Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's happening on our

Piedmont NC homestead.

The garden is humming along, with all beds planted.

Broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce,

and a ton of garlic are going to spend some time with us this fall and winter.

The Red Russian kale has been impressive,

with the leaves raising up the row cover.

The bonus is that because of cooler temperatures,

the trouble of bug damage has been zero.

I love the fall garden!

The garlic planting took two days.

Having ordered a pound and a half of soft neck,

the end result was over 150 cloves planted.

No worries about vampires here!

This was the first time I used a new technique

to soak and then plant the cloves.

Here's a great video about the method.

Garlic in several beds (and some assorted places),

was planted 2 inches deep and four inches apart.

About 20 cloves of the hard neck variety 

were also planted, as I've never grown it before.

If successful, this should be plenty of garlic

to get both sister and I through the year.

We may even have some to donate.

A few red onions were planted in a nearby bed,

and we'll see how they do over winter.

They sure look like they were dying to get into the ground!

The second set of Seminole pumpkins were harvested,

which ended up giving us another 14.25 pounds of food.

I've used it for soup and muffins,

and am quite pleased with the results.

It keeps well in a dark place,

but can also be cut up and frozen until it is used.

The Red Ripper beans are continuing to bear,

although are taking longer to dry on the vine,

most likely due to the cooler weather.

We're still being blessed with summer flowers,

including Tithonia, zinnias,

and celosia.

I'll be on the lookout for dried branches

and evergreens to bring inside,

now that consistent fall temperatures are here.

sweet sleeping bee

The big soil bags acquired from a friend

have been emptied and are ready for a fresh

serving of shredded leaves.

The leaves are collected with a mower

and are placed into these bags to spend time

composting until springtime.

We also have a large leaf pile for the overflow.

Leaves are used as mulch and as a soil amendment

all through the year.

Mother Nature always provides,

if we just pay attention.

Seeds continue to be harvested,

including these nasturtiums.

This little seed provides a powerhouse

of color and texture in the garden.

We've had the most glorious nasturtiums this season.

the bullies

All of the girls are doing well,

and are giving us at least a dozen eggs a week.

(Although the three seen here no longer lay.)

They relish their time free ranging,

scratching and foraging,

and the dark orange yolks in the eggs are the result.

What a blessing the chooks are for so many reasons.

This is sweet Matilda,

"She who will not be contained".

At every opportunity,

she scales the fencing and strolls the property.

She is a free spirit and quick as a wink.

This week I enjoyed some homemade

carrot-ginger soup with this

polenta based cornbread.

There was no cornmeal to be found in the kitchen,

so I subbed with what I had

and it turned out better than expected.

Isn't that always a welcome surprise!

Here's hoping you have some wonderful surprises 

awaiting you this weekend.