I have let a week slip by without updating my journal....set a new record for me.
The excuses are company over Decoration Day weekend requiring cleaning before and after; yard work to catch up on after mower being in the shop for two weeks, harvesting cherries, watering.......reading (I do that while resting from my labors so I don't feel too guilty about it)
What has happened of importance? First and foremost, I dried up Willow a couple of weeks early.
We harvested about a half bushel of sour cherries. I made our first fresh cherry pie of the year.
I froze 8 5-cup bags.
I made a second batch (7 jars)of apricot jam.
I picked a quart of black raspberries and the black berries are beginning to turn.
I also picked a few of the Red Haven (I think) peaches to see if they would ripen off the tree. They are full color and are just beginning to soften.
I have been getting a few volunteer cucumbers.
Lettuce is finished.
Carrots are ready to harvest (all 12 of them!)
I did a 4 loaf batch of bread Sunday and made one up in buns....I used Annie's Honey and Wheat recipe, our favorite. I hope I am set for several weeks for bread now.
Farmwise:
We had all hay removed from the fields and had delivered an extra 100 bales so should be set for the winter months. This gives us 268 1,000 lb bales. The crew did an excellent job and we were very pleased and have plans to use them next year.
DH is finishing up clipping pastures. The added benefit of having hay cut it that you don't have to clip those fields for several months and maybe not at all. It sure saves DH a lot of time.
We think the chickens are letting up somewhat on laying....We found a 5-foot blacksnake curled up in a nest and the other two nests had two hens sitting quite contentedly beside him!
We are still undecided about getting another dog but we have already noticed a lone turkey strolling around the west yard.....next may be all kinds of varmints or deer visiting next.
More to post but dear old blogger is refusing to accept any more pictures. I guess I can do a PS later this evening.
The excuses are company over Decoration Day weekend requiring cleaning before and after; yard work to catch up on after mower being in the shop for two weeks, harvesting cherries, watering.......reading (I do that while resting from my labors so I don't feel too guilty about it)
What has happened of importance? First and foremost, I dried up Willow a couple of weeks early.
We harvested about a half bushel of sour cherries. I made our first fresh cherry pie of the year.
I froze 8 5-cup bags.
I made a second batch (7 jars)of apricot jam.
I picked a quart of black raspberries and the black berries are beginning to turn.
I also picked a few of the Red Haven (I think) peaches to see if they would ripen off the tree. They are full color and are just beginning to soften.
I have been getting a few volunteer cucumbers.
Lettuce is finished.
Carrots are ready to harvest (all 12 of them!)
I did a 4 loaf batch of bread Sunday and made one up in buns....I used Annie's Honey and Wheat recipe, our favorite. I hope I am set for several weeks for bread now.
Farmwise:
We had all hay removed from the fields and had delivered an extra 100 bales so should be set for the winter months. This gives us 268 1,000 lb bales. The crew did an excellent job and we were very pleased and have plans to use them next year.
DH is finishing up clipping pastures. The added benefit of having hay cut it that you don't have to clip those fields for several months and maybe not at all. It sure saves DH a lot of time.
We think the chickens are letting up somewhat on laying....We found a 5-foot blacksnake curled up in a nest and the other two nests had two hens sitting quite contentedly beside him!
We are still undecided about getting another dog but we have already noticed a lone turkey strolling around the west yard.....next may be all kinds of varmints or deer visiting next.
More to post but dear old blogger is refusing to accept any more pictures. I guess I can do a PS later this evening.
