Ok, so we left with Michael heading to NY for his annual meeting. One last thing we needed to do before he left was tattoo the two babies. The last time we tattooed baby goats we had our friend Raspberry do it. This time we thought we would do it on our […]
Apples and Cider and Bees, Oh My
I’m still tired. Saturday we rented the cider press and got to work making cider. Last year went quickly and was easy peezy so why wouldn’t this year be just the same. More apples, that’s why. Please don’t misunderstand me. We worked hard and had fun in the process. But I did sleep a solid […]
Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
My friend Kirsten, told me about a great dill pickle recipe a couple of summers ago.Last year I grew pickling cucumbers for the first time. Having just moved here, the garden was quickly thrown together and just as quickly overgrown. I couldn’t find the pickling cucumbers through all the perslane. By the time I found […]
Harvest Weekend
It began on Friday. I had avoided the garden for two weeks. Physically, mentally, emotionally and any other “ally” you can think of, I was done with the garden. It was an underlying stress though. In the middle of that time period I had a dream about a zucchini in the garden that was […]
Homemade Sauerkraut is so Easy.
Another culinary skill under my belt. Ok, if something only takes slicing, squishing and waiting…..is it really a skill? Hey, I’ll take whatever culinary credit I can get. It’s a skill. I began my adventure in sauerkraut making on August 23. I had grown my own cabbage this year and it was very much ready […]
Easiest Home Canned Tomato Sauce
My easiest home canned tomato sauce method makes it one of the easiest things to can. A large part is hands off which is a nice way to can. I love canning with tomatoes. Usually I grow an abundant amount of tomatoes. So many that I give a lot away. Not so this year. My […]
No Waste. It’s a Good Thing.
I dried more apples and again I realized how little food we waste. Since we grow our own apples I chose to not work so hard around blemishes, bugs etc. I just cut those parts out and put them in the waste bowl. But the waste bowl doesn’t actually go to waste. I can give […]
Mowing the Lower Acreage
This summer Michael wanted to have someone cut, or “hay”, the lower acreage. This would do a much cleaner job of cutting and removing the grass clippings from the field than the brush-cutter on our tractor, which leaves the cut grass laying on the ground. He thought he would be able to find someone who […]
Zucchini Fries
If you grow zucchini or have ever grown zucchini you know how prolific a producer the plant is. A couple of years ago I ran across a great way to use zucchini. Even those big ones that grow to a large size seemingly overnight. The recipe comes from a very popular blog called “Chocolate Covered […]
Harvest
Last year I had a hard time harvesting the garden on a daily basis. As a result, I wound up with HUGE pickling cucumbers and zucchini. This year I am more successful at getting out there each day. Hopefully first thing after barn chores so I can get it done before the heat of the […]
How Does Our Garden Grow 2015 Edition
We have had very unusual weather this year. Not a lot of rain over the winter and spring. No freezing temperatures last winter to kill off bugs. Very hot temperatures since the beginning of June. Thankfully my husband put in a new soaker hose system. It is really great. Rather than having one hose with […]
Basil Cubes
One of the things I needed to harvest this past week was basil. I have five pots of basil and it grows quickly. It was time to preserve it. Long before I ever had anything that could be called a garden (even by city standards) I’ve grown basil. Fresh basil adds so much flavor to […]