Day 159 of 365

Shades of summer

• Low: 72 F
• High: 94 F

Planted:

• cowpeas

Harvested:

• peaches
• beets 

Seeds saved:

• kale
• garden peas

The rest of the peas have about dried so I pulled the rest of the plants. It sure made the trellis beds look prettier.

Weeded some and noted some of the beds are dry. Hard to believe that with all the rain we've had. But when the temperatures get high, the moisture is evaporated right out of the ground. So I watered the trellis beds with rainwater

Picked sugar beet leaves for the goats.

June 3 - 9, 2012

Temperature Range

• lows: 55 - 66° F
• highs: 74 - 84° F

Rainfall: 1.55"

Planted:

• cowpeas, Ozark Razorback (saved seed)
• field corn, Truckers Favorite (saved seed)

Harvested:

• peaches, 
• sand cherries
• garlic

Preserved:

• dehydrated peaches
• froze peaches

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 8
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 8
• Wed. 6
• Thurs 8
• Fri. 6
• Sat. 7
• Week's Total: 50

Observed & Accomplished
Sunday

• day of rest
• buckwheat is blooming
• plan to plant 3rd section of corn tomorrow

Monday

• rain. No corn planting
• tried to get broody hen off empty nest. several times
• picked a few more sand cherries. very tart

Tuesday

• more rain
• made our 1st peach pie of the year!
• peaches have less worms than last year but many are rotting on the tree. Need to research

Wednesday

• drizzle
• volunteer cosmos blooming in front yard
• black eyed susans blooming
• front herb bed is a mess

Thursday

• harvested garlic even though it was too wet
• dehydrated peaches
• gave broody hen 3 eggs to set
• more drizzle

Friday

• picked & dehydrated peaches

Saturday

• Dan tilled where we harvested the wheat and I planted cowpeas
• planted the last 4 rows of field corn
• froze almost a quart of peaches
• not enough peach harvest to can yet

Sept 11 - 17, 2011

Temperature Range:

• lows: 53 - 63
• highs: 63 - 89

Rainfall: sprinkle

Planted:

• turnips, white globe purple top (saved seed)
• mangels, Colossal Long Red (Shumways)
• cabbage seeds, Late Flat Dutch (Henry Fields)
• Egyptian Walking Onion sets, (Chris)

Harvested:

• last of the broom corn
• mature cukes for seed
• cowpeas
• onions, the ones I could find
• almonds
• volunteer turnip (only 1)
• a few more ears of field corn
• Vardeman sweet potatoes

Seeds Saved:

• antique marigolds
• giant marigolds
• cowpeas
• pole beans, KY wonder

Preserved:

• two hard cheeses
• handful sweet pepper, frozen

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 4
• Mon. 1
• Tues. 4
• Wed. 1
• Thurs. 4
• Fri. 4
• Sat. 2
• Week's Total: 20

Accomplished:

Sunday
• day of rest
Monday
• harvested last of broom corn
• started weeding strawberry/asparagus bed in search of the onions
• made mozzarella
• cleaned up several summer garden beds
• watered fall garden
• watered fruit trees
• pulled some wheat heads for a sample of flour & pancakes
• shelling cowpeas
Tuesday
• planted cabbage seed, turnips, mangels, Egyptian Walking onions
• watered onions
• hunted for wild muscadines. No joy.
• made hard cheese
• froze sweet pepper
Wednesday
• cleared out front flower bed
• deadheaded marigolds
• watered almond & crabapple trees
Thursday
• checked for dried pole beans, found a few more ears of corn
Friday
• harvested Vardeman sweet potatoes
Saturday
• no garden activities

Aug. Wk 1: 31 - 6

Temperature Range:

• lows: 68 - 76
• highs: 89 - 100

Rainfall: sprinkle

Harvested:

• green beans
• okra
• watermelon
• cowpeas
• green nutmeg melon
• tomatoes
• Hutterite soup beans
• summer squash
• elderberries
• fingerling potatoes
• black oil sunflower seed heads
• figs

Preserved:

• dehydrated watermelon, 1 pint
• dehydrated figs, 3 pints
• froze 1 ice cube tray of whey
• chicken/okra gumbo soup, 11 quarts canned
• chicken/tomato soup base, 2 quarts canned
• tomato/veggie juice, 10 quarts canned
• okra, 2 quarts frozen
• mozzarella, 6 pizza's worth frozen
• scallop squash, froze 1 quart

Seeds Saved:

• dill
• green nutmeg melon

Egg Counts:

• Sun: 4
• Mon. 2
• Tues. 5
• Wed. 3
• Thurs. 2
• Fri. 4
• Sat. 3
• Week's total: 23

Eating Our Own:

• fresh eggs
• fresh tomatoes
• fresh figs
• fresh cabbage
• fresh carrots
• fresh okra
• fresh green beans
• fresh scallop squash
• fresh watermelon
• fresh nutmeg melon
• goats milk including:
• mozzarella
• yogurt
• sour milk (cake)
• frozen bell pepper
• lacto-fermented dill pickles
• lacto-fermented Swiss chard
• canned pickle relish
• canned blueberry jam

Accomplished:

• Sunday
• day of rest
• chicks hatched
• placed mail order chicks under Mama Hen
• Monday:
• picked
• watered main garden
• started more tomato juice
• made mozzarella from 2 gallons milk
• Tuesday:
• made & canned chicken okra gumbo
• canned surplus broth as soup base
• had to go buy more quart canning jars
• made yogurt
• froze more whey
• veggies through food mill for tomato juice
• watered raspberries, blueberries, elderberries
• Wednesday:
• dug potatoes (2nd bed of fingerlings)
• picked okra, toms, squash
• picked figs
• watered new pumpkins
• harvested BOSS heads
• canned tomato/veggie juice
• froze okra & ate some fresh
• chopped & froze 4.5 qts figs for jam making later
• Thursday:
• grated & froze Monday's mozzarella
• made more mozzarella from 1.5 gallons milk
• Friday:
• picked green beans, okra, soup beans, toms
• harvested dried dill heads for seed
• set melon seeds to soak for saving
• watered popcorn
• watered comfrey
• Saturday:
• helped finish goat fencing
• grated & froze scallop squash

July Wk. 4: 24 - 30

Temperature range:

• lows: 69 -74 F
• highs: 93 - 98 F

rainfall: 0.2"

Harvested:

• watermelon
• green nutmeg melon
• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• cowpeas
• okra
• scallop summer squash
• green beans
• green peppers (2 small)
• oregano
• thyme
• rosemary
• sweet basil
• figs

Preserved:

• pizza sauce, 18 pints canned
• okra, 3 quarts frozen
• okra & tomatoes, 6 qts canned
• mozzarella, 7 pizzas worth
• green nutmeg melon, 1 pint dehydrated
• 1 ice cube tray of whey

Eating our own:

• fresh goats milk
• yogurt
• ricotta
• mozzarella
• sour milk (pancakes)
• fresh tomatoes
• fresh eggs
• fresh herbs
• fresh watermelon (not quite ripe)
• fresh green nutmeg melons
• fresh green beans
• fresh summer squash
• fresh cucumber
• lacto-fermented Swiss chard
• lacto-fermented sour dill pickles
• canned pickle relish
• canned pizza sauce
• canned figs
• frozen bell peppers

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 2
• Mon. 3
• Tues. 6
• Wed. 5
• Thurs. 3
• Fri. 3
• Sat. 4
• Week's total: 26

July 3: 17 - 23

Temperature Range:

• lows: 65 - 75
• highs: 84 - 96

Rainfall: sprinkle

Planted:

• buckwheat

Harvested:

• oregano
• thyme
• rosemary
• okra
• strawberries
• beets, volunteers
• potatoes, volunteers, red pontiac
• potatoes, fingerling salad
• carrots, volunteers, Scarlet Nantes
• turnips, volunteers, purple top
• tomatoes, Romas
• cucumbers, Marketmore 76
• melon, green nutmeg
• blueberries
• cabbage
• cowpeas
• green beans (1st few)

Preserved:

• tomatoes & okra, 10 qts canned (fresh tomatoes, frozen okra)
• pizza sauce, 5 pints canned
• okra, 1 qt frozen
• mozzarella, frozen 5 pizzas worth
• whey, 1 ice cube trayful
• summer squash, shredded, frozen, 2 quarts

Seeds Saved:

• carrots, Scarlet Nantes
• lettuce, Romaine, & mixed

Eating Our Own:

• fresh eggs
• fresh blueberries
• fresh cabbage
• fresh carrots (volunteers)
• fresh tomatoes
• fresh cucumbers
• fresh okra
• fresh melon
• fresh strawberries
• fresh turnips (volunteers)
• fresh beets (volunteers)
• fresh goat milk
• yogurt
• mozzarella
• whey
• ricotta
• canned blueberry jam
• canned figs
• canned pizza sauce
• canned cucumber relish
• canned pickles
• frozen blueberries
• frozen cantaloupe
• frozen bell peppers
• dried cantaloupe (last of)
• dried watermelon
• lacto-fermented Swiss chard
• lacto-fermented cucumbers

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 3
• Mon. 2
• Tues. 5
• Wed. 4 
• Thurs. 2
• Fri. 2
• Sat. 3
• Week's Total: 21

Accomplished:

• tilled fall garden
• mulched
• weeded

July Wk. 2: 10 - 16

Temperature range:

• lows: 62 - 75 F
• highs: 65 - 97 F

Rainfall: 1.7"

Harvested:

• blueberries
• okra
• tomatoes
• cowpeas
• cucumbers
• thyme
• oregano
• rosemary
• strawberries
• sweet basil
• dill
• melons (green nutmeg)
• summer squash

Seeds saved:

• calendula
• cowpeas
• yellow cosmos
• carrots, Scarlet Nantes

Preserved:

• blueberries, 4 quarts frozen
• blueberry jam, 6 pints canned (from 2010 frozen berries)
• mozzarella cheese, 11 pizzas worth frozen
• okra, 1 quart frozen
• cukes, 1 gal crock of lacto-fermented sour dill pickles

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 7
• Mon. 3
• Tues. 4
• Wed. 2
• Thurs. 6
• Fri. 3
• Sat. 3
• Week's total: 28

Eating Our Own:

• fresh eggs
• fresh tomatoes
• fresh cucumbers
• fresh cabbage
• fresh blueberries (on cereal)
• fresh summer squash
• fresh melon
• fresh herbs
• goats milk:
• yogurt (on cereal)
• mozzarella cheese (pizza!)
• sour milk (pancakes)
• canned figs
• canned sweet potatoes
• canned pickle relish
• canned blueberry jam
• canned pizza sauce
• canned green tomato salsa
• frozen bell pepper
• frozen blueberries (smoothie)
• frozen cantaloupe (smoothie)
• stored carrots
• dried cantaloupe
• lacto-fermented Swiss Chard

July Wk. 1: 3 - 9

Temperature range:

• lows: 65 - 71 F
• highs: 74 - 95 F

Rainfall: 2.65"

Planted:

• lima beans, Christmas
• gourds, luffa sponge

Harvested:

• Roma tomatoes
• cowpeas
• okra
• cucumbers
• blueberries
• cabbage
• peaches (last of)

Preserved:

• 6 pints sweet pickle chips, canned
• 1/2 gal raw goat milk, frozen
• okra, 1 qt. frozen
• blueberries, 2 qts frozen
• mozzarella, 10 pizzas worth

Eating our own:

• fresh cucumbers
• fresh eggs
• fresh blueberries
• fresh cabbage (cole slaw)
• fresh peaches
• fresh tomatoes
• goats milk:
• hard cheese
• sour milk (coffee cake)
• yogurt
• yogurt cheese
• mozzarella
• canned green beans
• canned Swiss chard
• canned blueberry jam
• canned pizza sauce
• canned pickle relish
• canned dill pickles
• stored carrots (cole slaw)
• dried wild onions (hush puppies)
• frozen bell peppers
• lacto-fermented Swiss chard

Egg counts:

• Sun. 5
• Mon. 3 + stash of 4
• Tues. 6
• Wed. 4
• Thurs. 4
• Fri. 5 + 1 "rubber" egg
• Sat. 4
• Week's Total: 36

April Wk. 2: 10 - 16

Temperature Range

• lows: 44 - 61 F
• highs: 63 - 83 F

Rainfall: 1.65"

Planted:

• fingerling salad potatoes
• cabbage plants
• marigolds, mixed Brocade
• cow peas, Ozark Razorback
• tomato plants, Roma
• tomato plants, Brandywine
• petunia plants
• chicory seedlings

Transplanted:

• calendula

Harvested:

• lettuce
• broccoli
• beets

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 5
• Mon. 5
• Tues. 3
• Wed. 6
• Thurs. 6
• Fri. 4
• Sat. 5 (+1)
• Week's total: 35

Eating our own:

• fresh eggs
• fresh lettuce
• fresh broccoli
• fresh beets
• frozen okra
• frozen green pepper
• canned blueberry jam
• canned apple butter
• canned applesauce
• canned dill pickles
• canned figs
• canned green tomato salsa
• canned pizza sauce
• dried cantaloupe
• dried apples
• sauerkraut

Fed to chickens & goats:

• amaranth
• broccoli plants
• sunflower seed heads
• cabbage plants
• rose bush prunings
• weeds

Accomplished:

• tilled annual rye in
• weeded strawberries
• working on permanent beds
• pulled old cabbage, broccoli, & Swiss chard plants
• cleaned out goat shed & started new compost pile

Observed:

• Mourning doves calling in the evenings
• heard an owl back in the woods
• poison ivy taking over again (sigh)