Animals
I spent the first part of the week getting caught up in things that were left undone while Tyler visited.
This picking became another batch of Brambleberry Jam.
One thing is certain...
we have enough jam to last the whole year!
As for that storm we had on Monday,
there are a lot of trees down in our woods...
snapped off right through the trunk
(and some are really big trees!).
Luckily, none of the trees in the yard or around the barn were affected...
and the animals all weathered the storm just fine.
Annie's nose is healing nicely...
she now just has a little pink scar.
(We still haven't resumed playing fetch, yet.)
Well...I must get back to work...
there's animals to feed, a pasture to finish mowing, a garden to weed, and bees to tend.
Have a wonderful day!
And thanks so much for stopping by... it's nice to have someone with whom to chat!
- The Essence Of Red
With temps in the upper 40's,yesterday afternoon was the perfect time to work on grooming the herd. Snow, mud, and Winter's slop has taken its toll on the horses.Undaunted by any sort of weather, they tend to wear the weather on their winter...
- Baaaaa, Baa Brown Lamb...why's Your Wool So Wet?
A day of showers ushered in a cold front yesterday.Almost 3 inches of rain fell on the farm...giving me a day to catch up on errands. Luckily, the clouds held the bulk of their moisture during the hours that choresneeded to be done.Sometimes Mother Nature...
- The Best Of Summer
It took me no time to get back into the rhythm of normal daily farm life yesterday.I awoke to a cool, sunny morning...a bright blue sky filled with storybook clouds. After morning chores were finished, I headed up to Becky's to pick some peaches...
- Harvest Time
I remain in disbelief of the incredible stretch of temperate weather we are experiencing!Every day is just as beautiful as the one before and the one after. It's as if Pennsylvania has become the new San Diego. Although I know it is just a temporary...
- Strange Day Indeed
One thing that being on the farm does to you is make you keenly aware of weather patterns. After all, weather affects most farm activities. This afternoon started out with brilliant blue sky and lots of cumulus clouds. The temperature reached a high of...
Animals
Blame It On The Storm!
If you happened to stop by the farm yesterday for a visit,
you may have noticed that I was AWOL!
A storm right after midnight on Monday night rendered me incommunicado for the next
day and a half.
(Did you think that maybe a grand baby was born?...not yet...but any day now!)
(Did you think that maybe a grand baby was born?...not yet...but any day now!)
Believe me, I missed you way more than you probably missed me!
Blogging is my daily touch with the outside world...
and without our daily chat,
I was feeling a little lonely!
But....life goes on....
with or without blogs, right?
But still, it is a lovely time we spend together each day!
While we are on the subject of lovely....
(with the exception of one hellacious electrical storm that had me awake
trying to soothe trembling dogs, while continual lightening turned the night eerily bright)....
the rest of the week has been exceptionally lovely!
Today's high temps are only in the 70's....heavenly.
So what has been happening around here the past couple of days?
Then I turned my sights to the garden.
I've been weeding and harvesting.
The pumpkin patch is prolific...
pumpkins...
zinnias...
cabbage...
sunflowers...
I'm harvesting 40 plants worth of......TOMATOES!!
I am picking at least 10 lbs. of maters daily....
and turning them into sauce.
I received the question as to how I make my marinara sauce.
We actually prefer a Puttanesca sauce (yes, we love our olives!).
I dice my tomatoes (and I don't bother to remove the skins, or seeds),
and simmer on the stove top most of the day...
until a lot of the tomato liquid is reduced.
Then I use my immersion blender and blend the skins into the sauce.
To that I add diced onion, peppers, lots and lots of garlic and basil,
and salt, pepper, thyme and oregano,
as well as chopped green olives and chopped Kalamata olives and capers.
I continue to simmer until it's the exact consistency I like.
Then I pack in canning jars and process, or freeze
(I often freeze in canning jars with quite a bit of headspace.)
(I often freeze in canning jars with quite a bit of headspace.)
Less-than-desirable tomatoes get thrown to these gals...
who are always happy to get a treat!
Look what I found growing on the gourd arbor...
a big ole birdhouse gourd!
a big ole birdhouse gourd!
The front pasture has turned into a daisy kingdom.
The grass is short, but the weeds are long, so I will be finishing up the mowing of that area today.
It's so lovely, I almost hate to mow!
It's so lovely, I almost hate to mow!
The animals have had a great summer.
Cooler temperatures makes everyone happier and more active.
(Myself included!)
Blueberry season is coming to a close,
but blackberries are in...
so, I picked the remainder of the blueberries and added to them blackberries from the woods...
and our blackberry patch.
This picking became another batch of Brambleberry Jam.
One thing is certain...
we have enough jam to last the whole year!
As for that storm we had on Monday,
there are a lot of trees down in our woods...
snapped off right through the trunk
(and some are really big trees!).
Luckily, none of the trees in the yard or around the barn were affected...
and the animals all weathered the storm just fine.
Annie's nose is healing nicely...
she now just has a little pink scar.
(We still haven't resumed playing fetch, yet.)
Well...I must get back to work...
there's animals to feed, a pasture to finish mowing, a garden to weed, and bees to tend.
Have a wonderful day!
And thanks so much for stopping by... it's nice to have someone with whom to chat!
- The Essence Of Red
With temps in the upper 40's,yesterday afternoon was the perfect time to work on grooming the herd. Snow, mud, and Winter's slop has taken its toll on the horses.Undaunted by any sort of weather, they tend to wear the weather on their winter...
- Baaaaa, Baa Brown Lamb...why's Your Wool So Wet?
A day of showers ushered in a cold front yesterday.Almost 3 inches of rain fell on the farm...giving me a day to catch up on errands. Luckily, the clouds held the bulk of their moisture during the hours that choresneeded to be done.Sometimes Mother Nature...
- The Best Of Summer
It took me no time to get back into the rhythm of normal daily farm life yesterday.I awoke to a cool, sunny morning...a bright blue sky filled with storybook clouds. After morning chores were finished, I headed up to Becky's to pick some peaches...
- Harvest Time
I remain in disbelief of the incredible stretch of temperate weather we are experiencing!Every day is just as beautiful as the one before and the one after. It's as if Pennsylvania has become the new San Diego. Although I know it is just a temporary...
- Strange Day Indeed
One thing that being on the farm does to you is make you keenly aware of weather patterns. After all, weather affects most farm activities. This afternoon started out with brilliant blue sky and lots of cumulus clouds. The temperature reached a high of...