a {partial} snapshot of the bounty from our garden....

this picture is several weeks old, but this is one of the very first harvest of a variety of veggies: basil, beets, cherry bomb peppers, a yellow tomato, green cabbage, cilantro and yellow summer squash.



beets. who knew that they'd be so popular? aside from corn and tomatoes, they are our most requested vegetable. thankfully, i planted ALOT early in the season.

i will mention here, though, that beets do not like raised beds. they do their top beety thing quite nicely, but the main beety thing on the bottom? very disappointing.

the carrots have also made a respectable showing, although they are not nearly so popular. I'll take carrots to the farmer's market only one or two more times, and then pull them all to free up the raised beds for some fall plantings of lettuce, strawberries, spinach and broccoli.

here is part of our July 4th feast: red, white and blue potatoes.

we're glad that we grew the blue potatoes this year, but the yields are very disappointing. this will be the first AND last year that blue potatoes are grown on our little farm by the bridge. even though we started them quite early, (by most standards) it's obvious that the blues needed another month or more in the ground to size up nicely.

the red, white and blue potatoes did sell marginally well at the Farmer's market, and in our CSA boxes, so i guess it wasn't a total waste...

most of the onions are harvested, or on the list for this week. many sized up quite nicely, and i was not disappointed. after trimming the tops and roots, they are spread on newspapers in the mudroom to dry out.

again, the red and white onions are a staple at farmer's market, and for our boxes. surprisingly, the white seems to be just as popular as the red onions, which is not what i expected. i like to cook with the red onions, just for the added color they give.

and just in case you think that we don't take the time to stop and smell the roses ( or purple cone flowers, as the case may be...) i took this picture last week, right outside the back door in the perennial flower garden.

and this little surprise greeted G and me on our way to dunkin' donuts at 6AM last week. this curios and greedy little skunk got in *almost* over his head. he took a little dip and dive into the pig bucket and got stuck!

Dave dispatched him without incident.

although i will say, that it would have been MUCH better if Dave had removed the skunk AND bucket from OFF the BACK porch, as a DEAD skunk, EVEN though MOSTLY buried in a pig bucket, can STILL smell up a back porch.

AND mud room.

July: Jesus in our heart and home

years ago, when the older children were small, i made this wooden nativity. i had seen one similar in a friends' house, and she was gracious enough to let me trace and copy the figurines.

this sturdy, chunky, child-friendly set is one of my favorites. it's the one that i reach for each Christmas as we re-tell the smallest children the wonderful story of Jesus.

thursdays are almost my favorite day!

my routine for Thursday mornings has been to get up early and begin harvesting for our CSA boxes. i make the garden rounds and see what abundance we have to share with our families. much of the produce goes in the boxes, always making sure to have a good variety, and then some gets saved for farmer's market on Friday mornings.

this weeks abundance:

* sweet peppers (green and lilac)

* hot peppers

* white potatoes

* sunflowers

* catnip

* cucumbers

* red and white onions

* summer squash

* jalapeno jelly

* eggs

* green beans

* tomatoes

and the best part? all that fresh produce (no pesticides or herbicides) for $23!

and on another note: the jalapeno jelly seems to be a favorite with the family. if we continue at our current rate of consumption, I'll need to make well over 22 gallons of the spicy greenness!

mathematically speaking, that is!

score: Dave ~ 10. groundhogs ~ big fat zero!

these two little girls are sure country girls all the way to the core, and make their daddy's heart proud!

Dave has been quite determined to dispatch all the groundhogs that have been attempting to nibble at our garden.

i don't think either of us could have taken another disappointing year like last years, when our only claim to fame was being potato farmers.

the girls are happy to help daddy with the groundhogs, giving encouragement and squeals when he gets another.

A even asked if we were going to eat one for dinner.

seems to me, i remember some rumblings about that before....

gasp! she lives... and writes!

so much has happened, i don't even know where to start!

our garden is definitely doing much better this year, and that leaves me with just about zero time to write.

I'll jot off a rambley list, and hopefully get back later to post some pictures. (even though I've not been blogging, i have been taking pictures. sort of.)

* we butchered 75 chickens last week, and although it nearly killed me, our freezers are full with the best chicken meat you've ever eaten.

* we just sent the last 2 winter pigs to the butcher. despite not having them sold when i dropped them off, at the last minute many buyers came out of the woodwork, prompting Dave to consider building another pig tractor. with the restaurant food that we give them, and the pasturing, the pigs are a much needed cash inflow in our little operation.

* the garden is producing, and is gearing up to producing relentlessly! potatoes, some tomatoes, zucchini, yellow summer squash, egg plant, onions, green beans, yellow beans, carrots, beets, rosemary, basil, cilantro, red cabbage, green cabbage, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, cherry bomb hot peppers, Anaheim peppers, cucumbers, sweet green peppers...

* beets are a popular item; both for my CSA boxes and farmers' market

* red cabbage is not.

* this year's tally for garden pests that dave has "dispatched" is: 10 woodchucks, 2 skunks and 1 rabbit. (the skunk G found right out the back door last week, sitting placidly (and stuck) in the pig bucket.)

* i started a running tally of the things we're freezing and canning for the winter. although it's a bit late in getting posted, it's up-to-date as of right now.

* even though I'm not a morning person, i much prefer to get up at the crack-'o-dawn and do my garden work then. I'm often back in the house before 11am, and will go out again after dinner.

* we're very thankful for the water pump that i bought, as well as the creek nearby. we've been using the creek to irrigate the garden, without which we'd have no garden.

* i have 5 (!) families for my CSA. it's encouraging. and only a little stressful. we're learning so much this year, and hope to expand to even more families next year.

* I'm a produce vendor at the local farmer's market. last Friday was the first time, and it went well. things we learned from last week: people like beets, red potatoes, red peppers and small potatoes.

* quilting classes are still in full swing at the local Ben Franklin, and I'm able to squeeze in some time for quilting. i could almost call myself the quilting gardener.

or maybe the gardening quilter?

quite possibly more than you ever wanted to know about potatoes...

usually it's a toss-up around here whether we'll call ourselves potato farmers or chicken ranchers...

today we'll wear the hat of potato farmers, and just call it even...

we're still on the bite-your-nails-will-they-be-ready-countdown of patriotic spuds for 4th of July. it's looking good down there in the lower garden, but you just never can tell...

these are the "blue" potatoes. if you take close notice, the stalks of the plants are blue, and the flowers have a definite blueish tinge to them.


the superior (early white) potatoes are flowering as well. (the late season kennebecs are still not flowering!) the stalks of this variety are the normal shade of green, and while the flowers are a little bit purple, they more subtle in their coloring.



finally, these are the red Pontiac potatoes. still green stalks, but a more solid, albeit pale, purple coloring.



while i could maybe be considered a potato farmer (if you're feeling mighty generous and kind) I'm no potato expert.



however, it is interesting to see for the very first time a little bit of evidence of what is happening under the soil in the lower garden!

June: Jesus in our heart and home

can i just say *for the 6th month in a row* that this handmade glass nativity is one of my favorites?

i acquired it through a determined bidding war on e-bay 7 or 8 years ago, and although it was not made for me, i treasure it just the same.

each piece was made by the same person, starting with the babe, Mary and Joseph. every several years, another component of the nativity was made, and then given, until the whole set was done.

i can't imagine what circumstances would precipitate giving up such a thoughtful gift, but I'm glad to have the chance to be the grateful owner of this very unique nativity.

L & G Report: 2 ~ week 10 & 11

I've had uploading issues with the camera, so this is the post that i intended (and tried) to get up last week is just now co-operating!

this mulberry tree is right outside our kitchen window, and we've been enjoying watching the birds all fight for their fair share of mulberries. we've had quite a few goldfinches, and for the first time this week we've seen Baltimore orioles!

this mulberry tree is actually quite old, and has been growing here for over 100 years. or maybe i should say, (more accurately) the grandfather stump that this tree is growing out of has been a staple in our home's landscape for quite a long time now!

here is the upper garden- you can see the onions, beets and tomatoes. in the rows of black plastic are the cucumbers, zucchini, yellow summer squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, butternut and acorn squash. on the very right is ½ of the row of sunflowers.

there is also a row of beans thrown in, just for good measure! behind me, to the right, is the other half of the upper garden, containing popcorn, eggplant, some cabbages, yellow and green beans, sunflowers and gladioli.

on Tuesday i went to the greenhouse and bought a few flats of larger plants on clearance: cukes, watermelon, butternut and acorn squash. also green and purple cabbage. most of that stuff is in, and growing happily.

this is the first harvest of cauliflower. wow! we are so pleased with how the broccoli and cauliflower did that we're wishing we'd bought several more flats of each. i harvested more cauliflower tonight, with 2 dozen or more plants still maturing. the broccoli has had 2 harvests already, and tomorrow morning i plan on having M harvest, and pull, the rest of the plants. that will give us the needed room to plant the remaining green and purple cabbages.


our potatoes are doing very well, and have been hilled several times. Dave made a special attachment for the roto tiller, so no more back breaking hoeing needs to be done. just one pass down the row, and it's done!

most of the potatoes are flowering, and I'm very optimistic that we'll have fresh potatoes for July 4th! I'm also thankful that we planted (at the last minute) superior potatoes (white), in addition to the kennebec (also white). in one of my evening perusing of our multitude of seed catalogs, i noticed that superior potatoes were an early variety, while the kennebec are later. (of course, this makes sense, since the kennebec are intended to be a keeper potato...)

since the kennebec are still not flowering, we would not be able to have our red, white and blue potatoes for July 4th...




the sweet potatoes are also doing well, in spite of our disgust with Gurneys. one of these days, when i have a bit of free time, I'll call them and ask to be taken off their mailing list. that way i won't be tempted to buy something from them next year, no matter how cheap!

we still have the sweets under the row tunnel, and the plan is for them to remain that way. G made 2 end covers for me out of chicken wire, but even so, Dave often uncovers part of the row during the day so the sweets don't get too hot. B, my self-acclaimed "garden helper" will go down at dusk and help cover them up again.

the first batch of meat birds are 9 weeks old, and cannot reach butchering weight soon enough for me! I've bought 18 bags of feed, and after purchasing 10 more at the feed mill today I'm more than ready for the cash flow to be reversed!

Dave's horseradish is doing fine, too, and we're looking forward to trying some fresh horseradish. we'll have to wait at least until September, though, since the old-timer told me horseradish can only be harvested in a month that has an "R" in it.

i may have forgotten to mention that we (I) decided to also raise 12 turkeys! 4 i hatched out in our incubator, and the other 8 i bought. it only cost me $50 for all 12, so even with that dismally disappointing hatch percentage (18 eggs) they were still far cheaper than if i had ordered day olds.

the turkeys are outside in the brooder hoop house, and moved daily just like the chickens. so far they don't eat much, but i expect that to change soon.

at least several are toms, and it's comical to watch these small birds strut around all puffy and proud despite their diminutive size.

the first 2 pigs went to the butcher last week, with the remaining 2 to follow July 8. (anybody local need fresh, pastured pork?)

the girls and i went to farmer Allen's to get our next batch- 4 feeder pigs. 2 of these are ours, to be butchered in December and January, with the remaining 2 for sale.

Wednesday our remaining 100 Cornish cross cockerels came, joining the 15 buffs i hatched out, and the additional 15 buff pullets we bought. with all these new birds, the poultry population here is nearing 250!

the baby buffs are our new laying flock, as the old buff orpingtons are 1½ years old, and showing it in their egg production. just today M gathered a small egg- about the size of a malted egg! that's ok for a pullet, but not acceptable for a mature hen... so as soon as these new hens start laying, it's off to the chopping block for the slackers!

that's about it for the happenings here "by the bridge". we're harvesting beets, carrots, peas and the occasional ripe tomato (when we can wrestle it away from A and B!) the eggplants and beans are blossoming, and there are tons more yellow blossoms on the tomatoes.

we're managing to *mostly* stay on top of the weeds. we primarily use the hand cultivator, but still use the roto tiller on occasion, and sometimes even resort to the old-fashioned method of hand weeding.

we're thankful for the consistent rain, and still have not installed our new irrigation system, but that should be done soon; hopefully next week.

thanks for stopping by; we appreciate your interest and your encouragement!

Livestock and Garden Report 2: weeks 8 and 9

look: words and pictures! and all on the same day!

we're so busy with the gardens, that it's really hard to find the time to sit at the computer. usually, if i have "free time" I'll spend it quilting, getting ready for classes at the local Ben Franklin.

however, we decided today that i should really try to blog more, as this is a good place to write down notes and things we've learned so we can be better at this next year.

this is the portion of the garden that we call the chicken triangle. for the last 2 summers, we've run the chicken tractors on this space. just this year Dave "reclaimed" it for gardening. on the far right you can see the row of onions. moving along to the left, is the row of broccoli and cauliflower, then cauliflower, red and green cabbages. lastly, there are 3 types of sweet corn.

here you can see some of the raised beds, the high tunnel and the upper garden. these raised beds have beets, 3 plantings of carrots (danvers half long and Nantes core less), as well as sugar snap peas and shelling peas. also on the very bottom are the cold frames with garlic, basil and cilantro.

just today we were working all day in the upper garden, getting that planted. we were a little later than we would have liked, due to tiller problems, and running the chicken tractors over the winter rye.

in the upper garden:

*15 hills butternut squash
*15 hills acorn squash
*15 hills cantaloupe
*15 hills watermelon
*30 hills combined of cucumber, yellow and zucchini squash, all in staggered plantings
*beets
*red and white onions
* Kentucky wonder pole beans
*yellow beans
*sunflowers, in staggered plantings
*gladioli
*green beans (to be planted in the next few days)
*bush cucumber (tomorrow)





these are more of the raised beds, with head lettuce, beets and sugar snap peas. the peas have not blossomed yet, so it will still be a bit before we're eating those... the lettuce will be pulled and sold in the next couple days, and then that box will be planted with more bush cukes.


here is our first, (and largest) harvest of broccoli! we were both really happy, and almost immediately wishing that we had planted more than one flat of the broccoli and cauliflower. we'll have enough to sell, and some to freeze.

Dave has been fanatically stalking the ground hogs this week, and has been rewarded with a tally of 7 groundhogs and 1 rabbit! the girls are so excited when they hear the shotgun blast, and run outside to see if daddy has gotten another groundhog.



thankfully, inquiries as to whether we will be eating it for dinner have been kept to a minimum!




with every one's work schedule, it is mostly G who helps me in the garden. however, despite the fact that A is not yet quite 4, there are still some jobs that she can do, and is expected to help. this week she trimmed off all the flower buds from the onions. (actually, she rather enjoyed this job, since it involved scissors...)



the high tunnel is going fine, and though we're still getting the hang of managing it well, it's churning out its share of early crops.

there to my left (your right) is the lettuce. we were totally inundated with lettuce, but now that the weather has turned hotter, i pulled it all and fed it to the chickens before it could get bitter.




we have a few tomatoes planted in the center row, but right now the bulk of my tomatoes are in improvised topsy turvy planters. i used 3 gallon buckets, and drilled 7/8" holes in the bottom. others i planted the tomatoes on top, and have just let them cascade over the sides. both types seem to be doing equally as well. additionally, we are using root beer bottles for vacuum waterers. (a friend's idea) again, that seems to be working fine, with the water seeping out slowly but steadily, keeping the plants from wilting. (previously, i was watering them 3 times daily!)



also, just today, the girls picked and ate 4 cherry tomatoes! woohoo! I'm sure looking forward to fresh tomatoes again.



the wide row of peas that i planted in the HT produced well, giving us several quarts of peas. the girls enjoyed sitting on the lawn and shelling their own peas to eat fresh. ( i liked it too, as it gave me quite a bit of peace and quiet since it kept them busy for awhile!)





last week we worked mainly in the lower garden, getting all the rows planted. all hands on deck that day!

we have 2 rows of roma tomatoes (150 plants), as well as 1 ½ rows other varieties:

*early girl

*big boy

*new girl

*super steak

the potatoes are very happy, and we've already hilled them twice.

we also planted several varieties of peppers:

*green (red) peppers- one flat

*green (yellow) peppers -one flat

*lilac peppers (just 6)

*cherry bomb

*jalapeno

*Hungarian wax

*Anaheim chili

since we've not had much rain lately, it's been a backbreaking family chore at times to keep everything watered. A loves to help - anything involving water and or dirt is fine by her!

we also got the sweet potatoes planted- all 100. although we were very disappointed at how droopy some of the slips were when they arrived, we planted them anyway. (gurney's is replacing over half of our order- we expect the plants tomorrow.)

the sweet potatoes will spend their summer under the mini hoop row. this will serve 2 purposes: keeping them a little warmer, as they are a southern crop, and protecting them from marauding varmints.

finally, here is our watering system for the lower garden. it's undergone a few tweaks since i took this picture, but basically, we gather the run off water from the hillside, and then use the pump to water, both with hoses and the sprinkler.

more on the water next week, as it's even better now!

thanks for stopping by- my posts have become so few and far between that it's a wonder anyone even reads anymore...

have cat, will travel...

it's still a toss up whether our cat, spooky, is truly long-suffering or just deeply needy.


she is very tolerant of the girls, and the way they carry her around.

but the look on her face in these pictures? i wish i could know what she's thinking!