Blooms

Just wanted to share a few pics of flowers blooming in the new square foot garden.  We've been pretty impressed with SFG so far.  The plants are growing well, and minimal weeding is an added bonus!

 Zinnias

Sunflowers

Close-up of Sunflower

Hoping to have some pretty flowers for sale at the Farmer's Market on Saturday!

Putting Up The Harvest (Plus a Pesto Recipe)

Today I've been working in the kitchen, putting some summertime up for the winter.  First thing this morning I went out to harvest basil.  It tastes best to harvest herbs in the morning when it's cooler, the flavors in the oils are best before the heat of the day hits...although we are having a heatwave and I think it was 80 degrees already when I went out...better than 100, though!   

I made a fabulous Basil Pesto that I then froze to use later.  Gotta use up all that fresh basil while the gettin's good.  I used little jelly jars to freeze it in.  I'll use these for pizza or pasta this winter, for a fresh taste of summer!  You can also freeze in ice cube trays if you need smaller amounts.  Just pop them out and put in a ziploc when they are completely froze.

 Basil Pesto with Sunflower Seeds

2 1/2 cups basil,washed and dried
5 cloves garlic
1/2 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (unsalted, but roasted)
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt (use less if seeds are salted)

In a blender or food processor, mix garlic, sunflower seeds, and parmesan cheese.  Add basil leaves and chop them up.  Slowly add olive oil until well combined.  Add salt and blend.  If you want to freeze, add a little oil on surface of pesto...helps to keep it fresher longer.  You can also mix your types of basil.  I'm going to use regular and lemon basil together in my next batch.

I also blanched a big batch of green beans to freeze.  I boiled them for 3 minutes, then rinsed them in cold water to cool them down.  Then all you do is bag them up in quart ziplocs and stick them in the freezer.  I ended up with almost 5 quarts.  I will hopefully be putting up more of these later.  I'm also waiting for my sweet corn to be ready to blanch and freeze a bunch of that as well. 

I had to throw a picture in of my sunflowers I picked this morning.  They are starting to bloom and look great.  I am happy with this variety from Johnny's Seeds...so pretty!

Making Hay: Completed.

The men were able to get out here and make hay yesterday.  The kids had fun watching them do it, too. 

 They got quite a few square bales from our smallish pasture.  They thought it wouldn't be hard to get 100 in the future, once the grass thickens up a little more. 

I also had to share another flower picture, just because they are pretty.  A couple of sunflowers and dahlias, in more milk glass of course.  Oh, and I threw my little cow cream pitcher in there too, just because.  ;)

Making Hay and Flowers

We have been trying to make some hay around here, but the weather has been less than cooperative.  The pasture has been cut, raked, and is waiting to be baled, but it keeps raining on us.  We haven't hayed the property before, so are interested to see how many bales we can get out of it (and if it would be worth the time and money to get our own baler).  We have a man coming to bale it for us.  He'll keep the majority of it for his horses, and we'll learn what our land can produce.  Better than letting it go to waste, plus we should be able to get another cutting yet.

I've also been able to enjoy some cut flowers this Summer.  These are coneflowers, zinnias, and Russian sage (all grown in our yard or garden).  They are being displayed in my recently thrifted $2 milk glass vase.  I love milk glass, and I was excited for this find, and even more excited when I saw the same exact vase at an antique store for $8!  Gotta love a good deal.

Pullets Are Layin'

Our pullets have started laying, and here's the latest...look how small that egg is!  It must be the first for the chicken that laid it.  It is next to what I would consider a normal large egg.

I cracked it open and this is what was inside.  The smallest yolk I have ever seen.  I almost thought it didn't have one at all. 

Get to work ladies...we need more BIG eggs, these little ones just won't do!

Pictures From Around The Farm

I took some pictures today and thought I would share them.  Let the farm tour begin!

 Above is a picture of our square foot gardening experiment.  I am really happy with it so far, and the plants are growing really well.  We plan to add more boxes to the garden yet this year. 

 Troy built a new composter out of old picket fences we already had.  It is just two bins, but it's a start to making black gold for the square foot garden.

 Here is a shot of our dwarf fruit tree orchard.  We have 2 apple, 2 peach, 2 plum, and 3 pear so far.  We had to put fencing around the trees becasuse the deer were munching on them.   I am planning on planting another apple and some cherry trees as well.  We have more standard and semi-dwarf fruit trees planted on the property too...can't wait until they are all bearing fruit! 

 Here are some blueberry plants I bought on clearance, waiting to be planted.  We are going to make an edible plant border along the front of the house.  I love the idea of walking out my front door to pick a snack.

 I thought I would share my little rock garden.  We planted this over our septic tank to hide the ugliness.  I have coneflowers, daylilies, russian sage (all blooming) and dahilas (about to bloom).  I also planted an old bucket and washtub with annual flowers.  Please don't mind the yard that needs mowed!

 This is a little area along the timberline by the house that Troy has started clearing out.  We are going to put a little playhouse here for the kids.  They have plans for their own "Secret Garden".  It should be fun!

And finally, we moved the firepit and benches into the timber a ways and set up a little "campsite".  We had a bonfire the other night and the kids had a blast.  It kind of felt like we were in Canada...we just need a fishing pond and we'd be set.  The joys of living in the country!!

Today's Harvest From The Garden

Today we were able to get out in the garden to harvest some veggies for tomorrow's farmer's market.  We'll  have for sale: Walla Walla onions, sugar snap peas, red romaine lettuce, baby green cabbages, pink radishes, and cilantro bunches.  We were also able to harvest some broccoli today, but not enough to sell. 

We have been enjoying salads lately.  Here is one we had yesterday.  I have been growing some lettuce in a flat on my front porch and it is doing really well. I love being able to go out before a meal and snip some lettuce.  It isn't very dirty or buggy either.  Just a quick rinse and it is ready to eat!