Ramping Up, Winding Down

The past few mornings have been cool and foggy, a sure sign that the seasons are getting ready to start changing. The afternoons, however, are still quite warm- and the produce coming in from the garden definitely reflects that.

I already have the first round of apples cooking in the crock pot, and a test growler of hard cider is bubbling away on the counter. I'm out under our apple trees several times a day with my bucket, gathering up the good ones to process, and the less desirable ones go to the animals. A friend has a cider press he's offered to lend us the use of; I'm looking forward to making arrangements to have a cider-making party here, very soon. We were going to do that last year, but most of the apples fell while we were out of town, unfortunately.


The garden continues in high gear: yesterday, in addition to my regular squash pickup, there were cucumbers, purple greenbeans, peas and kale all ready for the taking. Today, I need to harvest the seeds from the cilantro that bolted and let them dry. I haven't used coriander much as a seasoning, but I'm looking forward to trying it. So far, the seeds taste like a much milder version of the plant, so that's definitely something I can work with. Plus, I'll leave some seeds on the plant so I can have more next year.

The tomatoes are getting closer. They're almost to the top of the enclosure, so once they get that tall, I'm going to have to clip their main stems back, in order to force them to focus on ripening the fruit, instead of getting any taller. I'll give it another week, maybe two. There are some good flowers almost all the way up to the ends!

Blackberries are also on the agenda. They're starting to ripen quickly now, so it's just a matter of time before we're bringing those in and making jam. Last year's batch never quite set up (I think the pectin I used was past it's prime) so we've been using it as a syrup/sauce- but it will be nice to have an actual jam this year. Come hell or high water, that stuff is going to gel!

The pears are getting really close, too. We don't have nearly as many as last year, so it's important that we bring in the ones that we do have, when they're at their prime. Both Alex and I love dried pears, so I think that most of them will be processed that way. (Mental note: must take apart the dehydrator today and fix the weird noise it's making.) I still have a couple jars of pears in vanilla syrup from last year, so I don't need to worry about making more of those this time around. They're really good, but we just don't eat a lot of desserts.

Our potato bins are finally starting to slow down. I noticed over the weekend that some of the vines are starting to die back, which means they'll be ready to dig soon, too. If I had to guess, it'll be another two weeks, at the most. I dug up some of the volunteer potatoes the other day, and I have to say it looks like a good year for them, in general. We got 12 tennis-ball sized red potatoes from one small-ish looking plant!

The beef are finishing up their stint over in the neighbor's pasture. They've got 3 weeks left before the kill truck comes, then another 3 weeks of hanging after that- and then we'll have our third in the freezer. I have no idea what a third of a whole steer will look like, so this will be interesting. We're estimating a couple hundred pounds of meat... that reminds me, I still need to look into getting an additional freezer for storage.

This is how it will be, for the next 4 to 6 weeks: for every one thing we check off our lists, another two will get added. We'll be busy working to put up food and finish the fair-weather chores, before settling in for the cooler seasons. It's an exciting time, and it never ceases to amaze me at how fast the last little bit of summer always flies by. I think that's why it drives me bonkers that the back-to-school stuff and the Fall decorations show up in stores in July... it's going to go so fast as it is, why rush it?

What's on your to-do list for the end of summer?

Garden Update

Our garden has definitely seen some challenges this season!

First, there was the (admittedly typical) cool, wet spring, which put us at least a month behind in planting the early veggies, like the peas and potatoes. The first round of peas never did germinate, rotting in the cold, wet soil in early April.

Next, along came the rabbits, who mowed down the green beans as soon as the first little green shoots poked their heads out of the ground. Ditto on the second flush of growth, and again on the succession planting. The one bed of carrots never did recover from being eaten completely down to the ground. None of my usual deterrents worked: I finally had to put chicken wire fences up around certain beds, in addition to the outer fence for the garden proper!

What isn't being eaten above ground by the rabbits and slugs is getting harassed underground by the moles. Normally, I don't see a ton of mole damage during the summer months. Usually they're active in there only in winter, which is okay by me. Moles serve a purpose, eating grubs and other insects from the soil that I'm perfectly fine to let them take care of. I'm less pleased with the giant holes that open up while I'm watering the raised beds, so I've been dumping in mole repellent before filling them back in. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about the tunnels without relocating the established plants. I just have to make sure to keep on top of the watering, to make up for any exposed roots, below.

Despite all of that, though, things are moving right along, as gardens tend to do. I can't remember ever having such a good year for strawberries; we ate as many as we wanted to and still had enough to freeze a couple of pounds. I even dehydrated some, which turned out nicely as well. This is the first time I've tried that, so it was a small batch- I want to see how well they hold up over time, before I commit to a lot of them. The raspberries are loaded, and I have to pick some every day just to keep up. I've probably got three pounds in the freezer already, and they haven't slowed down yet!

The Rat's Tails are in full swing, now, as are the summer squashes; I can barely keep up. Our cauliflower are looking good (despite a mole tunnel directly beneath them) and I'm looking forward to harvesting some this week. I might even get some peas soon; the vines are about 4' high and starting to bud up.

I had my first green bean of the season over the weekend... the bean was a perfectly tender 4 inch pod- from a 10 inch tall plant. Sad. I'm going to get more seeds and put in another planting before the end of the week, in hopes that we'll get some to pickle and freeze for the winter. I just don't see how the ones that are in there will be able to produce anything substantial, even if they are loaded with flowers now. We'll see.

The tomatoes are loving their little greenhouse, and are trucking right along. There are lots of flowers and new fruit on the vines, so I topped them off with some extra rabbit manure the other day,  for a bit of a boost. Speaking of greenhouses, the eggplant is still growing and the sweet potatoes are making a run for it as well. With our temperatures staying in the mid-to-high 80s this week, I expect we'll see a bit of a growth spurt in there, too.

Let's see, what else? Oh! I have itty-bitty cucumbers on the vines; there's another plant I haven't had oodles of success with over the years, but they're doing well this time around. The rest of the brassicas are also doing well- there was a lull in the cabbage moth activity for about a month, but I've been seeing them around again so we're back to daily egg/caterpillar checks. That's okay, though- I like keeping close tabs on the plants that way.

I'll have to take a wander out there later today and shoot a quick video tour to document the season so far. Despite some of the challenges, things are still looking pretty good out there and I'm pleased overall with the progress.

How does your garden grow? Are you experiencing any challenges this summer, or has it been smooth sailing?

Friday Photo Tour

Hi Friends- Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week. I did; it had its ups and downs, for sure, but it all evens out in the end. Here's what it looked like, from my perspective:

This little guy fluffed up all of his feathers just so I could take his picture.

Happy!

I think this is an Angora Goat. Anyone know for sure?

I love our big trees... Alex is a good 9 feet off the ground, in this photo.
 It's time for a trim, though!

... and all of that cleanup work gives us a head start on next year's firewood. Satisfying!

The last of the robins, getting ready to leave.
All of them have flown the nest, now.

The garden is taking off.

This year's potato bins are growing fast too... much better than last year!

Peas - take two.

Foo Dog - Guardian of the Garden

Fiery red-orange Oriental Poppy

One of my favorite roses - a gift from a friend's garden.

That's it for now! Don't forget to stop by the Facebook page and leave a comment on the giveaway post to be entered to win a package of reusable produce bags from Natural Home. The contest closes Saturday night at 11:59 p.m., and the winner will be announced on Monday! 

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Friday Photo Tour

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you all had a great week. The weather has been a bit wonky here for the past few days, so I don't have a ton of photos to share, but I do have some. I took advantage of a quick break in the clouds yesterday to visit the Evergreen Arboretum and snap some photos while I was on my way to see my sister. The park is one of Everett's hidden gems; I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area. 

Here's a lovely pink poppy, from their garden. I have red ones like this, 

but mine are probably still a few days away from opening. 

This interesting yellow flower is called a Phlomis. It's actually a favorite of mine, even though I 

don't have any at home. I used to grow it at our old place; it makes a nice addition to a cut bouquet.

Another late spring/early summer favorite- the peony. I have several planted around our property, but none of them have flowered yet. Ever. I'm hopeful that maybe this will be the year. 

Back home, I was really pleased to see that some more of my seeds have sprouted. 

This is broccoli raab; it's going to replace the purple broccoli starts that the rabbit (and Abby) ate.

While we're talking brassicas- here's a pretty purple/red brussels sprout that I set in earlier this 

week. It's supposed to be really warm here this weekend, so the rain wasn't all bad: 

at least the new plants have been thoroughly watered in!

The tomatoes are loving their new plastic hut. It's not much to look at from the outside (let's just say there's duct tape and binder clips involved) but the plants have finally flowered. It's all good. 

I'm really excited about this one- I had to zoom my camera lens all the way to get it. Their nest is outside our 2nd story bedroom window, in the eaves. I think I'll set up my tripod later, to see if I can get a shot without the noise. Regardless, I'm thrilled that I was able to capture this moment.

And this is where I'll be for the better part of the afternoon! There was a light fog this morning, mixed with the bright early sunlight... so hard for me to capture in a photo. That's one of my goals for this summer- to get better with my camera. I'm looking forward to the challenge. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned! I'll be going to the Mother Earth News Fair on Sunday (for real, this time!) so follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram for updates. I'll also post to the community page on Facebook, if you're not into the other platforms.

Friday Photo Tour

Here's a look at what's been happening around here this week:

Damselfly

Salmonberry

The warm days at the end of last week brought out the mosquitoes... fortunately, the damselflies were hot on their tails. I have seen a few of the much larger dragonflies as well, but they're not out in force just yet. Soon!






The salmonberries are starting to flower, along with thimbleberries and other assorted wild Rubus species. These fruits don't have as much flavor as others in their family (like blackberries and raspberries, which ripen later) but they are edible and can be used in jams and jellies. The chickens and dogs love them, but the rabbits are generally disinterested.

Bentley Bunny

I built our housebunny, Bentley, a new playpen so he can safely spend time in the yard with us when we're outside. Check back in on Monday for a post detailing that project. Small pens such as this can be put together in just a few hours for much less than you'd spend on a wire kennel from a pet store. They come in super handy, too!








The rhododendrons are in full swing! Thankfully, the rain hadn't battered them too badly so I was able to get out and snap some pics during a sunbreak. We have around 15 of these lovelies on the property. Watch for a post in a couple of weeks about when and how to prune- since rhododendrons set next year's flower buds shortly after they finishing blooming, timing your pruning is important to maximize the blooms for the coming year. 

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. I want to wish a very happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Moms out there! Now, it's time for me to get to work presents for my own mother - more on that next week. Until then, here are a few more photos to tide you over... have a great weekend!

Garden Tour

I think it's kind of funny that I decided to start a blog in the middle of garden season. I mean, yes- it makes sense given the scope of the blog... but it's that time of year where as soon as I get home from work, I'm outside until the sun sets. Since I try not to blog when I'm at work, this creates a bit of an issue with getting posts up in a timely manner.

So, I created a video tour of my veg garden for you! Feels a bit like I'm cheating, but at least you know where I'm hiding out when I go quiet for a few days. I do ramble in the video, which totally feels weird to me, but it seems passable for a first attempt.

Oh, and going forward, I'll orient the camera correctly so it fills the screen... Hello, Learning Curve! For now, I'd suggest not trying to watch it in full screen mode, as it gets all blown out and pixelated.

Anyway, hopefully it's not too dorky and you all like it. I think it's a good medium to take advantage of when I don't have a lot of time, but it's your opinion that matters most. Let me know what you think!

PS: I've come across some compatibility issues with Blogger comments and the Chrome browser... I'm working on getting that fixed. In the mean time, if you're trying to leave a comment and you can't, try switching to IE. If that doesn't work, email me and let me know so I can have the nice folks over at Blogger troubleshoot it some more.