Building Soon???

We are inching closer toward our goal of building a house.  A few weeks ago, our builder came to help us stake out the footprint of the house and determine the grade for the site. 

If and when we break ground, be prepared for pictures to follow.

Finally, we got eight laying hens.  This has been such a delight!  They are so funny to watch and it is so enjoyable to have fresh eggs every day. 

Good times.

Our 2010 garden in review

I am still undecided as to whether or not I would consider this summer's garden a success.  A late-summer trip, plus an invasion of beetles, caused a LOT of damage to the amount of produce we were able to harvest.  In addition to that, circumstances did not allow for me to spend ANY time in the garden once school began in late August. 

All that said.....I certainly learned a great deal from this year's attempt at gardening.

Here is a breakdown:

Green Beans:  Kentucky Wonder was my favorite by far.  We also planted Contender, but I plan to put in only KW next year.  I planted around 14 bushes this year.  I think I could increase it to 20 plants next year.  Growing them from seed was super-easy and inexpensive.

Lima Beans:  I planted these for my son....  I'm not sure that I'm going to try to plant them again next year.  I only planted two or three of the plants, so we didn't get much of a yeild.  I mainly just wanted to try them out this year.

Peas:  I planted "Pink Eye" purple hull peas this year.  I enjoy eating these so much that I will likely plant these again next year.  I started around two dozen plants from seed--very easy and we got a great yeild.

Okra:  Since my family could take it or leave it, I don't know if I'll try this one again.  Again, my trip fell at the peak of okra production, so I didn't really catch many of the pods when they were at the tender stage.  I'll say this:  one plant produced more than enough for our family.  I froze several quarts and they will last us all year, I am certain.

Pumpkins:  I LOVED having a pumpkin patch, and I was heartsick over the destruction that was caused by the squash beetles that took over while we were on our trip.  I will probably try again next year.  I used Connecticut Feild.  Maybe they are not disease resistant, but they certainly looked great before the beetles got to them.

Corn:  The few stalks of corn that we planted produced a mediocre crop.  Several of the ears never really made any corn.  I did like the variety of corn, however, called Stowell's Evergreen Corn.  It was REALLY sweet and tender.  Next year we will probably try to plant a much larger section of corn to see if we can get a better yeild.

Cucumbers:  Sadly, the cucumbers (Long Green Improved) did not fare well AT ALL.  The beetle infestation was severe.  I had to fight for every piece of fruit that we got from the six vines that we planted.  If the pests had not been so bad, I feel sure that six plants would have provided more than enough cucumbers for our family.  The cucumbers that we were able to harvest were really good for pickling, as well as for using in salads.  The skin was fairly tender and they tasted great! 

Lettuce:  I loved the Buttercrunch and the Arugula, but I don't think I will plant Oak Leaf next year.  I didn't care for that variety much.  I'd like to try a variety of Romain lettuce next year as well.

Onions:  The onions fared pretty well.  I didn't have them in a place where they could get enough water, however.  I will probably try to plant several onion sets again next year.  I'd also like to add garlic to the list.  The bunching onions that I planted are still producing well.  They haven't gotten overly large, and the flavor is still very nice--not overpowering.  I planted Red Creole and Yellow Sweet Spanish bulbing onions, but I am unsure of the name of the bunching onions.

Bell Peppers:  both of the varieties that I planted did very well.  They were called Marconi Red and California Wonder Gold.  I plan to use these varieties again next year if I put in a garden.  In addition, the Jalapeno, Habanero, and Cayenne peppers did very well.  The Pepperoncini peppers produced a fine yeild, but I discovered that I don't like the taste of them very well.

Tomatoes:  All of the tomatoes that I planted this past year were heirloom plants, started from seed.  The Brandywine Red, while tasty, were not good for canning.  I think I would only plant two or three of this variety next year.  The Cherokee Purple tomatoes were DELICIOUS.  I planted four or five of these this summer and they produced very well.  The Beefsteak tomatoes were the best as far as producing a good quality of tomato for canning purposes AND for eating fresh.  The core is small and they are easy to peel.  Cherry Roma tomatoes also did very well.  Our family really liked eating them right off of the vine, as well as in salads. 

Watermelons:  I planted six seedlings of Sugar Baby watermelons.  They produced several melons, but I will have to discover the knack for knowing when they are ready to be picked.  I picked most of them before they were ripe. :(  I would like to try these again.

The past month...

Is it possible that over a month has gone by since my last post? 

Well, in the meantime, I helped put on a rummage-sale for a mission project, spent a week on a mission trip to Guatemala, and put up ALL of the produce from our garden. 

I froze 20 quarts of green beans, 15 quarts of peas, and a few gallons of tomatoes. 

I canned another 25-30 quarts of tomatoes--some with peppers, some without. 

  

 

I picked 5-6 gallons of green tomatoes last week and made a couple of batches of green tomato relish. 

I've been trying different recipes over the past couple of years, looking for one that will give me the kind of relish that is served at catfish restaurants.  One of the recipes that I tried this summer was DEFINITELY not it....the second one remains to be seen.  I'll have to give the relish a taste-test in a few weeks. 

The pumpkins were a bust.  While we were gone to Guatemala, we had what has turned out to be a six-week dry spell.  Before I left, I was fighting squash bugs, and I had dusted the plants just before we departed.  However, when we got back a week later, the pumpkins AND watermelons were completely dead.  Those dog-gone bugs!

I pulled up the corn plants, the purple-hull peas, and the green bean plants a couple of weeks ago, and last week I worked on pulling up the tomatoes.

  Also, I harvested the onions and carrots.  All that is really left now is the runner beans and the pepper plants.

(I know this is the tiniest little sampling of carrots AND onions, but I planted so few that I am actually pleased with the result.)

The gallon of okra that I froze will probably last us the entire year.  I only use it when I make gumbo, but I wanted to try growing some this year.  Most of it matures while we were gone and by the time we got home, it was all too big to use. :[

It has certainly been a learning experience.  I am hoping to record my "lessons" here on this blog.  It may take me a few days to get my thoughts in order--it always does. 

Next weekend is the annual Craft Fair in our town, complete with Square Dancing and a parade.  I'll try to share some pics of that as well. 

Until then.....

Still going...

I don't know what I would do if we had a bigger garden.  This one is keeping me hoppin'!  It has been really nice to have so many fresh veggies, though. 

I think I've frozen around 20 quarts of green beans and 8-10 quarts of purple-hull peas. 

The okra is finally starting to make more than one pod at a time, so we might have enough to make one batch of fried okra--I only planted one okra plant, and that was an experiment.  I'm not sure if our family likes okra enough for me to plant more next year....

(This one got a little too big!)

I picked two more baskets full of veggies this morning that I need to get busy processing, so it's good-bye for today!

A Quick Peek...

Things have been hoppin' around here lately. 

We've had kids going to camp, torrential downpours of rain, construction projects, veggies ripening, and two new additions to the family!  There has been NO time for blogging!!!

In regard to the two new additions to the family....

Meet Amelia and Charlotte!

This is Amelia here in the front.

Charlotte on the left, Amelia on the right.

We picked up these cuties a few weeks ago.  Their job is to keep the mice out of the house.  They are technically "barn cats" according to Farmer B, but we are missing the "barn" for the present time.  (It's on the "to do" list!)

Blackberries have gone for the year, I believe.  We have a few stragglers here and there which I have been eating for a snack on my morning walk.  It's fun to have refreshments available along the way, you know!

I froze most of the berries that we picked, but I did take one day's pickings and make some blackberry jam.  That "mess" of berries produced about 11 half-pint jars of jam.  ;~) 

(Can't wait to dig into one of these!)

Of course, I have made a couple of blackberry cobblers.  These are some individual-sized cobblers that Farmer B REALLY liked!

We have had a lot of rain over the past three weeks or so, which means that I have had a break from watering the garden every night.  I'm getting spoiled!  I have, however, been busy picking green beans and purple hull peas, and we've even had a few tomatoes begin to ripen. 

The cucumber plants have been limping along for the past month thanks to an infestation of cucumber beetles.  I was able to save a few plants, but the cucumber production has been hindered considerably.  I have only been able to put up a few quarts of pickles so far. 

The kids and I picked this pile of peas yesterday.  Last night, M2 shelled them all as she watched Andy Griffith; and then today, I washed them all and packed them into the freezer (green beans, too).  Up until this point, we have been eating all of the peas that we've picked--it was nice to have a few to put away for later.  :~)  Plus...I picked a few more today and was able to give them to a friend.  Yay!!!

The pumpkins are beginning to turn orange, the corn is still questionable, and the watermelons are ALMOST ripe.  I'll try to get a few pictures in the next few days if time allows. 

Happy Summer!!!

Progress Report

I took several pictures this afternoon so that you can see the progress that some of the plots are making.

Runner Beans

Finally, a few tassels of corn.  I planted this really late and I wasn't sure if it would even produce anything.  It seems to be progressing, but I'm trying to keep my expectations low....  It's such a small plot of corn, but I have learned a lot by watching the way that it grows.  This is a hobby garden--thank goodness!

The watermelon plants are putting on lots of fruit, but still none that are quite ripe yet.  Here is a baby one and an almost-ripe melon to compare.  They grow fast!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins.  I think that my pruning is paying off.  There are several fruits that are getting really large.  My newest problem is that of cucumber beetles--my first real pest issue.  I have done some reading and it seems that the beetle infects the plant with a bacterial wilt disease.  In the second picture you can see the leaf of the plant drooping a little.  I plan to pick up something to treat them with tomorrow.  I hope it works!  I was really excited about the prospects of having our own pumpkins this fall!

It's difficult to see in this picture, but these are purple hull peas.  They are going wild.  I see purple fingers in my near future!

I had to throw this picture in here.  These are beefsteak tomatoes. I have been drooling over them--they look SO GOOD.  I wish they would hurry up and turn red already!

And finally, a sunflower bloom.  I planted these seeds just for fun and I have been anxiously awaiting a bright yellow bloom to burst forth.  This evening, it finally began to open up.  These just make me happy.  I have had a BLAST growing all of these plants this spring and summer!

Cucumbers and such...

Today I am starting the process of pickling the cucumbers that we harvested from our garden last week.

This will be my third year to make pickles.

Year one was an utter disaster. The solution that I used for the pickles was tasty, but the pickles were really mushy. I ended up throwing away most of what I made.

Last year, I had three cucumber plants and I got enough cucumbers from them to make about 8 pints of pickles.  My dad suggested that if I soaked the cucumbers in a pickling lime mixture before I canned them, it might keep them crisp. He was correct.  I felt that I had made progress simply because the pickles were not mushy! 

They were met with mixed reviews from my family and friends.  About half of the pickles that I made were kosher dill. Some people loved them (my sister), some tolerated them (Farmer B and M2) and some said they were intirely too sour (everyone else). The other half of the pickles were bread and butter style. Those were generally tollerated by everyone and even enjoyed by a few people.

I'll keep you posted on this year's batch!

This morning I picked around 3 1/2 quarts of blackberries--now washed and placed in the freezer.

And I think I have finally aquired enough green beans to cook them for dinner.  It only took a week!

Speaking of mice....

One of the challenges that we have faced since we moved into the little red farmhouse that came with our property is that of keeping mice out of the house. No big shocker, right? Well, let it be said that there are two naughty mice who will not soon be forgotten by yours truly! Short story.....

On Sunday night--at an obscene hour somewhere between midnight and morning--Farmer B and I awoke to a loud noise coming from the kitchen. I must admit that I was sleeping too soundly to care much at the time what it was, so long as it wasn't a burglar. Farmer B checked things out, came back to bed, and mumbled something about a mouse getting stuck under the refrigerator. The frig made a loud knocking noise from time to time throughout the night--I just tried to ignore it (seriously, do we not loose all common sense when we are sleepy?)

Yesterday--I woke up and remembered the commotion from the previous night. I looked around the frig. No sign of mice. I thought no more about it.

Around 10 pm last night--the frig began to make a strange noise again. Was the motor going out? Did something fall behind the frig and get caught in the fan blades? I could not figure it out, but Farmer B and I decided that we probably just needed to call the repair man the next day to come out and have a look at it.

Last night--again, at an obscene hour (1:30 a.m.)--the frig was still making this annoying racket every time the motor kicked on. I couldn't take it any more. I got up and UNPLUGGED the refrigerator! Seriously.

All was quiet for the next four hours....finally!

At 5:30 am, I awoke and realized that, like an idiot, I had unplugged the refrigerator in the middle of the night. It only took me about two seconds to decide that this may not have been one of my best ideas, and so I got up and plugged it back in. Again with the loud clanking noise.

However, this time, accompanying the noise was a very unpleasant smell. Surely nothing could have spoiled already, could it? In the five minutes that it took for Farmer B to get his morning shower, I had come out of my sleep-induced fog just enough to remember what he had said the previous night about the mouse....

Farmer B came into the kitchen as I was standing in front of the refrigerator playing "Sherlock Holmes" (hey I'm a little slow on the draw in the mornings before I have had my cup of tea). He grabbed his keys and was starting out the door for work when I looked at him and said, in my most serious "you're not going to believe this" voice.... "I think that there is a mouse that has expired under our refrigerator."

"Well, why don't you call the repair man and have him come and get it out?"

I just stared.

"Seriously?"

Farmer B laughed. "No. I can't get it this morning, but if you can wait until I get home I'll take a look at it then."

"Thank you," I sighed. I detest mice. As he left I was thinking about how thankful that I am that he is always so willing to dispose of our "capturees" so that I don't have to get near them! (Does that sound too much like a "city mouse?")

As the morning progressed, the smell got worse.

I lit a candle.

I lit two candles.

Finally, by noon, I couldn't stand it any longer. I got my screw driver and a flashlight, pulled the frig away from the wall, and extracted the varmints.

Two hours later, I think I may have stopped gagging!

Gross!!!

Does this count as a step toward becoming "true country folk?"

The First Day of Summer

We had vacation Bible School at our church last week and I hardly got to spend any time in the garden.  It has grown a LOT since I posted last, so I thought it was time for an update.

The pumpkins are taking over.  At first I noticed that the little pumpkins would begin to grow, and then in a few days they would shrivel up! I think I have discovered the trick of pruning them. I'll know in a few days if I have succeeded.   

The watermelons are also going crazy. I think they like all of the hot weather that we've had this week. We have two melons that are fairly large and lots more that are just starting out.

Tomatoes are finally coming on. I think heirloom varieties are a little bit slower than hybrids.

We picked blackberries a couple of times this week, got some of our first green beans out of the garden, and were even able to get enough blueberries from our two bushes to make blueberry pancakes for breakfast yesterday morning!

Cucumbers are going to be the next thing to be harvested.

This week is supposed to be another hot one.  Here is a picture of the garden taken this morning.  It's finally looking full!  I'm enjoying the last of the "taking it easy" days of gardening before the canning and freezing frenzy begins.  :~)

 

Two Years Later....

Okay

There is too much going on around Forest Springs for us not to share!

This is our first year to have a "real" garden and it has been so much fun!

Here are a few pictures that I have been taking over the past few weeks:

This one was taken about 1 month ago. You can see the tiny lettuce plants just beginning to come up. At the very end of the garden, you can see our two blueberry bushes (I have them covered up with netting to keep the birds from eating all of the berries).

This one is really dark! The lettuce is getting bigger. The little green plants to the right of the lettuce are pumpkins.

This one was taken this evening. The pumpkins are going crazy. To the right of the pumpkins are cucumbers and a few herbs (basil, mint, and marjoram). How do you like our "tent" that we made for the runner beans? Cute, huh? That was Farmer B's creation. We took the kids (M1 and M2) into the woods last week and cut down a few saplings for the frame. I had to laugh because M2 thought she was going to die from the humidity before we made it back to "civilization." Does that mean that she spends too much time in an air-conditioned house?

The deer are sniffing around our blackberry patch and I am going to have to devise a plan for keeping them at bay. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that we could pick over 50 gallons of blackberries if the deer don't get them first!

Hopefully, Farmer B will be able to build a chicken coop by summer's end so that we can have chickens. Really, the sooner the better, although my neighbor told me that she has lost three hens this week due to chicken hawks in our area. Bozo (our dog) is going to have to earn his keep and learn to protect chickens, I think.

(This is just a random picture I found. Isn't it cute?)

Not to mention, we have a bee hive--full of bees, I might add--on standby just waiting for us to bring it home!

This promises to be a fun summer! We are having a blast. We hope that you will join in our adventure as we journey into the "wilds" of country living!