Planning Ahead

Oh my goodness...do you believe it?
It's August 1st already!
Happy August, friends!!


Our weekend was quiet, indeed, as I had hoped.
"Be careful what you wish for...." may have been the governing force in the weekend,
however, as Hubbs sustained a "little" back injury...making our weekend even quieter!


I used the time to get a little gardening done.
We are in the height of summer veggie season.


Every day yields tomatoes galore...


with more on the vines for tomorrow.


Peppers are abundant.
I resist picking them all now, though.
If left on the plants a little longer, they will be red and orange peppers.


There is never any question as to "what's for dinner?" these days...
oodles of vegetables... sometimes fresh, sometimes sautéed....
(everything in this pan came out of the garden...picked and sautéed and eaten within 30 minutes)


We've had zucchini and yellow squash galore this summer.
With prolific zucchini always comes the questions...
"what to do with all this zucchini?"
Of course there is baking and sautéing.
I use them like cucumbers in salad.


Last week I bought a spiralizer for my Kitchenaid.
I used it to spiralize fresh zucchini which we then used raw
beneath a spaghetti meat sauce.
It was delicious, without the extra carbs of pasta.
I highly recommend this for you spaghetti lovers who are wondering 
what to do with all of your zucchini!

I also planted our fall vegetables this weekend.
Over the next two months broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower
will mature...providing us with a fall harvest of fresh veggies.


It's also blackberry season here on the farm...
both in our patch and growing wild.


We picked enough this weekend for jam...


with a few leftovers for ice-cream.
Yummy!


I received a package via FedEx this weekend.
It is a present for Daphne...
an accessory that I imagine she will grow to hate...
but a necessary one.


Yes, sadly, Daphne needs a grazing muzzle.
It's either this or never being allowed out to graze...
which to me seems cruel.


She will be sporting this lovely pink muzzle when out in the pasture,
until late autumn when the pasture is dormant.
Hopefully she will lose a little weight.
Why am I concerned?
Do you see the neck roll beneath her mane?
It is a good indicator of just how overweight she is.
Donkeys tend to put on weight on their necks.

Chloe is not as bad as Daphne for putting on weight,
however, Chloe is headed for a grazing muzzle as well...
just to make sure she doesn't get too overweight.


How does she feel about this eventuality?


Not so impressed with the idea, are you Chloe?
I can only imagine how difficult getting this on her will be...
if the fly mask is any indicator!

Just a quick rooster update...
Fish is doing quite nicely in his new home with the hens.
He looks so much happier than he did with the boys!


And the three crazy Roos who moved to the turkey house are doing well, also.
They will be allowed to begin free-ranging this week.
We'll see what kind of mischief they will get into around the barn!

Comments

colleen said…
Hope this finds Hubbs doing at least a little better.
A grazing mask sure is better than the alternative!!
Our growing season is always a few weeks behind yours and I get a wee bit jealous of your garden waiting for veggies from ours. I love spiralized zucchini...so much so I invested in a bigger hand crank spiralizer. I really like it better than pasta for spaghetti sauce.
The key to getting rid of zucchini is putting it on a neighbors porch and ring the bell and run like heck before they can figure out who is giving them more zucchini. How do keep from getting chiggers from the blackberry patch? I love berries but just get eaten up.
Anonymous said…
Good for you for taking excellent care of your donkey by providing her with a grazing muzzle. I have used one for 6 years with my mini and he loves it. He understands that when I have the muzzle in my hand at his dry lot gate, that means grazing time for him out in our pasture. Think of a dog that sees his leash and is excited to go for a walk and that is my ponies reaction.

I can increase his time out from one hour with out a muzzle to 5 hours with a muzzle. The extra time spent grazing and enjoying his freedom to roam the fields has greatly improved his quality of life and made him a much more relaxed and happy pony.

Good luck to you both! :)
This N That said…
The hardest veggie to get rid of..Everybody has Zucchini to share this time of year..might like to try the spaghetti idea..Your veggies look wonderful..My Patio tomato plant is perfect..I am just able to keep up with it..2 a day.
Yummm..ice cream and blackberries...
Poor Daphne. Are her ears up yet?? I suppose she's used to it by now.
I hope the Roo's continue on a positive path.
Happy August.
Lynne said…
Your veggies look wonderful . . .
I have a spiralizer and plan to use it for spaghetti this week . . .
An American in Tokyo said…
I hope your Hubbs is feeling better soon.

All your veggies and berries look so wonderful!!
Is it difficult to grow brussel sprouts?! I wonder if I can do it in a planter?!