Wrapping Up

I am getting things wrapped up in the garden.  I still can’t believe I got anything as bad as it is overgrown.

Can you see the row of okra?

I have frozen okra and hot peppers.  I did get some of the plums frozen too.

I’ve canned all the roasted tomato sauce I’m going to.

I have even canned some by cold packing them.

I’m glad I did as much canning as I did last year, and the garden better do well next year again, but I think I have enough to make it through this winter with home canned tomatoes.  I also decided to dehydrate some tomatoes!

I already have a plan for their use.

Even though the garden is pretty much done, the milk room is going strong!  I actually had to buy some half gallon jars because I was running out of containers to hold my milk before I got to doing anything with it.

I’ve been making soaps–some just need restocked; some have been out of stock for a while and it’s time to bring them back; a couple are brand new fragrances!

Neroli and Clean Coconut

They’ll all be ready in time for the September farmer’s market (You know-the one for the month. I really need to find another market for next year).

Island Escape, Butter Mints, and Energizing

I’m excited to have my own Mozzarella again.  I’ve gotten a good start on freezing enough for the winter.

Since I’m getting so much milk right now, I thought I might even get creative, so I’m reading this book.

We’ll see if I get brave enough to try a new cheese yet this fall.

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What I’m Not Doing

My garden this year has been a bust.  Between the late start, early heat with tons of rain, then dry, and…  Well, it’s been neglected.

I actually mowed it once between the tomatoes and stuff.  The okra grew quickly in the heat and humidity, so it will produce later in the summer.

The tomatoes are doing well also.

I’m pretty sure, even if they are totally covered by the grass and weeds, I’m still going to have a good crop.

I’ve picked a few cucumbers and a couple of zucchini.

Unfortunately, I have lost some zucchini plants to squash vine borers.  I hate them.

I don’t know how to get rid of them since they are in the soil.

acorn squash (not touched by squash vine borers so far)

I think that means I want to move my garden up north; hopefully it won’t have them up there.  I also want to dig some of the baby plum trees and start them up north.

baby plum tree

My big plum tree that I moved here from my mom’s place is not looking good–too many severe weather years and yard goats.

It’s also twenty years old.  Although, if they hang on, it looks like there will be quite a few this fall.

I have a couple bigger young trees that my nephew said he’d help me move with the backhoe.  We’ll see how that works.

So my garden is largely a bust for this year, but I’m looking at improvements and changes for next year.

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The Last Picking

With a hard freeze in the forecast for last night, I forgot to go see if there was anything left in the garden to pick.  I decided to see if anything was left today because, honestly, I don’t think we had a hard freeze.  I can say that with certainty because I found bell peppers.  The plants are some of the most sensitive to cold, and they look fine.

I was also surprised that I had so many tomatoes, and they were fine.

I knew the okra had already died down, but I still think the dried pods look pretty cool.

I was also surprised that I had any bottle gourds left out there.  That’s because they have become the dog’s favorite new toy.

Sky!  Actually, he’s chewing on the remains of pumpkin or squash.  I can’t tell which.

Sky

Finally, I got to what I went out to pick–the beets.  I had originally planted them because I wanted to let them go to seed and smell the flowers because of a novel, Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.  Alas, my sister informed me that she always leaves her until it frosts, and she’s yet to see a flower.  We are guessing it’s because they are biannuals.  Maybe in a couple more years.

I actually got a pretty good haul from the garden.  I found a small cabbage and some Anaheim chili and jalapeno peppers.

Now I have to do something with all of these things before Sky steals them from my bucket.