Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on 

around our Piedmont property.

We have been blessed with fairly steady rainfall,

and the garden and I are mighty greatful.

The cattle panel arch is being taken over

by the Cushaw squash vine.

This is a first time plant for me,

and I have to say that

I appreciate its exuberance!

Although I have only found 3 squash on the vine,

they are quite large.

The one I harvested this week weighed in at eight pounds.

Soup is on the menu this weekend,

and I should have enough to make some other goodies as well.

A good friend told me that they store up to 9 months in her cellar.

The Seminole pumpkin had a growth spurt this week.

The two squash varieties I'm sharing with you are showing promise,

as I have had no pest issues with either one.

What a blessing, as I don't use even organic methods of pest control.

The green beans had been replanted

when my climbing beans failed to germinate.

There are also drying beans on this teepee.

The gift of rain has made all the difference.

A volunteer squash was found growing in the chook run.

Here's another that was harvested and cooked.

It tasted like a baked potato, for some reason.

My friend Jannah gave me some of her

amazing yellow zucchini.

I sauteed some of it and made fritters with the rest.

Such simple food that tastes so good.

sea oats

The seed pods on the native milkweed are huge!

I will be saving some of these for future planting,

although they seem to readily volunteer.

This is the host plant for the

tussock moth caterpillar.

You can read more about it here.

canna lilies

Almost ready to start laying!

A bit of shuffling has been done with regard to the chooks.

My efforts to integrate the two flocks

didn't work out too well,

so I separated them.

The bonus is that since the new girls (seen here),

are so congenial, Betty has a friendly place to hang out.

After Queenie's unexpected passing,

she has seemed a bit blue.

She and the new girls seem to get along fine,

even sharing the coop and run without issue.

The bullies have been moved to the "eldercare" coop and run.

I hope your summer is going just the way you like it.

Be Blissed!

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings!

To be truthful, there isn't a whole lot going on here,

with summer heat taking its toll.

The beautiful blooms are one of the best things

about my least favorite season.

Beets were harvested and enjoyed this week.

These were purchased as seedlings

from our friends at Piedmont Farmstead,

where I buy some of my fabulous organic produce.

The Cushaw squash is still growing well,

with absolutely no signs of pest interference.

Seeds will be saved from this crop,

so that it can be grown again next year.

This is one of two new squash varieties 

that I am trying this season,

and they were chosen for their resistance to 

the dreaded squash vine borers.

So far, so good!

The sweet potatoes have finally decided 

to do something.

We did have a bit of rain over the last week,

and I guess it was just enough to get things moving.

I also added some rabbit fertilizer to the bed.

I'm happy with the way the herb bed is coming along.

We have basil, chamomile, lemon balm, 

parsley and thyme planted here.

I'd love to put some pesto in the freezer for winter.

These random pumpkin/squash plants

are taking up a lot of real estate.

No worries, we are blessed with ample room.

So far, I am hard pressed to find any fruit.

The beans have been resown a second time,

and a few varieties are growing.

These are drying beans,

which will be used in the cooler months

for soups and stews.

Scapes were found on some of the leeks.

They can be used just as a scallion would be used,

so I'll be snipping these off and cooking with them.

Love me some leeks!

Some of the lettuce has bolted,

and purposely left so that seed may be gathered.

This is the Amish Speckled Butter lettuce

that was grown for the first time this year.

Everyone that I shared seedlings with 

seemed to enjoy it immensely.

It's a keeper.

Matilda

The transition of the new chooks to the coop

is still a work in progress.

The barrier I constructed with cardboard and a screen

is keeping them separated at night for now.

Each morning, these are removed so that the nesting boxes

can be accessed.

We only have one hen laying at the moment,

but the babies should be starting very soon.

Hopefully, two more weeks of separation

will help to get them used to sharing the space.

Our summertime Lego camper display

is nearly complete.

We have one more large set to construct

and make room for on the mantle.

Big K has collected so many campers,

that we now have an overflow area in the office.

I love this tradition.

I hope that you are enjoying summer

however you see fit.

The blessings are many,

and we appreciate each and every day.

Bee well.

Happy Independence Day!

 

Happy Birthday,

my beloved America!

May you forever be free!

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings.

Summer is here and are we feeling it!

A lot of the country is experiencing record high temperatures

and we actually went into triple digits this week.

Hoping that we don't see that again.

The watermelon is being gobbled up on a daily basis.

How hot is it?

Dang hot!

A couple of weeks ago,

we finally managed to have our bathroom project done.

We had this tub/shower combination that was

original to the house.

We swapped it out for a walk-in shower instead.

The shower head was also changed out,

and it has been a pleasure taking a shower ever since.

The bonus is that we found a plumber who did a great job

and will be used for future projects.

Outside,

the Cushaw squash is impressing me.

It seems to grow a foot a day,

and so far, has no issues with bugs.

I love the mottled pattern on the ginormous leaves.

The two types of squash (Cushaw and Seminole pumpkin) we are growing intentionally,

are both supposed to be resistant to the infamous squash vine borer.

Time will tell.

native milkweed

canna lily

The garden is doing well,

despite the fact that we haven't had any rain in 3 weeks.

The irrigation has been used,

but does not seem to be doing a thorough job.

I will work on a solution as weather permits,

or wait until autumn.

Until then, I'm hand watering as well.

This year's crop of garlic was cured in the garage,

and then processed for hanging.

The heads are much smaller than I am used to,

but that will be corrected with this year's crop

by being sure to fertilize twice in the 9-month growing season.

The heads were threaded onto stiff wire

and reside near the kitchen.

It's a wonderful feeling knowing that

garlic will not be on our shopping list

for a very long time.

The sweet potato slips were planted,

a little later than usual,

but they should be fine.

Looking forward to using some of the greens

for the chooks to snack on.

I may even keep some for myself.

With the onset of the dreaded heat,

a few new ideas have been tried out 

to keep our girls cooler.

The applesauce jar was filled with water

and frozen overnight.  I then placed it in a plastic pot

(some folks use coolers), and placed it in the run.

This gives the girls a cooling effect just by standing near the pot.

I also used my silicone soup block molds

to freeze larger blocks of ice to give them something super cooling.

A friend gave me a boatload of cucumbers,

so they were sliced in half, frozen and then

added to the runs for the girls to snack on.

It makes me feel better, knowing I can do these little things,

to try to make their lives a bit more comfortable.

The baby girls were integrated this week 

with the older chooks.

I can't say it's going smoothly,

as it seems that the new girls prefer

to sleep on this perch all night,

rather than using the chicken coop.

The older hens are not being as generous as they could be,

but I'm hoping they will get used to each other over time.

It's a time of transition and I'll be glad 

when they are all snuggled up together in the coop at night.

Hopefully, we will get some rain this weekend,

and they will be forced to go inside!

The complicated life of a backyard chook.

As if the joining up of the two separate flocks isn't enough,

we've had a visitor over the last week.

This guinea has been frequenting our run.

I don't mind it hanging around,

as it seems to have lost its flock,

but I don't want it to invite everyone it knows either!

It seems the strays always find us.

What's happening on your homestead this week?

Hail to the Queen!

 

This is Queenie.

She came to us via a friend who was moving out west.

Her moniker came with her, and she was aptly named.

Queenie's personality was bigger than life.

She will be sorely missed.

Her sweet spirit floated up to the sky this week,

and I may never be the same.

Absolutely heartbroken.

She was always a leader in the flock,

although she would not use her position to stifle the other hens.

When we got that first group of chooks,

she was Gandalf's favorite girl.

That waned over time, and she took it in stride.

Queenie was the only one of our chooks

who would sit on the front porch 

and watch the world go by.

At least, until she spotted a grasshopper

or other tasty morsel in the grass.

Then she was johnny-on-the-spot

and quick as lightning to gobble it up.

She was a fierce forager.

When she first came to live with us,

she would follow me around quite a bit,

and would even peck me,

as if I were one of her crew.

Over the last year or two,

she was my digging partner.

Whenever there was shoveling to do,

she'd be right there,

just waiting to see what popped up!

That girl was slick!

She and Betty had become best buds.

Due to Betty's balance issues,

she had to be isolated from the other chooks.

(They mercilessly pick on anyone who is not in the best health.)

Betty was initially paired up with Ruby,

one of our comets who was often picked on by the others.

When Ruby passed, I put Queenie in with Betty,

so that she wouldn't be alone.

This worked out great,

because they were both older

and not that happy about Gandalf's still frequent advances.

So, we created an "assisted living" coop and run for them,

and they lived together for the last year or so,

happy as clams.

Here, Queenie is being less than generous,

keeping the new comfy resting spot for herself.

Betty holds no grudges.

So glad these two had some quality time together.

Betty seems to be adjusting,

although I sometimes wonder if she is looking for her buddy.

When the baby chicks were placed outside,

she was the only hen who appeared to be curious about them.

She sat next to their coop for the longest time.

I think she would have made a great momma.

 Queenie, my girl,

you were one in a million!

I hope we meet up again someday.

Rest in peace, little girl.