July Harvest Totals

 The garden really got going at the end of July.  

Beans, dragon - 6.6 Oz

Beans, green - 3.7oz

Cabbages - 2

Carrots - 20

Corn - 6

Cucumbers - 26

Eggs - 356

Peppers, ancho - 1

Peppers, pepperoncinis - 7

Potatoes, fingerling - 1.6 lbs

Potatoes, Kenebec- 7.3 lbs

Potatoes, red - 5.4 lbs

Rutabagas - 1

Tomatoes, Eva Purple Ball - 7

Tomatoes, reds - 41

Tomatoes, San Marzano - 83

Zucchini - 6

Plus cherry tomatoes and herbs - basil, dill, oregano, mint, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

I made and canned a batch of salsa for the first time in 2 years.  It's so nice to have ripe tomatoes!

And hopefully,  August should bring cantaloupe!!!

Garden Explosion and a Surprise

Time to step away from travel posts for a minute and talk about how my garden took off while we were gone.

I am now getting plenty of tomatoes for fresh eating, and I am close to having enough paste tomatoes for a huge batch of salsa.

On the way to let the dogs out, I noticed something new.  Actually,  I heard it before I saw it.

Yes, while I was gone, my friend came over and installed a fountain for us!  It was a surprise,  and I burst out laughing,  because I knew exactly what had happened.   My dear friend Jennifer had offered me the fountain a few weeks ago, but I didn't think I would get around to painting it and installing it, so I turned her down. So she did it all for me!

The sunflowers started blooming!  And my beloved Mexican sunflowers, too!  Some can be seen behind the yellow sunflowers, and there are some at the end of the picture below:

The sweet potatoes have gone crazy.  They are spilling out everywhere,  including onto the deck:

They are quite pretty.  I hope they are developing underground as well as they are above ground. 

 

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. 

 

May Harvest Totals and Crazy Golf Weekend

First, the totals:

Bok Choy - 1

Eggs -373

Radishes -11

Route - 2

Turnips -4

And I haven't posted about Memorial Day weekend, which is usually the kayak trip weekend.  This year, Nathaniel planned an epic golfing weekend for his cousins and etc, with many of them staying at his parents' house.  Eric and kids still stayed with us. The golfing started Friday morning and didn't finish until Sunday evening. Add to that the aunts, uncles, and cousins who came along just to visit, Emry in a a wheelchair, and the general craziness of the family, and it was obviously a lot. So on Monday, after most people left and it was down to Eric and us, we went to the zoo.

The weather was great, and Elijah pushed Emry around, so it worked fine.  Later that day, we took the obligatory stair picture:

 

Elephant and Piggie

Now onto more pleasant news!  Nathaniel bought this elephant for my garden:

while Lydia and I were buying this pig for my mom for the cabin:

I think they are both adorable.  

The hens are doing really well.  I had three broody hens, but that is down to one now.  We are still getting lots of eggs, and they have been staying put in their yard since Elijah fixed it. They are getting lots of greens to eat, and they enjoy that (although they would love more kitchen scraps than they get!).

 

The garden is coming along.  The potatoes are in the back left:

And here they are up close:

I've been busy planting lots of seeds for cantaloupes, corn, watermelon, and pumpkins.  Most of the plants I started have been transplanted out, too.

And I made loads of noodles!  I had so many eggs, and we do love pasta.

April Harvest Totals and Etc

April Harvest Totals:
Eggs - 430

Radishes - 3

We are in full swing for track seasons right now.  My parents came and watched both Emry and Lydia in meets, and Gyunay at swimming.  They got this great shot of Lydia pole vaulting:

I also made a big batch of chorizo:

This is before cooking.  I usually make about 7 pounds at a time, and then freeze most in about 1 lb portions.  We love chorizo. 

Pilot is home from college, and Malachi will be joining us soon, after his finals are done. Summer is near!

 

Outside

The potato plants are looking great.  I just mulched them yesterday.

These are the rutabagas that I started under the glass when it was cooler.  They are growing nicely.  I did harvest 3 radishes yesterday, which Emry gladly ate.  He's pretty fond of radishes.

And Nathaniel installed a clothesline for me!

I've wanted a clothesline for years. I used to have one, but the trees holding the line died, and I've been using a drying rack ever since. Drying racks are useful, but not nearly as good as a clothesline.