We had a very productive day today. I got up early today(which is a feat in itself). I went out and picked a gallon of green beans, a 5 gallon bucket full of zucchini, and a 3 gallon bucket full of cucumbers. Our garden is doing really good right now. I know that any day it will hit full speed, and I'm going to cry. Yes, I know that this is what it's all about, having a lot of good produce, but I can see me getting over whelmed with the canning this year. This is my first year of actual canning. Sure, sure I've helped Mom can a few times growing up, and last year I did put up 12 quarts of tomato juice.(ooooooooohhhhh applause here please.) But, this is the first time that I have actually canned a good amount. I guess I'll just jump in with both feet. Why not huh?
Well after the garden, I fixed Hubby and me breakfast(yes, he was just getting up) bacon and home grown eggs. yum, yum. Then after cleaning up after breakfast a did a few loads of laundry and hung them on my new clothes line. I just love hanging my clothes outside. It's very therapeutic. I would suggest that if any thing is bothering you, hang laundry. If you don't have a clothes line, you can wash and hang some of mine.
After the clothes were hung, me and Hubby went to pick black berries. The berries weren't real ripe. We just picked a few. But, we did notice we have gigantic black berry bushes in the cattle pasture. The bushes have to be at least 10 feet tall! The berries are huge too. We held one up and it was as big as Hubby's thumb! It won't take many of those to make a pie. lol. When they do start to ripen real good, I know what we will be doing. Picking and picking and picking and picking. Oh, did I say picking? One of the best things about these berries is, they are in the cattle pasture. There is no weeds around them. It's like walking in your yard and picking berries. There is the thorns though. I guess if you want big berries, you have to have big thorns. At least on the wild berries. Hey, maybe I'll get some thornless berries. Are they as good? But then again, these berries are free. Can't beat that.
After picking berries we went to my Mom and Dad's to wash a load of clothes. I wash our good clothes at my Mom's. Our water causes stains on them. It's either rust or red clay, either way it's not good. It doesn't do it all the time, but sometimes it does. Why take the chance. Anyway we got to play with their baby goats that they just got. A billy and a nanny. We think the billy has angora blood in him. His coat is sooooo soft and has a little curl to it. I'll post pictures later when I get some good pictures of them. Now I might be able to get some goat milk. yahoooo! I want a milk goat and milk cow soooooo bad. But, I know, right now, we really don't have a place for them. Plus, with me working, I don't know if I would have time to milk them twice a day. Maybe later. I can dream for now.
So for now I'm going to get ready for bed. I have to work tomorrow. Yea! (dripping with sarcasm)
Blog ya later.
Small Farm Girl, dreamer.
4 comments:
I think the thornless blackberries are rather bland. But that maybe just me.
You know you dont have to milk a goat twice a day!! They can be milked once a day!! I dont milk twice a day except for the very first week or so after babies are taken off mom.
All that produce sounds good!! Good luck canning!!!
You know what?! I think we only live about 40 minutes apart!! I live about 20 minutes east of Huntington! If you'd ever like to meet for lunch in Huntington, let me know! I'd love to meet you and you could bring me a home made blackberry cobbler!! What a great idea! Seriously, I would love to meet you for lunch some day this summer. I could give you my e-mail if you'd like...debbie
SFG,
I'm green with envy, blackberries are my favorite berry and they won't overwinter here in MT*sigh* I used to order them in 14lbs. boxes, individually quick frozen from a company in OR, that is until I opened a box and there was a baby mouse dead on top. Thank goodness he was on top,it would have ruined blackberries for me forever if we'd eaten the whole box to find the mounse in the bottom, YUCK! I contacted the company, I understand how things like this can happen, but they refused to return my call, so I called and wrote a letter( including a photo of the purple mouse) still nothing,so I refuse to deal with them any longer. Oh! yes they still send us order forms, but I file them in the garbage. The box of berries didn't entirely go to waste, we fed it to our poultry, they loved them!
I understand how you feel, and I've been canning for almost two decades. I still get overwhelmed and I have Cortney as a helper. Last season it wasn't as bad since everything came ripe at different times, but typically you end up with several crops ripening at once.
Making pickles are you? I do this every other year and this is our off year, so only planted cukes enough to eat fresh.
I have a WONDERFUL zucchini casserole if you'd like me to share the recipe. It's a meal in itself, especially if your add loose sausage. My zucchini still isn't up, and this is the second planting. Not sure if the seed is rotting or if cutworms are to blame. One thing is everyone always has plenty to share, so I'm not worried.
I'm working on your snail mail letter, should have it to post by end of this week*wink*
If you'd like some recipes for canning,Dilly beans, zucchini relish or salsa, etc. let me know via email and I'll get them off to you ASAP. All are tried and true favorites of ours.
Blessings for your day,
Kelle
I enjoyed reading your post. It is so nice finding people with so many similar interests!
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