Triple Creek Farm, August 11, 2012

Finally, some much needed rain arrived early Friday morning.  Everyday there were promises of rain but it went to other places.  I really did not water any this week, maybe the other places needed the rain more than we did.  I have started pulling the spring and summer plants and turning the soil with my shovel.  Fall gardening time.  I read an article some years back about pulling everything and leaving it in the garden to break down there.  I remember my parents hoed all the time and left everything in the garden, they had some of the richest soil I have ever seen.  This year, in the larger beds I will make a place to put weeds and plants.  It will save quite a lot of time not moving them to the compost piles.  I  am returning the kitchen compost to the garden.  I already have seen the results as I planted late watermelons on the area where the kitchen compost was spread during the spring and they have the strength to win over the squash bug.

IN THE KITCHEN

Dehydrator has been running this week.  Cucuzzi Italian Climbing squash and assorted eggplants have been dried.  I oven can all of my dried veggies, this gives them a good life span.  After oven canning they are stored in a dark place.  I have decided to can the blackberry juice, we do not use many frozen berries, I make jelly and syrup.  This will save quite a lot of freezer space.  I have been making fresh tomato basil soup and fresh vegetable soup.  Summer soup is so good.

ON THE FARM

All of the fence posts are in.  Now the support posts need to be cut to size and put in.  Why didn't someone explain to us what a project we were taking on.  Mr. Bootisie works full time and with our ages it just takes us forever to get anything completed.  I do know when he is finished we will have a wonderful, strong fence and that is my reward.

IN THE COOP

I went down about 1 in the afternoon on Sunday to check on the flock and what do I see?  Why, Blanche has come out of molt and laid an egg.  Her tail feathers are not all in but she is laying.  Sunday, they returned to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes again.  I think they just want me to have a constant egg hung.  My guess. it is to keep me young.  Only if they knew that is hopeless.

We have 2 roosters,  they are marans, these are my little peeps.  These chickens are almost 4 months old.   We were lucky to have 2 pullets, many think if you get a 50/50 mix things worked out right.

The egg count is really off.  Girls do not care for the addition of the roosters in their coop.  Any change will make a difference in how they lay.  Decisions will be made about how this will be handled.  At the present I have no idea as to what I am going to do.  If you are looking for a maran rooster in the this area contact me for I may have one for you.  Feather is continuing to molt so no eggs from her.  The egg count this week is 25.  The cochins are starting to molt and that really explains the drop in the number of eggs.  Those little girls really lay, I hope some of them will start laying again before spring.

IN THE GARDEN

We are harvesting.  I am feeling like I know what I am doing.  I do grow a lot of things different from what I have seen in gardens and at farmer's markets in the area.  Every year I try something new and this year it was yard long beans.  They grow like the black eyed peas and the bloom is purple. I really do like using them in the kitchen as I do not care for a string bean which has gotten large.  This is a must add to the garden plan for the future.

I grow the cucuzzini squash and malabar spinach.  Both of these are climbing vegetables.  I do understand you need room for these to grow, but not as much room as one would think.  I use some of the cheap arbors reinforced with rebar and they work well for me.   The malabar spinach is very productive and I use the small leaves at the tips in salads and cook the larger leaves.  This spinach freezes well.  I use the cucuzzini to make zucchini bread, the taste is a little different.  It seems to be a little nuttier tasting.  I dehydrate the spinach and add it to lots of soups in the winter.  The cucuzzini I dry for chips and to make bread.

IN CLOSING

The heat this summer has taken a toll on me.  I really did enjoy the temperature on Saturday.  I did a little work outside, started pulling the walking onions and sorting the walkers by size.  If any of you would like sets for walking onions contact me by e-mail.  The poplar trees are starting to yellow and drop a few leaves.  Fall must be coming.  In just a few weeks we will be having a small fire in the evenings.  The summer garden will be put to bed and the fall and winter garden will be protected with covers.  Time to think about planting the cole crops.  I do love the cooler temperatures and I am looking forward to crisp evenings with a little fire.

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