The ant is done storing.

Ya know what?  This girl's tired.  I ain't even gunna try to hide it.


As our growing season comes to end, I can't help but feel mixed emotions.  I am sad in the fact that I will no longer be able to gather side dishes from the garden.  I am sad that it will be another year before I will taste the warm, oozy deliciousness of a ripe peach and it will be another year before I will gather a basket full of goodness in all it's garden glory.  Collecting and eating the bounty of the summer is not only entertaining, it is downright wonderful.

That being said.


I am also happy.  You see, for the past four months, I've done nothing but dry fruit, pickle beans, freeze and slice a variety of produce, and make chutneys. I've concocted berry syrups and tomato purees.  I've shucked and blanched corn and dehydrated herbs.  I've filled a chest freezer and closet full of summer goodness to be enjoyed year round...and that's a lot of work!

Here's our list of stored & preserved food for the winter (in no particular or organized order) thus far (we still have applesauce, dehydrated apple slices, kale, more green beans, and onions to go!):


6 quarts pickled asparagus
11.5 pounds frozen berries
Frozen/dried dill
5 bags frozen kale
12 quarts canned cherries
Dried cherries, 1/2 gallon bag
Dried peaches, 1 gallon bag
4 gallons frozen cots
Dried pears, 2.5 gallon bags
18 quarts canned cots
Dried coriander
Dried sage
Dried thyme
Dried oregano
Dried rosemary
Frozen basil
2 quarts frozen chives
2.5 gallon bags of frozen peaches
1 gallon bag of peach nectar, frozen
29 quarts canned peaches
4 gallon bags frozen green beans
1 pound frozen jalapenos
2 quarts pickles
8 pints canned banana peppers
2 pints pickled beans
3 gallon bags of frozen, sliced peppers
1 quart frozen green onions
5 gallon bags of frozen corn
2 gallon bags of carrots, stored for winter
1 gallon bag of beets, stored for winter
12 quarts canned pears
4 pints pear butter
4 gallon bags of frozen tomatoes
1 quart dehydrated tomatoes
3 quarts canned tomatoes


I.  Am.  Tired.

I am fully embracing the shorter days of fall and am enjoying the chill in the air.  I am enjoying sitting down with a pot full of tea at night, with my fuzzy socks on, and snuggling up with a blanket as I type my blog posts.  I am enjoying the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves that bring their warmth to baked goods this time of year and I am enjoying the brisk walks through the orchard.


You see, I believe God designed the seasons to be just this way.  We are happy to see them come and we are happy to see them go, each one bringing with it new treasures for us to enjoy.  Sure, by February, I can hardly stand it - I am so anxious to get back in that garden! 


But for now, as of October, I am ready to call it for a season.


This past Saturday, I spent the morning out in the gardens, pulling up the majority of leftover plants.  I pulled the last of the green tomatoes, all the eggplant, most of the onions, kale, green beans, peppers, carrots, potatoes, basil, and beets.  

I'm officially closin' up shop.  Sorry caterpillars, but you're going to have to find someone else's cabbage to destroy.


Now, I've just got to hunker down for a season, in my fuzzy socks, and really work on this danged e-book.  So many projects to do- so little time!


For now, however, I choose to do nothing except for sit in my big brown, comfy chair and drink this delightful cup of raspberry tea my husband made me me.  Because that's how I roll.


What are YOU doing to enjoy the beginning of fall?

Hoop-houses & fall plantings.

Even though this past week has taken on the chill of fall, I'm not ready to give up on my harvest quite yet.  There is still time in the garden and in the kitchen to put up goodies for winter.  And lucky for me, I have a super-manly husband to complete a few "honey-do" tasks I have assigned for him in the garden.


One of which was to build me a few hoop houses over my raised beds.


About four weeks ago I planted a fall crop of lettuce, and while it is coming in wonderfully, I know that at the first taste of a frost, it will be wonderful lettuce no more.  I need to protect these little beauties so that they can continue to grow!

Insert: Hoop house.


Not only will the hoop house raise the temperature in the bed, but it will also protect it at night from the chilly air.  


Building it was relatively simple in theory.  Although, some projects just look more simple on YouTube than they end up being.


First, "we" screwed in a few brackets spaced four feet apart...


...then "we" bent some 1" pipe across...

...and then ran some boards down the "spine" of the hoop-house for extra stability.  This step became important when we initially skipped it, and our end hoops bent over.

Here's the hard part: stretching the plastic across.  Sure, it sounds easy enough.  But it was windy yesterday...and we could barely get a few corners pinned down when the wind would pick it up again!  So, we just decided instead of getting frustrated and wanting to throw rocks at the invisible wind, we would just attempt to secure the plastic after this raging breeze had passed.


When we are finally able to secure the plastic, we will be able to just clip it along the edge of the bed with clothespins.  In theory.


Side-note: While we were at Lowe's picking up a few of the supplies to complete our hoop house...I insisted that we look at the ceiling fans which we've been needing to purchase for approximately two years...and we found one...and I whined...and we bought it...which we shouldn't have...but we did.  And it's AWESOME.  Sometimes, you just gotta live on the edge and buy ceiling fans.  I love it!!!!


Anyway...back to the garden...


I'm planning on covering four of five beds...heck, maybe I'll cover all of them.  These hoop houses will be wonderful to have in the spring!  They will make a significant difference in the overall temperature of the soil.  Plus, they will protect my tender seedlings from wind, rain, and stupid cabbage moths.


I hate cabbage moths.  Next year, every time I see one, I'm going to shot it with my 12 gauge.  Overkill?  Nah.


None-the-less, I am very excited at the prospect of these hoop houses.  Maybe next year, I'll get more than 5 red tomatoes and 2 bell peppers.  Note-to-self: In the wonderful short-seasoned pacific northwest, it maybe be smart to choose short-season varieties.  


Wow.  I'm, like, so smart.


I'll quit mourning my tomatoes now...the time has come to say goodbye.  I'm letting them hang on for the last few days of sunshine, and then they will promptly be turned into a green-tomato-relish of sorts.  

This next week, I will be digging up potatoes, onions, carrots, and beets to put them in the cellar for winter.  After that, we have a few more eggplants, green beans, kale, herbs, and parsnips to harvest.

  
Oh!  And if you're looking to start your garden next year...this is the perfect time to plant your garlic and shallots!  So get that booty in gear!


I love the prospect of a new garden and lessons learned.


I love knowing that next year, I have a chance to wipe the slate clean.


I love knowing that next year, there is a chance I will harvest so many tomatoes, my head will explode!


Hey - a girl can dream, can't she?!


Happy fall gardening!

I got the market blues.

I spent another lovely Saturday morning at the Farmers Market this past weekend.  I bought three large purple bell peppers for $1, three zucchini for $1, three cucumbers for $1, and...


...freshly baked donuts.


Actually, my Dad bought those.  I ate them.


And as I strolled the lovely lanes of produce stands, I must admit, I felt a little depressed.


How could these farmers be harvesting huge heads of cabbage already...when mine are still so little and caterpillar infested?


And what about those peppers?  Mine are still the size of large lima beans!


Some booths were selling strawberries...must be of a late variety, as mine gave out months ago it seems like.


And the tomatoes?  Folks, let's not even go there.

I couldn't help but feel a little envious - the farmers there are so good at what they do.  And while I realize this is how they make their living...and they are professionals...I still couldn't help but covet their wisdom.  They have put my garden to shame in all it's adolescent glory. 


Although I've gotten a fair amount of produce from mine, with a few months of growing still and many a harvest ahead, it is still nowhere near the goal I am aiming for.  Each year that I have tended to my garden, I have increased the size and the productivity of it.  So maybe in ten?  Fifteen?  Twenty years?  I'll be producing as much as I'd like!


And all of this produce got me thinking - how is it possible to learn how to learn not only to garden out of "hobby" but actually garden out of a sincere desire to grow your food.

Sure, I love to eat a nice fresh potato for the novelty of it.  But how then do I turn that into enough potatoes to last us through the entire year?  


How do I grow enough tomatoes to supply us with sauces from one harvest to the next?


Onions?  Beans?  Herbs?  Cabbage?  Carrots?  Parsnips?  Peppers?  Berries?  


I don't just want to garden.  I want to GARDEN, people.  Ya know what I'm sayin?

Being an emotional brain-fart, I sat down with my husband to share my distress.  I wanted to make sure that he was on the "homesteading bandwagon" with me.  I know that we have a lot in store for us - a lot of hard work to be done!  There is a reason that we have established more conveniences in this modern world - because they are convenient!  And cheap!  And mindfully choosing a life that is not centered around these conveniences is a tad overwhelming at times. 


Honey, I said, I really want to garden.  How do those farmers do it?  They've had peppers at the market for a month now and mine still are so little!


That's their job, Shaye.


I know, but still.  How do they do it?  Do they hoop-house their beds?  Do they use heaters?  A crazy amount of Miracle-Gro?  What!?!? I need someone to show me!!!


Why don't you move to a farm and learn.


Will you come with me if I do?


No.


Fine, I'll do it.  


I'm kidding...Stuart would never send me off to live on a farm all alone.  Probably not, anyway.

They say that experience is the best teacher, and while that is good advice, it can be frustrating.  Because when you garden, you get one or two shots a year to get it right - and you don't want to screw that opportunity up...or you'll be left with green tomatoes and no butternut squash come October.  Not that I know that from experience or anything.


So how do I do it better?  How do I stretch out the short season we have here in Washington and use my ground to the best of it's ability?


After doing some research, it seems that adding some hoop-houses (like the one pictured below) would be beneficial in our area.  Not only would I be able to plant about a month earlier, but it would also keep the temperature raised for vegetables like tomatoes and peppers.  Under a hoop house, I could be ready to harvest my peppers and such about a month earlier than normal.

Take that ya dang green tomatoes!


I could also use these same hoop houses in the fall to protect my plants from the first bites of frost.  Lettuce, kale, swiss chard, carrots, potatoes, herbs, and onions would all like a nice little home under one of them.


I've found a few plans that detail how to make a hoop house over an existing raised bed for a little under $20.  Not bad.


So guess who gets to build some hoop houses?


Stuart.  That lucky guy.


I know I'm young and have years still to acquire the vast amount of knowledge it takes to grow food well.  I know that each year, I will learn more and more about the needs of each particular plant.  I will learn about soil temperature and quality.  I will learn about pollination and pruning.  I will learn about worms and pests.

But dang man...if anyone wants to give me the Cliffs Notes version of how to garden without such drastic failures, I'd love you forever.


Until then, I will be very thankful that someone...although not me...can grow large, beautiful sweet peppers and lush juicy tomatoes.


And I will be very thankful that they are willing to sell them to me for $1.


Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go find a local farm that is willing to take on a crazed wannabe-farmer, her husband, and a sweet-cheeked baby as amateur interns.


The end.

How did YOU learn how to garden? 

Purple Potatoes!

I'm literally running out the door as I type this.  We're going to drive 3 hours to eat lobster.


But more on that later...


I just had to share my enthusiasm with you.  I couldn't resist.


Look what we dug up out of the garden this morning for breakfast!:

'Ell I be!  Potatoes!  And purple potatoes, at that!

We sliced 'em up.  Softened them in a little olive oil.  Added some fresh onion (from the garden as well!), some salt, a little grated parmesan and a few freshly picked chives.  And ta-da!

Breakfast of champions.


Topped it off with a little oatmeal, some fresh peaches, and man - oh man.  That's a good start to the day!


I hope this random Saturday post finds you having as much fun as I have already!


Now.  I must go eat lobster.  It is my destiny.


Good day.


Cheers to purple potatoes, my friends.

Where's that pickle fairy?

Sometimes, you've gotta admit when you've made a mistake.


And I'm made many a mistake, let me tell you.  I'll spare you the details of these.  Except for one.  Behold.

The unplowed plot that needs to be plowed.  That I planted in anyway.


There are multiple consequences from this mistake:
1.  Cucumbers harvest to date = zero.
2.  Zucchini harvest to date = slim.
3.  Weed population = out of control.
4.  Utilization of space = horrible.
5.  Butternut squash harvest = shan't be good, I know that much.


While I was hoping to turn this God-forsaken patch of land into a chicken coop, current regulations prohibit us from having chickens this close to the orchard.  So for the mean time, it's gunna have to be a vegetable patch.

Last fall, I had planned to till this patch up.  But then, I had a baby instead.  Silly me.  Needless to say, tilling was pushed to the back burner, in lieu of snuggling my wee-one.  Side note: It was totalllly worth it.  But this spring, I payed the price. By not properly tilling and composting the patch, the soil was still horrible.  Dangit.  Where is that soil fairy?  You know, the one that adds fertilizer and worms when you're not looking?

Yes.  I know that soil makes ALL the difference in the productivity of a garden.
Yes.  I know that you can't fake out plants.
Yes.  I know that I am a brainfart.


Well.  Long story short, I thought I could conquer the awful soil with just a little optimism.  And even though I dug large holes and filled them with rich compost, it was no match for the weeds, grass, and overall poor health of the earth in this patch.  Sure, my seeds sprouted.  But thriving?  Hardly.


I called in a favor.  I had to!  I was desperate.  

Lucky for me, my Uncle Joel has a tiller.  And he volunteered to come and help me begin the soil transformation.  While tilling is only the start, at least it's...well...a start!  After tilling the soil, we will dump our entire compost bin (roughly around a yard of compost) into the patch.  As the summer progresses, we will continue to feed the soil grass clippings, plant clippings, manure, dirt, food scraps, etc.  Come fall, we will add leaves from our maple tree and a cover crop.  Then, next spring, we will till it again.  And with the addition of some rich top soil (about $15 a yard), next year, this patch can be utilized to grow onions, potatoes, squashes, cucumbers, and cabbages!


And I've learned my lesson. Cutting corners, especially in the garden, doesn't land you anywhere you want to be.  Trust me.


This year, I payed the price with my pickle crop. 


NO!! Not the pickles!!


Now...where's that pickle fairy?

Summer Salad Dressings!

One of my favorite parts about having a blog is getting to write about whatever is on my mind.  Although I rarely write in complete sentences, I still find the outlet of writing does wonders for all that mumbo-jumbo that is floating around in my head.


Thinking about the therapy of folding laundry? Blog.
Little nasty green worms in your cabbage?  Blog.
A crazy munchkin that is stickin' all kinds of funny things in her mouth? Blog it, baby.


And today...what's on my mind is this:


Summer salads.


And I have a confession here. Until about eight months ago, I never ate fruit on my salad.  After all, how could strawberries pair with chives?  Or peaches with avocado?  Then, my friend Leena brought over a strawberry, almond, avocado salad.  I politely ate a bite, after all, I didn't want to be rude.  And while I tried to separate the fruit out from the vegetables, inevitability, a slice of strawberry was hidden behind a lettuce leaf...and along with almonds, avocado, chives, cucumbers, and vinaigrette...into my mouth it went.  And I died a wonderful, flavorful death.  Since then, I've been a firm believer in fruit on my salads.  And pretty much everything else, too.

I can't exactly give you a recipe for salads.  After all, they resemble a goulash of sorts.  Cucumbers and bacon.  Peppers and sunflower seeds.  Toasted almonds and apricots.  Blueberries and poppy seeds.  Strawberries and green onions.  Cabbage.  Shredded carrots.  Radishes.  Bacon.  Sprouts.  Beets.  Cheese.  Peas.  Corn.  Chicken.  Diapers.  Chew toys.  Dog food.


You name it...and it can pretty much go on a salad.


So instead of giving you a salad recipe, I've decided to share some of our favorite homemade dressing recipes.  We don't buy salad dressings because a) they can be spendy and b) they are usually full of artificial ingredients (yes, even the organic ones) and c) mine taste way better.  Plus, not having all those bottles frees up fridge space, man.


These are a few dressings that are always in my repertoire:


Miso Dressing:
 - 2 tablespoons raw miso (fermented soybean paste...trust me, it's delicious. Find it at your local health food store.  It usually costs about $5 but it will last for a long time!)
 - 1/2 cup rice vinegar
 - 1/2 extra virgin olive oil (cold, first-pressed is best!)
 - 1 1/2 tablespoon raw honey
 - 1 teaspoon of high quality, course-ground mustard
 - 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil (optional)


Simply combine in a small mason jar, twist on the lid, and shake shake shake shake.  


Vinaigrette Dressing:
 - 1 teaspoon of high quality, course-ground mustard
 - 1/8-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
 - A pinch (or two!) of freshly minced rosemary, thyme, chives, or oregano.  Or any combination thereof.  Use whichever herbs you like!  Dried herbs work well too!


Combine the mustard, vinegar, and herbs together in a mason jar.  Then, add your olive oil, and shake shake shake shake.  Shake again right before serving to ensure ingredients have blended.


Use your palette for this dressing.  If you like an strongly herbed dressing, add more!  If you like a more acidic dressing (as I do), use the higher measurement of balsamic vinegar.


Basic Dressing:
 - 1 teaspoon of high quality, course-ground mustard
 - 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil


Combine.  Shake.  I think you've got the basic concept down now...
To this dressing you can add herbs, freshly minced garlic, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, honey, cilantro, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, green onions, grated ginger, etc.  Whatever sort of flavor would pair well with your entree.

Yes, I do realize these recipes are semi-vague.


Yes, I do have faith that you can use your palette to create a wonderful dressing.  Even though my recipes are semi-vague.  Once you figure out that it is super and I mean super easy to make dressings at home, well, then...I suppose you'll be making more dressings at home then.  Won't you.


Then entire process takes less than 2 minutes.  Literally.  That's less time then it takes to...I can't think of a lot of things to put here. I can't choose.  Pick your nose?  Take a potty break?  Vacuum up dog hair?


And there is nothing stopping the possibilities besides your imagination!


And in the middle of summer, when gardens and farmers markets are showing off their lush bounty... capitalize on that goodness baby.  Let is shine in all it's fresh, vinaigrette glory.


Then pour yourself a nice, chilled glass of peach wine.  And enjoy.


Happy Friday!

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Even in the garden.

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.


That may have been a dramatic sentence for what I'm about to show you, but none-the-less, He is in all things...and it's true.


First, let's start with the "giveth" part.  Behold, the power of prayer:

One.  Tomato.


Isn't it beautiful?  Magical?  Miraculous?  


I think so.


If all I get this year from my plants is this one tomato, well, then my prayers have still been answered.


While I appreciate the history, value, taste-superiority and range of varieties available in heirloom tomatoes, I think that next year, I'll plant some hybrid varieties too.  Just in case we have a super mild summer up in the Northwest (like this year!).  That way, even if I can't harvest the supper-delicious heirloom varieties, at least I can still have some danged 'ol tomatoes.  


Note to self.  


And now for the "taketh away" portion.  Behold:

The cabbage caterpillar.
Larva of the cabbage butterfly.
Eater of leaves.
Maker of holes.
Destroyer of sauerkraut dreams.

Yes, I did realize that my cabbage leaves had holes in them over a week ago.  No, I did not even think twice about it until today.  Why?  Because I'm a brain-fart.  So when I handpicked over a dozen of these little guys of my cabbage heads, I had only myself to blame.  After Google-ing ways to get rid of these little buggers, I discovered that I should have wrapped the heads of cabbage in netting prior to the late spring.  That way, the butterflies couldn't land on them and lay their eggs. 


Bummer.


My all time favorite show is Parks and Recreation.  In Season 2, there is an episode where the Parks Department plants a community garden.  "Tom" pretends to know all the flowers scientific names, and "Leslie" loves this fact!  She'd point to a flower and say "What's this?"..."What's that over there?"... And because Tom didn't actually know the names, he'd just name them after famous rappers.


"Ah, yes, those BoneThugs-N-Harmininums are coming in nicely"
"Those are some Diddys..."
"Those Ludacrises are coming in great"


Sometimes, that's what I feel like in the garden.  Like I don't have a clue.  Maybe, I can just fake it like Tom.  Deter the pests out of sheer stupidity.


So for now, I'm not sure what to do.  I suppose I can pick them off, each day, and drown them in a bucket of water (as various gardeners suggest).  Because we grow our food naturally, I'd like to steer-clear of spraying with any sort of insecticide.  If all I have to sacrifice to the bugs is a few heads of cabbage, I suppose that's a small price to pay for home-grown food.  

I don't like these little caterpillars though.  They creep me out.  And dang man - they are devouring my plants!


So, if you'd like to come pick them off my heads of cabbage...you are more than welcome to.  I'm just sayin'...


I'll be your BFF for life!

I suppose these little rascals are a good reminder to me that the Lord truly does give and take away.  And yes, He even created them for a purpose.


Though I'm not quite sure what it is...

Cots. No syrup. And a pea tomato.

As with most gatherers, summertime is a busy time!  And this weekend was no exception.


While I attempted to complete some of my 3 IN 30 goals (ie: car and cellar cleanup!), they were put to the back burner for a few more days as the apricot harvest was upon us!

I have kept the dehydrator going for over a week now, pluggin' away on building up on a dried fruit supply for winter!  Apricots, pears, peaches, plums, and apples all make delicious little nuggets of chewy goodness. But this week, the cots took center stage.

I spent Saturday up at a my folk's place canning the cots.  Canning with company is so much more fun that doing it alone!  I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I love my Mom.  

My friend Melanie also came to help out!  Hey Melanie! (I love Melanie too!)

Now here's somethin' I didn't know before.  I feel silly.  I feel like a novice.  But I had no idea...


IT IS POSSIBLE TO CAN WITHOUT A SUGAR SYRUP.


Did you know that?


Oh, you did?  Hmmm...I feel even more silly now, then.


While I love canned fruit, we have all but eliminated white sugar from our diets.  I hated to put up a ton of fruit for winter that was swimming in a sugar syrup, even an extra light one.  I'd prefer to drizzle the fruit with honey, should it need to be sweeter (which most the time, it doesn't!).  So while I was reading through my Ball Canning Book, I just happened upon a paragraph about hot packing fruit (ie: slightly cooking the fruit before putting it in the jars) and how when the fruit is hot packed, you can just substitute straight water for any form of syrup.  Ell I be!

My Mom and I put up 35 quarters total - 18 with no syrup and 17 with an extra light syrup (for her).  Here's a few observations:


1.  When the fruit was hot-packed (in only water), we were able to fit a lot more fruit per jars.  This is a bonus in that you could free up more jars to can something else!  Plus, it meant less jars to process in the waterbath.
2.  That was pretty much my only observation.

I am eager to try the no-syrup cots to see how they hold up their flavor and texture in comparison to the traditionally canned cots.  Will they turn brown?  Will they get all mushy?


I don't know, people!


But what I do know is sometimes, you gotta take risks.  Sometimes, you gotta live on the edge.  The only way to learn a new way...is to try it!

So I stand before you uncertain of my dearest cots future.  But I will tell you, if it works, I'm gunna be one happy lady!


Oh, on a side note - I'd like to thank all of you who prayed for my poor, heirloom, late-blooming, buds-falling-off, growth-lethargic, tomatoes.  I'm happy to report that we have one...yes, one, tomato.


Roughly half the size of a pea.


Whoa, Bessy!


So that's something to look forward to.  Sigh.


Looks like I'll have to hit up Mom's garden while she's sleepin'..."Gosh, Mom, I can't believe that the raccoons came in and ate up all your red tomatoes! How horrible!  Those little vermin!" 


She'll never know it was me...unless of course, she reads this post.


For my canned tomatoes sake, let's hope she doesn't.

The beginning goods of summer.

Truly, I cannot even get my head straight enough to write a post at this moment.  It must have been all that warm sunshine.  Forgive me, I can only bring my weekend to you in the form of a list.  Although, one could make the argument that lists are far more productive anyway, as they cut straight to the point and avoid the inevitable wordy explanations - which I am guilty of at this very moment.  Shall we move on?

1.  Blueberries.  Sweet blueberries.  While shopping at a local food market, I found these berries that were grown nearby.  They were all picked and beautiful and...well...I collapsed under the pressure and purchased them.  I don't regret it either.  In fact, I may just go back and purchase some more.  After eating some of them fresh, I decided to freeze the rest.  That way, in the frigid cold of the winter, we can enjoy a little taste of summer - tangy morsels from heaven.

2.  Steak.  We packed some top sirloins, a baked sweet potato, fresh watermelon, and freshly picked cherries.  Then, we went to a local brewery and enjoyed some local beer while we grilled them outside and listened to a fiddle player.  A local brewery with a bring your own steak policy?  Yes, please!

3.  Peach wine.  Homemade from last year's peach crop.  The last time I tasted it, I have to admit, it was pretty harsh.  But after a year of aging in the cellar, it's really developed some nice flavor.  There is nothing I enjoy more than a glass of homemade wine.  Even if it's not perfect, knowing that you created it yourself (well, with your husband that is) is worth more than the finest peach wine you could buy.  Plus, we have about 30 bottles of it. Can't beat that!

4.  And lastly, lavender.  My husband loves me so much that he brought me two buckets full of freshly clipped lavender.  It is heavenly, truly heavenly.  I just want to rub my face all over it!

Did that sound weird? 

Well too bad.  I do.  I love.  Love. LOVE.  LAVENDER.  I hung it up to dry so that I can use it for lavender tea in the winter, honey lavender ice cream, lavender lemon tea cookies, potpourri...

...and whatever else I want, man!

The summer season truly brings with it a bounty of goodness - wow!  I am overwhelmed by all the wonderful things popping up around our valley.  On this weeks ticket is canning, freezing, and dehydrated apricots and cherries - the first of the fruit crops.  I think I will also buy another flat of blueberries to add to the ever-growing berry collection from the season.  

Oh, and I almost forgot!  It's raspberry pickin' time baby!  Time to bust out the buckets and get to work!  Even though it can be time consuming, and well...hot, having a freshly picked raspberry (or several) with a dollop of homemade whipped cream is worth every morsel of energy that went in to picking 'em.  Plus, the freeze wonderfully and are a welcomed addition to winter smoothies, cakes, and muffins.

Great.  Now I'm hungry.

Who wants to come grill me a steak, pour me a glass of peach wine, whip up some berries and cream, and then finish me off with lavender-infused iced tea?

Anyone?  Anyone?

Fine.  I'll do it myself.

But I'm eatin' it all.  I'm not sharing.  Not even one bite.

What have YOU been doing to enjoy Summer?

Pray for the tomatoes.

I have a wonderful imagine in my head of the gardener I desire to be.  


Yes, it involves a lovely, lush plot of land.


Yes, it involves lots of eggplants.


And yes, it involves a team of mules and a tiller.

I kid, I kid (at least about the mules...).

Every year that I've been gardening, I've learned some lessons - mostly the hard way.  This year is no exception.  Because I cut corners, acted like a lazy goober-head, and didn't till the soil as I should have, my cucumbers are slowly paying the price.  Even though I dug large holes and filled them with healthy soil and compost, it was no match for the poor plot of land they inhabit.  They may still rebound - but somethin' tells me that this years pickling cucumber (and butternut squash!) crop will be slim.

Mom?  Ahem.  Wanna share?

My tomatoes are also...well, I'm not sure what they're doing.  We had an exceptionally cold spring this year, and even though it's in the 90's now, they are still so far behind where they should be!  "Should be" according to me, obviously.  I'm sure God knows exactly what he's doin' with this weather...


The thought of getting a small crop of tomatoes makes me want to cry....weep....mourn.  Oh, the plans I have for you tomatoes!  Come on, COME ON!  I have tomato sauce to can!  Tomato soup to freeze!  Salsa to make!  Sundried tomatoes to cure!  I beg you!

Quails also ate every single one of my pea plants.  There is not one pea to be had on the homestead this year. Next year, I must pull out the big guns and net the pea patch (similar to what we had to do to the strawberry patch this year!).  Gardening lesson #259: quails like peas.  'Nuff said.


I also started peppers from seed this year for the first time, and they ain't lookin' so hot.  I think there are a couple factors playing out in this failure: 1) A cold spring (peppers like it hottttt) and 2) I may have moved them outside to early.  Maybe the cold zaps of spring stunted their growth!  I've had great success in the years past after buying pepper starts - and unfortunately, I may just need to stick to that plan...Anyone have any great pepper growing tips out there?  Luckily, we will survive without a pepper crop this year, but BOO.

Even though there is heartache to be found in all of these lessons learned, they are just that.  A lesson learned.  Next year, I can remember the mistakes of the past and look forward to another year of growing with new found knowledge!  


Or, I may just do like I always so - wing it.  And hope it works.

And even though we may fail in some of our homestead adventures, there is always successes too.  Lettuce, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, cabbage, parsnips, eggplants, onions, herbs, beans, and beets are all doing well!  So at least that's something.  How blessed we are to live in a period of history where we are not reliant on our own skills for survival - and although it is our personal goal to build a strong foundation of self-sufficiency, the security of knowing there is a grocery store down the road is truly a blessing.  Maybe by the time I'm 87, I'll have this gardenin' thing figured out.


Please pray for my tomatoes.


Don't laugh.  I'm serious.

How is your garden growing?