sitting activities.  He is frustrated that he can't play sports at all this summer, so we have tried to mix up the activities.

Lydia spent some time earning a bit of cash for painting for the grandparents:

Soon she will start her job at Starbucks.