It Might Be Time To Open a Produce Stand!

 If you have ever planted a large vegetable garden, then you will understand when I call harvest time an explosion!  If only the vegetables would ripen over a period of weeks, instead of all at one time!  And yes, I know that you can plant things in waves, but still you always end up with way more than you expect and have to deal with massive quantities all at one time.  

This summer I planted two zucchini plants and one yellow squash plant.  By the looks of my harvest, you would think that I planted 20 plants.  And... if you don't pick a zucchini when you see it, by the next day it has grown to a humongous size (or so it seems).  Right now I seem to have a few almost-too-big-to-use zucchinis on my plants.  I've made zucchini bread, and ratatouille.  I've grated and frozen zucchini for future use.  I've given some away.  And still... I am overcome by zucchinis.  Next year I will just plant ½ a zucchini plant!

In the coming days I will make spaghetti sauce and serve it on zoodles (spiralized zucchini noodles).  And still... I have more zucchini than I can possibly use and more growing on my extremely healthy plants.  Finding myself in this abundant predicament left me no choice but to call in an army to help mitigate the zucchini explosion.

Enter 34 young adult hens...

 who scarfed down this enormous zucchini in no time - inside and outside consumed in total!

Our older hens will peck away at squash... but they always leave the skin behind.

Yesterday I picked our green (and yellow)  beans for the third time.  I had seen a recipe for a green bean salad that I wanted to try (compliments of the Elliot Homestead)

I blanched, chilled, and dried the beans and tossed them in the following dressing (which I doubled because I had so many beans.)

2 tbsp. sour cream
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. stone ground mustard
salt and pepper to taste

½ cup shaved parmesan cheese across the top of the tossed beans and dressing

(you can add a protein to this as well... prosciutto or shrimp - use your imagination). I omitted the meat.

In past summers, I have always had the best intentions for keeping my tomato vines pruned and tied to stakes, but somehow, by late summer the tomato plants always looked like a jungle.  I have learned that this is not a healthy situation for the tomatoes themselves.  In order to encourage ripening and prevent mildew, it is important that the tomatoes, themselves, get plenty of sunlight and that the base of the plant be open so that air can freely circulate.

This year, I have successfully stayed focussed on these vines and have pruned and pruned them.  It is amazing how much of the greenery and growth you can remove and still have extremely healthy plants.  

With the amount of rain that we are experiencing, this heavy pruning will help save the fruit from rotting on the vine.  And as you can see - we will eventually be having a tomato explosion.  The wonderful thing is... there is so much that can be done with a huge tomato harvest.  None of these will go to waste - or to the chickens!

Our hot, humid, and stormy weather is continuing through the week.  It's the kind of weather that seems difficult for the animals to tolerate.  The horses retreat to the shade and fans that the barn offers.  The sheep find a place in the shade to nap.  But the pigs... they just keep soldiering on.  Nothing stands between them and their next meal!

Yesterday morning when we stopped by the pond to feed our two pond ducks, we saw the ducks resting on the shore of the pond.  As we approached, a male white-tailed deer leapt out from the feed bowl side of the duck hut and ran across the side of the pond narrowly missing the ducks.  (Sadly, I was not fast enough with the camera.). Just seconds later, our resident blue heron also took off, flying straight for the ducks.  "Incoming!"  I shouted to the ducks who watched in what should have been utter disbelief.  Again, I was not fast enough to snap a photo... it all happened too quickly.  Upon returning to the pond later in the morning, though, I again startled the heron, who took off in flight across the pond.  This time I was ready! Next time I will have a large lens with me and snap a really good photo of this blue beauty!

Yesterday's comments included a question about Sammie's age.  Our old brown Sammie is now 12 years old.  He is slowing down (aren't we all!)  We always say he's just conserving his energy for his next adventure.  This boy loves an adventure and is the first to hop in the gator if he thinks we are going out for some fun!  The rest of the time... he's happily napping!

Lastly, I thought I might share some garden color...

 (perhaps I should save them for wintertime when we really need to see this!)

Interestingly, this bed of gladiolas used to be yellow, pink, marroon, red - many colors.  This year the entire bed is pink gladiolas.  Yet another mystery to solve.....

As for our rain... I would gladly share with those in need!  Here's to hoping we all get exactly what we need.

In case you were wondering what extra projects I have been working on....  I am still working on this sweater... I have the sleeves and neckline to finish.

And I am trying to either draw or paint a little each day.  Here is what I worked on yesterday...

It's not quite finished....
Ginger!