As anyone who's pursuing the agrarian life knows, or soon will, God wasn't kidding about that. I spent the day working in the garden. When it gets this hot and hotter, the best plan is to get garden work done in the cool of early morning, but I seem to always drag it into the afternoon and later. It's not especially pleasant working in the heat of the day, but I think it's prudent to acclimate oneself to the heat if one is going to live in the south. I generally work about 30 to 45 minutes, then take a 15 to 20 minute break and tank up on water. I came in on one break today and granddaughter Lianna had fixed me the perfect snack for replenishing electrolytes: sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt and lime. How she knew to do that I'll never know, but it was delicious nonetheless. I harvested the hulless oat plot today. Quite a bit of it was still somewhat green, but I was afraid the drier tops would start shelling out if I waited. I cut the tops off with scissors and left the straw to incorporate back into the garden. Right now there's a pretty good pile of oats on a screen on the livingroom floor. We'll put it back outside to dry some more tomorrow. I grew up in southwest Oklahoma, wheat country, and I had to laugh at myself harvesting grain with a pair of scissors. I also dug the onion crop today, and it was pretty dismal. We'll have lots of pickled onions, anyway. I let the grass get ahead of me in the row and onions don't do well at all with competition. David and I pulled all the garlic a couple of days ago and I worked on getting it all in, also. The oat, onion and garlic row will all go back in dry beans for a fall crop. We've been really concentrating this year on "calorie crops" - those crops that provide the most protein and calories. For us that's been mostly beans and cowpeas. One can only live so long on summer squash and tomatoes.
This morning my son-in-law Donald butchered another of our small pigs. I'm quite proud of him as he's really getting good at slaughtering effectively and humanely. It's such a blessing to have 3 generations here on the homestead working together, helping each other, just living life. I think there are six more pigs to go and we're caught up. These are small pigs, butchered at about 100 pounds. They have to be split a little between the hams just to fit on the gambrel.
Lianna and Oran know exactly where their food comes from. Here they're helping their daddy move the pig.
David added on to the electric fence to fence some of the front pasture a few days ago. Here's Lena, the Ancient Horse (she's 25 and still beautiful) and some of the goats enjoying fresh grazing.
There's still lots of work to be done this week: finish dehydrating two cases of peaches, finish getting in the garlic, mow, replant empty garden rows, weed, can more pork, the list goes on. If we ever got caught up I don't think I'd know what to do with myself.
Till next time, blessings.
Judy
4 comments:
Hi Judy!
Thanks for commenting on my blog! Glad to have found yours...a fellow Oklahoman. :)
~Anna
Veiled Glory Blog
Judy,
I just noticed your comment on Anna's blog and wondered if you were the Co-op Tabletop Homestead, and you are! How neat! I don't cover, but am a Christian homeschooling SAHM to almost 4, living in town for the time being with a small garden (DH is military, but someday we'll have land).
Cathy
Yes, Cathy, that's us. I'm new to covering and do so part of the time. My dh is OKNG. Are you all at Ft. Sill?
Judy, yes, he's at Ft. Sill. We've been in the area for 10 years (I stay when he's deployed or in Korea, not really having any other place to go). We try to eat local as much as possible, our reason for joining the Co-op. It's worked out well for meat, but not so much for veggies, which I was hoping to can in quantity this year. I've gotten some herbs and soap from you before.
Cathy
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