Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on 

here on our Piedmont property.

Last week it felt so much like summer,

even though it is still days away,

but this week has been fairly mild,

which made it a pleasure to accomplish 

a few tasks outdoors.

This cattle panel arch will be soon supporting

our Seminole pumpkins.

This particular variety is less prone to trouble

with the vine borers that plague so many squash plants.

They store well and make a wonderful and hearty soup.

Garbanzo beans (also called chick peas),

are one of my favorite beans.

They are so versatile and I use them in everything

from hummus to salads to stews.

It makes sense to try to grow my own,

so I sprouted some in a bowl and planted them.

It's always exciting trying a new crop.

We'll see how it goes!

The new lettuce bed is making great progress,

thanks to some much needed rain.

Baby greens will be harvested in the next few days

and this bed should do an ample job of feeding me

for a couple of months.

I'm thinking of placing some sort of cover over the bed,

to keep the harshest of the sun's rays off of the plants.

It may be something as simple as a beach umbrella,

if that's all I can find to keep the crop cooler.

The straw will help with this objective.

It took me a minute,

but I finally remembered what had been planted in this pot.

It stayed in the garage over winter

and started to emerge over the past week.

It's turmeric, and it comes back

reliably, year after year.

Maybe I need to put a tag in there

so as not to strain the old noggin next year.

The garlic was harvested and is now curing 

on the front porch (see the photo below).

Out of 100 cloves planted,

we got about 50 bulbs.

A bit disappointing, as I grow for myself and sister,

but we are cooking less and less, so it will be enough.

Two new areas in the ground were used this season,

so perhaps the soil was not ideal.

We'll try a new spot in the fall and hope for the best.

Here on the front porch,

a rack was set up to cure the garlic, leek and onions,

as well as dry some herbs like lemon balm and rosemary.

We had been using the garage for curing,

until I thought about the emissions from the cars,

and decided to make a change.

When you learn better, you do better.

This lavender is bursting with blooms!

What a delight to brush up against it

and take in the fragrance.

Even I can smell it,

and I can't smell much these days.

I'm thinking about drying some of it

so that I can make something with the dried flowers and stems.

This low maintenance plant does quite well

with very little water and absolutely no fertilizer.

What a dream!