Green Bee Farms & Honey Glass

In just a few short weeks, the Handmade Holiday show will take place. You've seen my work, and Joseph's work. I thought I'd share a bit of Joseph's business partners work with you today. Rick is a local beekeeper. He has hives in various farms in the area, including Brent and Tuesday's , and the Piedmont campus. His Green Bee Farms honey is wonderful stuff.
    
    

As you can see from the photo at the top, Rick is also a talented glassmaker.  He creates necklaces and earrings with his glass pieces.  I hope you'll come out and support Rick and 39 other local artists on December 3rd.  Keep your holiday dollars in the area by supporting local, small businesses.  They'll thank you, your local economy will strengthen, and in turn support the area.  A good thing all around.

Summer Canning & A Lettuce Experiment

Hello, friends.  Last week, I canned yellow squash and tomatoes.  Instead of the usual raw pack canning of tomatoes, I tried stewing them for the first time, and canned the juice separately.  I'm thinking stewed should made a nicer sauce.  The time and effort seemed to be approximately the same, but I liked not having to deal with the steaming pot to remove skins, and then the ice bath afterwards.  The recipe I used left the skins on, so I did too.  I've done that with cherry tomatoes used in canning, and they were fine.  Another day, I blanched and froze lambs quarter.  Cucumbers, tomatoes, yellow squash, tromboncino, eggplant, blueberries, a very few blackberries, parsley, oregano, basil, the first green beans and lambs quarter were harvested.  At Aldi, I bought a pineapple for $1.49, which is the cheapest I've seen in a long time.  I keep looking for the .99 pineapples I  read about people finding, but never see any in this area.  If I did, I'd try canning them, as they're doing.  J was given a large bag of local sweet corn, and froze most of it, after enjoying several ears.

I met my sister for a thrifting day, and found a dress to wear to the 70's disco dance party we're going to in August.  It's polyester, with a 70's looking pattern, and flared sleeves.  J had sent me a link for an outfit online, but it was $50, and I refuse to pay that to wear for one night.  The dress should have been $2, but I think ended up being $4 at the thrift store, still a great savings.  I also found J a fleece work vest, which was either $2 or $4, and a scarf for the dance outfit for $1.  We stopped by a produce stand, and I picked up a cantaloupe for $3.  Not a great deal, but cheaper than the stores have been here.  I shared cucumbers with my sister.  After I dropped her back at her car, I shopped at Food Lion, where I found someone had left coupons in the cart, including one for $3 off  $20.

We got rid of our two "extra" roosters, after J listed them online.  A woman and her small son came to pick them up, and though we didn't ask directly, we believe they will be additions to their farm nearby.  Though, in these times, I couldn't begrudge anyone wanting to put food by, I'm hoping they're living their best lives, with a flock of their own.  As the weeks go by, the littlest "RI Red" chicks are appearing to be bantams or some other small breed.  They're definitely not RI Reds.  We lost one of our Americauna hens last week.  She was just sitting near the door to their yard when I went out in the morning, and when I went to check on her a little while later, she was already gone, though she didn't appear to be struggling to breathe or any other signs.  I knew when she let me pet her that she must be pretty sick.  I continue soaking scratch grains overnight for the chickens, and giving them a mixture of banana peels, and whatever else I have that day.  Lately it's been chopped figs, grated cucumber, sometimes chopped tomatoes that have been pecked on by birds.  The day I canned tomatoes, they got all the seeds I had strained out for juice.  J glued one of the legs on the recently thrifted gateleg table, and I stained a small block he had replaced on it.  

Cole slaw was made with our cabbage and carrots, and J had the other cabbage half with potatoes one night.  I dehydrated the cut off tomato tops from canning for suet, and a few mushrooms that needed to be used, to add to the soup mix.  I planted the ends of one celery, and four lettuce in the garden.  Like last year, it doesn't look as though the celery is doing anything, but one lettuce appears to be growing slightly so far.  We have lots of melons and winter squash growing on the vines.  I keep finding various seedlings eaten off.  This week, it was lettuce and nasturtium.  In place of the nasturtium, I transplanted wintersown portulaca.   For the lettuce, we did a project we've been talking about for some time, which is making holes in a large piece of styrofoam for the pots, and floating the pots in our pond.  It supposedly keeps the lettuce cool enough to be happy during the summer, and the water has enough nutrients in it to help them thrive.  I planted four pots to start.  If they do well, we plan to add more.   

I made a peach cobbler for J, with some of the peaches a neighbor gave him, and some flour that needs using, as I'm GF now.  I started another MM cleanse this week, so it seemed a good time to do that.  For the cleanse, I've been able to use kale, tomatoes, herbs, garlic and cucumber from the garden in meals.  We've been able to open up at night, to take advantage of the fresh and cooler air, and got a small amount of rain.  I cleaned the chicken coop, and cut spearmint and southernwood sprigs to place in the coop and nest boxes.  While braiding onions on the porch with the pups, I saw a green snake fall from the roof.  It took me a minute to realize an anole lizard had it in it's mouth.  They battled for two or three minutes before the anole let the snake go.  I figure the snake had probably gone after the anole, and he was having no part of it!  Nature is something to behold.  

We had guests on Sunday.  They appreciated the photos of the garden I shared on social media, and asked if they could come out.  I was gifted a piece of a new to me herb, called papalo.  It's sometimes compared to cilantro, and has a strong scent and taste.  I've got it in water, to see if it will grow roots.  I was also given a bag of worm castings, an excellent gift for a gardener.  Cucumbers and tomatoes were shared.  J sowed carrot seeds.  I did a little bit of weed eating before the battery died.  By the time it was charged, I was onto other things.  J and I do Wordle and the spelling bee it links to pretty much every day, and compare.  As we do the free version of spelling bee, it cuts us off at some point, so I sometimes also do a free version called Free Bee, which does not cut you off.  It's the little things.  Be well, friends.  

Summer Flora and Frugal Accomplishments

bee balm

I'm joining in with Frugal Accomplishments.  I cut a bouquet for the house, and went through ebates to purchase a whole house water filter.  Our extremely hard water is an ongoing challenge. We're going to try a sediment filter, to see if it will help.  We do use rainwater when we can, but we don't yet have enough storage to last more than a couple weeks or so, before having to go back on well water.  That's another work in progress.  I forgot to write about it last post, but on my evening walk with the pups on the summer solstice, a young king snake was in my path.  The following day, there was a green snake in front of the house.  I was taken aback because I had almost stepped on it before seeing it.  I researched in my animal book, which told me Snake is about transmutation and the power of creation.  I am pondering that.  Before finishing up this post tonight, I saw another small black snake in the path when I walked with the pups.

echinacea, bee balm, soapwort, tansy, daylily, zinnia

Made kefir and kombucha.  It has been unusually hot (upper 90's) here the past few weeks, so we have been using the A/C every day.  The weather finally broke, and we have been able to open up at night the past couple of days.  I keep the blinds and doors closed on the side the sun is shining throughout the day, and run a fan when it seems uncomfortably warm to keep the thermostat at a higher setting.  Harvested parsley for potato salad.  I've made Swagbucks goals several days.  Taken my water bottle any time I leave the house.  My vehicle came with a trial period of Sirius radio.  I enjoyed it at times while driving, which I don't do that much. When the trial ended, I looked at the cost, which is not cheap.  Hearing about others who had a huge hassle in cancelling it convinced me I didn't need it.  M researched what it would take to get my Pandora stations from my phone to play through the car speakers.  All it took was a $4.95 cable, and I've got good tunes to listen to in the car.  That makes me happy!

roselle hibiscus

I picked purslane and basil and made pesto with it and our garlic.  I used the last of the nettle tea fertilizer on some tomatoes and eggplant that were looking poorly, then harvested another 5 gal bucket of nettles and started a new batch of tea.  Stinky stuff when it's fermenting, but good for the plants.  I purchased a Roselle hibiscus, which I've read about on some of the Australian blogs.  It has so many good uses... food, drink, medicine, fiber.  It is not hardy here, so I will try getting cuttings in the fall.  Does anyone have experience with Roselle?  J helped me plant it before we got a nice rain.

comfrey

Tried something new with leftover mac & cheese.  I mixed it with  a can of vegetarian chili, to make chili mac.  I harvested our first cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots and used some in a salad.  Boiled our eggs and made egg salad, first for us and again for a family gathering.  The "girls" are being generous these days.  I listed 11 items on ebay.  All but one item is for some friends I agreed to help.  This endeavor has not lived up to my expectations.  For a number of hours of work each month, I end up making less than $20.  Live and learn.

butterfly bush

I picked up a book at the library, and have been enjoying the first few episodes of Call The Midwife.  I picked and made Asian cucumbers.  I chopped purslane and cucumber for the pups dinner, and brought cantaloupe rind and seeds to the chickens.  I dug one of the purslane from the garden, which has yellow flowers and is related to portulaca, and planted it in a window box which already had creeping jenny in it.  Some things enjoyed on the web this week:

-I learned I could listen to Smithsonian Folkways radio
-many of the images here and here
-breakfast ideas from Dr. Oz.  I thought the frittata looked especially good.

Even the Bees Make Pots & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  I hope your July was as good as it could be, in these interesting times.  Last week, I harvested tomatoes, cucumbers, tromboncino squash, red noodle and pole beans, apples, lima beans, eggplant, carrots, beets, and lambs quarter.  I canned tomatoes twice, juiced cherry tomatoes, and dehydrated tomato skins for bird suet.  Hopi dye sunflower seedheads, dyer's coreopsis, black eyed susan and dyer's chamomile flowers were gathered for future dyeing adventures.  I gathered lactarius indigo mushrooms.  It's said they get buggy quickly, which I found was the case.  I saved the good bits to dry and composted the rest.  I gathered chanterelles several days, and dried any that didn't make it into a breakfast scramble.

After an appointment, I headed to a nearby thrift store,  I didn't find any of the things I was looking for, but did spend .75 for two napkins and a greeting card.  I then headed to Food Lion, where the pup's dogfood was still $3 off, and seedless watermelons were $3.99.  I caught a $3 overcharge on some local honey, which they corrected.  Meals this week included asian cucumbers, zucchini frittata, zucchini tots, garlicky green beans, and sauteed squash with sweet onion and basil.  I redeemed swagbucks for a $25 amazon gift card.  While in the garden this week, hummingbirds and a praying mantis kept me company while I picked. 

Not frugal for us, but after a number of inquiries about our old stove, which J listed for $50, he ended up giving it to a man that showed up.  Laundry was hung on the line.  Beet, carrot and flower beds were weeded.  I blanched and froze one meal of lambs quarters and two of lima/butter beans.  I found a branch from our oldest pear with lots of pears on the ground, we assume from squirrel activity.  It's getting close to when they begin to ripen, so I gathered up the good ones.  Lima beans were harvested again.  After cleaning and powder coating orders on Saturday, I made hummus and cut up cucumbers for our lunch.  While in the garden one day, I noticed these pots made by some sort of bee on the tromboncino trellis.  How cool, and perfect for the pottery community I live in.  Update: a friend shared info on the potter wasp.  

More elderberries were harvested, which finished filling a jar of tincture.  I also harvested lemon verbena, which is drying for tea, and stevia. In the past, I've dried stevia, but this year, I'm trying an extract.  I tried a new recipe, for Lemony Ricotta Pasta with Basil.  It sounded like summer to me, and fit the bill.  On an evening walk, I was happy to notice honeybees working wild sumac flowers along our path.  I'm amazed at how quickly our new oven pre-heats.  It takes maybe three minutes, and used to take 40 minutes or so.  Hard to imagine.  We knew our oven was on it's way out for a while.  This will save so much time and gas!  Much of the oregano is flowering, but I was able to harvest enough to fill a pie tin, which is drying for winter use.  J harvested some of our second round of corn.  The Japanese beetles have been eating the silks, so I was afraid it wouldn't amount to much, but they were mostly filled out.  We enjoyed it with some sliced tomatoes, and the leftover pasta.  Homemade ice cream is on the menu too; toasted almond this time.  Ah, summer days.  Wishing you a week of seasonal pleasures, friends. 

Beans, Berries & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  Last week, I saw the first ripening raspberry.  When I went to check and see if it had gotten ripe, it was gone.  Oh well, a bird probably has a happy tummy.  I did nab one another day.  I've frozen a few pans of blueberries and blackberries, whatever we weren't eating fresh, as I'm picking them most every day.  I listed two items on ebay, and sold one.  One of the containers of potatoes had mint growing in it, so I harvested it and made iced tea. Besides blueberries, I'm harvesting cucumbers, beets, lettuce, zucchini, tromboncino and yellow squash, purple pole beans and yard long beans.  Also, small amounts of lambs quarter when I see it.  I blanched and froze another meal's worth last week.

before scouring

after scouring... yuck!

I'm now a believer in scouring cloth I plan to dye.  I had read that some people don't think this step necessary, and I hadn't been doing it until now.  As you can tell from the before and after pics, the process is definitely removing something.  Cellulose fibers (such as cotton and linen) contain waxes and pectins.  If you don't remove them, you risk the dye bonding to the wax and pectin, instead of the fabric, which can make the dye less lasting or give uneven results.  I scoured a second time, which was also pretty brown.  It convinced me.  I transplanted all the remaining parsley seedlings into an assortment of pots, including two I made from large metal tins.  I could have used more soil, but I made do with mixing old and new.  Several of the parsley I had transplanted in the garden died, and I want to see if they'll be happier in dappled light on the porch.  A batch of yogurt was made, and more raisin zucchini bread.

A new pasta recipe was tried, with lemon, feta and basil.  Hummus was made.  Now that cucumbers have started coming in, I've made asian cucumbers three times.  It's definitely a favorite of ours. I pulled one of the purple cosmic carrots to try, and it was very good.  A neighbor came by, asking if I still did massage.  I ended up giving him a chair massage, the first one I've done since St. Patrick's Day.  In the shadiest portion of the garden, I prepared a bed for lettuce, adding in old chicken manure, then watched the sun to see which portion of the bed got the most shade.  It will get direct sun from about noon to 3, and dappled light at other times.  I'm hoping that will work to give me a nice crop of lettuce during the hottest part of summer.  It's been hot and dry.  I'm hoping one of the days forecast to have a good chance next week brings us some rain.

There are many lightning bugs this year, which brings me joy.  In past summers, there were many, but the last few years, there seemed less and less.  How wonderful they're returning.  I ended up having to compost the calendula I had harvested, as little caterpillars hatched out of it.  That was a first.  I read a tip to freeze the flower buds when you bring them in, to keep that from happening.  I picked a bouquet of soapwort, butterfly bush, pink and purple bee balm, and verbena for the house.  Not long ago, my husband expressed a wish for a home grown tomato on the 4th, which is early for our garden.  Well, his wish came true, and we shared our first cherry tomato of the year on the 4th.  Ha!  We also enjoyed our fresh picked corn and green beans, and made mint ice cream with our Kentucky Colonel mint.  I found sparklers I've had for some time, and we had fun with some of them at dark.

happy coreopsis in the dye bed

I've made some progress with the guitar, since a friend loaned me a left handed one.  I looked for one to buy, and found a good deal on fb marketplace.  The sound is not as nice as his, but it's a smaller guitar, and will be fine for now.  Our refrigerator has been limping along for a while.  Then, two or three months ago, one of the drawer supports broke into several pieces.   J said it was beyond fixing, and parts were no longer available.  I suggested he look for sales over the 4th holiday.  He found one with good reviews that was reduced $250, and he got an additional 10% off for being a veteran and for putting it on his card.  I was surprised to see dozens of kale volunteers, where one of the winter ones obviously seeded.  I haven't had much luck with lettuce this year, but at least I'll soon be able to have kale salads.  I did plant three varieties of heat-resistant lettuce on Sunday, with a prayer.

red noodle beans/yard long beans

The hay in the back field was baled a week ago.  I found lots of twine this time on the service road.  I believe once it's cut, it's no good to them, which is why they leave it laying.  There was quite a lot this time, in three long pieces, so I brought it home, and have been using some of it to tie tomatoes.  They also lost a hay bale on the road.  Sadly, we can't use it in the garden, as like most everyone around here, they spray the field with Grazon, which will kill garden plants in short order, and persists for a long time.  I considered using it in the chicken coop, but as I use the composted cleanings in the garden, I didn't want to risk trying to keep it separated.  It seems a shame to let so much hay lay there, but it's not worth the risk.  The wrens on the porch did hatch out a little one.  I found it in a precarious position, still featherless, and out of the nest.  I was afraid to move it, but J quickly got it back into the nest, and every day, I've seen the parents bringing food, which is a hopeful sign.  J looked in with his flashlight, and said there's only one in the nest, and it looks fine.

We had a fine crop of red onions this year, filling more than half a copper boiler.  We still have to harvest yellow onions and sweet onions, and have Egyptian walking onions as well.  The beans are becoming prolific.  Though I'd love to hold off a bit longer, it appears I'll need to can some this week.  I also plan to can pickled beets some time soon.  So far, I'm managing to somewhat keep up with cucumbers and squash, though I expect I'll be canning them before long too.  I was able to share some of both with a neighbor on Sunday.  We cut a watermelon for the 4th, and gave the chickens the rind and quite a bit of watermelon, as it was overripe.  Sad, as we had just bought it the day before.  Our melon plants are coming along, but it will be some time before we have melons to eat.  Last week, I finished reading Dreams From My Father, and began reading The Cooking Gene, both library books.  Have a good week, friends.

Garden Days, Critters and Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  On Monday, I canned up vegetable broth, adding 16 pints to the pantry.  I was excited to see the turmeric I planted in a pot is sprouting.  After working in town on Tuesday, I ran errands, including picking up a few groceries.  I found one can of natural canned dogfood on the clearance rack, which was added to the pantry.  I got the pups bones at Marshall's.  One for Guinness was $1 less than amazon, @ $4.99.  I found a huge bone for McNibs at $16 less than amazon, @ $7.99.  McNibs had chewed the ones they had to tiny nubs, and both were happy boys when I got home.  A requested book was picked up at the library.  Three volunteer elderberry plants were shared with a friend.    A load of laundry was hung on the line, and sheets were changed.  I tried this new recipe.  Though it has lots of good things in it, I found the flavor too bland for my liking.  I like my vegi's to have some pizzazz.  The only thing I changed was to use a bit less black pepper.  Upping that would have given a bit more heat, but not done anything for the flavor.  On to some more recipes.

The outdoor shower was swept, and the cobwebs removed.  It's now ready for another season.  I hope to bathe the dogs in it soon.  I began working on another box of my friends antiques, to sell on ebay.  All the winter lettuce bolted.  I harvested them, and mixed it with store bought lettuce for our salads over the past couple of weeks.  There is some lettuce coming up in the garden, and some coming up in pots.  Speaking of which, I found another toad in a pot, this time in the basil.  Silly toad.  I've since moved the pots off the porch floor.  Seeds for red noodle beans, arugula, purple green beans and a few flowers were ordered online.  Cucumbers, summer squash and several different beans are coming up in the garden.  Growing the sweet potato slips in the repurposed truck tool box was a success.  J planted over 60 sweet potato plants so far.

My sweet stepdaughter sent me a bouquet of the most beautiful shade of roses.  Aren't they lovely? They've cheered me all week.  Last week, I woke at first light several days, and the chorus of birdsong was amazing.  Such a sweet pleasure right outside my windows.  I worked a couple days at one of my occasional jobs.  In between customers, I did a little mending, and made progress on catching up on my inbox.  Leftovers were brought for lunch.  The tunnel or miner bees have emerged, and are staking out new territory around the pond.  We're happy to provide them habitat.  Tiny frogs have hatched out from the pond, and are everywhere.  I noticed a branch of the oldest hazelnut dying.  J checked it out, and found a borer in the branch. He researched it, and apparently it could be one of several borers.  I fed it to one of the chickens.  Wednesday morning was chilly, with lows in the 40's.  After making yogurt and catching up on ironing, I cleaned, powder coated and began packing 4 orders.

Miner bee tunnels. Look close, & you may be able to see one going in the middle hole.

We've had three broody hens over the past few weeks.  I've taken them out of the nest boxes, and put them in the yard on several occasions, so they can get some of the wild lettuce or other goody I've brought.  After the elder rooster died, we decided to see if they would tolerate the blind rooster being in the broody area with them.  Each hen seemed to do fine with that, but quickly lost interest in sitting on the eggs.  At least that broke two of them of broodiness, but the last one is still broody, though never on any eggs.  We dealt with that the last time, until one of the Americauna hens went broody.  She was a good mama hen.  We haven't given up yet.  I've been noticing a pretty purple wildflower on my walks, and found out it is Venus' Looking Glass.  We were out of lettuce, and I wanted a salad.  I gathered sorrel and cat brier tips on my walk, and kale and chickweed from the garden.  It was excellent, mixed with some store bought things.  I made pasta using our tomatoes, eggplant and summer squash.

good camouflage 

The temps have gotten much hotter (upper 80's & 90's), so we're using A/C off and on.  So far, we're able to keep it off at night, close up in the morning, and just turn it on when it gets too hot indoors.  We use fans to help cool us as much as possible.  Wild lettuce and mock strawberries are gathered and given to the chickens on a regular basis.  Also, wild dock that has gone to seed.  They love all of it.  J mowed and weedeated some of the wilder places on Saturday, around a number of fruit trees that brambles had grown around, and in the area we planted olives.  We thought we only had one remaining olive that made it through the winter, but it appears two others have sent up small amounts of growth.  He's amended them all with oyster shell, minerals and compost.  They've never been happy where they're at, so our intention is to move them close to fall.

I had a hankering for french toast Sunday morning.  Trying to figure out a version that would work with my diet recommendations, I used hemp milk in place of milk, and used some wild blueberry all fruit jam on top, in place of maple syrup.  It was quite tasty and satisfying.  Suet and hummingbird food was made for the birds.  Two loads of laundry were done, and hung on the line.  It reached 87 on Sunday afternoon, so I thought it was a good time to give the dogs a bath, and take my first outdoor shower of the year.  It was lovely.  Wishing you a week of lovely things.