Bringing Our Farm to the Table

Our long weekend was equal parts farm work, research and relaxation.  We are hit with the bulk of our harvest and trying to find innovative ways to preserve it.  The nice thing about canning, is that after the upfront work, the canning process takes anywhere from 40 minutes to 90 or more minutes.  That leaves a little bit of down time to take a breath, read a book, cultivate new ideas and implement wild hairs....like my sudden desire to re-arrange the family room!

We have been fortunate in our tomato harvest this year and so far harvested 80 lbs of tomatoes which have been eaten fresh and put in farm bags, but mostly gone into 17 quarts of roasted tomatoes in our pantry.  I think that we will have one more round of paste tomatoes to can, and then onto making green tomato relish!  This is a favorite of ours and this year we are going to crock ferment it!  Excitingly enough B and I will be speaking about crock fermenting at an event on September 12th, so this crock may just find its way into our demonstration.

We have tried to grow leeks a few times over the years, with varying success.  This year was a bumper year for them.  So in our search for ways to preserve them B pulled out Julia's Vichyssoise recipe and we found it a perfect match for pressure canning.  We pulled a few potatoes out, a very small portion of another crop doing very well, and put up 7 quarts of lovely soup.   In addition to what we canned, we had a large pot left over ready for an alfresco supper last night.

We also got our seventh farm bag of the season out yesterday!  As each year goes by we get a little bit better at planning and implementing our farm bags.  We have averaged five a season up until this year.  We may get one final bag out, but the plants are all slowing down and showing signs of finishing.  This weeks bags included Kale, Potatoes, Garlic, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans, a Bell Pepper, Eggplant, and leeks.

Even with warm days still hanging on, we are winding toward fall.  I love this season, it is comprised of lots of enjoying the outside time to its fullest, as well as an inner pulling toward preparing the nest.

Remember when I mentioned that we had a blogger for the Boston Store at our Chili Cook-off?  Well, we are almost famous in this little write up!

Random Five Friday

1.  Bird Houses : We bought one of those bird houses that you suction cup to the window this spring.  I was feeling a little frustrated because we have never seen any activity through the glass viewer, and I realized that just maybe it was a silly purchase.  If I were a bird, I would not want to see large shadows constantly peering in at me, so why set up housekeeping?.  Last night B opened it up to peek inside...lookie at these five little beauties!

2.  National Zucchini Day:  Yep, yesterday was the day and with our squash plants producing like crazy, I have been searching and searching for new recipes.  This quiche was. the. bomb.  The kids are asking for more and it was so easy!  Do not worry, you have not missed out.  Remember if you garden, everyday can be a day to randomly gift your neighbors with zucchini! (aka adult ding dong ditch em :)

3.  Note To Self:  When you are mowing and disrupt some sort of nest, after the first sting, give up.  Even if you go outside 30 minutes later, one of the angry little buggers will gun for you.  Just wait it out and have your husband put the mower away later...trust me on this one.

4.  School Days:  We have officially finished school supply shopping.  Whew!  The summer is winding down way too quickly and we are already trying to balance fall schedules that are seeping out for both school and sports.  Sid has 13 days of summer left and making the most of all of them.  Charles is gloating that he has 25 days, but I am guessing he will feel differently come the end of the year when she is still  sleeping as he heads out the door!

5.   Motivation:  We have decided to start running as a family.  The kids are both interested in track, and B and I are looking to ease our way into running.  Of course I made this decision on fair week, which was ridiculously busy and it was never going to happen then.  I have researched healthy ways to ease into running to avoid injury and build up stamina and with the purchase of running shoes this week, I am set to go.  Now, it is setting aside the time to make the first venture out.  Now that I have written it, I can't hide from it, this weekend it shall be!

Linking up with:

 

Summer's Swan Song

The first signs of early fall are upon us.

The pines are full of baby cones

A window sill full of ripe tomatoes

The rose hips finishing

The black eyed Susan's are singing summers swan song.

And new starts, new schools, new routines beginning.

What signs of early fall are you beginning to see?

Silent Sunday ~ Tinge

Two Seasons In One

 Things have been so busy recently that I have relied heavily on my iPhone to take photos.  There is nothing wrong with that, it does a good job.   However, I have missed my evening walk, spent in part capturing shots, since recently Sidney has monopolized my camera.  I am not complaining, she is doing amazing things!  But yesterday I made a point of carrying my camera with me as we had our evening stroll.  We were not rushed heading in different directions, we were able to meander.  Just as I headed into the garden  a cool breeze whipped up and the trees rustled like crazy.  An early feel of fall was definitely in the air.  That made me smile, as I noticed that the sound of the wind and angle of the light is taking on that autumn feel that I so love. 

This is our last true week of summer vacation and I can hardly believe how it has flow by!  I think that we have all been fooled by our crazy weather all year.  We had lilacs at the end of February and then they grew all their new growth.  Once the rain finally came, they began to bud once again and are now experiencing a second growth of branches for next years blooms!  This is truly like two seasons in one for us Wisconsinites!  Nothing reflects that more perfectly that blooming lilacs with an almost completely orange pumpkin on the vine below.  An auspicious mingling of my favorite things, lilacs and fall.  Who'd have thought?  Happy Weekend!

Reclaiming Space

 We came home tonight to this lilac just beginning to bloom!  A second blooming this year!!

It's hard to believe that the kids are starting school next Thursday, just a week from today.  The summer has flown by and I can say it has been our best family summer yet!  We have seen a return of some warm late summer days and are finally beginning to pick a few tomatoes.  This time of year I begin to contemplate fall; harvest, storing food, school, new beginnings.

Funny, the meaning of fall harvest is so profound to me now.  We have to pick our food, slowly clean up beds as they fade, plant crops for late fall harvest, plant beds to winter cover crops, and store the fruits of our labors away.  All of this frenzy is for a clean up that leads to tucking our little farm in for the winter.  With that thought passing though my mind, I came across a blog post last week from Mama Schell.  It discussed the catharsis that comes from purging, simplifying.  Her post was called 40 bags in 40 days.  The basic premise is to pick forty different areas, clean them out and dispose of or donate what you no longer need, use, want, have grown out of, etc.  By taking a space, even if it is as small as a drawer at a time, this overwhelming task becomes much more manageable.  So when I think of the settling in coming soon, I want my space to be as simplistic and comfortable as possible.

Since school is approaching, I began today with organizing the attic closet and all of the school mementos that I have collected from pre-school forward.  Everything is now better condensed into manageable quantities.  The kids in turn will spend some time tomorrow going through closets and drawers to determine what fits and what type of school shopping we may just need to accomplish before next week.  Then I will continue on through my forty areas.

1. Kitchen Drawers                                         21.  Basement Food Storage Shelves
2. Sewing Room                                             22.  Basement Craft Area
3. Our Bedroom Closet                                   23.  Basement Work Bench
4. Sid's Bedroom Closet                                  24.  Basement Junk Area
5. Sid's Bedroom Dresser                                25.  Holiday Decorations
6. Charles' Bedroom Closet                             26.  Hutch on Porch
7.  Charles' Bedroom Dresser                          27.  Garden Tools
8. Kids Bathroom Cupboards                          28.  Chicken Coop
9. Linen Closet                                                29.  Grainery Storage Area
10. Attic Toys                                                  30.  Upstairs Bookshelves
11. Attic Closet                                                31.  Entry Closet 
12. Our Nightstands                                         32.  Hall Tree
13. Our Bedroom Dresser                                33.  File Storage
14. Our Bathroom Cupboards                          34.  Canning Supplies
15. Powder Room Cupboards                          35.  Spice Cupboard
16. Desk                                                           36.  Liquor Cabinet
17. Kitchen Cupboards                                     37. Knick Knack Shelf 
18. Dining Room Hutch                                   38.  Irrigation Supplies
19. Basement Craft Area                                  39.  Trellis Supplies
20. Root Cellar                                                 40.  Laundry Room

Isn't this a great idea?  Fall is coming and when you go to open your windows and let in the amazing fall air, wouldn't it be nice if that air could fill your newly reclaimed space?  What forty areas can you look at to begin to simplify your life?