Animals
- Have I Mentioned That We Have A Lot Of Tomatoes?
I continue to be knee-deep in tomatoes.(Note to self...perhaps 40 plants was excessive.) The vines are beginning to die, but there are still so, so many tomatoes left to finishripening. Yesterday I harvested Amish paste tomatoes and Roma tomatoes...my...
- For The Love Of Compost
I consider myself a jack-of-all-trades,master of manure!What I lack in brains, I make up for in sheer willpower. So, when it comes to tractors and farm equipment...bring 'em on! Yesterday was manure spreading day... me doing the loading with Dear...
- Gardening With Guineas
Something new is occurring in the farm garden.I'm not sure if this will be a good or a bad thing. The guineas have been hopping up into the garden boxes.I assume they are looking for bugs. If so, then it is truly a great thingand maybe the...
- Blue Wednesday
Blueberry season has officially begun! Every spare bit of time we have is filled with picking delicious orbs of blue juiciness. And every spare minute of today will be filled with making jam...our favorite blueberry lime jam! Yesterday while picking...
- Planning Ahead
The arrival of the "Territorial Seed" catalog for Fall planting reminded me that it is time to plan our Fall/Winter garden. The garden is just entering its prime for Summer,making it difficult to imagine all of these wonderful vegetables over and...
Animals
Kitchen Goods and Barnyard Gossip
Maddie (our nearly naked Newfie...sporting her second haircut of the summer)
has been hanging out on the campus of Birdbrain Academy lately.
According to her, rumor has it that this class of guinea keets just may be the smartest yet!
When questioned, Headmaster Gus confirmed that "Yes",
the youngsters test scores are well above the national average.
Way to go guineas!!
There's a bit of trouble brewing in the henhouse, however.
It seems we have a slacker in our midst.
Here are yesterday's eggs....
Yes, the numbers are down but that is to be expected.
We don't worry so much about quantity,
but quality... now that's another matter.
And one of the hens is not laying up to standards!
I asked Elton if he knew who might be the culprit.
He sheepishly suggested that we talk to the "Divas".
As he put it...
they spend more time primping and preening their fancy hats than they do working.
Come on girls... no more micro mini eggs, ok?
Can anyone tell me....
what is the attraction that butterflies have to horse urine??
It's one of those barnyard mysteries!
According to Donnie Brascoe, our resident Science Pony...
it is because they like the salts and minerals that are in urine.
Hmmmmmm.
You heard it here!
And if you were wondering how our teeny, tiny nest in the blueberry bush is doing...
well, now we have three eggs.
I will be putting a "No Trespassing" sign on that bush for the next few weeks.
And finally as promised....
Blueberry Lime Jam
5 cups of blueberries (crushed)
2 1/2 cups of sugar
juice of two limes
zest from one lime
1 pack of fruit pectin
Bring the above to a boil in a large kettle.
(I processed about 4 times the above amount at one time)
When you reach a rolling boil, allow to boil one more minute.
Skim foam from top of liquid.
Pour into jelly jars with 1/4 inch headspace.
Place and hand tighten lids.
Process in water bath for 15 minutes.
This is one of our favorite jams.
I add a lot of lime to it to make it tart (how we like it).
If you like a sweeter jam, you can certainly add more sugar.
Blueberry Buckle
and a Giveaway....
Coming on Monday!
Stay tuned.........
- Have I Mentioned That We Have A Lot Of Tomatoes?
I continue to be knee-deep in tomatoes.(Note to self...perhaps 40 plants was excessive.) The vines are beginning to die, but there are still so, so many tomatoes left to finishripening. Yesterday I harvested Amish paste tomatoes and Roma tomatoes...my...
- For The Love Of Compost
I consider myself a jack-of-all-trades,master of manure!What I lack in brains, I make up for in sheer willpower. So, when it comes to tractors and farm equipment...bring 'em on! Yesterday was manure spreading day... me doing the loading with Dear...
- Gardening With Guineas
Something new is occurring in the farm garden.I'm not sure if this will be a good or a bad thing. The guineas have been hopping up into the garden boxes.I assume they are looking for bugs. If so, then it is truly a great thingand maybe the...
- Blue Wednesday
Blueberry season has officially begun! Every spare bit of time we have is filled with picking delicious orbs of blue juiciness. And every spare minute of today will be filled with making jam...our favorite blueberry lime jam! Yesterday while picking...
- Planning Ahead
The arrival of the "Territorial Seed" catalog for Fall planting reminded me that it is time to plan our Fall/Winter garden. The garden is just entering its prime for Summer,making it difficult to imagine all of these wonderful vegetables over and...