We just got back from another fun week of camping around the peninsula. This time around we explored the Olympic National Park with Great Grandma Oma. It was a lot of fun!
When we got home I noticed a little something red peaking through the mess of green in our front boxes. How these giant treasures were not stolen, I do not know! So juicy, round, and appealing. Plump, ripe, and ready to be devoured. A perfect handful. Mmmm.....
I have decided to fight back by bagging our fruit. Andy and I have read about using pantyhose to bag, so I dug down deep for hosiery. Of course, the only hose I have was this witchy, wenchy pair. I cut them up knowing I actually have a new pair still in the package deeper in the drawer! Ha!
Don't judge me. Enough about my underthings. The hose bags will protect our fruit, stretch as the fruit grows, and quite possibly hypnotize any would-be thieves. Soooo smart! Hoooope it works.
Well, I thought we had a bug problem. Then, I thought we had a squirrel problem. I realize now the Donnas are my problem. I must protect our remaining pear (singular) and THREE apples. Yes, friends, this is a test of strength, wits, and perseverance. But hear me now and know that I WILL taste sweet fruit from our trees this season. I will! If I do not, those birds will pay! Maniacal laugh! MANIACAL LAUGH!!
We should have planted poison apples.
Evan immediately suggested fried chicken.
We got home from our trip and first thing we noticed was our dead corn! I immediately phoned my sister who gave the answer, "I dont know what happened. It was alive yesterday!" Hahahaha
Andy boiled it up last night and I haven't seen him to ask how it tasted. I'm sure it was fine, but nothing beats that answer! CLASSIC.
This is a sweet little blossom from my new Improved Meyer Lemon tree. Andy bought it for me because he's sweet on me.
I want this tree to survive. We have one little lemon on it now and a few blossoms, so I'm crossing my fingers we get something! I've been hunting for the perfect pot to transplant it into. It must be perfect. I've wanted this tree for a couple years now, so not just any old pot will do. It has to have personality. I'm waiting patiently for it to call my name. When it does, I'll send you a photo. Don't worry. ;)
I love lemons!!
After an amazing week of camping, we are finally settled in at home! A big THANK YOU to my sister for helping with farm chores in our absence.
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We thought that the heat had gotten to our hens since we have been eggless for a while. Molting, broodiness, the heat, the move...so many reasons not to lay eggs! Aaaack! Danielle didn't gather any while we were out of town since they were not laying. I checked again for myself yesterday and still nothing. But, of course, Andy checks today and we have nearly a dozen! I know you're all tired of hearing about our egg woes, but it was looking bleak there for a while! Now I'm happy as a clam and can finally turn our "eggs for sale" sign around. We have so many neighbors waiting for dozens of eggs. It really is a good feeling to pass along a carton of fresh eggs and I can't wait to see the smiles once again.
I bought two 50lb bags of feed yesterday. Since Monday was the hottest day of the year, I thought it was safe to leave them in the back of the pickup until Andy could get to them. They sat in the bed of the pickup overnight, and I woke up to the smell of rain and the memory of Andy not taking them out! Oh, drats! You live and learn, I guess.
We just found THREE eggs in the coop! The new girls are doing their jobs, and I couldn't be happier. We have many neighbors waiting for their eggs.
Today was a good day.
So I've been called granola more than once, but I've never really felt that way until today....
Yes, we raise our own rabbits in order to have a humanely treated meat source, we dote on our hens that provide delicious, organic eggs, we harvest our own veggies and fruits, raise bees to not only have beautiful honey for our table, but to also pollinate the neighborhood. After all, no bees no flowers. No farmers, no food. All of this and I've never truly felt granola. Today, I was at the grocery store and snapped this photo. It sounded odd, but I was intrigued by the use of propolis as an abrasive. I came home and ran it by one of my critics. Specifically, the teenager that keeps it "normal." She says, "sounds weird, but probably good for you and not that bad."
We are officially granola. My teenager is ok with propolos, myrrh, and fennel in her toothpaste, and I LOVE IT.
Today marked the beginning of the Delridge Grocery Co-op Farm Stand. They sell locally grown organic fruits and vegetables. They also have a kids craft area, live music, and cooking demonstrations. Tonight was a success and I'm sure the community enjoys and appreciates the fresh food so close to home. Evan and I volunteered and will continue to volunteer for the next nine Thursdays. It was a fun way to connect with other local farmers and people just excited to be a part of something so great in Delridge!
We added three old gals to our flock this weekend. After checking our chicken reference books, I think we have a Buff Orpington, Maran, and Sussex. We needed the eggs! Word has gotten around the neighborhood about our eggs and we were pulling in one a day with the birds we had. These three should help to boost those numbers and help appease our fans.
Welcome girls!
I asked Evan to take a photo this evening and she chose this nice bunch of grapes. They are slowly getting plumper and plumper. Each little bunch will be a nice snack come September. The girls can't wait!
It's pickle making time! Well, almost. I'm still searching for a good sour pickle recipe, but I've been coming up short. Besides, I honestly can't remember if we planted "regular," big cucumbers or pickling, baby ones. (Those are official farmer terms. Haha!) I'll let you know if they get any bigger.
I am overjoyed to have found this little beauty growing in our garden. Sometimes we start from seeds and sometimes we transplant starts, but it's always the same excitement when you see the first fruits of your labor! I love beating others to it too. I'll go searching for gems like this just to be the first to shout "EUREKA!" The kids hate it. 💃
Andy has been working hard to get our drip system up and dripping before we head out of town. He is almost done and it is awesome! The tubes run straight to the base of the plants, so they will be watered directly where they need it most. They are also set on a timer. We will save money doing it this way as we will be wasting less water. It's such a brilliant idea. We will still need to run the hose across the sidewalk, but I'm sure somewhere down the road he will come up with a viable water solution. We'll entertain any ideas for that in the mean time, so send them over!
This spring we shopped for starts at the edible plant sale. One of the many we picked up was this beautiful cheddar cauliflower. It just started peaking through its leaves this week. I can't wait to try it. It tastes like....you guessed it....cauliflower!
It's BAT GUANO!! Oh, what an experience these girls are getting. It's all about poops here at the Smith farm. Rabbit poops, chicken poops, horse poops, worm poops, and now bat poops! All of the poops listed are excellent organic garden fertilizers. I hope the guano will help our garden grow and grow! Don't worry. I'll let you know. 💩
If this girl doesn't up her laying game, I'll be singing the rest of that song! Only difference is I'll know exactly where she'll be...MY FREEZER.
We arrived home this weekend and noticed some of our tomatoes were spotted. After a little research, we found out it was blossom end rot. It's caused by a lack or imbalance of calcium in the soil. We'll be mixing a solution of Epsom salt and water for the rest of the season to help give our soil a boost. I just hope we catch it before it effects the rest of our new tomatoes.
Every year we fail at growing pumpkins, yet we always attempt. I think we do it for the girls. The powdery mildew takes over, but we usually get at least a single small gourd. That's enough to bring a smile and to decorate with. Keep those fingers crossed!
I noticed my perfect little berry missing yesterday afternoon, so I asked everyone present if they had seen it. Immediately, Matilde asked which strawberry I was talking about. I showed her a picture of it and asked if she had eaten it. She said, "I don't know what you're talking about!" I gave her a look. You know which look I'm talking about, and she shouted, "but it was RIPED!!!" That's when I snapped the picture.
Everyone in our house has been eyeballing this small and perfect strawberry. It so sweetly hangs over the edge of the planter ripening in the glow of the afternoon sun. Who will be the lucky one?
My guess is HEATHER! Hahaha
Our dear friend Heather plucked our very first cherry tomato from the vine a few years back. Everyone would admire that tomato and we would talk incessantly about how proud we were for having grown it. I look back and still chuckle at that. She saw it, it was ripe and needed to be eaten, so she ate it!
Sorry folks, but this will be one of many more growing pear photos to come! I still can't believe they are growing. Four different varieties on one tree....amazing. I hope we have enough to share, but I can't promise any this year. I have a feeling they'll last as long as the strawberries. We see a ripe berry on the vine one minute and the next it's in a smiling mouth!
BLTs are an absolute summer staple for the Smiths. I cannot wait!
I don't know what else to say....I saw tomatoes, I smiled, and I announced that BLTs were coming soon. 🍞🐷🍃🍅🍞
This photo pretty much sums up our cat, Tina. We brought her home with the expectation of a great mouser, but instead we ended up with a cat on holiday. She is the laziest. The. Laziest. Her only mission is to find shade and sit in it all day long. She moves only as the sun moves her shade. No joke.
Andy still thinks she is a good hunter, but I'm still waiting. I hope he proves me wrong.
I think the heat has gotten to our corn field/patch/bed. We have ears growing on a few stalks, but the stalks are only about 3 feet tall instead of six feet tall. We'll have to wait and see what happens next. Keep your fingers crossed.
Yesterday morning, the girls and I were headed to the bus stop and we ran into our little friend. We have been trying to catch this guy for a while now without success. Evan stated that he now has street smarts and can dodge cars and people with the best of them. I just eyeballed that girl. Street smarts! Ha!
All I can think about is blueberry cobbler when I see these beautiful berries out front, but I don't think they'll make it that far!
Our apples are growing and I can smell them as I walk by. It makes me smile. If you've ever smelled apples on trees, then you know the smile I'm talking about. It's not forced. It's a smile that you didn't even realize was there until someone says, "Why the smile?". It's a good feeling that warms you through and through. I grew that. I grew that apple. It took three years. It's finally here, and I welcome it with a smile.
