Our Hollywood plum tree produced like crazy this year, unlike the past two years (the tree is only three years old). It is the earliest blooming plum we have, and as such, is subject to late frosts, while the other two plums have a tendency to miss the late frosts. This year, however, we had… Continue reading Plum Juice
Tag: canning and preserving
Duck Stock
Fair week is fast approaching. Last Thursday, the 31st, we finished up our stock making process. Monday we roasted the carcasses with carrots, celery and onion. Then added water with a dash of vinegar and some salt, and set it to simmering. We kept an eye on it for a couple of days, topping it… Continue reading Duck Stock
Sunday and Monday Fun
Mommy and Evie were fully engaged in Swiss Kids Kamp. I wish I had some pictures of it, but I wasn't there and they were both pretty busy the whole time. Swiss Kids Kamp is an annual kids camp held at the Swiss Sportsman's Club in Bonney Lake, where kids can stay for a week… Continue reading Sunday and Monday Fun
Beet Failure
AS they say, one thing leads to another. Especially in the hardware store. Have you come up with a better way to keep them... in line? Early morning on the Fourth of July. These ladies are not much for chatting, unless they don't have enough grass. Then they bleat in surprisingly deep, gruff voices. Eunice… Continue reading Beet Failure
Goumi Juice
Like I mentioned in our last post, we have never gotten so many goumi berries at once before. Goumi berry is a nitrogen fixing shrub with a medium sized single-stem branching habit in the family Elaeagnus multiflora, which produces edible red berries in early summer. The berries are sweet, slightly-to-moderately astringent with a chewy pit… Continue reading Goumi Juice
Lamb Stock
We had a good pile of bones from the lamb after all the butchering last week. We froze them temporarily, just to keep them from spoiling until we got around to dealing with them. Last Monday, the 6th, we roasted them in the oven, and then put them in the roaster. This has become our… Continue reading Lamb Stock
Sick Days
We had a little virus bug blow through the house on Friday. It wasn't even that bad, but it was enough to give Miss Ellie a fever, so Daddy had to take a few hours of sick time while Mommy took Evie to homeschool co-op. Ellie Belle was wrapped up in a blanket on the… Continue reading Sick Days
Kraut!
We've been meaning to get to this one for weeks, ever since the first frost. We had 6 big cabbages in the garden, and Daddy wanted to make sauerkraut. Unfortunately, that was November. It is now January. One thing and another has conspire to keep us out of the garden for the last two months… Continue reading Kraut!
Brussel Sprouts!
We had a beautiful family day on Thursday, for once putting our Thursday to its proper use. One of the highlights of the day was harvesting and pickling some brussels sprouts. At first, Seppi didn't want to go to the farm, but once we had wrangled his "tool pants" on him, and told him we… Continue reading Brussel Sprouts!
Odds and Ends
Time to go visit our Turkey Birds! They are very majestic and noisy, well worth visiting. Repairing our outdoor Advent Wreath! You might think we would be tired of apples by now, but... Not when they are dried apples! Everyone loves dried apples. We could preserve a barrel full this way, and it still wouldn't… Continue reading Odds and Ends